Brown rice is a version of rice, which is not a gluten-containing grain. Therefore, yes: brown rice is gluten free!
Now, you may be asking: Are ALL types of brown rice gluten free? This is a valid question, because there are lots of types!
Growing up, I only knew about long-grain brown rice. When I went to college, I had a roommate who cooked only short-grain brown rice. I found it stickier and tastier, and liked it a lot! The good news is that any kind of brown rice will be gluten-free.
The only time you’ll have to look for brown rice NOT being gluten-free is if it is made in a restaurant and has some sort of added ingredients or additives.
For example, some restaurants, meal services or pre-packaged bags of brown rice may have added types of flavors that may have gluten-containing ingredients. Or, you may be at a dinner party and the host cooks brown rice with one of those flavor cubes for chicken or beef flavoring. Those sometimes contain gluten.
On the whole, brown rice and all its variations (basmati, long-grain, medium-grain, short-grain, jasmine…) are innately gluten-free. Rice does not contain gluten. If you purchase a bag of pure brown rice, check the ingredients to be 100% sure, but know that buying rice should just yield you with “rice.”
I eat brown rice frequently, in stir fries that I make at home, with soup, as the base for a rice bowl or in the form of foods like gluten-free brown rice pasta. I think there’s a lot of fun to be had with brown rice in your gluten-free diet!