Brown Rice Options Available at Costco – Fluffy and Flavorful

This week, I headed to my local Costco Warehouse to find out what kinds of brown rice they have to offer.

Types of Brown Rice at Costco

Here are all of the different types of brown rice currently sold at Costco…

• Lundberg Organic Short Grain Brown Rice (12-lb bag) – $14.99 ($16.99 through Costco Business Delivery)
• Bunge Homai California Brown Rice (25-lb bag) – $22.59 through Costco Business Delivery)
• Seeds of Change Organic Quinoa and Brown Rice (6 pack) – $14.99 online
• Minsley Organic Cooked Brown Rice Bowls (6 pack) – currently unavailable online
• Della Organic Light Brown Rice (12-lb bag) – currently unavailable online

You can also find organic brown rice flour on Costco.com, perfect for gluten-free baking, from a company called Namaste.

As far as I can tell, Costco does not carry brown basmati rice. But they do sell 20-lb bags of white basmati rice from a company called Royal for $25.99 each online. To browse the other rice products available through Costco.com, click here.

Remember that food items are always at least a couple dollars cheaper when you shop at Costco in person.

During my recent Costco trip, I picked up a bag of Lundberg Organic Short Grain Brown Rice to try at home.

Lundberg Organic Short Grain Brown Rice

This Lundberg Rice is produced by Lundberg Family Farms, based in Richvale, California. It’s certified organic and non-GMO, as well as certified gluten free and pareve.

Nutrition

In each ¼ cup serving of this Lundberg Brown Rice (about ½ cup cooked), you will be consuming 150 calories from 1.5 grams of fat, 35 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.

As you can see, this rice is naturally low in sugar and contains zero cholesterol and zero sodium. While it does contain a bit of protein and fiber, it’s also high in carbs, making it a food that is probably not ideal for anyone sticking to a low carb diet.

It’s also worth noting that even though the bag only lists 100 mg of potassium as the vitamin content in this rice, many of the vitamins and minerals found in brown rice are not listed on conventional nutrition labels. For example, brown rice is known for providing significant amounts of thiamine, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium.

You can read more about the nutritional benefits of brown rice in this Healthline article.

How To Prepare Brown Rice

Whenever I prepare rice (regardless of the type), I use a large mesh strainer to rinse it thoroughly in cold water before preparing. This can help remove excess starch, which can interfere with the way the rice cooks and its finished texture. It can also help remove any dirt or other lingering impurities that might be lightly coating the rice.

Here is my rice right before I rinsed it…

According to the bag, these are the recommended measurements to follow when preparing your Lundberg rice…

As you can see, Lundberg suggests following a 2:1 ratio of rice to water. In other words, for every portion of rice you add to the pot, you should add twice as much water. They also suggest adding an optional 1 ½ tsp of oil or butter for each ½ cup of dry rice you prepare, but I skipped this.

Now, I’m going to let you in on a secret… I never follow the instructions on my bags of rice. Instead, I follow a method I learned during my years working as a sous chef at a café. Using this method, you don’t even have to measure your rice or water. Yes, really!

To prepare flawless rice every time, all you have to do is…

1. Wash your hands thoroughly
2. Put however much rice you want to make into your pot after rinsing (keep in mind that rice tends to double in size when it’s fully cooked)
3. Allow the rice to settle to an even, relatively flat layer at the bottom of the pot
4. Begin slowly filling your pot with cold water, intermittently stopping to allow the rice to settle back to a flat, even later
5. Check the depth of the water intermittently by placing your index figure straight down into the water, stopping when the tip of your finger touches the top of the flat layer of rice (do not push into the rice layer with your finger)
6. When the water level above the rice reaches the crease of your first knuckle (the knuckle just below your fingernail), stop filling the pot

There you have it! I have been preparing rice this way for about six years, and it has never failed me once.

Aside from this little trick, I also add a dash of salt to the water before I begin cooking to help it boil faster.

After that, I basically follow all the same steps provided on the bag of Lundberg Rice.

To finish preparing your rice, all you have to do is…

1. Place the pot of rice over high heat until it begins to boil
2. Cover the pot with a lid
3. Immediately turn the heat down to a low simmer
4. Allow the rice to cook for about 45 minutes without removing the lid
5. Without removing the lid, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to sit for an additional 10 minutes
6. Remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and enjoy!

You can also prepare your brown rice in a rice cooker or Instant Pot using the same rice to water ratios.

Also, if you’re looking for a fast and easy recipe to use with your brown rice, check out this recipe for Spanish Rice printed on the Lundberg Brown Rice bag…

My Review

Here is a look at my finished Lundberg Brown Rice…

Overall, I was quite happy with my finished pot of rice. It was fluffy and flavorful without being sticky or mushy. The only downside about this brown rice in my opinion is that it is short grain rather than long grain. I personally prefer long grain rice, but I wouldn’t hold that against this quality short grain variety.

I would definitely buy this Lundberg rice from Costco again, especially since it comes at such a good value. Organic brown rice can be a little bit on the spendy side, so being able to snag a 12-lb bag for under $15 is a majorly good deal.

The only real complaint I have about this rice is actually about the bag. When you buy the plastic bag available in stores, it does not have a resealable feature. Instead, you simply have to cut open the top of the bag and then find some other way to close it. A good idea would be to acquire a dedicated, food grade bucket with a sealable lid to use for storing your rice after the bag has been opened. Otherwise, you will be stuck using a chip clip or rubber band to close the bag.

To finish off the meal, I combined my rice with some seasoned cannellini beans, avocado, sour cream, and a bunch of seasonings. It made for a delicious and nutritious yet simple meal.

If you’re shopping for organic brown rice at Costco, look no further!