How to Cook Rice in the Microwave: Easy Step-by-Step

To cook rice in the microwave, rinse the rice until the water runs clear, put it in a large microwave-safe bowl with water, cover it with a lid, cook on high for the first few minutes and then at lower power for the rest, and let it stand covered for about 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Water ratios and times vary by recipe and microwave wattage, so the sections below give tested starting points and tell you how to adjust.

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What You Need

Rice (white, jasmine, basmati, or brown)
Cold water
A large microwave-safe glass bowl or dish with a lid. Rice expands and bubbles up, so choose a bowl much bigger than the rice and water. One recipe used an 8-cup bowl for a small batch.
Oven mitts, since the bowl gets hot
A fork for fluffing

Basic Method: White Rice in the Microwave

This method follows Sunday Supper Movement’s recipe.

Rinse the rice. Put it in a bowl, cover with water, swish, and drain. Repeat two or three times until the water runs clear. This removes surface starch and helps prevent clumping.
Add water. The recipe uses 1½ cups white rice with 2¼ cups cold water, which is a 1:1.5 ratio.
Cover. Use a microwave-safe lid. If you don’t have one, the recipe says to use plastic wrap with a few holes poked in it so steam can escape.
Cook on high for 5 minutes.
Reduce to 50% power and cook for 15 more minutes.
Let it stand covered for 5 minutes without peeking.
Fluff with a fork. If it isn’t quite done, microwave for 1 more minute.

An Alternative Method (Different Ratio)

Midea’s guide gives a different approach for a 1000 to 1200W microwave:

Rinse the rice in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear, and drain.
Add it to a microwave-safe glass bowl with 2 cups water per cup of rice, plus optional butter or oil and salt.
Cook uncovered on high for 15 minutes, then cover tightly and cook on high for 10 more minutes.
Keep covered and rest for 6 minutes, then fluff.

For 700 to 900W microwaves, Midea says to cook uncovered at 50% power for 20 minutes, then cover and cook 10 more minutes.

Why do the methods differ? Microwaves vary in power, bowls vary in shape, and recipe writers use different ratios. Sunday Supper’s own FAQ mentions a 2:1 ratio even though its recipe card uses 1.5:1, which shows how much the numbers can differ. Pick one method, note the result, and adjust next time.

Water Ratio and Time Cheat Sheet

Rice	Water ratio (cup rice : cup water)	Time guidance from sources	Rest
White (long-grain, jasmine, basmati)	1 : 1.5 (Sunday Supper) to 1 : 2 (Midea)	5 min high + 15 min at 50% (Sunday Supper) or 10 to 15 min on high (Midea)	5 to 10 min, lid on
Brown	1 : 1.75 (Hungry Huy) to 1 : 2.5 (Midea)	10 min high + 15 min at half power (Hungry Huy) or 20 to 25 min on high (Midea)	5 min (Hungry Huy) to 5 to 10 min (Midea)

Midea gives no separate figures for basmati or jasmine and treats them as white rice. Always check the package, since different rice varieties absorb water differently.

What this means: use the range as a starting point, test your own microwave, and write down what works.

How to Cook Brown Rice in the Microwave

Hungry Huy tested brown rice in a 900-watt microwave:

Rinse 1 cup of long-grain brown rice and put it in a large bowl.
Add 1¾ cups water.
Microwave on highest power for 10 minutes.
Cover the bowl with a towel and microwave on half power for 15 more minutes.
Let it rest in the closed microwave for 5 minutes.
Fluff and check. The rice should be soft but keep whole kernels.

For 2 cups of rice, the author used 2½ cups of water. That recipe is only tested for 1- and 2-cup portions, because ratios shift as the amount grows. If water remains after fluffing, Hungry Huy suggests resting the rice uncovered for about 10 minutes rather than microwaving it again, which can overcook it.

Tips for Fluffy Rice

Rinse well. It removes starch and reduces clumping.
Use a big bowl. Rice boils up, and a small bowl can overflow.
Cover, but let steam escape if needed. A vented lid or plastic wrap with holes is one approach. Midea warns against covering too tightly during cooking, though its main recipe says to cover tightly in the second stage, so test what works in your microwave.
Let it rest. Resting lets the rice absorb the remaining moisture.
Fluff with a fork to separate grains without squashing them.
Add flavor. Sunday Supper suggests a bay leaf or lemon zest before cooking, or butter after.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Sticky or clumpy	Not enough rinsing	Rinse until the water runs clear; add a little butter or oil; stir halfway (Midea)
Hard or crunchy	Too little water or time	Add about 2 tablespoons of water at a time and microwave in 1-minute bursts on medium power (Hungry Huy)
Dry or uneven	Wrong ratio or overcooking	Check the ratio, avoid overcooking, stir halfway (Midea)
Mushy	Too much water	Use a lower ratio next time
Chewy brown rice	Skipped resting	Allow the full rest so the grains finish absorbing moisture (Midea)
Boiled over	Bowl too small	Use a much larger bowl and cook at lower power

Is It Safe to Store and Reheat Microwaved Rice?

Yes, if you handle it correctly. Food Standards Scotland notes that uncooked rice can contain Bacillus cereus spores, which can survive cooking. To stay safe:

Chill cooked rice as quickly as possible, ideally within 1 hour.
Divide it into smaller portions to cool faster.
Once it reaches room temperature, refrigerate it right away.
Eat refrigerated rice within 24 hours.
Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, and never reheat rice more than once.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you cook rice in the microwave?

Rinse the rice, add water, cover, cook on high for a few minutes, then at lower power, rest covered, and fluff with a fork.

What is the water ratio for microwave rice?

For white rice, sources use between 1 cup rice to 1.5 cups water and 1 cup rice to 2 cups water. Brown rice uses more, from about 1.75 to 2.5 cups of water per cup of rice.

How long does it take to cook rice in the microwave?

For white rice, about 20 minutes plus 5 minutes’ rest in the covered method, or about 25 minutes with the alternative. Brown rice takes about 25 minutes plus rest in one tested recipe and 20 to 25 minutes on high in another.

Do I need to rinse rice before microwaving?

Rinsing is recommended in all the methods we reviewed, since it removes starch and helps prevent clumping.

What bowl should I use to cook rice in the microwave?

A large microwave-safe glass bowl or dish with a lid. Choose one much bigger than the rice and water, since it expands.

Should I cover rice in the microwave?

Yes, in most methods. Use a lid, or plastic wrap with holes so steam can escape.

Why is my microwave rice hard or crunchy?

There probably wasn’t enough water or time. Add about 2 tablespoons of water and microwave in 1-minute bursts on medium power.

Why is my microwave rice mushy or sticky?

Too much water or not enough rinsing. Rinse until the water runs clear and lower the water ratio next time.

Conclusion

Cooking rice in the microwave takes about 25 to 30 minutes and no special equipment: rinse it, add water, cover it, cook at high then lower power, and let it stand before fluffing. Because ratios and times vary between recipes and microwaves, treat the numbers here as starting points, make a note of what works in your machine, and tweak the water by small amounts. Store any leftovers safely by cooling them within an hour and eating them within a day.