How to Cook Brown Rice in the Microwave
You’ll learn how to cook brown rice in the microwave and cut your cooking time from 50 minutes (stovetop) to 30 minutes in the microwave. The technique to microwave brown rice is different than cooking white rice in the microwave, as you have to take in consideration the extra layers of bran and germ to cook through. To microwave brown rice, first cook uncovered at 100% power for 10 minutes. Then, cover, cook 50% power for 20 minutes.
Note: This recipe is for cooking raw brown rice, not “instant” or “quick cook” brown rice.
Use right type of cookware to microwave brown rice
Cooking rice in the microwave requires a large enough container that allows the water to bubble and rice to expand. In addition, you’ll need a loose fitting lid (or one with vent holes) to allow the steam to escape.
Microwave rice cooker
The best option is to purchase a $15 container that specifically designed to cook rice or steam vegetables in the microwave, like this one for less than $15:
The one I’m using in the video below is from Pampered Chef, but it’s double the price at $28 and not worth the extra money. I also have another microwave rice cooker, from Progressive brand, and includes lots of extras like measuring cups for $17. I’ve had this one for at least 5 years and it’s still working great.
Microwave-safe casserole type dish
Another option is to use a Corningware type casserole dish with a glass lid. You want something deep, like this one:
Look for one that’s around 3 quarts (this one is 2 1/2 quarts). The reason you want a deep vessel is because the rice will not cook correctly in a shallow container. The water will evaporate too quickly and the rice will undercook. The glass lid is perfect – as it just sits on top of the base, and will still allow steam to escape.
No glass lid?
If you don’t have a glass lid, this is my favorite option: Silicone lid with vent holes by Kuhn Rikon for $20. I use this tool every single day in the kitchen, on both the stovetop and in the microwave. See the little vent petals? That allows water to bubble over (or steam to escape) without dirtying up your microwave or stovetop. I highly recommend it, it’s perfect for cooking brown rice in the microwave – just set it on top of your casserole dish.
Here’s a set of silicone lids, five in different sizes for $14. A great deal! But because these lids don’t have vent holes, turn the lid UPSIDE DOWN and just set it on top of the casserole dish.
Normally, cooking brown rice on the stove top takes about 50 minutes. We can do it faster in the microwave – 30 minutes! Watch the video to find out the trick to microwaving brown rice and chop off 20 minutes of cooking time.
How to Cook Brown Rice in the Microwave Video
And while we’re at it, we found a quick-cooking brown rice product at Trader Joe’s that cuts even more time off the process!! Down to just 15 minutes! Check out my review post for that product too: Trader Joe’s Quick Cooking Brown Rice
Microwaving brown rice: You can use any type of brown rice, including brown basmati rice, brown long grain rice or brown short grain rice. However, brown SHORT grain rice (sushi rice), may take an additional 3-4 minutes cooking time. That's because short grain rice is fatter than skinny basmati rice.
NOTE: This recipe is for raw brown rice, not "quick-cook" or "minute" brown rice which is already par-boiled.
- 1 cup brown rice
- 3 cups water
- Wash rice, rinse, drain. Add rice and water to very large microwave safe bowl. Microwave uncovered at 100% power for 10 minutes. Reduce power to 50%, cover the bowl, and microwave another 20 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.
Definitely need that extra time for the shorter grain brown rice!
Used regular grain brown rice. This was very easy and very good. It s so hands free that you can be fixing other tuff while it cooks. I found it held well just sitting in the microwave until I was ready to serve it. I had leftovers which reheated well following nights. Thank you Steamy Kitchen!
Thank you so much Josie! – Jaden
I love this recipe! It is super easy. I actually didn’t wash the rice, and it was also fine. My microwave doesn’t have 50% power setting, but it does have 20, 40, 60 & 80. 60% worked great.
The rice was good for a week in the fridge, which was the amount of time it took me to eat it.
Tried this recipe tonight and rice came out great. Used chicken broth instead of water. Only problem I had was that 1 cup of rice is way too much for 4 people in my house. I had to throw half away. What is the ratio of rice to water for 2- 3 people.?
Hi George – the ratio is a little funny if you cook less than 1 cup of rice. Some of the water is lost in boiling/evaporation, which would be the same whether you cook 1 cup or less. You’ll have to experiment a bit!
WHY would you throw rice away? Freeze it or use it in other dishes, but don’t throw out perfectly good food!
Does your ration of 1 cup rice to 3 cups water apply to all brands of organic basmatic brown rice?
