Foolproof Baked Brown Rice

Foolproof baked brown rice is going to make meal time so much easier! Perfect for serving a large crowd, this rice recipe is the best way to get dinner on the table quickly. Put it in the oven alongside the main dish and serve dinner piping hot all at the same time. And no need to worry about the texture, every grain of rice is perfectly chewy and fluffy.

And for heavens sake! No more boiling rice and babysitting it while it cooks. Just put it in the oven and walk away! No more dealing with pots or pans caked in the glue-like cement of rice residue! No more dancing around the fine line of under cooking or over cooking rice! This recipe takes all of those concerns off the table and makes it simple to pull out a delicious pan of fluffy goodness each and every time!

And BONUS, with this recipe in your arsenal you no longer need to keep holding on to that big clunky rice cooker. It is okay to finally let it go! Plus how beautiful is it served in these decorative ceramic baking dishes!? You can find the same product with a different design here.

Pre-Wash Necessary?

Did you grow up being told to wash your rice prior to cooking? With white rice we agree. Rinsing is totally necessary to remove extra starch if you want to avoid having sticky rice. 

I was always told the same was true for brown rice. Only recently did I learn that wasn’t the case at all. Nope, not true at all for brown rice. Because brown rice’s bran is still intact it doesn’t have a build up of starch on the outside like white rice does. Which means that all those years of rinsing brown rice accomplished absolutely nothing. So, skip the rinsing, save time and water!

Make it Your Own

For even more flavor tailored to your main dish sub out the water for broth. Just make sure that the broth is boiling hot when added to the rice. In addition to using broth try adding frozen veggies to the uncooked rice for a one dish, side. Go ahead and save yourself from having extra dishes. 

Broccoli, cauliflower, peas, onions, peppers, carrots or green beans all work great. Veggies will cook alongside the rice adding a little more personality and flavor to your dish. You can also try adding cooked leftover chicken to the uncooked rice for a heartier, more savory flavor. 

Covering is Crucial

If using foil instead of a tight fitting oven safe lid, it is important to crimp it tightly around the edges of the baking dish so steam is trapped and rice cooks properly. No peeking once covered. We want to keep the moisture and steam inside the dish.

Be sure to remove foil immediately after pulling from oven. You do not want to give it a chance to build up condensation while cooling that will drip down into the rice making it sticky and gummy. Once uncovered, fluff rice using a fork and allow to sit uncovered for 5 minutes before serving.

Pro Chef - Mom Hack

Foolproof baked brown rice is such a versatile recipe to have in your meal rotation arsenal. So why not double the recipe and use the extras in another meal later in the week, like I did here?! Throw it in burritos, add fresh veggies for a stir fry or add a half cup to a bowl of your favorite soup or chili. Adding cooked brown rice to an existing recipe favorite like Sweet and Spicy Chili makes it that much more filling and hearty!

If 9 servings of rice really is just too much for you you can absolutely cut this recipe in half. Instead of a 9x13 baking dish use a 8x8 dish and keep the baking time the same. If sticking with the original 9 servings plan to use the rice as a side dish to meals like Barbecue Chicken or Chicken Crescent Roll Ups. Or use foolproof baked brown rice as a base for many a meal, including Honey Garlic Meatballs or Poppy Seed Chicken casserole.

And if you don't have a recipe to use it in right away freeze the extras in 1 cup portions for easy pulling out and reheating whenever you need a quick side dish!

Trick to Re-Steam Rice

The biggest tricks to reheating rice is adding a little liquid to rehydrate it and giving it an environment to steam in. There are two methods I like to use when reheating rice, the microwave for smaller portions, or the oven for larger batches.

Microwave

Spread rice out on a plate or in a microwave safe dish. Sprinkle with water generously. (It's more water than you think.) Now you don't want it swimming in water, but a thin, thin layer of water in some spots on the plate is okay. Using a damp paper towel cover the plate or dish tightly. Place in microwave for a 60 to 90 seconds depending on how much rice there is. Uncover and use a fork to fluff rice. Enjoy.

Oven

Spread rice out as evenly as possible on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with water generously, (it is more water than you think). You don't want it swimming in water but a thin, thin layer of water in some spots on the sheet is okay. Using aluminum foil cover the cookie sheet tightly. Place in oven at 350 F for 5 minutes or until rice is warm throughout. Uncover and use a fork to fluff rice. Enjoy!