This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Are you looking for a quick and easy way to cook a single serving of rice? Our Baked Rice Recipe is the answer! Learn to achieve perfect rice in the oven every time with this easy guide. Ideal for busy days when you need just a small portion of rice.
Enjoy your baked rice with any of these single serving meals: Chicken Tagine, Chickpea Curry, a savory Baked Pork Chop, Chicken Caprese, and Red Beans and Rice. This versatile base lets you create endless delicious meals!
Why You’ll Love This Baked Rice Recipe
- Simplicity: The recipe only requires four staple ingredients and minimal prep time.
- Convenience: No need for constant stirring or watching over a boiling pot.
- Consistency: The rice turns out perfectly cooked and fluffy every time.
- Versatility: This rice makes an excellent base for numerous dishes, allowing for lots of culinary creativity.
- Portion Control: This single serving recipe eliminates food waste and helps manage portions.
What Is Baked Rice?
Baked rice is simply cooking rice in the oven instead of being boiled on a stovetop. For our purposes, we’ll be baking the rice in a convenient 5×5 inch baking dish. The result is a deliciously fluffy and evenly cooked serving of rice that pairs well with a multitude of dishes.
RELATED: How To Make Brown Rice In The Oven
Ingredients
- Long-grain rice: Use any long-grain white rice such as American long-grain rice, Basmati, or Jasmine.
- Water: It is important to use hot water to kickstart the cooking process in the oven. For more flavor, substitute hot broth.
- Salt: I use 1/4 teaspoon of salt for flavor, but you can adjust according to your taste.
- Butter: You can substitute with oil if you’re dairy-free.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I used them. For the full recipe please scroll down to the recipe box at the bottom of the post.
Recipe Variations
This simple oven-baked rice recipe serves as a versatile base that you can easily modify to create a variety of new dishes. Don’t hesitate to try these suggested variations:
- For a veggie rice dish, stir in cooked peas and carrots.
- Create a quick and easy fried rice by mixing in scrambled egg and a protein.
- Give it a Mediterranean flair by adding sautéed onions, pine nuts, and raisins.
- For a vibrant yellow rice, infuse it with flavors by adding saffron or turmeric.
How to Bake Rice For One
These step-by-step photos and instructions help you visualize how to bake rice in an oven. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Place 1/2 cup of white rice (not instant rice) in a small baking dish or ramekin. I use a 5×5-inch oven-safe dish that has a base of 25 square inches. You can use a 4×6-inch dish as well. Add the butter and salt.
- Pour in 1 cup of hot water.
- Stir and cover the baking dish with foil. Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake in a 375-degree F oven for 30-35 minutes until water is absorbed and the rice is tender.
Cooking rice in the oven guarantees a perfectly cooked batch each time.
By baking your rice, you free your stovetop for other culinary tasks, eliminating the need for constant check-ins on your rice’s progress. Simply place your dish in the oven and let it do the work while you focus on the rest of your meal.
Expert Tips
- Measure the rice and liquid precisely.
- Always use boiling water.
- Choose a baking dish that can accommodate the rice’s expansion – typically, a 5×5 inch or a 4×6 inch oven-safe dish works well.
- Tightly cover the dish with foil to keep moisture in.
- If the rice is still firm and there’s liquid left, bake it for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- After baking, let the rice rest for 5-10 minutes before fluffing it with a fork.
Frequently Asked Questions
The success of this recipe depends on the size of the baking dish you use. I use a 5×5 inch baking dish with a base area of 25 square inches. The dishes we use in our recipes can be found on our Store page.
Absolutely! If you’d like to double the recipe, simply double the ingredient amounts and use either two 5×5-inch baking dishes, one 6.5-inch square baking dish, or one 6×8-inch baking dish. These dishes can be found on our Store page.
Absolutely! Feel free to add your favorite spices or herbs before baking.
After you’ve cooked your rice, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) says to cool the leftovers quickly to avoid having it remain in the temperature danger zone of 40°F to 140°F for an extended period. Do not leave cooked rice sitting out for more than 1 hour.
Store the cooked rice in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Fluff the rice with a fork and moisten with a small amount of water. For each 1/2 cup of cooked rice, add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of water. Cover and microwave until hot throughout.
If you would like additional information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
If you’ve tried this baked rice or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Baked Rice For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup long-grain white rice
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Place white rice (not instant rice) in a oven safe ramekin or small baking dish. Add the butter and salt.
