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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 c. cooked rice (1 c. uncooked rice yields about 3 c. cooked).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
I’m never cooking rice on the stove ever again! This is SUCH A GAME CHANGER!! I cannot believe that in my 40s I’ve learned 2 cooking tips that could have potentially saved my marriage, lol! 1. Cooking chicken in the oven from frozen, and 2. This rice method. Where have you been all my life? With 2 working adults coming home at the same time both raving mad hungry, these cooking time savers could have curbed a lot of “hangry” arguments over who was cooking & what were we going to have for dinner! 😂
This rice came out perfectly cooked. I used long grain white rice & followed the instructions. I left out the butter because I’d just oven-cooked a bunch of breakfast sausage in a square glass dish, so poured the rice & boiling water into the sausage dish to soak up all the brown sausagey goodness the sausage links left behind. The rice came out moist, tender, & perfectly done in 35 mins at the recommended 375 degrees. Added a touch of salt afterwards & I have a lovely dirty rice base I can use for meals or soups for the next few days. Will be delish tossed with some kidney/garbanzo beans.
Thank you for this cooking tip, I’m going to try your other recipes without hesitation.
Hi Amy, I’m so happy to have been able to help! Weeknight after-work dinners can be so tough, especially after a long day. I love that you used the sausage drippings, YUM! Using the leftover rice for dirty rice with beans sounds so delicious. Thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice note! I hope you enjoy my other recipes. Take care! – Meggan
This was soooo good. I don’t have a stove at the moment and this worked perfectly. I used olive oil, but will cut it down to 1/8 cup next time. I used an oven dish that is non-stick so I didn’t need as much. I don’t think I am ever going to go back to steaming rice on the stove! Thank you for this recipe.
That’s great Erin, so glad it worked out nicely for you. Thanks! – Meggan
If the recipe is cut in half, does the baking time remain the same?
Hi Terri, I believe the baking time would remain the same. I haven’t tried it myself, so I can’t say for sure, especially if it is being baked in the same size dish. I would keep a close eye on it. Enjoy – Meggan
Sounds great! Any suggestions to make baked rice for 150 special dinner? I’d appreciate it. Thanks!
Hi Loreku! I would say to make it in small batches, and if reheating make sure the middle reaches 165 degrees on a digital thermometer. If holding the rice warm, make sure it is above 141 degrees. Hope this helps! – Meggan
I made the recipe as written and it came out perfect. I was wondering if anyone had tried adding cheese before baking it. I was thinking cheddar or Parmesan.
I have not
I just love this easy way of making it. It turns out perfect every time.
Do you rinse the rice beforehand to remove the starch?
Cindi
Hi Cindi, no I don’t. I never have. It’s fine without doing that because there is enough fat to keep the grains separated. Just for fun, today, I’m going to cook it without any fat (one reader commented and said that’s how she does it) and without rinsing, and I’ll reply back with my results. But if you use even 2 tablespoons of fat (butter or olive oil or whatever) I know you don’t need to rinse it. I’ll let you know today what happens if you use no fat at all. Thanks! -Meggan
Hi Cindi, in case you were wondering, I tried making the rice without any fat at all, and it stuck to the bottom. So, I need to confirm it with testing, but I think if I was going to do NO FAT I might rinse it. I also want to try doing a round of testing where I just coat the baking dish with nonstick spray and see if that is enough to prevent sticking. I know this isn’t your exact question but I’m getting to the answer a little at a time. 🙂 Thanks! -Meggan
Hi Cindi, in case you’re still wondering, I tried baking a round of rice today without fat BUT rinsing the rice beforehand. Some rice still stuck to the bottom of the pan. So, I feel like rinsing the rice offers no benefit at all. I thought MAYBE rinsing the rice would remove enough start to prevent sticking in the absence of fat… but no… you’re literally just washing whatever added nutrients are on the rice (whatever they do to “enrich” it) and there is no benefit. So. I don’t recommend rinsing the rice for this recipe, ever. Thanks! -Meggan
This is my favorite way to make rice. You don’t need all the butter, but WOW it tastes good if you use it! I like to make a big batch and freeze it in 2-cup portions. So easy.
I’ve been baking brown rice like this for years. I’ve never added butter or oil. I cook my brown rice at 350* for about an hour and it turns out perfect every time.
Hi Cindy, I tried making a batch of rice without any butter or oil, and it stuck to the bottom of the baking dish. Do you use nonstick spray by any chance? I’m going to test it with that, and I’m also going to try rinsing the rice to see if that helps. Just wondering. Thanks! -Meggan