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Making Oven Baked Rice in the oven is fast, foolproof, and fluffy. This easy 3-ingredient recipe is great for meal prep and freezer friendly, too, and you can use either butter or olive oil.
Meggan’s notes
Say goodbye to sticky, burned pot bottoms, or al dente grains of chewy, undercooked stovetop rice. Even if you’ve never been all that confident in your rice-making skills, you can make perfectly cooked rice in about 30 minutes.
The secret to perfect oven rice is to add boiling water and then keep your pot covered. The tight cover allows the rice to steam in place without having to stir it. And, you can add either olive oil or butter to keep it separated and flavorful.
Once you master this method, add more flavor with chicken broth, bay leaves, or lemon zest. Then add your cooked rice to soups, rice casseroles, meal prep containers, grain bowls, or your next batch of Veggie Fried Rice.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Long-grain rice: Any rice works such as long-grain American, basmati, or jasmine. Brown rice takes longer to cook, so plan on at least an hour in the oven.
- Butter or olive oil: You can add up to a whole stick of butter to your rice (yes, that’s how we make it in the Midwest). But 2 tablespoons is plenty, and olive oil is delicious too.
- Salt: Omit the salt if desired. Sometimes I add a bay leaf or a few caraway seeds which adds a lovely flavor.
- Water: For a flavor boost, substitute chicken broth for the water.
How to cook rice in the oven
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 2-quart or larger casserole dish or Dutch oven, add rice, butter, and salt.
- Stir in boiling water until butter is melted. Cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and bake until rice the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Fluff rice with a fork. Transfer to a serving bowl if desired.
Oven Rice Tips
- Yield: This recipe makes about 6 cups cooked rice (1 cup uncooked rice yields about 3 cups cooked).
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Spread cooked rice on a rimmed baking sheet to cool (chill it faster in the refrigerator or freezer if you have space). Then, pack into a measuring cup and measure your preferred portion size (1 cup, 2 cups, 4 cups, etc.) into freezer-safe bags. Press flat, label, and freeze. Reheat to 165 degrees.
- Safety first: Cooked rice can make you sick if not cooled and stored properly. Once you cook the rice, keep it hot throughout the meal or cool it down as quickly as possible. Never let cooked rice sit out at room temperature for longer than one hour.
Baked Rice Recipe Variations
- Flavored liquids: Substitute chicken stock, beef broth, or shrimp stock for the water.
- Herbs and spices: Add a spoonful of bouillon, a bay leaf, dried herbs like thyme or marjoram, or turmeric to gently scent the rice as it bakes. A Bouquet Garni or Sachet can add extra flavor, too.
- Fried rice: Heat oil in a pan until shimmering, then add chopped vegetables (especially carrots, celery, and onions) and cook until softened. Increase the heat and stir in leftover rice with soy sauce and garlic powder for an easy, delicious fried rice. Both brown rice and white rice work in this recipe.
- Bacon wrapped shrimp: A pile of cooked rice is the perfect side dish for this smoky seafood favorite.
- Cilantro Lime Rice: This Chipotle copycat recipe starts with getting the right type of rice and cooking it in a non-traditional way. This rice is soft and fluffy with just the right amount of chew and no stickiness.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no reason to rinse the rice. You might be thinking: “I’ll rinse the starch off the rice, and then I can bake it without butter or olive oil.” I tried that and in the absence of all fat, rice stuck to the bottom of the baking dish. Rinsing didn’t help.
If you make this recipe without any fat, some rice will stick to the bottom of your baking dish. You’ll probably lose a couple of tablespoons, or maybe up to a ¼ cup, of cooked rice through the sticking. Even if you rinse the rice, some of the rice will stick to the bottom of your baking dish.
Uncooked rice, as long as it is kept dry, is good for at least a year in a sealed container.
This recipe was tested with long-grain rice, so you can use white long-grain rice including basmati or jasmine. Long-grain brown rice also works, but you’ll need to bake it longer (at least an hour). This recipe hasn’t been tested with short-grain or medium-grain rice.
Cold water hydrates the grains of rice before cooking so they are more likely to stick together. This is not good or bad; it’s merely a personal preference. However, rinsing or soaking rice in cold water removes the excess starch, having the opposite affect (individual grains that don’t stick together).
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Baked Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups long-grain white rice (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil (see note 2)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups boiling water (see note 3)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 2 1/2-quart or larger baking dish, add rice, butter, and salt. Stir in boiling water until butter is melted.
- Cover and bake until rice the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 30 to 35 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Long-grain rice: Any rice works such as long-grain American, basmati, or jasmine. Brown rice takes longer to cook, so plan on at least an hour in the oven.
- Butter: You can add up to a whole stick of butter to your rice, but 2 tablespoons is plenty, and olive oil is delicious too.
- Water: For a flavor boost, substitute chicken broth for the water.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 6 cups cooked rice (1 cup uncooked rice yields about 3 cups cooked).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Hello
Could I half the recipe to make 3 servings , if so what about the baking time ??
Thank you for your great recipes !!!
You’re so welcome, Donna! I believe the baking time would remain the same. I havenโt tried it myself, so I canโt say for sure. I would keep a close eye on it. I hope you love it! – Meggan
Meggan ~ Thank you so much for your wonderful ~ and concise ~ recipes. I thoroughly enjoy cooking my white and brown rice in the oven. Do you have some guidance on baking/cooking Lundberg’s Wild RIce Blend in the oven?
Thank you so much for your advice!
Hi Trisha, you’re so welcome! I haven’t tested this method with wild rice. I believe it would take longer to bake, closer to 1 hour. I would check it at the 30 minute mark, then every 10 to 15 minutes until the rice is tender and there is no excess liquid. Sorry about that! When I do test it, I will write back with an update. Take care! – Meggan
Typo – under Recipe Tips, Fried Rice: shouldn’t it be “Heat oil in a pan” not “Heat only” ??
Thanks for catching this Linda! I appreciate your attention to detail! -Meggan
I noticed you have an app now. I am so happy for you… ๐
We donโt have an app, but I would love to see which one you think is mine. If you have time, could you please email a screen shot of the app to hello@culinaryhill.com? Thank you so much! – Meggan
Hello. I need to triple this recipe. Do I simply triple the ingredients and if so, how does this affect the baking time? Thank you.
Hi Kim, I’ve doubled the recipe and the baking time was the same. Tripling it should probably be pretty close, possibly 5-10 minutes longer but maybe not even that. You’ll have to stir it and check, and obviously you’ll need an extremely large pot for it. Thank you! -Meggan
Thanks so much for this recipe! Rice was a no-go for this old restaurant worker. Too much hassle. Now I can stick rice in the oven?! Hell yeah!!
You’re so welcome! – Meggan
It was perfect! No more rice sticking to the bottom of the pan!
Hi Claudia, thank you so much for your comment! I’m so glad you loved it! – Meggan
Just a commentโIโve boiled rice for decades. Thanks for simplifying my life. Oven it is!
Glad to help! Take care, Angela! – Meggan
How long should you bake for 12 people using 4 cups dry rice with 8 cups boiling water?
Hi Mugsy, baking time should be about the same if you are using a larger baking dish, or splitting it between two dishes. Oven temperatures do vary, so I would keep an eye on it. Take care! – Meggan