• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

Small book

My cookbook "Dinner" now available!

  • My RecipeTin
  • My cookbook!
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish
      • Salad Meals
    • Quick and Easy
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Stews
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Vegetables
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice (all)
      • Fried rice
      • Rice (plain)
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cakes
      • Cheesecakes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
      • Ice cream
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • RecipeTin Meals
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • Food Bloggers Central
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Rice Recipes

Jasmine Rice

By:Nagi
Published:24 Jun '20Updated:26 Aug '21
238 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

You’ve been cooking Jasmine Rice wrong your whole life! Most recipes get it wrong because it’s not widely known that jasmine rice is softer than most, so you need LESS water than normal white rice so it’s fluffy rather than gummy.  Use just 1 1/4 cups water for every 1 cup of jasmine rice (the standard for typical white rice is 1 1/2 cups water to 1 cup rice).

Use for all things Thai – and anything really. It’s just a really great rice!

Plate of Jasmine Rice

Also see How to Cook: White rice | Basmati Rice | Brown Rice

How to cook Jasmine Rice

Jasmine rice is a lovely, subtly perfumed rice used across South East Asia. It’s strongly associated with Thai food, and used for serving with everything from Thai marinated chicken to Chilli Basil Stir Fry, Satay Skewers and the many Thai curries out there.

It’s also used to make Thai fried rice and Pineapple Fried Rice which is the other recipe I’m sharing today!

The BEST Pineapple Fried Rice! Thai version.

The secret for how to cook jasmine rice perfectly

What most people do not know is that jasmine rice is softer than most white rice, which means you need less water in order for the rice to cook so it’s soft and fluffy, rather than gummy on the outside.

So while most rice is cooked with 1.5 cups of water for each cup of rice, for jasmine rice, it’s reduced to 1 1/4 cups of water.

Yes, 1/4 cup really makes a difference! I made a lot of overly soft jasmine rice in my life that I was never really happy with until I finally figured this out.

Water to rice ratio - jasmine rice

There is NO NEED to rinse rice!!

Busting an age old myth here – that rinsing the rice is mandatory for fluffy rice. NO it is not! I have made so much rice in my time verifying this exact fact.

Here’s what I know:

  • No rinsing – if you use 1 1/4 cups of water for every 1 cup of jasmine rice, your rice will be fluffy even without rinsing

  • If you rinse, you must reduce the water by 2 tablespoons to factor in the extra water than remains in the rice (ie 1 1/4 cups water minus 2 tablespoons)

  • If you rinse AND soak for 1 hour, you must reduce the water by 3 tablespoons (ie 1 1/4 cups minus 3 tablespoons)

  • Rinsing vs no rinsing – rinsing yields a barely noticeable marginal improvement in fluffiness. It would not be noticeable to most people;

  • Only rinse IF you buy your rice direct from a rice farm, or similar, to remove debris and anything that night remain from the processing; and

  • No need to clean if you buy retail – If you buy rice at the store in shiny plastic packets, your rice should already be clean – and that includes less starch too.

Let’s face it. Rinsing rice is a pain. For an extra 2% fluffiness, it’s just not worth it (in my humble opinion).

If you need to rinse the rice to clean it, if you just can’t break the habit, or if your Asian mother would have your head if you didn’t, here’s how:

  • Place rice in bowl, fill with water. Swish with hand then drain. Repeat 3 to 4 times – water will never be completely clear. Drain in colander, cook per recipe.

How to wash rice

How to cook Jasmine Rice

Once you get the rice and water ratio right, then the steps are exactly the same as cooking normal white rice and basmati rice:

  • RAPID SIMMER – Put water and rice in saucepan, bring to simmer on high heat as fast as you can. You want the whole surface to be rippling, the edges bubbling and white foam;

  • COVER and turn to LOW – Turn heat down and cover, cook 12 minutes. Do not lift lid!

  • Stand 10 minutes to let the rice finish cooking. If you skip this, the grains are wet and slightly hard in the middle;

  • Fluff! Use a rubber spatula or rice paddle – this stops the grains breaking (Jasmine rice is softer than most white rices).

How to cook jasmine rice

And voila! Fluffy Jasmine rice. 🙂

Freshly cooked Jasmine Rice

Use for all things Thai, Vietnamese dishes, stir fries, and use for fried rice like Nasi Goreng. Though traditionally associated with South East Asian foods, it will goes perfectly with any Asian foods, and even Indian food if you don’t have basmati rice.

And just generally for anything you want to serve with rice, whether Asian or not! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Plate of Jasmine Rice

How to cook Jasmine Rice (stove)

Author: Nagi
Prep: 1 min
Cook: 12 mins
Rest: 10 mins
Sides
Asian, Modern Vietnamese, Thai
5 from 102 votes
Servings3 - 4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. The key to fluffy jasmine rice is to use less water than usual because it's a softer rice - only 1 1/4 cups for each 1 cup of rice. Most recipes get this wrong and the rice is way too soft/gummy.
Rinsing is optional - it barely makes a difference to fluffiness (see comments in post). And it's a pain! Also, if you rinse, you need to reduce water by 2 tablespoons to factor in that the rice becomes waterlogged!
1 cup rice = 3 cups cooked = 3 to 4 servings as a side.

