Rice with the bran and germ intact, so it keeps its oils, fibre and chew. It needs about 2 1/4 cups of liquid per cup of rice and roughly 45 to 50 minutes of covered simmering.
What it does in a recipe: A chewy, nutty wholegrain starch that holds its shape in a salad or bowl and carries more fibre and fat than white rice. Pick the swap that covers that job - the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Wholegrain rice
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Quick answer
White rice
1 cup brown rice with 2 1/4 cups liquid = 1 cup white rice with 1 3/4 cups liquid
All substitutes, best first
4 ways to replace brown rice
White rice
Reliable
1 cup brown rice with 2 1/4 cups liquid = 1 cup white rice with 1 3/4 cups liquid
With the bran milled off, water reaches the starch immediately, so it needs less liquid and less than half the time.
MethodCut the liquid to 1 3/4 cups per cup and the simmer from 45 to 50 minutes down to 18, then rest covered 5 minutes. Leaving the brown-rice liquid and timing in place will give you a wet, blown-out mush.
Trade-offSofter and milder, and it will not hold up in a grain salad dressed hours ahead the way brown rice does.
Allergen checkFarro is a wheat and contains gluten. Anyone avoiding gluten for coeliac disease should stay with rice, quinoa or millet. Check the packet for the specific wheat species, and treat a medical restriction as one - not something to work around in a recipe.
Wild rice
Reliable
1 cup brown rice with 2 1/4 cups liquid = 1 cup wild rice with 3 cups liquid, simmered 45 to 55 minutes
Wild rice is a different plant entirely, an aquatic grass seed, with a tough hull that needs more water and slightly longer than brown rice to split open.
MethodIt is done when the grains have burst and curled open. Drain off any liquid that remains rather than cooking it dry.
Trade-offMuch darker, chewier and more strongly flavoured, with a tea-like note. It will tint anything it is mixed into purple-grey.
Allergen checkBarley contains gluten and is not safe for coeliac disease or a wheat-related allergy. If gluten is the reason for the swap, use brown rice, quinoa or buckwheat, and confirm any packaged product's labelling rather than assuming.
Worth knowing
Brown rice keeps its oils in the bran, which means it goes rancid far sooner than white rice. Buy it in quantities you will use within a few months and keep it somewhere cool.
At a glance
Brown rice in summary
Brown rice at a glance: category, its job in a recipe, the diets it suits, the diets its substitutes can satisfy, and how many substitutes there are.
1 cup brown rice with 2 1/4 cups liquid = 1 cup white rice with 1 3/4 cups liquid. With the bran milled off, water reaches the starch immediately, so it needs less liquid and less than half the time. Softer and milder, and it will not hold up in a grain salad dressed hours ahead the way brown rice does.
Can I use farro instead of brown rice?
1 cup brown rice = 1 cup pearled farro, simmered in plenty of salted water for 15 to 20 minutes and drained. Farro has a similar firm chew and nutty flavour, but pearled farro cooks far faster and is best boiled like pasta rather than by absorption. Nuttier and more distinctly chewy, and it contains gluten, which brown rice does not.
Can I use wild rice instead of brown rice?
1 cup brown rice with 2 1/4 cups liquid = 1 cup wild rice with 3 cups liquid, simmered 45 to 55 minutes. Wild rice is a different plant entirely, an aquatic grass seed, with a tough hull that needs more water and slightly longer than brown rice to split open. Much darker, chewier and more strongly flavoured, with a tea-like note. It will tint anything it is mixed into purple-grey.
Can I use pearl barley instead of brown rice?
1 cup brown rice with 2 1/4 cups liquid = 1 cup pearl barley with 3 cups liquid, simmered 25 to 30 minutes. Barley is similarly chewy but far more starchy, so it needs more liquid and thickens whatever it is cooked in. Creamier and slicker than brown rice, and it will thicken a soup considerably. Not gluten-free.
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter - confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.