Yes, as long as it’s not “parboiled” type of rice.
I’ve been making regular brown rice in my 1200W microwave for several years now, and I use a shade under three cups of water to a cup of brown rice, and use a cooking pattern I derived from the instructions Julie Sahni has for white basmati rice in her book “The Mogul Microwave”, cooking the rice at 50% for 10 minutes, then 15 minutes at 100%, after which I fluff it and let it stand for a minute or two.
Based on the fact that what I worked out is essentially the same as what’s presented here, I’d bet that the 3:1 ratio will be good for all brown rice.
I substituted 1/3 wild rice for the brown rice. The brown rice turned to mush and I still had water on the bottom. I used the bulk rice from Sprouts (grocery store) as well as the wild rice. The brown rice appeared to be long grain. The wild rice was fine. My microwave is a 1200 watt. Any ideas on getting a firm, fluffy, water free rice? Also, can I add salt to the rice?
Hi Jude – wild rice and brown rice are very different, they will have different cooking times. Yes, you can add salt to the rice…you can add either before or after.
Hi Jaden – I followed your brown rice recipe to the nth degree. I still don’t know why my brown rice came out mushy and flavorless. I am willing to try making this one more time. I’m thinking a tad less water and possibly check the rice several minutes earlier? I would like to know your thoughts and ideas. With the wild rice I have always mixed it with brown rice on the stovetop and never had a problem. Always delicious!
Brown rice. In microwave safe med. Size tupperware container w/lid 24 min till waters bubbled out. Dont even have to baby sit let sit for a couple minutes then ready to grub. Assuming you salted and thrown in a couple of slices of garlic or what ever toots your fancy. Easy fixins.
What ratio of rice to water do you use?
Brown rice is definitely worth the extra effort! Do you use it for sushi?
I followed this using a microwave safe bowl in the second part where you cook it on half power for twenty minutes I used Saran wrap to cover it 3/4 it allows it to steam and still cooks it perfectly and yes it is safe for the microwave. I hope this helps someone who is a unable to afford the fancy stuff like rice cookers.
Thanks so much! -jaden
Hi Jaden, I just wanted to say that I stumbled upon your website and your recipe for brown rice worked perfectly. I have a bag of brown rice sitting in the cupboard but whenever I tried to cook it in the microwave, it seemed to take an eternity and turned out gluggy and made a mess in the microwave. I don’t like to waste food so I found your website and decided to try and cook the remaining brown rice I had. I hadn’t realised that you need to cook brown rice longer! I have also never used the power settings control on a microwave before and didn’t even realise I could control it. I agree with the others that you need to make sure you don’t change the water ratio and 1 cup of rice is about right to use.
I also hadn’t heard about spill guards before and purchased the Kuhn Rikon silicone one that you recommended. It was very expensive from Amazon (everything is when shipping to Australia!) and I received it yesterday. I make a lot of milk tea on my stove top and have dealt with too many spills and standing around and the silicone lid worked fine. It also worked perfectly cooking the rice in the microwave, I would only recommend to people to cover the lid with a very loose piece of cling wrap to avoid splatters.
Your article was very informative and I learn’t a lot, thanks again.
Thank you so much Rahul!
Very helpful with so many photos. Thank you!
Best brown rice I’ve cooked. I will be using this recipe for cooking all my brown rice.
Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks so much Aurelia!
I used a tupperware steam cooker and my microwave, worked great! Kept a really close eye on it the first time but it’s a great recipe.
If I do 1/2 a cup of rice, do I need to adjust the timing?
Hi Linda, sorry I didn’t get to this question until next day! The timing should be the same. It’s like cooking pasta, whether you cook half a box or the whole box, the timing is the same 🙂 jaden
I think I messed up. I cut the rice in 1/2 to a half cup, but I also cut the water in 1/2 to a cup and a half. Rice was dried up. I’m guessing keep the water the same?
Hi Charlie – yeah, you can’t just cut the water in half. You need enough water to generate the heat and steam to cook rice. Too little water, and the water evaporates too quickly. Too much water and the rice will cook fine, but you’ll need to pour off excess water.
I only cooked brown rice in 1 cup measurement, I find that works the best in microwave.
If I were to only use a 1/2 cup of rice (I’m the only one who likes it) would I need to shorten the amount of time in the microwave?
No, it’s the same amount of time.
turned out great! My son usually cooks it and has been getting very frustrated with it turning out mushy or burning in the pot. Will have him do it this way from now on, thanks so much.
