• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Good Cheap Eats
  • About
    • About Good Cheap Eats
    • Media
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Contact Me
  • Members Only
    • Login
    • Club Homepage
    • Club Resource Library
    • Downloads
    • Live Club Events
  • Recipe Index
  • Blog
  • SHOP
    • Purchases
    • Cookbooks
    • Planner
    • The Good Cheap Eats Club
    • Meal Plans
    • Holiday Helps
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Pantry Challenge
  • Valentine’s Day
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • About
  • My Account
  • Join the Club
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Pantry Challenge
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Recipes
    • Shop
    • About
    • My Account
    • Join the Club
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Side Dishes

    Baked Rice: How to Cook Rice in the Oven (35 cents/batch)

    Published: May 24, 2021 · Modified: Jan 6, 2022 by Jessica Fisher

    FacebookTweetPinPrint
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Baked Rice is simple and fuss-free. It steams perfectly and tastes great every time. If you’ve ever felt like a failure making rice, those days are over when you bake rice.

    When you cook rice in the oven, you take all the guess work out of the process. It’s quick, easy, and completely hands-free. Even better, you can cook more than one dish at the same time. Slide in a pan of Hands-Free Cashew Chicken for a perfect pairing with your oven rice.

    woman's hand holding a fork to fluff the baked rice in dish with steam rising from the pan. this …
    Jump to:
    • Why Make This
    • Ingredients
    • Step-by-Step Instructions
    • What to Do With Leftovers
    • Freezing Instructions
    • Tips for Success
    • Recipe Costs
    • More Great Rice Dishes
    • Tell us what you think!
    • Baked Rice

    I can’t make rice.

    My rice never turns out.

    I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t make good rice.

    Have you ever said those words? Believe me, you are not alone.

    Rice is the one good cheap eat that I hear folks struggle with continuously. What is it about rice that makes it such a stumbling block to home cooks?

    Thankfully, it really is easy to make, especially when you cook rice in the oven!

    Why Make This

    It’s easy! Baked Rice is a no-brainer side dish to prepare. It takes very little effort and can bake alongside other dishes in the oven, making dinner prep a snap. I particularly like to bake rice in the oven alongside a pan of Hands-Free Cashew Chicken.

    It goes with anything! Rice is a delicious, versatile, and inexpensive side dish that is embraced by cultures the world over. This humble grain is featured in Mexican food, Italian risotto, Asian bowls, Catalan paella, Cajun Jambalaya, French pilafs, and Mediterranean dishes. It’s the base of many a curry or Chicken Tikka Masala.

    It’s foolproof. Since rice is featured in so many dishes and serves as a supporting side to so many delicious things, it’s in your best interests to learn how to make good rice. This foolproof method to bake rice in the oven will give you confidence to make rice a regular dish in your meal planning.

    Ingredients

    ingredients and equipment needed to make baked rice on tabletop.

    The ingredients list here is short. All you need is rice, salt, and very hot, boiling water. Rice is readily available at almost any grocery store, so nothing special needed.

    We use regular long-grain rice for this baked rice recipe, but you can easily swap in other types of rice, though you may need to adjust the ratio of water to rice or how long you cook it.

    Nonstick cooking spray helps your rice not stick to the glass baking dish.

    While it doesn’t really matter what kind of rice you use, it does matter what equipment you use. Either bake your rice in a Dutch oven with a securely fitting lid, or use heavy-duty aluminum foil (as we do here) to securely cover the 9×13-inch baking dish so that the heat does not escape. You want the rice to steam/bake covered.

    Variations

    Once you’ve mastered simple baked rice, be sure to try Baked Lemon And Thyme Rice – that’s packed with flavor.

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    Baking rice in the oven requires three ingredients and about 30 minutes of your time. It comes out perfectly almost every time, and takes only one dish! Any recipe that allows you to cook and serve in the same vessel is a winner in my book.

    • uncooked rice in a layer across the bottom of a 9x13-inch glass baking dish.
    • adding boiling water to the rice in the pan.
    • the pan covered with heavy-duty-aluminum foil.
    • the baked rice fluffed in the pan with a fork stuck in.

    The process is very simple:

    1. Grease a baking dish and boil some water. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put uncooked rice and salt in the prepared pan.
    2. Add the boiling water.
    3. Cover the pan tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes.
    4. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

    This really is a simple dish! Be sure to watch the video to see how easy it is!

     

    What to Do With Leftovers

    Provided that you haven’t overcooked your rice or left it out too long to dry out, you can package the leftovers and reheat them within the next four days.

    Cold, dry rice is perfect for Vegetable Fried Rice! I regularly make extra so that I can make fried rice in the days to come.

    Freezing Instructions

    You can freeze cooked rice. Just package it in an airtight container, chill completely in the refrigerator, and then freeze. To reheat, thaw and warm the rice.

