Oven-baked rice is tender and fluffy without watching a pot on the stove or using a rice cooker. Just mix, seal, and bake—perfect baked rice in under 30 minutes.
⏱️ Quick Answer: How Long to Cook Rice in the Oven
Bake rice tightly sealed at 375°F (or 350°F convection).
• Long-grain white rice: 25 minutes
• Brown rice: About 1 hour
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 😊 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
- 🧂 Ingredients You’ll Need
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Cook Rice in the Oven
- 🍚 Oven-Baked Rice Ratio & Cooking Time
- 😊 Tips for Perfect Oven-Baked Rice
- 🍚 Brown Rice and Other Rice Varieties
- 🤔 Troubleshooting Oven-Baked Rice
- ↕️ Scaling and Pan Sizes
- ❄️ Storage and Reheating
- ❓ FAQs
- 📖The Recipe Card
Featured Comment by Jo:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I am thrilled that this recipe works so well. The moistness and fluffiness of the rice was perfect after 25 minutes. I don't believe I've ever made perfect rice before."
😊 TL;DR — Recipe Summary
What: Tender, fluffy oven-baked rice using long-grain white rice.
Why: Easy, hands-off, and consistently perfect.
How: Combine rice with boiling water, butter, and salt. Cover tightly, bake, and fluff immediately.
🧂 Ingredients You’ll Need
- Long-grain white rice – Basic pantry rice works best. Brown rice and other varieties are discussed below.
- Butter – Adds flavor and helps prevent sticking. Skip it or use olive oil.
- Salt – Kosher, table, or other salt.
- Boiling water – Helps the rice cook evenly.
👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Cook Rice in the Oven
1. Combine: Add rice, butter, salt, and boiling water to the baking dish.
2. Cover tightly: Seal with foil to trap the steam.
3. Bake and fluff: Bake until tender, then fluff immediately.
✅ Pro Tip: If liquid remains or the rice is still firm, reseal and bake a few more minutes.
👇For complete instructions with amounts, scroll down to the printable recipe card.
🍚 Oven-Baked Rice Ratio & Cooking Time
Ratio: Use 1 cup long-grain white rice to 1¾ cups boiling water for about 3 cups cooked rice.
How Long to Bake Rice
- Long-grain white rice: 25 minutes at 375°F (350°F convection)
- Brown rice: About 1 hour
A tight foil seal is essential for even cooking and tender rice.
😊 Tips for Perfect Oven-Baked Rice
- Use the right pan: A 2-quart casserole, 6×9-inch dish, or 8–9-inch round pan works well.
- Preheat the oven: Start with a fully heated oven for even cooking.
- Seal tightly: Press foil firmly around the edges to trap steam. A tight-fitting lid also works.
- Fluff immediately: Release the steam and keep the grains separate.
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🍚 Brown Rice and Other Rice Varieties
- Brown rice: Use 1 cup rice to 2 cups boiling water and bake for about 1 hour, until tender.
- Basmati or jasmine rice: Use the same ratio and cooking time as long-grain white rice.
- Not recommended: Short-grain, converted/parboiled, or instant rice require different methods.
🤔 Troubleshooting Oven-Baked Rice
- Crunchy rice: Usually from too little water, a loose seal, or too little cooking time. Add a little hot water, cover tightly, and bake a few more minutes.
- Mushy rice: Usually caused by too much water. Fluff immediately to release steam.
↕️ Scaling and Pan Sizes
- Half recipe: Use ½ cup rice and ⅞ cup boiling water in a loaf pan or small baking dish.
- Standard batch: Use 1 cup rice and 1¾ cups boiling water in a 2-quart casserole, 6×9-inch dish, or 8–9-inch round pan.
- Double recipe: Use 2 cups rice and 3½ cups boiling water in a Dutch oven or large casserole.
- Cooking time: Usually stays the same. A thicker layer may need a few extra minutes.
❄️ Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze in small portions for up to 2 months. Expect a slight texture change.
- Reheat: Break up cold rice clumps, add a splash of water, and reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave with a damp paper towel.