This was a big old fail for me. After the 10 minutes there was no water left in the bowl 🙁 tried to add more and adjust for the next 20 but i was left with dry uncooked rice. Back to the stove top for me.
My rice was a tad hard/dry. In saying that, I actually liked it. However, next time I will read the instructions properly. I only put 2 cups water instead of 3
Three cups is WAY WAY too much. It turned mine into MUSH
In our house we only ever use a microwave for heating up food – looks like I need to broaden my horizons! I didn’t even know you could cook brown rice in a microwave. Definitely going to give this a try as anything that speeds up cooking can only be a good thing!
Hi Jaden,
I tried your method.
I always get a dried out rice after the first 10 minutes. I used 900W microwave with brown basmati. I used 3:1 water to rice ratio as you exaplined.
I repeated three times to be sure I haven’t messed up the ratio. Alas, all the water evaporated. What could be the problem?
Hi Nawaf – try again, with more water. Was the rice thoroughly cooked through (and just dry) or was the rice still hard?
Hi Jaden
I have been cooking rice in the microwave but I think I tend to overcook the brown rice, and it becomes tasteless. Quick questions:
– I drain the rice water after cooking so I always add more water than necessary, so that the excess starch in the water drains out. Would cooking timing and instructions be the same in that case?
– I use brown basmati rice, are these instructions good for that too?
Thanks!
Hi Aparna – Subtract 2 minutes from the cooking time. Go ahead and drain the water, give the rice a taste and put back into the microwave for 1-2 minutes, depending on the texture of the rice. Your microwave may be more powerful than mine 🙂
So cooking just a half cup keeps ratios the same, but how about the time? Cut that in half too?
Timing is still the same. Similar to cooking pasta – no matter how much you cook, the timing is the same.
Would love to know how to cook red rice in the microwave
Hi Cherie – cooking red rice would be same as brown rice.
Thanks for the great directions! I’m looking forward to trying them with my Pampered Chef microwave rice cooker.
Just to make sure I’m crystal clear on this: you do wash, rinse, and drain the rice just once?
Some other websites suggest rinsing three times.
And you don’t pre-soak at all, not even for 30-min? So many websites recommend pre-soaking. Fresh basmati brown rice cooks well with your technique, without mushiness, without doing any pre-soaking at all? What is your take on pre-soaking purely to enhance the nutritional value of brown rice?
Your method seems so simple and (relatively) quick, which definitely meets my needs! I’ve been using Trader Joe’s frozen brown rice to save time, but feel that I definitely could fit your technique into my cooking workflow.
Hey Jaden,
I shared this recipe with my wife this weekend. Rice was delicious! Awesome recipe!
Thank you Jeremy 🙂
Tried this method with short grain brown rice turned out overdone. Could see doing 10/17 minutes next time as a possibility.
I used medium grain brown rice, and while it did get cooked, I had to pour off a lot of water at the end. I don’t know if it’s a difference with my microwave or the rice or what. I’ll try this again with at least 1/2 c less of water.
Thanks for the recipe! It was perfect. So much easier than on stovetop.
This microwave brown rice recipe does not work.
I’m confused about covered or uncovered in the microwave. Your video says cook uncovered for 10 minutes and then reduce to medium power for 20 minutes, but you didn’t say you covered it in the video only that to cook uncovered gently cooks the outer layer etc. .
Your written directions say to cover it when you reduce the power as suggested by someone at Mahatma. But on Mahatma’s website, they recommend microwaving it uncovered for the additional 20 minutes. So confusing…
I ended up cooking it uncovered for the last 25 minutes ( 2 c of rice and 6 cups of water) and there was a lot of water, so I drained it and put the rice back in the pot and let it steam for 10 minutes and it was great.
So please clarify whether to cover or uncover in the last 20 minutes. Thank you!!
Hi Sandi – the directions are very clear in the recipe, and I just double-checked Mahatma’s website. Both are consistent. Uncovered for 10 minutes on high. Covered for 20 minutes at 50% power.
I’ve been using this recipe for the last 2-3 months…its my automatic go-to. My family loves rice, but its always been a pain to cook on the stove. But using your recipe, the rice always turned out fabulous. THanks for sharing it!
Thank you so much Jackie!
Wow, this article was super helpful in helping me BREAK MY FUCKING MICROWAVE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE DELICIOUS MELTED TUPPERWARE AND BROKEN MICROWAVE PLATE.
