Match the rice, water and microwave first
- Check the rice bag for water measurements and your microwave for its wattage.
- Use a large, deep microwave-safe bowl. Rinse the rice if you're using the 1-cup timed method below.
- For that method in a 1000–1200 watt microwave, cook covered on high for 15 minutes, then uncovered on high for 10 minutes.
- Let the rice rest for about 5 minutes, then check it before you fluff and serve.
Your burners may be full, but the rice still needs cooking. We'd check the bag and your microwave's wattage before setting a timer, because the bag can give you specific water measurements and the timed method below applies to a stated wattage range.
The 1-cup method is one starting point. If you're cooking brown or instant rice, use its package measurements and any microwave cooking directions it gives. If it gives only stovetop directions, find a microwave method for that rice.
Your microwave isn't just for reheating leftovers. Rice is one cooking job it handles, and cooking an egg in it is another.
Get a deep bowl, lid and tools ready
Choose a large, deep microwave-safe bowl with space above the rice and water. For the rice sensor setting on LG MSER2090 and MSER1590 microwaves, the specified bowl is 3 quarts for 0.5 to 2 cups of rice.
- A microwave-safe glass bowl with a lid
- Microwaveable plastic wrap, if your bowl doesn't have a lid; leave one corner open to vent steam
- A sieve for rinsing the rice
- A fork for fluffing at the end
- Your rice, cold water, and butter, oil or kosher salt if you want them
Set the sieve by the sink and leave the fork to one side. You won't need it until the rice has finished resting.
Rinse until the water runs mostly clear
Tip the rice into the sieve and run water through it, moving the grains around with your hands as you go. Keep rinsing until the water coming through looks mostly clear instead of cloudy.
Rinsing does two jobs. It washes off impurities like dirt, debris or chemicals, and it strips excess starch from the grains, which is what gets you fluffier rice.
We wouldn't skip this step if fluffy rice is the goal. Butter or oil helps keep grains from sticking, but it's the rinse that clears the starch already sitting on them.
Choose a starting amount for your rice
For the 1-cup timed method below, start with 2 cups of cold water. If your rice bag lists its own measurements, use those.
| Rice and method | Water and batch | Starting cook | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-cup timed example, 1000–1200 watts | 1 cup uncooked rice and 2 cups cold water, or the bag's measurements | 15 minutes on high covered; uncover carefully; 10 minutes on high uncovered | About 5 minutes |
| Rice in a 700–900 watt microwave, using Whirlpool's starting power setting | Use the rice bag's measurements | Start at 20 minutes at 50% power; check for doneness and add small increments of time if needed | Use the package's rest instruction, if it gives one |
| Brown or instant rice | Use that rice package's measurements | Use microwave cooking directions for that rice. If the package only gives stovetop directions, find a microwave method for it | Use that microwave method's rest instruction, if it gives one |
No package measurements to go by? Try the finger trick. Pour the rice into your bowl and level it, rest the tip of your index finger on the surface, and add water until it covers your first knuckle.
Keep the ratio for measuring only. It tells you how much water to add, while your microwave's wattage tells you which timed starting point applies.
Add the water, any butter or salt, and the lid
Move the rinsed rice into your bowl. If you want butter or kosher salt, add it now, because everything goes in before the first cook.
Butter or oil adds flavor and helps stop the grains sticking together. Both are optional, and plain rice and water works fine.
Pour in the cold water and put the lid on. No lid? Cover the bowl with microwaveable plastic wrap instead, leaving one corner open to vent steam. You should now have the rice, water and any extras together in one covered bowl.
Cook a 1-cup batch in a 1000–1200 watt microwave
This timed example uses 1 cup of uncooked rice. Follow the two stages in order, because you need to uncover the bowl between them. You can check the exact timed rice method (opens in a new tab) if you need it beside your microwave.
- Put the covered bowl in the microwave and cook on high for 15 minutes.
- Carefully lift off the lid, minding the steam that rises out of the bowl. Leave the lid off.
- Cook on high for 10 more minutes with the bowl uncovered, then let the rice rest for about 5 minutes.
That's 25 minutes of cooking in total. Add the rest and you're at about 30 minutes from the moment the first stage starts, plus your prep time.
The microwave is busy for that whole stretch, so if the meal needs it, defrost the chicken and get it cooking before the rice goes in.
If your microwave is 700 to 900 watts
Use the rice bag's measurements, then start at 20 minutes at 50% power. Check whether the rice is done and add small increments of cooking time if it needs more. The lower-wattage starting point (opens in a new tab) gives you the power setting to use for this wattage range.
If your method has a covered first stage, lift the lid with the same care when you uncover the rice. Steam escapes from beneath it.
Common questions about microwave rice
Can I use instant rice?
Use its package water measurements and microwave cooking directions if given. If the package only has stovetop directions, find a microwave method for instant rice. The 15-minute plus 10-minute schedule above is the stated 1-cup timed example.
What about brown rice?
Start with its package measurements. Use its microwave cooking directions if given; otherwise, find a microwave method for brown rice. Keep that method's cooking time with its stated water amount.
Can I double the batch?
Check the capacity of your microwave's rice setting or recipe before increasing the amount. The 1-cup timed example gives no doubled cooking schedule; the LG sensor setting lists 0.5 to 2 cups with a 3-quart bowl.
What should I change if the bowl boiled over?
Use a larger, deeper microwave-safe bowl for the next batch. The LG rice sensor setting, for example, specifies a 3-quart bowl.
What if the rice is still firm or watery?
Check it after the stated rest. If it needs more cooking, add a small increment of time and check it again.
Is microwave rice faster than cooking it on the stove?
It can be, because the microwave distributes heat evenly. You also don't have to keep an eye on the grains while they cook.
Why not just use the stovetop?
You can, but direct heat under the pot can burn or scorch the rice if there isn't enough water or the heat is too high. The microwave also gives the rice its own space when your burners are already in use.
Let it rest, check it, then serve
This 1-cup batch makes 3 cups of cooked rice, or 4 servings. That's handy to know when you're planning the rest of the meal around it.
When the last stage ends, leave the rice alone for about 5 minutes. In Panasonic's covered-bowl method, the stated rest is 5–10 minutes.
After the rest, check whether the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. If it still needs cooking, add a small increment of time and check again.
Then fluff the rice with a fork and serve it straight away.
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