The Proper Way To Cook Rice Right In Your Soup

Whether you're looking for soup thickener to make your batch stretch further, or you're getting creative in the kitchen and experimenting with different textural interplay, the time for adding rice directly to your soup pot is now. It cuts down on prep work, and that rice will swell with moisture and absorb all the flavors from your soup's complexifying broth. As a general rule, if you're cooking rice in your soup, it's going to extend the soup's cooking time, and you're going to need to add more water or broth to the mix. Cooking rice outside of soup typically requires two parts water per one part rice, so add at least twice the broth or water you would normally use in your soup recipe. For a denser body and more suspension of your veggies, as in a chowder or stew, add less water. For brothier, thinner soups, add more. 

Also, tack on an extra 20 minutes of cooking time for white rice or 30 to 40 minutes for brown or wild rice to give it an adequate opportunity to soften in the soup. No one wants crunchy uncooked rice bits in their teeth as they sip a steaming bowlful (woof). On the flip side, take care not to overcook your rice into a porridge-y blear. Slow cooker recipes are typically not a great fit for cooking rice right in the soup unless you'll be around to add the rice to the slow cooker toward the end of the cooking time.

White, brown, wild rice, black rice, sushi rice, basmati rice, and jasmine rice all work great in soups, but if you're looking for speedier cooking time and a subtler texture, short-grain rice works best for incorporating into soups. Its smaller surface area and naturally mild flavor mean it easily absorbs broth and flavorful spices, becoming plump and tender more quickly than longer-grain rice varieties. Use Arborio or sushi rice for the creamiest, silkiest texture. Brown rice has a firmer texture than white rice, which could be a good fit for soups with some toothy chew if you don't mind a slightly longer slow-simmer.

You can cook rice right in the soup for knockout Instant Pot wild rice soup, Mexican rice soup, or sizzling rice soup with chicken and bok choy. For an elevated, comforting, low-prep weeknight dinner, cook rice in a batch of Mulligatawny soup or cabbage roll soup. To prevent clumping, hit your rice with a quick rinse before adding it to your soup pot. This will wash off the starch. To further help prevent clumping, try adding the rice in small batches at a time, stirring after each addition.