    Sometimes, after freezing the rice is a bit dryer than it was beforehand. This makes it ideal for adding to soups or using in fried rice.

    Tips for Success

    • Follow the ratios – for every cup of long grain rice, use 2 cups water; for every cup of brown rice, use 2 cups water, but increase the baking time to 45 minutes; for every cup of basmati or jasmine rice, use 1 ½ cups water.
    • Make sure your water is boiling – You want boiling water added to the rice. Hot water just won’t cook it properly.
    How long do I cook rice for?

    This oven baked rice recipe takes 20 minutes when you use white rice. If you’re going to use brown rice, increase the cooking time to 45 minutes. The goal here is to make sure the grains are cooked through and the water has been absorbed. Use boiling hot water for best results.

    What type of rice is best for this recipe?

    For this recipe we just used long grain white rice, like we use for our Seasoned Rice Pilaf. If you use a different type of rice it may affect how long it takes for the rice to be baked. For instance, brown rice will take 45 minutes to bake.

    How should you store uncooked rice?

    Store rice in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. I place the bags of rice in a large food service container in my pantry.

    Many white rices can be stored indefinitely at room temperature, however, brown rice has a shorter shelf life than white rice, about 3 to 6 months at room temperature. You can extend its shelf life by storing it in the refrigerator or freezer.

    You’ll know when brown rice is no longer good when it has a rancid, off odor.
    It’s important to keep rice free of contaminants and bugs, so make sure you seal the container after each use.

    Recipe Costs

    If you love rice in a variety of dishes and flavor profiles, then it’s in your best interests to buy it in bulk. This 10-pound bag of rice cost me $3.52 at my local Ralphs. That’s about 35 cents/pound.

    Shop around and consider keeping track of prices at the stores you normally shop at. Make a habit to buy rice at the store with the lowest unit rice.

    At my target price, a batch of baked rice costs me about 35 cents!

    glass baking dish filled with fluffy white rice baked in the oven.

    More Great Rice Dishes

    • Spanish Brown Rice (Mexican Brown Rice)
    • How to Make Mexican Rice (Instant Pot or Stovetop)
    • Seasoned Rice Pilaf (38 cents/serving)
    • Cream Of Rice Recipe for Easy Breakfasts (39 cents/serving)

    Tell us what you think!

    We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.

    with a fork fluffing the baked rice in the pan with steam rising.
    Print Recipe Add to Collection Go to Collections
    4.84 from 24 votes

    Baked Rice

    Learn to bake rice in the oven so that you have a quick and easy side dish without a lot of hassle. This method produces perfect rice every time!
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time25 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Mediterranean, Mexican
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 225kcal
    Author: Jessica Fisher
    Cost: $0.35
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 9×13-inch baking dish
    • heavy duty aluminum foil
    • hot water kettle
    • nonstick cooking spray

    Ingredients

    • 2 cup long-grain white rice uncooked
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 4 cup water boiling
    US Customary – Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 425°. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
    • Place the rice and ½ teaspoon salt in the bottom of the pan.
    • Pour the boiling water into the pan and cover it right away with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Seal the edges tightly.
    • Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

    Video

    Notes

    Type of rice: You can make this recipe with brown rice, however you will need to increase the baking time to 45 minutes.
    Storage: Leftover rice can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Store cooked rice in the freezer for longer storage.
    How much to make: How much rice to make for your table will really depend on the eating habits of your dinner companions. For a family of 6, I recommend cooking 2 cups of rice which will result in about 6 cups cooked, or 1 cup of rice per person. Adjust how much you cook for the folks at your table.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag Me Today!Mention @goodcheapeatsblog or tag #goodcheapeats!

    This post was originally published February 9, 2019. It has been updated for content and clarity.

    « BBQ Party Meal Plan for Less than $25!
    Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Casserole (63 cents/serving) »
    FacebookTweetPinPrint

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ann

      January 08, 2023 at 12:40 pm

      I’m preparing for 60 people. How would you adjust this recipe?
      Ann

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        January 08, 2023 at 4:16 pm

        I have never made more than a double or triple batch at a time, so I’m not sure I can advise you. Sorry I can’t be more help.

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    jessica from good cheap eats

    Hi, I'm Jessica! I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter their budget.

    More about me

    collage of media outlets where good cheap eats has been featured.
    cooking for one
    cooking for many banner
    cooking to freeze banner

    Pantry Staples You Can Make at Home

    • Instant Pot Potato Soup
    • How to Make the Best Tuna Sandwich
    • Protein Overnight Oats
    • Sausage Gravy and Biscuits
    • Self-Rising Flour Biscuits
    • Overnight Oats with Water

    Take the Pantry Challenge

    • Prepping for a Pantry Clean Out
    • How to Stock the Pantry on a Budget
    • 90+ Pantry Staples You Can Make Yourself
    • What to Make for Dinner When There’s “Nothing” to Eat

    Footer

    back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • About

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Good Cheap Eats