❓ FAQs
Usually not. Long-grain white rice bakes well without rinsing. If it looks dusty or extra starchy, a quick rinse won't hurt.
Package directions assume stovetop cooking, where steam escapes. In the oven, steam is trapped, so less water is needed.
Yes. Butter adds flavor and helps prevent sticking. Skip it or substitute olive oil.
Yes. Chicken or beef broth adds flavor without changing the cooking method.
📖The Recipe Card
How to Cook Rice in the Oven (Perfect Every Time)
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1¾ cup water - Boiling
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare the rice to bake
- Preheat oven to 375°F conventional or 350°F convection.
- In an oven-safe pan, add butter and kosher salt to the boiling water. Stir well, then mix in the rice. Use a 2-quart casserole, a 6×9-inch dish, or an 8–9 inch round baking pan.
Bake
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.✅ Pro Tip: If you're unsure, lift some rice with a fork. If there's liquid left or the grains still feel firm, bake for 2–4 more minutes.
Fluff and serve
- Fluff immediately with a fork to release steam and stop the cooking. Serve.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
-
- Use boiling water and fully preheated oven for even cooking.
- Rinsing is optional. Rinse rice that looks powdery or extra starchy.
- Seal the pan tightly with foil to trap the steam.
- Use the recipe amount of water, not the package directions.
- For brown rice, use 2 cups of water and bake for about 1 hour.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Originally Published February 23, 2014. Updated with expanded options and refreshed photos.
Stephanie says
DO NOT use this recipe if you are trying to make plain sticky rice for fried rice! I followed it to a T and even removed slightly more water I used 5 cups water and 3 cups of rice.
The rice was very broken down and wet not suitable for frying later. As a side dish for rice it would have probably been fine to eat, but definitely not fry-able!! Also for my family’s taste would have been too mushy even as a side dish. Therefore I gave it a 2 star - edible but definitely not ideal
Kelly says
I use this recipe for fried rice - BUT- I refrigerate my rice after cooking - and then use the COLD rice in my recipe - delicious 😋
Peter says
I like your attention to cooks. In particular, I like your "cook mode". My cellphone screen blanks after a minute or two and resetting means another reset after cooking.
The "mode" does it all.
Thanks.
Tina says
Baked rice just never works for me. Tight seal with foil, temp is right, but it always takes WAY more than 30 minutes. :(
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Tina,
Welcome to the blog.
A couple of comments, be sure to use white long grain rice and preheat. See the discussion about other types. Brown rice is covered in the discussion. It requires an hour and more water.
Also, you might want to check the oven temperature with an oven thermometer, especially if you have some baking/roasting issues.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Pamela Bartlett says
Your recipes are almost always right on. Here, though, I'm making the argument for rice prepared in the microwave. Fool proof! No butter required, and the rice comes out perfect every time, fluffy and delicious.
Lauren says
Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe, I have never ever been able to make rice that wasn't burnt, crunchy and/or stuck to the pan. This was easy, fluffy and absolutely delicious.
gigi says
I only use brown rice. If you are cooking it longer, would you add more water?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Gigi,
Decrease the recommended water on the package by about 20%. That should be good for most versions of brown rice.
Dan
Jo says
I am thrilled that this recipe works so well. The moistness and fluffiness of the rice was perfect after 25 minutes. I don't believe I've ever made perfect rice before. I always have my electric kettle filled, so it couldn't have been easier to make this rice.
Hannah says
Uh...rinsing the rice makes it *more* sticky. It's the classic first step to making sticky rice for asian cuisine like riceballs. Not sure who mixed that up lol. Thanks for the recipe! Gonna be trying it in a toaster oven since our normal oven is out of commission during kitchen renovation.
Nancy says
There's a very tasty baked chicken and rice casserole recipe on the Campbell's (Soup) site. No precooking and prep time is about 5 minutes with 1 your cook time. My family has been enjoying it for years.
Kate says
Hi! I would like to bake a quantity to freeze in servings for two. If I use a 13x9 glass pan, how many cups of uncooked rice can it accommodate? Thank you!!
DrDan says
Hi Kate,
Welcome to the blog.