(And for everyone who is going to tell me it’s because I didn’t follow the directions: I used a “microwave safe” bowl, the correct type of rice, and followed the instructions)
Wow, your feedback is super helpful. If you really followed the directions, then the problem is with your microwave manufacturer, or your bowl, not the recipe poster. And stop cursing. You aren’t two years old – feeling angry doesn’t give you a pass for acting as though you are.
Hear, Hear!
This looks so easy! Mine always burns on the bottom, too. Do you use this recipe or your baked brown rice recipe more?
I love brown rice, but we have stopped eating brown rice because of the arsenic reports, Thanks for posting!!!
thanks … i will practice to make how to cook brown rice in the microwave
Wow, this is looking so cool. i can’t wait to give a try. always loved the fried item hope this will also added in that list. and thanks to show this awesome looking new item.
Hei jaden brown rice is one of the most healthiest food. Thank you jaden for making us feel easy in preparing it.
Will try to do the same way as you suggested,…………..:) 🙂
Great post,preparing brown rice in a microwave good idea i mostly like in this post time taking less for cooking brown rice.Thanks for sharing useful information.
I always have problem with the amount of water cooking brown rice, I can’t wait to try your water-rice ratio, thanks.
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hmm lecker, simple step to cook rice thank
Previously I only use white rice to cook in the microwave. Now I’ve learned how to cook brown rice in microwave. It’s really simple and I’ve done a couple of times.
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I have now fallen in love with black rice also known as Forbidden Rice. Have you had it or tried to cook it in the micro? It takes a long long time on the stove but is so worth it.
Hi Tina, I love it too! I bet it would take the same amount of time in microwave as brown rice.
If you like the Forbidden Rice you should try a little less expensive alternative – Black Japonica Rice.
I cook brown rice like I cook pasta and it’s quite fast that way, and no measuring.
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Just thought I’d share my own tip for getting brown rice to cook perfectly & in less time – soak it! Soaking brown rice for as long as you can, anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours, will make the rice less “mushy” when cooked, will make it cook quicker, and in theory makes it more nutritious (wholegrains & other types of seeds, e.g. legumes, can benefit from soaking as it reduces phytic acid, which binds to minerals such as iron & calcium & prevents them being absorbed by your body. This is more of a concern if your diet is very high is wholegrains, legumes etc; in fact people who eat large amounts of meat may require some phytic acid to protect their gut from the excess iron).
I also usually cook rice in the microwave. Personally I find it is only a little bit quicker than cooking in a pan, but I like the fact that there is no risk of the rice sticking to the pan!
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Awesome! I just bought a fresh bag of brown rice and am going to try this with my own microwave. We don’t have a Trader Joes in Australia though.
All microwaves are not manufactured the same and are at different power wattages.
A standard method of cooking rice quickly:
1 cup of regular brown rice and 1 ¼ cup water in a pressure cooker at 15 lb. pressure cooks in 18-20 minutes with normal pressure release.
1 cup of long grain white rice and 1 ½ cup of water in a pressure cooker at 15 lb. pressure cooks in 4 minutes with normal pressure release.
1 cup of short grain white rice and 1 ½ cup of water in a pressure cooker at 15 lb. pressure cooks in 8 minutes with normal pressure release.
What would you do if you want to cook 2 cups of raw brown rice? I can never find info about cooking that much in a pressure cooker?
Hi! I suggest using slightly less than the ratio, so 2 cups brown rice = 5.5 cups water. Taste and you can always add MORE water if you need to. It’s hard to take out water. If you taste and find the rice a little too dry, add 1/4 cup more water and cook just a few minutes longer.
WHen you drop the power to 50%, do you cover the bowl? THe last time I tried this (no lid) 1C rice/3C water, it became dry.
Hi Jem, Yes, cover the bowl after dropping the power down. I’ll make sure the directions are clear. Thanks!
Thank you – I have never had luck cooking brown rice in the microwave before!
Thank you so much! I have tried so many methods of cooking brown rice over the past 2 years and this is the only way I’ve ever gotten it to work. I only had regular brown rice so I used that and also, I have a low watt microwave so in the second step I cooked mine for 21 minutes instead of 20 and let it sit for 1 minute before I removed. It was perfect! I swear, I had a moment where I heard an angelic choir singing! Thank you!
