Learn to oven baked rice so that you have a quick and easy side dish without a lot of hassle. This method produces perfect rice every time!
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?
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.
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.
One fool proof method is to bake rice in the oven.
Tips on making this oven baked rice recipe
- Follow the ratios – Basically follow the recipe! And this recipe is foolproof.
- Make sure your water is boiling – You want boiling water added to the rice. Hot water just won’t cook it properly.
How to make easy oven baked rice
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.
The process is very simple:
- Grease a baking dish and boil some water. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Put uncooked rice and salt in the prepared pan.
- Add the boiling water.
- Cover the pan tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
How long do I cook rice for?
This oven baked rice recipe takes 20 minutes. The goal here is to make sure the grains are cooked through and the water has been absorbed.
Do I need to rinse the rice first?
You don’t need to rinse the rice first. Just place the rice in the dish and add the water!
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. Basmati, for example will cook up much faster. However, if you make brown rice it will take a little longer to cook. May take twice as long as this recipe.
How should you buy rice?
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!
How should you store 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.
How many cups of rice are in a pound?
A pound of uncooked rice has about 2 1/2 cups. When cooked, this will equal about 7 cups.
How much rice do you need per serving?
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.
Can I put uncooked rice in a casserole?
Rice will cook in a casserole if there is enough liquid. If you’re experimenting with a casserole recipe, you’ll need to account for enough liquid to cook the rice (about 2x liquid for each amount of rice) and enough “sauce” to keep your casserole from getting dry.
One of our favorite rice casseroles is this Chicken and Wild Rice Bake.
What can you do with leftover baked rice?
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.
Can you freeze cooked rice?
Yes, 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.
Here’s a quick video to show you how easy it is to make Baked Rice in the Oven:
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.
What do you need to make baked rice?
These are the kitchen tools you need. Pretty short list!
- 9×13-inch baking dish
- heavy duty aluminum foil
- hot water kettle or a pot to boil water
If you prepare this recipe, be sure to share a picture on social media and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
Baked Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cup long-grain white rice uncooked
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 cup water boiling
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.
Notes
Nutrition
Andrea
So I wanted to try this recipe but, wanted to know if I could make this ahead of time and reheat?
Jessica Fisher
Yes, rice reheats well as long as it’s not overdone. If it looks a bit dry, add some water, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave until hot. Fluff.
Lisa Broussard Januska
I will never look at my ninja foodi, or my stove top, ever again to make rice. This is hands down the MOST incredibly perfect flavorful, rice I have ever eaten in my life… That says a lot, coming from this Cajun girl who cooked rice everyday growing up! My Dad had to have rice.every.single.day and it was the least we could do for that sweet man!! Thank you so much for this recipe…each single grain was perfectly cooked, not one piece was dry, it was a dream to pack up and refrigerate, as I made tripled this recipe, used three cups, so I’d have rice for stir fry later this week! The possibilities on what you can do with this recipe, are endless!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad you saw success!
Dolores Shady
Awesome recipe! I used chicken broth instead of water and salt. Best rice I have ever made delish!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad to hear you had great results.
Shanna
If I halved the recipe would I leave everything else the same? Well other than the pan side.
Jessica Fisher
I think so. I haven’t made one cup, but as long as you use a smaller dish, you should be good. Let me know how it goes!
Lina
I’ll give the lemon & thyme rice a try. Thanks!
Lina
I’m searching for a baked vegetable rice and came across this recipe! What do you think…would adding seasoning or veggies (to cook along with it) make a difference in the amount of water needed or the cooking time? Or should these all be added after? In any case, can’t wait to try it!
Jessica Fisher
I haven’t tested it with vegetables included. You can absolutely add seasonings though. In fact, we have a version here: Baked Rice with Lemon and Thyme.
Lina
I’ll give the lemon & thyme rice a try. Thanks!
Valerie
Can you double the recipe without changing time or temp?