The cooking dish here is 9 inch diameter. It could have been bigger or smaller and still worked fine. That is why I didn't specify size. But since you are cooking for freezing, you want a larger amount. Your 13X9 pan has about twice as much surface area, so depending on the depth of the pan, you should be good increasing by 50-100%. You can use the serving adjustment in the recipe card are to get the exact measurements for the rice etc.
Dan
Lynn Harris says
I had this at a neighbor's house years ago, and I couldn't believe it when she took this PERFECT rice out of the oven in a 13 x 9 glass pan. It was meant to feed a crowd, and I think she made it with chicken stock ( probably Swanson's canned broth). It was delicious ! Has anyone tried to make it with converted rice ( like Uncle Ben's or similar product ) ? I am hopeless with rice. Thanks to all for the help ! : )
DrDan says
Hi Lynn,
Welcome to the blog.
I'm rice and pancake impaired, so this is my rice solution.
First, the chicken broth. Yep, I do chicken broth may be a bit more than I do water. It adds some nice taste.
The converted rice is another question. Converted rice is somewhat between white rice (this recipe) and brown rice. My friends at cooking school say that brown rice takes about 1 hour here instead of 25 minutes.
Converted rice is brown rice that was soaked and parboiled before husking. It takes longer to cook and more liquid than white rice. So you can experiment with it but not an exact answer. It will take longer and more fluid.
Dan
Nancy Pacheco says
I cook rice in the oven with canned beef broth. Delicious with any beef entree!
Reanne says
Tried this with Saffron rice that is seasoned in the pack already, so I skipped the salt. It was VERY good...turned out so nice. Sure will use this method again.
Linda Schacht says
I melted the butter in the pan in the microwave, then stirred in the rice to coat it well, then added the water and salt. I read somewhere that made it better. I have to admit it was delicious with all the rice nicely separated and tender. I also used long grain basmati brown rice and it did require an hour to cook. I also use a clear pan so I can see when the water is absorbed without pulling off the foil to check. When I looked into the oven during the cooking process, I could see the water racing up the sides of the pan. (Ok, I'll admit it, I'm easily amused. It was kinda fun to watch.) When I couldn't see that action anymore, the water was absorbed and the rice was done.
Connollygreen says
What I like to do is a substitute water for chicken noodle soup. No need to songs no need to butter and it is basically the same. I heat up the soup and add an extra little dash of water. It is fabulous and easy. You can Partially brown chicken and put it in with the rice if you wish but I prefer to have it separate. Enjoy
Valerie says
Thank YOU! Easy simple. I couldn't remember if I ever baked it before but l though I did, thank you for reminding me 🍁
Teresa says
Making it now. Used 1/2 butter, 1 cup rice, 2 cup boiling water, salt . in 350 degree oven for 33 min
Iain Bailey says
Throw in a couple of cardamon pods and a couple of dashes of Turmeric to jazz the rice up. Just remember to pick out the pods when you take off the foil.
DrDan says
Hi Iain,
Sounds like a great idea. I will give it a try.
Thanks of the note.
Dan
Pam says
I know what you mean, I didn't grow up eating rice either, but love it now. I will be trying this soon, thanks!
DrDan says
Thanks for the note. If I could convince myself it was healthier then I would eat more but I'm not convinced yet.
DrDan
For the readers, check out Pam at Pam’s Midwest Kitchen Korner
Julie kemp says
Can anyone please tell me how to cook chicken and rice in the oven in a one dish meal. Chicken takes longer than rice, and higher heat. How do you make it work out? Jkemp at rccassociates dot com
DrDan says
Hi Julie,
First you may notice I modified your email so scrapers don't get it. Your spam would go way up.
You are right to notice that the chicken and rice cooking times are too much of a mis-match to cheat your way out if it.
I have a casserole with chicken and rice. I cook some chicken for about 5 minutes with onion on a stove top then add liquid and rice. Cover and into the oven. It also has broccoli, some cheese and topping but it would be easily modified to make it what you want. It took a lot of trial and error to get it right.
https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/cheese-chicken-broccoli-and-rice-casserole/
Dan