My friend Emily has been encouraging me to try this little “bake your rice in the oven” trick for quite some time. As it turns out, this really is the easiest way to make brown rice!
Now, I’ve been making rice on the stove-top for years without any problem. Then I got an Instant Pot and tried making rice in that.
Confession: While it is actually very easy to make rice in the Instant Pot, I kept having to look up how to do it because I could never remember from one time to the next. So ultimately, this didn’t make my life easier. Ha! Old habits die hard. I didn’t want to have to actually think about how to make rice. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
So I went back to my “cook rice on the stove-top” method.
Then Emily said something again about making rice in the oven, about how easy it was, and about how the rice turns out perfectly every single time. Fine. I decided to try it. After all, the method did sound very simple.
Boom. I’m going to use the oven method every time from now on. It’s a no brainer! And it actually is easier than making rice on the stove-top because I don’t have to boil water first, then add rice, then turn down the heat, yada, yada.
Here are the basics you need to know to make brown rice in the oven:
- Always use 2 parts water to 1 part rice.
- Cover the dish.
- Bake for 1 hour at 350.
Here’s a basic picture tutorial. Watch and be amazed.
1. Put rice in a dish.
2. Add water. Cover, and bake for 1 hour at 350.
3. The rice is done. It is perfect. Your life just got easier.
4. Be amazed and look at the rice from a different angle. Stare joyfully at the rice.
5. Move on. It’s time to eat the rice.
The Easiest Way to Make Brown Rice
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 cups water
- sea salt to taste
- Place one part rice to two parts water into a baking dish.
- Sprinkle in sea salt according to your taste. (You can add salt later if you prefer.)
- Stir.
- Cover.
- Bake in a 350 oven for one hour.

This will forever more be my go-to rice making method. I love how simple it is! And the rice truly turns out perfect!
What’s your favorite way to make brown rice? Have you ever tried this oven method? I think you’ll love it!