Learn how to cook brown rice on the stove perfectly every time. No more mushy overcooked or crunchy half-cooked brown rice. Get soft, moist, yet distinct grains, perfect to eat alone or as an ingredient in a healthy recipe.

The brown rice cooking method I will teach you will change your life in the kitchen. It changed my life.

To be honest, I struggled with brown rice for a long time. My experience with brown rice may be like yours.

Following directions found on the rice package produced inconsistent results. I cooked the rice with a 2:1 water rice ratio (2 cups water and 1 cup brown rice). The result — mushy rice.

So I experimented by changing the water to rice ratio, reducing the water each time. By the time the rice was no longer mushy, I ended up with dry, not fully cooked rice.

Little did I know that the size of rice grain AND the quality of the cooking pan affect the amount of water needed for the rice.

With such frustrating experiences, I didn’t think I could learn how to cook brown rice with a pan on the stove.

Alternatives to Cooking Brown Rice on the Stove

A rice cooker and electric cooker have a good track record for producing great brown rice. If you have a rice cooker or electric cooker, use them to cook the rice for an easier hands-free method.

Just a quick bit of info on them before we jump to cooking brown rice with a pan on the stove.

Rice Cooker

My rice cooker makes moist and tender rice with a 1½ to 1 water to rice ratio.

Electric Pressure Cooker

My electric pressure cooker can also cook brown rice. It has a brown rice setting, which is handy. I use a 1½ to 1 water to rice ratio.

If you are going to use an electric pressure cooker, I recommend the Fagor pressure cooker.

Read my review of the Fagor pressure cooker to find out why I prefer it over the Instant Pot.

I also use the pressure cooker to cook black beans, which I like to eat with my brown rice.

However, I know that many of my readers only have a pot and a burner, so I revisited my brown rice dilemma.

A Word about Rice Grains

Not all grains of rice are the same. They don’t look the same, they aren’t the same size, and they aren’t the same color.

Therefore, you should cook each rice variety differently because each variety is unique.

For example, you need different water to rice ratios for long and short grain rice. It is a lot to keep track of.

So, the solution for brown rice — boil it like you would pasta.

How to Cook Brown Rice Like Pasta

The only way I have found to cook brown rice perfectly every time is to cook it like pasta.

This means your water to brown rice ratio is closer to 4 to 1 (4 cups of water to 1 cup of brown rice). However, you don’t have to measure either the water or the rice precisely — just like pasta.

• Start by boiling 4 cups of water in a stock pot.
• After the water reaches a boil, add the brown rice.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer it covered for 25 to 30 minutes.

Check the grains at 25 minutes to see if they are soft enough. If they aren’t, keep cooking for another few minutes.

• When the rice grains are ready, drain the rice in a colander just like you drain pasta.

I always shake the cooked rice in the colander a few times to get the excess water out.

• Return the rice to the pan, cover with the lid, and let it sit OFF HEAT for about 5 minutes.  This helps dry it out a little more and evenly cook.

• Finally, fluff it with a fork and serve.

If you are going to use the rice in another recipe, liked fried rice, let the rice cool for best results.

Cooking by boiling is quicker than cooking the rice with the water absorption cooking method. Water absorption method takes 45 minutes versus 25 minutes for the pasta method.

Do You Have to Soak Brown Rice Before Cooking?

I wasn’t sure if it was better to soak the rice before cooking so I did an experiment.

Once I started cooking brown rice like pasta, I wasn’t going back to any other cooking method. But I wanted to see if there was any other tips to enhance the texture and appearance.

I used Trader Joe’s brown basmati rice for all of the experiments and I used the pasta cooking method.

Experiment

The best texture of brown rice is soft, moist, a tiny bit sticky, but the grains of rice are separate.

• Presoaking Rice

Presoaked rice result: Cooked rice finished cooking in 25 minutes. The cooked rice grains were shorter and much stickier.

My first impression was not favorable. When the rice cooled down, the texture was a little better. This was my least favorite method. I would only use this rice in a casserole or soup.

• Cooking Rice Without Rinsing

Cooking rice without rinsing: This rice was soft, long, somewhat sticky, and the grains were separate. This rice had the best texture.  It was finished cooking in 25 minutes.

• Rinsing Rice Before Cooking

Cooked rice finished cooking in 25 minutes. This rice also had a nice texture. It was slightly stickier than the rice cooked without rinsing.

• Rice Cooked in Rice Cooker and Electric Pressure Cooker – for comparison

Conclusion: I preferred the texture of non-rinsed brown rice.

Please note: When you use the boiling method, soaking brown rice does not reduce the cooking time.

FAQ About Cooking Brown Rice

If you are interested in cooking other staples, see the posts on how to cook quinoa and how to cook black beans.

What did you think of the pasta method to cook your brown rice? Comment below and let me know your experience.