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fork taking a bit of rice out of a wood bowl
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5 from 5 votes

How to Cook Rice (perfect + fluffy, every time!)

Showing you exactly how to cook rice with step by step photos! There are three important steps to ensure you get perfect, fluffy rice each and every time, whether you are making long grain white or brown rice.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Resting Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 174kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup basmati rice uncooked
  • 2 cups water or broth; see note 1
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar white or apple cider vinegar work

Instructions

  • Rinse- In the bottom of a 4 L/quart pot, cover the rice with 2-3 inches of water. Swirl until the water becomes cloudy and pour off into the sink (you might want to pour through a colander). Repeat until water is not cloudy (5-6 times for long grain white rice, 1-2 times for long grain brown rice).
    rice in clear water after rinsing
  • Combine- After rinsing and discarding extra liquid from the rice, add the water/broth, salt and vinegar to the pot. Make sure no rice is stuck to the side and that it is fully submerged in the liquid.
    adding vinegar to pot of rice
  • Cooking- Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil (look for steam coming out from under the lid). Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes (*for cook times of other types of rice, see note 1). Do not lift the lid or stir the rice.
  • Rest- When 15 minutes are up, remove from the burner to a cold burner or a trivet. Allow the pot to sit for another 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid until the time is up.
    resting the rice in a pot
  • Fluff- When the 10 minutes rest time is up, remove the lid, fluff rice with a fork, and serve. You can also stir 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil into the pot when you do this step.

Notes

1- Water ratios/cook times for long grain rice:
  • jasmine rice– 1 cup rice : 1 ¼ cups cooking liquid; 12 min cook time, 10 min rest time
  • basmati rice– 1 cup rice : 2 cups cooking liquid; 15 min cook time, 10 min rest time
  • American long grain rice– 1 cup rice : 1 ½ cups cooking liquid; 12 min cook time, 10 min rest time
  • long grain brown rice– 1 cup rice : 2 cups cooking liquid; 40 min cook time, 10 min rest time
Food safety tips, storage and reheating
  • do not let rice sit at room temperature for extended periods; get it into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking
  • store in an air tight container for up to 4 days
  • reheat until steaming hot
  • do not reheat more than once.
Adding extra flavor
  • swap water for chicken or vegetable stock
  • always add salt to the cooking liquid
  • sauté a finely chopped onion or 2 cloves of garlic before adding other ingredients
  • sauté the rice until golden in a little oil or butter (5 or so minutes until it develops a golden brown color) before adding the cooking liquid
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 batch | Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 723mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin C: 8.3mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.6mg