Brazilian Rice Recipe

Oi Gente!!

This Brazilian white rice recipe is a good one to know! It’s the perfect side dish to just about anything, it’s fluffy, and full of garlicky flavor and it’s super easy to make. Plus, read on through to get my best tips for cooking perfect rice on the stove. You’ll never eat boring or mushy rice again!

Brazilian Kitchen Abroad is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

What is Brazilian Rice?

Arroz Brasileiro aka Brazilian rice is rice that’s sautéed with garlic or onions, or BOTH! Generally, regardless of type, a Brazilian rice recipe for a side dish is prepared like this. Sauté a couple cloves of minced garlic, or your bff Brazilian Sofrito, in a little oil, add in the rice, season with salt, cover with water, let it cook and then boom – done!

About Brazilian White Rice recipe

White rice, or how we call it, arroz branco, is a big deal in Brazilian cuisine, so much so that Brazil is one of its top consumer in the world. A lot of Brazilian traditional dishes uses white rice as part of the dish itself or as a side dish. White rice shines bright at the side dish table of most Brazilian barbecue parties, but the most common, most known, most Brazilian dish there is is arroz e feijão, Brazilian rice and beans.

Needless to say, I’ve been cooking rice my whole entire life. It was one of the first things my mom taught me how to make, and trust me, if it was mushy or a sticky mess, no one ate it! Twelve-year-old me would have to re-do it until it was perfect.

Cooking rice is an easy skill everyone should master, but many people are afraid of. I’m so excited to walk you through all the basics of how to cook perfect rice, and then show you how to make perfect Brazilian rice.

I know you’ll love this Brazilian rice recipe!!

Bom Apetite!

Beijinhos!! xoxo

How to cook rice on the stove FAQ:

Before we get on with the Brazilian rice recipe, let’s walk through some of the most important questions on how to cook rice on the stove.

Should you wash rice?

You really don’t have to wash the rice to make it fluffy and perfect. If you’re using a good quality rice, the grains already go through a “polishing” process that eliminates impurities and all that extra starch that makes the rice overly sticky.

Having said that, if you really feel that you have to wash rice, go ahead. Just know that you should strain all that excess water, and let the rice dry a good 10-15 minutes before you cook it. But, the most important thing to note if you choose to wash your rice before cooking is, the rice to liquid ratio will change. That’s because, when you wash rice, the rice already starts to absorb moisture, and if you add the same amount of liquid you would to dry rice, you’ll end up with mushy rice.

What is the ratio of rice to water?

As mentioned earlier, your rice to water ratio will be different for dry rice and washed rice.

Dry (unwashed) rice = 1:1.5 – This means that for each cup of dry unwashed rice, you’ll need 1.5 or 1 1/2 cups of cooking liquid.

Washed rice = 1:1.25 – This means, for each cup of washed rice, you’ll need 1.25 or 1 1/4 cups of cooking liquid.

How to make Brazilian Rice

Step 1 – Heat up the oil and sauté the garlic.

Step 2 – Add the rice, season with salt and stir to combine.

Steps 3 & 4 – Add the liquid and quickly bring to a gentle boil with the pot uncovered, on medium-high heat.

Step 5 – Cover (preferably with a glass lid) and reduce the heat to low-medium to bring the liquid down to a simmer.

Step 6 – Let the rice simmer covered until all water has been absorbed.

Steps 7 & 8 – When it looks like the water has been absorbed, quickly open the lid, and check with a fork. If all the water is gone, do a taste test for texture. The rice should be soft on the outside and feel undercooked on the inside when you bite into it – this is exactly what we want. Quickly cover the pan again, turn off the heat, and let the pot sit covered for another 10 mins. During this time the residual heat will finish cooking your perfectly fluffy rice, so resist the temptation and don’t peak!

Tip: The residual heat and the steam in the pan is what will finish cooking your rice. So, it’s really important you go through step 8 very quickly because every second you spend with that lid open, you’re losing heat and precious steam to get your rice perfectly cooked.

After 10 minutes…

Uncover the pot and give the rice a minute or two to breathe fresh air. After that, fluff with a fork, and seriously take a moment to congratulate yourself… you just made perfect rice. Congrats!!

Brazilian Kitchen Abroad is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

What is the best rice to use in this recipe?

