{"title":"How to Cook Brown Rice","canonicalUrl":"https://www.showmestepbystep.com/cooking/how-to-cook-brown-rice","category":{"slug":"cooking","name":"Cooking"},"creator":{"name":"Souped Up Recipes","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3HjB3X8jeENm46HCkI0Inw","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUl4BpwikTY"},"tldr":"Stovetop brown rice in 30 minutes. The 1:2 rice-to-water ratio and simmer-covered technique that gives tender, separate grains. Step-by-step photos.","totalDurationSeconds":330,"difficulty":"easy","tools":[],"materials":[],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1: Rinse the brown rice","text":"Rinse the brown rice in a bowl or sieve under cold running water. Unlike white rice, the rinsing water won't get cloudy because the bran layer protects the germ and endosperm.A quick rinse to wash off surface dust is enough - you don't need to keep rinsing until the water runs clear the way you would with white rice."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2: Drain thoroughly","text":"Drain the rice well using a sieve or fine-mesh strainer. Letting the rice sit in pooled water before cooking will throw off your water ratio later.Shake the sieve a few times to get the last bit of water out. The rice doesn't need to be bone dry - just no standing water."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3: Add water in a 1:2 ratio","text":"Add the rice to a saucepan with water in a 1:2 ratio. For 1 cup of brown rice, use 2 cups of water.Brown rice needs more water than white rice because the bran layer slows how fast moisture gets to the grain. The extra cup is what saves you from crunchy half-cooked rice."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4: Bring to a simmer over medium heat","text":"Give the pot a quick swirl to even out the rice, then turn the heat to medium and bring it to a simmer. This usually takes 3 to 5 minutes - don't walk away.Brown rice tends to foam up and overflow if it goes past a simmer. Stay nearby, and pull the heat back if you see bubbles climbing the sides of the pot."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5: Cover, reduce heat, simmer 30 minutes","text":"Once you see steady bubbling, put the lid on and turn the heat down to low. Cook for 30 minutes without lifting the lid.For every additional cup of brown rice, add 8 minutes to the cooking time (so 2 cups = 38 minutes). Lifting the lid lets the steam escape and stops the rice from cooking properly, so resist checking until time is up."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6: Fluff with a fork","text":"After 30 minutes, take the pot off the heat and fluff the rice with a fork. The grains should be tender, separate, and slightly chewy - that nutty texture is what brown rice is supposed to have.For an even fluffier result, leave the lid on for 5 more minutes off the heat. The residual steam finishes the cook and gives you the cleanest separation between grains."}],"recipe":{"servings":"Makes about 3 cups cooked rice","prepMinutes":5,"cookMinutes":30,"cuisine":null,"ingredients":[{"name":"long-grain brown rice","notes":"rinsed","amount":"1 cup"},{"name":"water","amount":"2 cups"}]},"lastUpdated":"2026-05-20T13:31:01.402Z","published":"2026-05-03T21:35:04.195Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}