Name: How to Cook Brown Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Basics
Ingredients: 1 cup long or short grain brown rice; 6 cups water; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Want to make brown rice but don’t have an hour? Here’s how to cook brown rice the fast way—and it turns out perfectly every time.

Ever wanted to cook brown rice, until you saw the 1 hour cook time? Alex and I try to cook this healthy whole grain as an alternative to white rice. But if you’re anything like us, you see the 1 hour label and immediately disregard it for weeknights. Am I right? Who has 1 hour to cook rice on a weeknight? But we’ve found the “fast way” to cook brown rice. It’s not instant, but it cuts down the time investment for sure. In just 35 minutes, you’ve got a big pot of nutritious brown rice that cooks perfectly every time! Here’s how to cook brown rice on the stove…the fast way.

What’s the “fast” way to cook brown rice?

So, what’s the secret to the “fast way” to cook brown rice? It’s called the Pasta Method. In the pasta method, you cook the rice like you would pasta. In the standard way to make rice, you’d place the grains and water in a saucepan, bring it to a boil, and simmer until the water is absorbed. Not so with the pasta method!

For the Pasta Method to cook brown rice, you:

Boil a pot of water, much like you would for pasta.
Drop the rice grains in, and cook them for about 20 minutes until tender.
Drain the water. Return the rice to the pot and let it steam for 5 minutes.

This ends up with a much quicker cook time than the standard method for how to cook brown rice on the stove, which typically takes about 50 to 55 minutes to cook and 5 to 10 minutes to steam.

How much does 1 cup dry rice make? 1 cup dry rice = 3 cups cooked

Is brown rice healthier?

Great question! With white rice being so much quicker to cook than brown rice, why would you want to eat it? Turns out, brown rice has a lot of nutritional benefits. Brown rice has an impressive amount of vitamins, minerals and beneficial compounds because it is less processed than white rice. If you want to get technical…

White rice has its hull, bran and germ removed. However, brown rice keeps the nutrient-packed bran and germ and only has the hull removed. As a result, brown rice retains the nutrients that white rice lacks such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Brown rice also has more fiber than white rice.

In summary: Yes, brown rice is packed with more nutrients than white rice! So when you can find time to cook it, brown rice is a great choice. Want to read more? Go to Brown Rice vs White Rice.

Can you cook brown rice in an Instant Pot?

Yes, indeed you can! Alex and I love cooking essentials like rice and quinoa in our Instant Pot (pressure cooker). The method is usually not quicker: but the advantage is that it’s totally hands off and leaves the stove free for cooking other things!

If you’re interested in trying rice in a pressure cooker, try our Brown Rice in Instant Pot recipe. You also can cook White Rice in an Instant Pot.

Can you use the pasta method for white rice?

Absolutely, you can use this method for white rice, too! Here’s a recipe showing the timing for How to Cook White Rice using the pasta method.

Of course! We have so many recipes with using it, it’s hard to know where to begin. Here are some of our favorite brown rice recipes:

This recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.