• Medium or Long grain white rice
• Basmati rice
• Jasmine rice

Brands I recommend:

• Tio João – this is a Brazilian rice brand that I simply live by. You can find it at any Brazilian market in your area, or on Amazon.
• Lundberg – you should be able to find this brand of rice in any grocery stores such as Vons or whole foods. Amazon has it as well.
• Whole Foods 365 brand – sold at Whole Foods, 365 Markets and of course, on Amazon.

More tips for cooking rice:

• Never boil – The key for perfectly fluffy rice is to avoid an aggressive boil, as this would make the water evaporate faster than the rice absorbs it. Stick to a gentle boil first, then immediately reduce to a simmer, then simmer all the way through the end. For your reference, a gently boil means the liquid is starting to boil and you can see small bubbles with larger bubbles starting to pop somewhat rapidly. A simmer means the bubbling of the liquid has been reduced to smaller, similar sized bubbles, popping at the surface at a somewhat constant rate.
• Use a glass lid – since steam is gold in rice making, using a pot with glass lid is really helpful. I’ve been using the 2-quart sauce pan from this Calphalon set for forever now and love it.
• Speaking of pots and pans, make sure you use the appropriate size pan for the amount of rice you’re making. If your pan is too big or too small, it can lead to undercooked or overcooked rice, or cause spillage and make a mess! A general guideline is to use a 2-quart pan when making a cup of dry rice, and when you double the amount of rice, double the size of the pan.
• Never ever EVER open the pan!
• Don’t cut the 10 mins of resting short – seriously, set a timer!

Other Rice Related Questions:

How to make tasty rice?

Here are some ideas to make white rice more flavorful:

• Use stock instead of water
• Sautee onion and garlic
• Add herbs to the cooking liquid
• Don’t forget the salt!

How long will rice last in the fridge?

4 to 6 days. Just put the rice in a fridge safe air tight container, let it cool off completely then cover it.

Can I freeze rice?

Yes you can! Rice freezes well for 3-4 months.

Troubleshooting

Oh man!! Why is my rice mushy?

The good news is, and I swear to you, meus amigos, you should never get mushy rice by following the ratio guidelines we reviewed here. It’s impossible! The only way to get mushy rice is by adding too much liquid. So, if after carefully following these steps your rice turns out mushy, then, there was perhaps an issue with measuring the ingredients? Sadly, there’s no real fix for this. It’s best to start over if you have time.

Yikes!! Why did my rice burn?

• Heat might have been too high
• Pan might have been too big for the amount of rice you’re cooking. I use a 2-quart pan to make one cup of dry rice. So, when I double the recipe, I double the size of the pan as well – 2 cups of dry rice, 4-qt pan etc. That’s important because, using a pan that’s too big for not enough rice, means there’s more surface to distribute heat, and less volume of rice. This makes the water evaporate too quickly and it may lead to burned rice (sometimes undercooked too).

Gahhh!! Why is my rice undercooked? And how to fix it!

• This can happen if the lid of your pan doesn’t “close” properly, or maybe you didn’t resist and you took a little peak here and there, did ya?
• Or maybe, you lost track of time and thought the rice rested covered for 10 mins, but maybe it was less than that? (Seriously, set a timer! Or just ask Alexa or Siri to do it for ya! LOL)
• Or maaaybe, instead of simmer, the liquid was boiling, causing the liquid to evaporate faster than the rice could absorb it.
• The Solution: Just put the pan back on the stove over medium heat and add just enough liquid to create a little steam again, like 2-3 Tbsps of liquid, and start back over at step 5. Be sure to not skip the 10 mins steam rest and no peaking!

This Brazilian white rice recipe goes great with:

• Brazilian Lemonade
• Green Lentil Pork Stew
• Brazilian Black Beans Recipe
• Instant Pot Pinto Beans
• Fried Sweet Plantains

Try these other Brazilian rice recipes:

• Canja de Galinha – Brazilian Chicken and Rice soup
• Arroz Natalino – Champagne Rice with Raisins and Cashews
• Arroz de Abacaxi – Pineapple Rice Recipe

More Brazilian Side dishes you’ll love:

• Farofa – Toasted Cassava Flour
• Brazilian Salsa
• Couve a Mineira – Brazilian Style Collard Greens
• Mashed Yuca Recipe

FOR MORE BRAZILIAN FOOD INSPO, BE SURE TO FOLLOW ME ON