Jessica Fisher
I have tested this with three cups of rice with fine results. More than that, I would suggest simply cooking two pans at the same time. That will ensure even doneness throughout.
Dee Robertson
Needed to make Spanish rice for a crowd and decided to use this recipe as a guide since I’ve never baked rice in an oven before. It came out perfect! In fact, I think it came out better than it does on the stove. So glad I found this recipe!
Jessica Fisher
Awesome!
Pped39
No joke that I can’t cook rice! This simple recipe was life changing!! Who knew. Lol
Thx
Jessica Fisher
Yay! Glad you were successful.
Emma
I can cook a lot of things, but perfectly cooked rice on the stove top always eluded me. No more! This recipe is so easy and has made perfect rice each time I have used it. And not having to monitor one more pot on the stove top is an added bonus. Thank you, thank you!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad to hear it was successful!
Elise
This makes the perfect sticky rice! & not having to watch & stir it means I can just focus on my stir-fry, so the veggies & meat turn out perfect, as well.
Jessica Fisher
Glad to hear it’s working for you! 🙂
Jennipher
I have used this recipe twice recently without fail! I live at high altitude and baking the rice is an awesome hack for this adjustment. This quick, fool-proof method is a meal prep game changer. I will never go back to trying to cook rice with the variables of high altitude, humidity, under/over cooking. This recipe will get you over the intimidation of cooking rice perfectly!
Jessica Fisher
Yay!
JJ Groves
Great recipe, but the photos show a glass 9 x 13 pan – did you use this pan at that high temperature?
Jessica Fisher
All the photographs on the site are of real food made according to what’s pictured. I’ve never had a Pyrex pan break — except for the time a kid put it in the cupboard precariously and it dropped on the floor. A quick google search shows that Pyrex is safe up to 500 degrees. It’s the sudden change in temps that can cause issues.
Claudia
Excellent recipe. If you want a fluffy non sticky rice soak and rinse pour off milky water. Place in pan to cook when rice rinse water is pretty clear. Wash away the starch creates a much fluffier rice.
Jessica Fisher
Thanks, Claudia!
Elise
Good to know, though I love a good sticky rice (makes eating with chopsticks so much easier)!
Sara Schaffer
I am in Colorado, making meals at altitude. I needed to add a little more time to the recipe, but the rice was the best we’ve had! Thanks, Jessica, for helping this part of our “Thai Thursdays” be a success!
Jessica Fisher
Sounds yummy!
Kathleen L.
So I used the Jasmine rice that you get from Costco, with the elephant on it:), and I made 3 cups of rice, so double the water, same salt, foiled it up tight, and baked for 22 mins….at 450 ….turned out absolutely perfect! No sticking or burning on the bottom of the pan….magic! Thanks! My kiddos like the baked rice over the stove top, too!
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for letting us know the numbers on jasmine!
Megan
I’ve made this rice many times – such an easy way to get perfect rice! My rice cooker died a couple years ago, but I do not miss it at all now that I have learned this method. 20 minutes is usually just right; sometimes there’s still a little bit of water remaining in the bottom of the pan – I just pop it back into the oven for a couple minutes for the rice to absorb the rest of the water and it’s fine.
Jessica Fisher
Love it that it’s working so well for you.
Tina L.
This worked great! It was perfect. I have made baked rice before, Mexican and brown, but always cooked them at 350 degrees. I think the higher temperature in your recipe works better. Can’t wait to try brown rice next! This would come in super handy when you have company – one less thing to worry about! Thank you so much for this recipe and for all the others that you share with us. They are appreciated!!!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! So glad it was a win for you! And yes, it’s fantastic for hands-free dinners.
Rachel B
Oh my! This recipe is fantastic! Other than using a microwave and instant rice, I’ve never had success making rice. These directions were so easy to follow and my rice turned out fantastic. Who knew it was so simple? Thanks so much for sharing!
Jessica Fisher
Awesome! Now you are a rice-making winner!