Does Brown Rice Ever Get Soft?

By: Maya Black

Chad Baker/Jason Reed/Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images

Brown rice has its hull, which white rice does not. And while the hull provides fiber and nutrients, it takes the grain around three times longer to cook than its white counterpart. Brown rice also needs much more water to cook. But with patience, eventually, brown rice does get soft.

Fluffy Brown Rice

To get soft brown rice, place 1 part rice and 3 parts water in a pot. Put the rice on a burner set to high heat and bring it to a boil. Then, turn the burner down to medium and let the water evaporate slowly. Keep an eye on the pot. After about 25 minutes, scoop out just a bit of brown rice with a teaspoon, let it cool and test it. If it's still hard and too much water has evaporated off, pour some water over the rice. Don't saturating the rice, just dampen it. Turn the burner down to low, place a lid on the pot and let the rice steam for another 15 to 20 minutes.