Here is a simple guide on how to cook short grain brown rice on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot, and the slow cooker. Serve the rice with my butternut squash curry, roasted Asian chicken thighs, or paneer tikka masala!
Although I grew up on jasmine rice, I have learned to enjoy eating brown rice because it contains more fiber and other nutrients than white rice. In particular, I like short grain brown rice because of its chewy, toothsome texture.
Often times, I cook a large batch of short grain brown rice on the weekends. Then, I refrigerate the rice and incorporate it into various dishes throughout the week. The rice is great in salads with cooked chickpeas, feta, butternut squash, and olive oil; egg fried rice; or in chilis. Short grain brown rice is incredibly versatile.
HOW TO COOK SHORT GRAIN BROWN RICE
WASH THE RICE
First, rinse the rice twice to get rid of any excess starch. Then, drain the rice over a sieve or strainer.
COOK THE RICE
When it comes to cooking rice, I prefer the absorption method. In other words, I like using only as much water as needed to cook the rice. All the water used for cooking the rice absorbs into the grains.
Some people like to cook rice like pasta—boil a large pot of water, add the rice, and then drain the cooked rice over a strainer. Although this method of cooking rice works, the texture of the rice will not be as toothsome and chewy as rice cooked with the absorption method.
Below, I outline 3 different methods for cooking short grain brown rice: stovetop, Instant Pot, and slow cooker. I prefer the Instant Pot method the most because I can just set the cooker and walk away. With the slow cooker method, make sure stir the rice about 30 minutes before it is done cooking. This helps to ensure that the rice on the top is fully cooked and the rice at the bottom isn’t overly gummy.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH BROWN RICE
- Vegan Butternut Squash Curry (photographed above)
- Sticky Asian Chicken Thighs
- Spicy Three Bean Chili (I like adding 1 to 2 cups of cooked rice to my chili for a fuller meal)
- Paneer Tikka Masala
OTHER RICE COOKING TUTORIALS
How to Cook Short Grain Brown Rice: Stovetop, Instant Pot & Slow Cooker
If you want more flavor, you can cook the rice with broth. Feel free to add another pinch of salt, garlic powder, or any other seasonings to the rice.
- Author: Lisa Lin
- Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Stovetop
- 2 cups short grain brown rice (see note 1)
- 3 1/4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instant Pot
- 2 cups short grain brown rice
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Slow Cooker
- cooking spray
- 2 cups short grain brown rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
WASH THE RICE
- Rinse the rice and drain the water. Repeat the process one more time and drain the rice over a sieve or strainer.
STOVETOP METHOD
- Add the rice, water, and salt to a saucepan. Cover the pan with the lid.
- Heat the pan over high heat and bring the water to boil. This should take about 7 minutes and you’ll see a lot of steam coming out the sides of the saucepan.
- Reduce heat to low. I have a gas range and usually move my saucepan to the smaller range. Cook the rice for another 40 minutes. All the water should be absorbed by then.
- Turn off the heat and let the rice sit for another 10 minutes, covered. Remove the lid and use a fork to fluff up the rice.
INSTANT POT METHOD
- Add the rice, water, and salt to the Instant Pot.
- Fasten the lid and press the “MANUAL” button. Leave the pressure on high but decrease the timer to 20 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, let the rice sit in the Instant Pot in the “KEEP WARM” setting for 15 minutes. Manually release any residual method before removing the lid.
- Fluff up the rice and serve.
SLOW COOKER METHOD
- Coat the bottom of the slow cooker with cooking spray. This prevents the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. It is particularly an issue if your slow cooker pot is made of ceramic, like mine. You can also rub a thin layer of oil in the pot.
- Add the rice, water, and salt into the slow cooker. Cover the pot with the lid.
- Cook on high for 2.5 hours. After 2 hours of cooking, check the rice. Most of the water should be absorbed by now. Uncover the lid and give the rice a good stir. This ensures that the rice on the top is fully cooked and the rice at the bottom doesn’t turn too gummy. Cover the lid again and cook for another 30 minutes.
Notes
Small Batch Stovetop Method: If you want to make a smaller batch, add 1 cup of brown rice, 1 3/4 cups water, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a saucepan. Cover the saucepan and bring the water to boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and let the rice cook for 40 minutes. All the water should be absorbed in the rice by then. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit in the saucepan for another 10 minutes, covered. Uncover the saucepan and use a fork to fluff up the rice.
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