Master Cooking Rice Every Time

A mound of cooked white basmati rice garnished with chopped green herbs, served on a dark round plate with whole green herbs placed on top.

Master Cooking Rice Every Time

Cooking white rice on the stove is simple once you know the right method. This approach gives you fluffy, tender rice every time without needing a rice cooker. It’s a reliable base for weeknight dinners, curries, and easy meal prep.

Course Side Dish, Sides

Cuisine American, International

Keyword brown rice, cook rice, cook time, cup of rice, fluffy rice, fried rice, grain rice, long-grain white rice, make rice, perfect rice, rice cooker, rice on the stove, rice recipes, rice to water, rinse the rice, type of rice, water to rice, white rice

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 40

Servings Servings

Calories 81kcal

Author Zuzana Paar

Equipment

1 Cooking Pot
1 Strainer
1 Wooden Ladle
1 Bowl
1 Oven

Ingredients

1 1/2 Cups Water
1 Cup Rice
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons EVO Oil
1 teaspoon Salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Gather rice, water, oil, salt, and pepper, and have an oven-safe pot or Dutch oven ready. Preheat the oven to 350°Fahrenheit (180°Celsius).
Rinse the rice under cold water until clear to remove excess starch. Strain well and let it drain while the pot heats.
Heat oil in the pot over medium heat, add the rice, and season lightly. Stir until the grains turn slightly golden and fragrant.
Pour in the measured water, stir once, and cover tightly with a lid to trap steam for even cooking.
Transfer the covered pot to the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes after baking, then fluff with a fork.

Video

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="ul1VOMW9" upload-date="2025-06-26T18:53:06+00:00" name="Master Cooking Rice YTV.mp4" description="Want to master cooking rice every single time? May it be making a fluffy white rice recipe for a weeknight dinner or prepping a side for your favorite curry, getting it just right makes all the difference. Learn how to cook perfect rice on the stove with this simple white rice recipe with no rice cooker needed." player-type="default" override-embed="default"]

Notes

Rinse the rice first: This helps remove extra starch so your rice doesn’t get sticky or clumpy. Just swish it in cold water a few times until the water looks clear.
Measure water carefully: Too much or too little can ruin the texture. My rule is 1 cup of rice to one and a half cups of water.
Don’t lift the lid while cooking: Steam is your friend here. It helps the rice cook evenly. Peeking lets the steam out and messes with the cooking time.
Let it rest after cooking: Once the heat is off, leave the lid on for 5–10 minutes. This helps the rice finish cooking and become light and fluffy.
Crunchy rice: My favorite part is when the bottom of the pot gets that extra-crispy rice, so I always leave the rice to bake for an extra 10 minutes.

Nutrition