23 Brown Rice Recipes—Because We Don't Live And Die By Chicken, Rice & Veggies Here

When it comes to easy, healthy lunches, nothing beats a grain bowl. Though we do like to experiment with using whole grains like farro or quinoa for their base, we’ll forever return to our favorite carb—rice! While white rice is yummy, when we’re looking for a little extra nutritional boost and flavor, brown rice is where it’s at. Though it can technically be swapped out for white rice in almost every recipe, we’ve collected 23 of our favorite brown rice recipes here as inspiration. Try them, then watch out—you might never be able to go back to plain old white rice again. 😉

First things first—what is brown rice? Brown rice is simply white rice that hasn’t been processed, meaning it still contains the bran (its brown outer skin) and the germ (the seed of the rice plant). Because of this, it contains more fiber and nutrients than white rice, has a chewier texture, and takes about twice as long to cook.

What should you make with it? As we mentioned before, brown rice is wonderful as a base for a grain bowl like our Goddess bowls, our Buddha bowls, our blackened shrimp bowls, our Greek power bowls, and more. Try these out, then mix and match your favorite elements together—the best part about a rice bowl is its versatility, so feel free to have fun with it (and to use up whatever you’ve got in the fridge).

Brown rice is also great for bulking up a soup, like our pesto rice & bean soup or our Mediterranean shrimp & rice soup; for baking in a casserole or one-pan dish, like our one skillet taco chicken & rice or our eggplant casserole; or even for turning into fried rice, like in our air fryer fried brown rice. We love these recipes, but don’t stop here—brown rice is truly incredible in anything you can think of!