How to Make Perfect Brown Rice (…and freeze it too!)

Considering how easy it is to make rice, you would think it’d be foolproof, right? NO! Two to three measly ingredients can go south really quickly! You can easily end up with crunchy or mushy rice–plus, how many times have you burned your rice?

I share my brown rice tips on SnapChat quite often and I always get so many questions about it…plus people ask if I have a post written about it. I DO NOW 🙂

While we don’t exclusively use brown rice in our house, it is our favorite. Sometimes waiting 40-45 minutes for it to cook just isn’t going to happen! I now make brown rice on my Sunday prep days. Quick tip: purchase rice in bulk from Fresh Thyme or your local grocery store (SO much cheaper!!) and make enough for 2-3 weeks. GAME CHANGER. Bulk rice runs about $0.50-$0.75/lb vs over $1 in stores.

Aside from bulk rice, my number biggest tip for amazing rice is to use stock instead of water. I usually use Vegetable Better Than Bouillon for most flavor, but chicken or beef are great too. Also, you MUST toast the rice a bit before adding liquid.

I usually make 2-3 cups of rice, which yields 4-6 cups of cooked rice. After allowing to cool for 30-40 minutes, I portion out 4 or pre-measured baggies for the freezer and leave out one serving for the week. Be sure to label the bags with exactly how much you put in there. Although it’s pretty obvious what’s inside the bag, there’s nothing worse than trying to remember if you put 1 or 1.5 cups in when you’re making a recipe!

To defrost, just put in the fridge overnight OR put in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. SO easy, right? Once you start making and freezing rice, you’ll never go back!

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How to Make Perfect Brown Rice (…and freeze it too!)

Cook Time

40 mins

 

Servings: 4 cups brown rice

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon EVOO
• 2 cups brown rice
• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons Vegetable Better Than Bouillon (or sub 4 cups stock of choice)

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add rice and toast for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. First add veggie Bouillon paste, stir into rice. Slowly add water. Stir.
4. Bring to a bubble. Cover, reduce heat to LOW. Cook for 40-42 minutes.
5. Fluff with a fork.

To freeze: Let cool for 30-40 minutes. Portion out with measuring cups. Lay flat on cookie sheet to freeze (1 day), then store in freezer until ready to use.

To reheat: remove from freezer, refrigerate overnight OR microwave frozen in a bowl, covered, for 2-3 minutes.

What are your favorite recipes to use brown rice in? Do you have any rice horror stories for me? I know I’ve burnt a fair share of rice!

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