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Home » Sides and salad recipes » How to cook rice in the Microwave

How to cook rice in the Microwave

Author: VJ Published : May 2019 Updated : February 2023 / 17 people have commented

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No fail microwave rice, light and fluffy every time. Read on to learn how to cook rice in the microwave . You will find this is the easiest way to cook perfect rice!

A bowl of white rice with a pair of chopsticks.

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Table Of Contents
  1. Perfect white rice every time
  2. How to cook rice in the microwave
  3. Storage and reheating
  4. Should I rinse the rice before cooking?
  5. Pin for later
  6. Other recipes with rice
  7. Recipe – How to cook rice in the microwave
  8. How to cook rice in the microwave

Perfect white rice every time

How many times have you tried to cook rice in a saucepan on the stove, only to have it either burn on the bottom of the pan or come out over-cooked and stodgy?

When I lived in South Africa, there were many different types of rice, but there was only one brand that everyone used.  Its catchphrase was ‘Cooks perfectly – every time’.  It didn’t matter how you cooked it, it always delivered the goods.

When I came back to the UK I really missed that rice!  No matter what I tried, I always ended up with a stodgy mess – in fact, I stopped eating rice for a while.   I even considered getting my daughter who still lives in South Africa, to post some over to me.

Then I experimented with cooking rice in the microwave, and guess what?  Perfect rice.

With my quick and easy microwave recipe, you will get perfectly cooked rice every time. There is no need to rinse the rice first either – so this is a real time-saver. 

The rice comes out perfectly cooked with every grain fluffy and light.

Word of warning – for best results use good quality rice.  You can use a supermarket ‘own’ brand – but I’ve found the supermarkets normally have 2 ‘own’ brands – a cheap one and a better quality, so go for the better quality, it’s worth it.

I have tested this recipe using Basmati rice, but it will work just as well for any long-grained rice.

A bowl of white rice cooked in the microwave.

How to cook rice in the microwave

Equipment

The only equipment you will need is a glass bowl with a tight-fitting lid. I have a set of pyrex bowls which are great for cooking in the microwave.

Ingredients

You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for how to make rice in the microwave on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

To cook perfect rice, you will need the following ingredients:

Ingredients for microwave rice.
  • Rice – any long-grain rice is suitable for this cooking method.
  • Water – use cold tap water. Don’t use hot or boiling water as this will alter the cooking time.
  • Salt – use salt according to your own taste. I find half a teaspoon of salt is sufficient for my taste.

The ratio of rice to water is 1 : 2 (ie 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of cold water). It doesn’t matter whether you use a measuring cup or a normal kitchen teacup. Just use the same cup for measuring both the rice and the water.

One cup of dried uncooked rice will yield 3 cups of cooked rice.

Steps

  • Measure the rice into your container and add the water and salt.
  • Put the lid on the dish, place it in the microwave and cook on full power for 8 minutes.
  • After 8 minutes take the rice out of the microwave and give it a stir.  It should still be wet.
  • Replace the lid and return the dish to the microwave. Cook on full power for another 3 minutes.
  • Give it a stir with a fork – it should be light and fluffy with every grain separate.
A pyrex dish filled with rice cooked i the microwave.

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Storage and reheating

You can freeze the cooked rice either in a plastic freezer bag or in a plastic container such as Tupperware. Rice can be frozen for up to 6 months.

To use, allow to defrost in the refrigerator and then place it in the microwave (in a covered container) and heat at 30-second bursts on full power until the rice is piping hot.

If you are in a hurry you could use the microwave to defrost the rice first.

You can also store the cooked rice in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Should I rinse the rice before cooking?

If you have bought your rice pre-packaged from the supermarket, there is no need to rinse it first.

On the other hand, if you’ve bought the rice loose from a market, I’d be inclined to rinse it before using it for hygiene reasons.

If you do rinse the rice before you cook it, then reduce the cooking water by 2 tablespoons as the rinsed rice will have retained a little water.

Pin for later

Why not pin this post on how to cook rice in the microwave rice to one of your Pinterest boards so you can make it later. Just click the image below.

Other recipes with rice

These recipes are all perfectly suited to serving with rice:

  • Sticky orange chicken traybake
  • Garlic chicken stirfry
  • Fish and rice bake with spicy tomato sauce
  • Bobotjie
  • Chicken Bhuna
  • Chinese Egg Fried rice

And of course – it’s just as easy to cook rice in the oven

  • How to cook rice in the oven

Recipe – How to cook rice in the microwave

A bowl of white rice with a pair of chopsticks.