- Pour in hot water.
- Stir and then cover the baking dish with foil. Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes until water is absorbed and rice is tender.
Notes
- Measure the rice and liquid precisely.
- Always use boiling water.
- Choose a baking dish that can accommodate the rice’s expansion – typically, a 5×5 inch or a 4×6 inch oven-safe dish works well.
- Tightly cover the dish with foil to keep moisture in.
- If the rice is still firm and there’s liquid left, bake it for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- After baking, let the rice rest for 5-10 minutes before fluffing it with a fork.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I have been using this recipe 3 times a week for my daughter-in-law and I for lunch. She works from home as it is more peaceful and quiet than her home.
Thanx for making this easier than the 46 year old rice cooker I have been using.
For your other rice recipes, you say to rinse the rice before cooking. For the baked rice, should the rice be rinsed first? The directions do not include this step. Thanks! I’m eager to try this method, but want to be sure if I should or shouldn’t rinse the rice first. Thanks!
No need to rinse the rice with this recipe. Enjoy!
Thanks! I’m having rice for dinner tomorrow!
This was absolutely delicious!
Love this site! I doubled the recipe (1/2 cup rice), and found it “yummy, but gummy.” Any suggestions for reduced the sticky factor?
Hi Vickie, I’m not sure why the rice turned out gummy. Possibly too much water? Maybe the rice needed to “rest” longer after removing from the oven.
Has anyone tried parboiled long grain white rice using this recipe?
The cook time lists 25 min but the instructions say 45, is that a typo?
Hi Frances,
Bake the rice at 325 degrees F for 40-45 minutes.
Joanie
Omg amazing what needs to be said. I wanna where have you been all my life lol. You r amazing with your cooking for one. I was a Leary about the rice in the oven but turned out great. Can you recommend some other small pans to use for your dishes. I order the one you use in your receipe but always is delivered broken from Amazon.
Hi Mary,
I’m so happy you enjoyed the rice. I love cooking it in the oven, it’s so easy and the texture – perfect. I’m so sorry the dishes delivered from Amazon arrive broken, it’s so frustrating when that happens. I’ve found similarly sized dishes at places like Home Goods and Tuesday Morning (maybe they have those stores in your area). Other readers have found smaller sized dishes at Aldi and Target. You might also find gently used dishes at Goodwill or at other thrift stores.
Hope this helps a little and thank you for taking the time to let me know you are enjoying the recipes.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Joanie
Thank you so much for this method I always hated how much rice I seemed to waste when all I wanted was one serve. This is a brilliant option and I will be using it all the time now, thanks again.
I tried this with both white and brown rice. One ramekin had all white and the other all brown. I did not use butter. It worked perfectly and the rice tasted amazing. I love this recipe and will do this often. The brown rice does take a bit longer. I ended up taking off the tinfoil and microwaving the brown rice with a paper plate on top so that the white and brown rice would be done around the same time. Microwaving it for a few minutes at the end worked perfectly to speed up the cooking process. Thank you for this!
Does the timing stay theme for brown rice?
I know it will take a bit longer to bake brown rice but since I haven’t tested it, I can’t tell you exactly.
Thank you so much , I will make the rice and others ones I am 66 woman live alone in a condo . Most of the people here are 70 and over ,Has they say I am the baby .They have family to visit, not me family to far away.So sometimes just for me easier to make toast ,ceral ,sandwich ,Soupe but I like soupe . I will try to go on pinterest to get your recepies or if you can sen me somes recepies Thank you …
Hi Rosie,
Thank you so much for your note! I’m so happy you found One Dish Kitchen, here is a link to our recipe site so you can see all of our recipes – https://onedishkitchen.com/ . If you would like to receive new recipes through email, you can subscribe and the recipes will be sent to your inbox. Here is our subscription link – https://onedishkitchen.com/subscribe/
Hope you enjoy the recipes!
Joanie
Hi Joanie.. I can’t wait for the FB group to get into full swing! I’m correcting myself here in Rosie’s post – I wrote Joanne in my application to the private FB group, and I meant to write your name correctly: Joanie! Sorry ’bout that!
Love your site!
I have a question not a comment.
Can you use chicken broth instead of water?
Hi Mary,
Yes you can use broth instead of water.
Joanie