This easy High-Altitude Oven Brown Rice is fluffy and fully cooked without water left behind.
Recently when making Vegan Swedish Meatless Balls I made the wild rice in the oven—it was fabulous. This High-Altitude Oven Brown Rice preparation is equally fabulous!
High-altitude rice fails
The lower boiling point at high-altitude can mess with things. Living here is lovely, but some things were simpler at sea-level.
I suspect my mile-high altitude is at least partly to blame for some of my rice fails. Usually I have to alter rice instructions or I end up with under-cooked & wet rice. I have also prepared many “Perfect Rice Instant Pot” recipes and ended up with sad, puddled, and hard-in-the-middle rice.
Additionally, I find I need to cook pasta a little longer here in Denver.
Also, I am thrilled that the Near East brand of Pearled Couscous Mix in Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil I like comes with high-altitude instructions.
And of course there is high-altitude baking, but today is about rice.
How high are you?
*Insert marijuana joke here*
The higher up you are, the more the boiling point drops. This means you may need to further increase the water and cook time.
Boiling point of pure water at elevated altitudes
From Wikipedia
Based on standard sea-level atmospheric pressure (courtesy, NOAA):
| Altitude, ft (m) | Boiling point of water, °F (°C) |
|---|---|
| 0 (0 m) | 212°F (100°C) |
| 500 (150 m) | 211.1°F (99.5°C) |
| 1,000 (305 m) | 210.2°F (99°C) |
| 2,000 (610 m) | 208.4°F (98°C) |
| 5,000 (1524 m) | 203°F (95°C) |
| 6,000 (1829 m) | 201.1°F (94°C) |
| 8,000 (2438 m) | 197.4°F (91.9°C) |
| 10,000 (3048 m) | 193.6°F (89.8°C) |
| 12,000 (3658 m) | 189.8°F (87.6°C) |
| 14,000 (4267 m) | 185.9°F (85.5°C) |
| 15,000 (4572 m) | 184.1°F (84.5°C) |
Will this oven method work at sea-level?
I’ve adapted the recipe from a person I trust as much as you can trust a person you’ve never met. It’s from the amazing Alton Brown. If you are at sea-level, I suggest making the original Alton Brown recipe with olive oil instead of butter to make it vegan & lower the salt if you are salt sensitive. Click here for that recipe.
People have varied preferences with rice
For mile-high altitude 2 & 3/4 cups water delivers what most people would be happy with for rice texture—both people in this household included.
However, you may want to play with the amount of water, adjusting 1/4 cup up or down from 2 & 3/4 cups depending on your preference; less water for firmer rice & more water for softer rice.
Rice
You can prepare short, medium, or long grain rice this way.
Salt
I’ve made many test-batches for this post. I found 1 teaspoon of salt to be on the too salty side. I’m salt sensitive. I don’t eat a lot processed or restaurant foods and this is partly why I have a low tolerance for sodium.
Additionally, please consider what you are eating the rice with. If it’s salty or flavorful, there probably isn’t much need for much salt, if any, in the rice. If you are turning the rice into fried rice, I would skip the salt.
Let’s Make High-Altitude Oven Brown Rice
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Place the rice, oil & salt (if using) into ~8″ x 8″ oven-safe baking dish.
Bring the water to a boil in a kettle or covered saucepan.
Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with oven-safe lid or heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour & 5 minutes.
After 65 minutes, remove from oven, remove lid or foil and fluff the rice with a fork.
Serve immediately or store.
High-Altitude Oven Brown Rice
Equipment
- oven-safe ~8 x 8 dish with lid or foil to cover
- pot or kettle to boil water
- oven
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups brown rice medium or short grain
- 2 ¾ cups water
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- up to 1 teaspoon kosher salt optional, less if salt sensitive, might want to skip if making this to use in fried rice. I prefer no salt.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Place the rice, oil & salt (if using) into ~8" x 8" oven-safe baking dish.
- Bring the water to a boil in a kettle or covered saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with oven-safe lid or heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour & 5 minutes.
- After 65 minutes, remove from oven, remove lid or foil and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately or store.
Notes
For your shopping convenience, this post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support.
Recipe adapted from Alton Brown at The Food Network.
If you enjoyed this recipe you might also enjoy
- Miso Oven Glazed Yams
- Instant Pot Ancient Grains
- Orange-Rosemary Glazed Beets
- Oven-Baked Sriracha Tofu
- Marinated Oven Roasted Kebabs
- Vegan Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (No-Drain)
- Easy Oven-Roasted Marinated Savory Portobello Mushrooms
Did You Make High-Altitude Oven Brown Rice?
How did it go? How high is your altitude level? Would you do this again? Tell me about it in the comments section below.
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