Baked Rice

Making Baked Rice in the oven is fast, foolproof and fluffy. This easy three ingredient recipe is hands-free, too, so your night just got a lot easier.

Say goodbye to sticky, burned pot bottoms, or al dente grains of chewy, undercooked rice. Even if you’ve never been all that confident in your rice-making skills, you can make perfectly cooked rice in about 30 minutes.

Once you master this method, you can flavor the casserole up in a bunch of delicious ways, with spices, bouillon, or lemon zest.

Recipe ingredients:

Ingredient notes:

• Long-grain rice: Any rice works such as long-grain American, basmati, or jasmine. Brown rice takes longer to cook, so plan on at least an hour in the oven.
• Butter: It’s okay to reduce the butter to ¼ cup (4 tablespoons). Or, substitute ¼ cup olive oil.

Step-by-step instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add the rice, butter (or olive oil) and salt into the baking dish. Stir the boiling water into the rice and gently mix until the butter is melted.
   
2. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake at 375 degrees until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender—30 to 35 minutes. Once out of the oven, give the rice a few minutes before fluffing with a fork.
   

Recipe tips and variations:

• Don’t rinse: There is no reason to rinse the rice. You might be thinking: “I’ll rinse the starch off the rice, and then I can bake it without butter or olive oil.” I tried that, and in the absence of all fat, rice stuck to the bottom of the baking dish. Rinsing didn’t help.
• No fat: If you make this recipe without any fat, some rice will stick to the bottom of your baking dish. You’ll probably lose a couple of tablespoons, or maybe up to a ¼ cup, of cooked rice through the sticking. Even if you rinse the rice, some of the rice will stick to the bottom of your baking dish.
• Broth: For more flavor, substitute chicken broth, beef broth, or shrimp stock for the water.
• Flavors: Add a spoonful of bouillon, some herbs, a bay leaf, citrus zest, or turmeric to gently scent the rice as it bakes.
• Vegetables: Diced vegetables, especially aromatic ones like celery, carrots, and onions, can steam along with the rice and taste delicious.
• Food safety: Once you cook the rice, it should be allowed to either cool completely or kept hot throughout the meal. Be careful not to let cooked rice sit out at room temperature for longer than one hour, and never let hot rice cool out on the counter. Instead, store hot cooked rice in a shallow (3” or less) container and place it in the refrigerator to cool faster. The quick-cooled rice can then be eaten cold in rice salad, or reheated safely for the next 4 days.
• Reheat: Break up any lumps with a fork, then drizzle with a little water or broth, cover tightly, and reheat in the microwave. Rice should be reheated to at least 165 degrees.
• Freezer: Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and cool completely. Pack into a measuring cup and measure portions (1-cup, 2-cup, 4-cup, etc.). Pack into freezer-safe bags, press flat, label, and freeze for up to 2 months.

More rice recipes:

• Chipotle cilantro-lime rice
• Mexican rice
• Lemon rice pilaf
• Spanish rice

Baked Rice

Making Baked Rice in the oven is fast, foolproof and fluffy. This easy three ingredient recipe is hands-free, too, so your night just got a lot easier.

5 from 7 votes

ReviewPin0Print

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 35 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Servings 6 servings

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Calories 361

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 2 cups long-grain white rice (see note 1)
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) or less (see note 2)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 cups boiling water

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 2-quart or larger baking dish, add rice, butter, and salt.
• Stir in boiling water until butter is melted. Cover and bake until rice the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Notes

1. Long-grain rice: Any rice works such as long-grain American, basmati, or jasmine. Brown rice takes longer to cook, so plan on at least an hour in the oven.
2. Butter: It's okay to reduce the butter to ¼ cup (4 tablespoons). Or, substitute ¼ cup olive oil. 
3. Don't rinse: There is no reason to rinse the rice. You might be thinking: "I'll rinse the starch off the rice, and then I can bake it without butter or olive oil." I tried that, and in the absence of all fat, rice stuck to the bottom of the baking dish. Rinsing didn't help.
4. No fat: If you make this recipe without any fat, some rice will stick to the bottom of your baking dish. You'll probably lose a couple of tablespoons, or maybe up to a ¼ cup, of cooked rice through the sticking. Even if you rinse the rice, some of the rice will stick to the bottom of your baking dish.
5. Broth: For more flavor, substitute chicken broth, beef broth, or shrimp stock for the water. 
6. Flavors: Add a spoonful of bouillon, some herbs, a bay leaf, citrus zest, or turmeric to gently scent the rice as it bakes.
7. Vegetables: Diced vegetables, especially aromatic ones like celery, carrots, and onions, can steam along with the rice and taste delicious.
8. Food safety: Once you cook the rice, it should be allowed to either cool completely or kept hot throughout the meal. Be careful not to let cooked rice sit out at room temperature for longer than one hour, and never let hot rice cool out on the counter. Instead, store hot cooked rice in a shallow (3” or less) container and place it in the refrigerator to cool faster. The quick-cooled rice can then be eaten cold in rice salad, or reheated safely for the next 4 days.
9. Reheat: Break up any lumps with a fork, then drizzle with a little water or broth, cover tightly, and reheat in the microwave. Rice should be reheated to at least 165 degrees.
10. Freezer: Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and cool completely. Pack into a measuring cup and measure portions (1-cup, 2-cup, 4-cup, etc.). Pack into freezer-safe bags, press flat, label, and freeze for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 361kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 577mgPotassium: 79mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 677IUCalcium: 28mgIron: 1mg

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