I never get brown rice to cook properly using the directions on the bag, so I do a roughly 4-5:1 water:rice ratio, let it boil 35 minutes, drain the excess water, cover & let it steam 5 minutes. Not quite as quick as nuking it, but I’m very happy with my results–perfect every time. Next time the stovetop’s too crowded, though, I’ll remember to try it this way.
I am not usually one to promote other cooking utensil from Pampered Chef, however the one item I own from them that I CANNOT live without is their Microwave Rice Cooker. It works magic in the microwave with rice and pasta! I love it and use it very regularly! Brown rice and white rice cook perfectly in it! I love it when I can set my microwave with water and rice, set 20 minutes and come back to perfect rice!
I absolutely love my Pampered Chef rice cooker too – for white rice. I haven’t been nearly as successful cooking brown rice in it, which is why I hit up Google tonight. Next time I’ll try it with these times and rice/water proportions. But as a fellow PC cooker fan, how do *you* do brown rice? Do you use the same procedure as with white? For me that always leaves me with chewy, unpleasant results.
I just tried this recipe in my new PC rice cooker, followed the directions to the letter. Unfortunately when I took it out of the microwave the rice was still a bit chewy and there was still a bit of water in the bottom. I have an 1100 watt microwave, do I need to add another 5 minutes to the second cooktime? How do you get perfect rice in 20 minutes Tiffany? Am I adding too much water?
Keep cooking another 3 minutes if the rice still is chewy and there’s still water left. It sounds like your microwave isn’t producing the same power as mine.
What power microwave are you using please?
1250 watt
I wish people who posted microwave recipes would specify the wattage of the microwave they’re using. It matters a lot.
Me too!
Hi Jaden, Can you use this same method with regular brown rice. I’m not sure if I can find brown basmati rice where we live but I know I can get regular brown rice. I’ve often wanted to cook brown rice but it takes so long, so this has me really excited to be able to make this pretty quickly during the week.
Thanks
Heather
I did this with regular medium grain brown rice, and it was still watery at the end, so +10 more minutes on 50% and it came out pretty decent.
Next time, try less water. Rice can cook differently, especially the age of the rice. In areas where rice is a primary staple, you’ll often see “New Crop” on some packaging, meaning that the rice requires less water than older rice.
Thanks Jaden- I can’t wait to give this a try!
We are big fans of short grain brown rice at our house, have you ever had a chance to experiment with any of thicker brown rices?
Where did you get your microwave safe pot for the brown rice video? I’d like to get one! Thanks
You can purchase a Tupperware Microwave Rice Maker just locate a Tupperware rep they work unbelievable in the microwave no messy clean ups simple simple simple
I think mine is a Pampered Chef one… it’s exactly the same.
I got my microwave rice pot at Walmart. It worked with this method of cooking Mahatma brown rice.
For microwave rice, I use Pyrex bowls with lid or just a plate covering the bowl. Bowl should be only 1/2 or less full so the rice & water doesn’t “boil over” during cooking.
I use this method for defrosting, cooking, or reheating most any thing.
Thanks Jaden, I cook a lot of brown rice and this will really help. But,I have one question. I usually cook my rice with either chicken or vegetable broth, will it react the same as water or will I need to adjust anything?
Nope! Just cook the same.
Whenever I cook brown rice, I make 2-3 times the amount I need. Then, I store the extra amount in gallon-size ziploc bags, spreading it to about 1″ thickness and make lines to score it (with a wooden spoon, with the bag semi-closed, through the outside of the bag). This makes it easy to pull out portions as needed. Reheating portions in a separate microwave-safe container only takes about 3 min.!
Patricia, that is such a novel idea. Thanks for sharing it!
This “recipe” was a disaster in our microwave. Ten minutes not only ruined the rice–completely roasted–but ruined our microwave. There is nothing wrong with stove top cooking. Never had a problem with my brown rice on the stove-top. Now, who can fix my micro-wave????
Daniel- you must have done something wrong. This recipe has been fully tested, not just by myself, but from the test kitchens of one of the largest rice brands in the U.S.
I agree, Jaden… I’ve NEVER had a problem doing it this way. Always flawless.
I am in the middle of a kitchen remodel so I was looking forward to trying this and YES!! It worked great!!
It is impossible for brown rice to completely roast in a microwave oven after only 10 minutes, even if you forgot to add the water. It is equally impossible for this to have damaged your microwave in anyway. I suggest you go to another site to try your trolling.
Definitely a troll!!! I just cooked extraordinary brown rice, for the first time in my life! I am so happy-this recipe came out great! We will be using it in our RV!!