baked oven rice
A whole post about white rice? You better believe it. I just finished teaching my first Make it Homemade: learn to cook food you love in 6 lessons cooking course, and while I didn’t teach a whole lesson on how to make rice, this recipe got an honorable mention. This baked oven rice dish is the recipe you need but didn’t know existed. You might even think anyone can make rice, but the truth is, for something so simple, it can be one of the most annoying foods to get right, especially when we haven’t locked down a few good methods! Just me? I’m guessing not. I hope this baked oven rice recipe ends the question I found myself asking for years, “Wait, how do I make white rice that turns out perfect?”
Rice is inexpensive and simple-ish, but it doesn’t have to be a sad side dish. Rick Bayless introduced me to making rice in the oven years ago, and I haven’t turned back. Why bother looking for alternatives when it comes out just right every time? Well, 99% of the time, we don’t.
What ingredients make this baked oven rice so good?
- Jasmine rice – we’ve been using jasmine rice exclusively for a few years now. Unless I’m making risotto or congee and need a bowl of stickier and starchy rice, jasmine is my go-to. We look for this purple bag in stores if needed, but thanks to my pantry assistant, it’s usually always stocked!
- Broth – you absolutely can make this baked oven rice with water in a pinch, but if you want a savory side dish that steals the show, do yourself a favor and try it with broth at least once to compare. When we are in soup season and making broth more often, I love it with my instant pot bone broth, but I also keep a container of Pacific in my pantry as backup!
- White or yellow onion chopped into small dice
- Garlic – I buy garlic by the bulb always, and while you can chop, crush, and mince garlic with a good knife, it’s sticky and messy. One of the tools I’ve had the longest is this garlic press. I’ve had it for 20 years, maybe? Are pampered chef parties still a thing? My mom bought this for me once, and it works better than any I’ve ever used at work or a friend’s house. I use it to crack the skin for easy peeling and crushing the garlic without ever removing the papers; it’s a little magical that way.
What makes this baked oven rice so good?
- There’s no mess! When cooking at home, I often multi-tasking or getting interrupted. I forever and always will underestimate my capabilities and be the one to walk away from things simmering on the stove, only to hear it boiling over from the other room.🤦🏻♀️
- The taste is savory and satisfying! This rice recipe will be what your college-age kids want when they come home from school. (True story.) And while that might surprise you as it did me, you’ll make it as requested and see how happy they are to be home.
- It’s hands-off! See point #1 because of it. It’s a one-pan dish that slips into the oven and cooks itself without my eyes and hands needing to babysit it. THIS is where this recipe saves you from yourself and time.🤞My promise to you and me.
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What are the steps to perfect rice every time?
- Chop your onion – one of the things we cover in my Make it Homemade cooking course is knife skills and onions. TIP: Chop a whole onion and put half in the freezer until next time. You’ll thank yourself every time you do this!
- Sauté the rice – until it turns opaque, not golden or browned.
- Bake without peeking – trust the process and only lift the lid after the rice sits out of the oven for 5 minutes. And I’ve 100% left it longer while I’m cooking the rest of dinner.
- Fluff with a fork. This isn’t a skill you must practice, but it’s very satisfying! And if someone in your crew doesn’t want onions, scrape them aside and dig deep for just the rice!
This baked oven rice is that simple and without the clean-up of splashed and starchy hot water spots from your pot bubbling over and cooking to pans and stovetops. If you’ve made rice on your stovetop, you know what I’m talking about!
Baked Oven Rice: Frequently Asked Questions
I have used medium and long-grain white rice, white basmati rice, and white jasmine. See the recipe above for my favorite jasmine rice I keep in my pantry.
No! You will need more than an hour and a few other changes to bake brown rice successfully. This recipe is only for white rice.
This recipe works great with water and gets plenty of flavor from salt, pepper, garlic, and onion. It even works with just water, salt, and pepper!
Sure. We love the onions in this recipe because they give it flavor but rise to the top while baking. You can scoop underneath them if you don’t want them on your plate. Or, if you don’t like onions or onion flavor, skip it altogether!
Easily! Pair it with salmon, chicken, tacos, beans, and anything you can think of that goes with savory rice. How about adding a can of drained beans, chopped or roasted peppers with the broth step, or pre-roasted vegetables with the fluffing step? Both are fantastic and EASY!
What is good to eat with white rice?
- Easy prep by making it into a one-pot dinner by adding beans or pairing it with a simple side of salmon or protein you enjoy.
- Medium prep by making these gluten-free meatballs with our beloved yogurt dill sauce!
- More prep by making these pork & over-easy egg bowls with spinach and crispy shallots!
Let’s make some magic!✨
Baked Oven Rice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed
- 1 1/2 cups white rice – we love Lundberg's Jasmine rice but basmati or medium to long-grain white rice work great too.
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or water (add a little salt if needed with water) – we love this chicken broth!
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- Cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan for a minute or two until oil moves easily in pan.
- Add onion and rice, sautè until oil saturated rice turns white in color and onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Crush garlic into pan and sautè with onions and rice until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add broth (or water) and salt.
- Bring to a boil and cover with a tight lid.
- Put covered pan in the oven for 25 minutes undisturbed.
- Let it set for 5 minutes before removing the lid.
- Fluff rice with a fork and serve, sprinkle chopped cilantro on top if you wish.
Equipment
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Nutrition
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Last Updated on July 7, 2024 by Heather Bursch
This is JUST what I needed. At the hotel – Rice in my slow cooker takes longer than I’d like, rice on the griddle is a nightmare and cooks unevenly.
But rice in the oven? I can do that.
AND I never knew about the onion in the freezer trick?! Such a timely read my friend. Thanks for sharing! xx Kristin