How to cook rice in the microwave

No fail microwave rice, light and fluffy every time. Read on to learn how to cook rice in the microwave . You will find this is the easiest way to cook perfect rice!
Recipe by: Veronica
Main Course, Side Dish
Any
Calories 169
Prep 1 minute
Cook 11 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
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4.88 from 8 votes

(Click the stars to rate this recipe)

Equipment

  • Pyrex bowl
  • Microwave

Ingredients

  • 1 cup / 180 grams white rice I use Basmati
  • 2 cups / 480 ml water
  • 1 teaspoon salt You can adjust this to your own taste

Instructions

  • Place the rice in a ceramic or glass bowl with a lid
    1 cup / 180 grams white rice
  • Add the cold water
    2 cups / 480 ml water
  • Add salt to taste
    1 teaspoon salt
  • Cover bowl with the lid and place in the microwave
  • Microwave on high for 8 minutes
  • Remove from microwave and stir.
  • Replace the lid and return the bowl to the microwave. Cook on high for 3 minutes longer or until the water has all been absorbed and the rice is dry

Notes

I use a pyrex dish with a lid, but you can use any glass or ceramic dish as long as the lid fits snugly.  If the lid is loose the water will seep out during cooking and your rice won’t cook properly
If all the water has been absorbed and the rice is not completely cooked you can add 1 or 2 Tablespoons of water, stir and cook for 1 minute longer.
This recipe has been tested in a 900W microwave – different wattages of microwaves may produce different results.  You may have to adjust the timing slightly to compensate.

Nutrition

Calories – 169kcal | Carbohydrates – 37g | Protein – 3.3g | Fat – 0.3g | Saturated Fat – 0.1g | Sodium – 587mg | Potassium – 55mg | Fiber – 0.6g | Sugar – 0.1g | Calcium – 17mg | Iron – 2mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I’d love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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Filed Under: All Recipes, Sides and salad recipes, Trending

About VJ

In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. zidane

    1 March 2023 at 3:21 am

    5 stars
    thank you for the information

    Reply
  2. Elise

    16 February 2023 at 10:12 am

    I started with the lid properly sealed and it started bending the lid and coming out the sides, so popped the tiny lid off to have a little hole and water just went everywhere. I’m sure it was because my container was too small but this is just a reminder to grab a big container everyone

    Reply
    • VJ

      28 February 2023 at 7:00 am

      Yes, rice does swell up as it cooks. I’ll update the recipe to remind everyone of that fact. Also, you said the lid started bending which does imply that you used a plastic container. I specify a pyrex glass bowl, but perhaps I need to be a bit clearer on that too! Thanks for your comments.

      Reply
  3. Perry

    2 January 2023 at 5:25 pm

    Living in the UK and Oh lord I miss Tastic. Definitely throwing a few bags in my suitcase next time I go home for a holiday.

    Reply
    • VJ

      2 January 2023 at 6:26 pm

      Haha – yes it took me a while too! But I’ll tell you what, the purple packet of basmati from Morrisons does the job for me!

      Reply
  4. Laurie

    30 September 2022 at 11:30 pm

    Do you cover the rice again for the last three minutes?

    Reply
    • VJ

      1 October 2022 at 8:49 am

      Yes – the rice is covered for the entire cooking time.

      Reply
  5. Janet

    9 August 2022 at 6:36 pm

    Not even close to being done. I have a powerful microwave too.

    Reply
    • VJ

      9 August 2022 at 6:48 pm

      Sorry to hear that – what sort of rice are you using? I’ve been making it this way for years and never had a problem. Have you used the rice-to-water ratio stated in the recipe?

      Reply
  6. John Mullins

    24 July 2022 at 11:44 am

    Great article. This article is full of information & knowledge. Many thanks to the author for this informative and helpful article about cooking rice in the microwave.

    Reply
  7. Maria

    16 August 2021 at 8:58 am

    Ho..gosh…I meant…we ran out of cooking gas…😂

    Reply
    • C

      8 September 2022 at 2:34 pm

      Press start button to initialize the microwave oven

      Reply
      • VJ

        9 September 2022 at 4:00 pm

        Not really – it’s a bit more about getting the ratio of rice to liquid correct.

        Reply
  8. Maria

    16 August 2021 at 8:57 am

    Hallelujah 🙏 Tkq deary I was desperate for rice carrot n potato for my one year old g’dota..had suddenly ran out n we forgot to book on time..that’s how it’s here in India. Just trying yr idea. It’s in d MW. Sure will turn out well. Shall gv my feedback. Shalom

    Reply
    • VJ

      16 August 2021 at 12:33 pm

      Glad I could be of help! Hope it turns out well for you 🙂

      Reply
  9. Colette Gliddon

    3 July 2021 at 4:59 am

    Thanks for recipe. Is it Tastic you miss
    Regards Colette

    Reply
    • VJ

      3 July 2021 at 6:44 am

      Hi Colette – yes, that’s the one!

      Reply

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In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

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