Oven Baked Rice Recipe

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Have you ever heard of oven baked rice? No, it’s not a recipe where rice turns into something like cake or bread. Instead, it’s a simple recipe that uses the oven to cook rice. If you don’t have a cooker or find cooking over the stove difficult, this oven baked rice recipe is for you.

Is It Better to Cook Rice in the Oven or on the Stove?

There are three popular ways to cook rice: oven, rice cooker, and stovetop. Between those three, using a rice cooker and cooking on the stovetop are what people usually go for. Not many people realize that using an oven to cook rice is very easy to do and results in perfect, delicious, and fluffy rice.

Stovetop cooking can be very overwhelming and difficult. A lot of times, rice cooked on the stove is either undercooked or overcooked. One has to stand by the pot as the rice cooks; even then, messing up the rice is easy. Oven baked rice is a much easier process that cooks the rice the same way as a cooker does.

All the rice cooks evenly because the heat is distributed from all sides in equal amounts throughout the entire cooking process. Additionally, unlike rice cooked on the stove, you won’t get any burnt rice stuck on the bottom.

Oven baked rice is also great if you want to cook a large batch of rice. You won’t need multiple pots – all you need is to preheat your oven, get a large casserole dish or a Dutch oven, measure the amount of uncooked rice that you’ll need, and pour in the proper amount of water. Put the dish in your preheated oven and let it cook, and surely, you’ll get absolutely delicious and perfect rice in no time.

Oven Baked Rice Recipe Ingredients

Making oven baked rice is very easy, and you don’t even need many things! It’s such a basic recipe that you only need four core ingredients.

Rice
Boiling water
Butter
Kosher salt

In this particular recipe, we used long-grain white rice but any type of rice will work just as well. If you don’t like long-grain white rice, you can use brown rice, basmati rice, jasmine rice, wild rice, short-grain rice, or medium-grain rice. How much rice you’ll need depends on you.

Water is usually the liquid used for cooking rice but you may also use other liquids to increase the flavor, such as vegetable broth, chicken broth, or beef broth. For this particular recipe, boiling water or hot water is best to use. This is because water doesn’t require time to come up to the temperature in the oven. Boiling water will help the rice cook more evenly.

The butter is used so that the rice doesn’t stick to your Dutch oven or baking dish. Lastly, we added Kosher salt for taste but you may skip this in favor of other herbs and seasonings.

Oven Baked Rice Recipe Directions

Making baked rice in the oven is very easy! If you want fluffy rice but you don’t have a rice cooker and you’re wary of cooking rice over the stove, this method is for you.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Rinse the rice grains until the water runs clear.
Place the rice into a Dutch oven or a large baking dish. Spread the long-grain rice evenly.
Add the correct amount of boiling water to the baking dish.
Add the butter and salt to the baking dish and combine them well with the long-grain rice.
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Place in the oven and bake for 25 to 40 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
Remove the baked rice from the oven.
Allow to rest covered for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.

How Much Water Do I Need for 2 Cups of Rice in the Oven?

When cooking rice in the oven, you’ll need to increase the amount of water. This means that for every 1 cup of rice, you’ll need 1.5 cups of water.

If you’re cooking brown rice using the oven, you’ll need more. This means for every 1 cup of rice, you’ll need 2 cups of water.

What Temperature Do You Cook Rice At?

To have perfectly baked rice, you will need to set the oven’s temperature to 375 degrees F.

How Long Does It Take to Cook Rice in the Oven?

Generally, it takes about 25 to 40 minutes to get perfectly cooked rice in the oven. The thickness of the ingredients in the pan will affect the cooking time. The rice is cooked when all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

How Long to Steam Rice in a Rational Oven?

It can take 15 to 20 minutes to bake rice in a Rational brand oven.

How Do You Keep Rice From Sticking to a Dutch Oven?

Making rice using the oven is convenient but sometimes, the grains can stick to the baking dish. Adding butter or olive oil to the rice will keep it from sticking to your Dutch oven or casserole dish while it cooks. Guaranteed no more rice sticking in the pan!

Why Didn’t My Rice Cook in the Oven?

You may not have set the correct oven temperature to cook the rice. Get an oven thermometer to check if your temperature is right.

Can You Bake Rice That Is Already Cooked?

You can reheat cooked rice in the oven or toaster oven. To reheat rice, gently break up any lumps of cold rice and moisten slightly with a splash of water. Place in a casserole dish and cover tightly, then cook at 300 degrees F for about 20 minutes.

If you want to use this for fried rice, you don’t have to reheat it in the oven as chilled rice is the best for fried rice.

Oven Baked Rice Recipe Tips

You may also use olive oil instead of butter for this recipe.
This easy recipe uses long-grain white rice but any type of rice works well too. Other types of long-grain rice such as basmati rice and jasmine rice, and even medium-grain white rice can be baked in the oven.
If you want to bake sushi rice or sticky rice using the oven, follow the package directions.
To cook a big batch of oven baked rice, simply use a larger baking dish and double the recipe.
Always rinse the rice before cooking it to get rid of the dust, small debris, and excess starch.
Preheat the oven as you rinse the uncooked rice.
Don’t use cold water for this recipe as it won’t work as well compared to hot water.
You can also add the salt to the water first. Simply combine the water and salt in a stock pot, bring to a rolling boil, and then pour it over the uncooked white rice.
Cooking brown rice using the oven is a little different from cooking white rice. Brown rice will need more water, and the cooking time is longer. One cup of brown rice will need 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of butter, and 1 teaspoon of salt. The cooking time will take about an hour.
Aside from water, you’re more than welcome to use any liquid that you like. Chicken broth, vegetable broth, and beef stock all work well to give rice a lot of flavor.
If you have any leftover rice, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. You can use this for stir-fried or fried rice.
Freezing rice also works just as well, especially if you’re aiming for meal prep. Allow the cooked rice to cool down completely. Store in a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat your chilled leftover rice, thaw the rice first. Reheat in the oven or microwave.

Final Note

Baking rice is a foolproof method for getting perfect rice. Plus, it’s a very easy recipe to follow.

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