Ingredients

No rinsing method:

  • 1 cup jasmine rice
  • 1 1/4 cups water (cold tap water)

Rinsed rice:

  • 1 cup jasmine rice
  • 1 1/4 cups MINUS 2 tbsp water

Instructions

No rinsing (my everyday method):

  • Place rice and water in a medium saucepan (one with a tight fitting lid). Bring to rapid simmer with NO LID on medium high.
  • Turn down to low or medium low so it's simmering gently, then place lid on. Do not lift lid during cook.
  • Cook 12 minutes or until water is absorbed by rice - tilt pot to check (if lid not glass, then QUICKLY lift lid to check).
  • Keep the lid on then remove from heat. Stand 10 minutes, fluff with rubber spatula or rice paddle, then serve.

RINSED RICE (Note 3):

  • Place rice in a bowl, fill with water and swish. Once cloudy, drain. Repeat 2 - 3 more times until water is pretty clear - it will never be completely clear.
  • Drain rice in a colander, transfer to saucepan.
  • Add water - 1 1/4 cups of water MINUS 2 tablespoons per 1 cup of rice. Follow cook steps above in No Rinsing.

Recipe Notes:

1. Saucepan:
  • Use a medium to large saucepan for up to 2 cups. For 3 cups rice+, use a pot.
  • If lid is not tight fitting or heavy, then you may get bubble overflow - reduce heat if this happens, it will subside as water gets absorbed by rice.
  • Glass lid is easiest - you can see what's going on inside without lifting the lid, especially useful at end to check if all water is absorbed.
  • Reason we bring to simmer without lid is to reduce risk of overflow once lid goes on. If you bring to simmer with lid on, you need to be more careful about exactly when you turn the heat down so it doesn't get foamy overflow. Much easier to to lid off first, then lid on when you turn it down.
2. You need simmer, if it sits there doing nothing then the rice bloats and goes gummy.
3. Rinsing - only rinse if a) force of habit you can't break; b) you bought direct from a rice farm or similar and the rice might need cleaning (Retail rice sold in packets is clean); or c) your Asian mum would have your head if you didn't rinse. 😂
Reduce water - If you rinse the rice, you must reduce the water by 2 tablespoons to account for the water that's waterlogged in the rice. That is - use 1 1/4 cups MINUS 2 tablespoons of water per 1 cup of rice (per ingredients list).
4. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 169cal (8%)Carbohydrates: 37g (12%)Protein: 3g (6%)Fat: 1g (2%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Sodium: 6mgPotassium: 53mg (2%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Calcium: 13mg (1%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: how to cook jasmine rice, Jasmine rice
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Life of Dozer

A common sighting – Dozer trotting off ahead of me to join his friends on the beach. I get there eventually!!

Dozer-trotting-ahead-of-me

Previous Post
Honey Soy Chicken Marinade (for boneless thighs and breast)
Next Post
Pineapple Fried Rice (Thai)

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Close up of Jamaican Coconut Rice and Peas (Beans)

Jamaican rice and peas (beans)

Freshly made One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice

One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice

Red Vietnamese Fried Rice in a bowl ready to be eaten

Red Vietnamese Fried Rice

More Rice Recipes

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




238 Comments

  1. Jim Brian says

    May 29, 2022 at 3:18 am

    Perhaps my small Pyrex pot is not good for this or it needs more water and cook time and less sitting time- due to the seal not being very good at the end where the spout is. Mine was undercooked and some sticks to the bottom. I sourced my rice from Whole Foods bulk bins

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 30, 2022 at 2:25 pm

      The pot is very important in this one Jim – are you using glass or ceramic? I recommend using a heavy based metal or stainless steel pan for this recipe! N x

      Reply
  2. Anne says

    May 24, 2022 at 6:06 pm

    What if I need to cook 2 cups jasmine rice? Do I use 2.5 cups water or 2 1/4 cups ?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 24, 2022 at 8:07 pm

      There is a sliding scale at the top of the recipe that does that calculation for you Anne! N x

      Reply
  3. Cathy says

    May 19, 2022 at 7:39 pm

    Ah Nagi, what would we do without your Wonderfulness!

    Thankyou for an Easy, Simple! No head-aches Perfect Jasmine rice recipe that Works!

    Yes!

    Thankyou
    Cathy x

    Reply
  4. Ken says

    May 14, 2022 at 5:59 pm

    Hi.
    Should I add salt to the water before cooking and also some butter at the end before fluffing.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 28, 2022 at 12:15 pm

      No need to add salt until after you cook it Ken but I always say YES to butter!! N x

      Reply
  5. Martha says

    April 29, 2022 at 11:10 pm

    I’m a professional recipe tester and editor. I didn’t know how to correctly cook rice until trying your recipe. Good job!! It’s hard to find legit recipe sites, but I think I need to check yours out 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 1, 2022 at 12:21 pm

      I test absolutely EVERYTHING that I publish Martha! Welcome!! N x

      Reply
  6. Juanita says

    April 28, 2022 at 2:30 am

    5 stars
    I’m so happy to hear I don’t have to rinse the rice!! It turned out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe, Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 28, 2022 at 5:37 pm

      I keep telling people that but not everyone believes me!! 😂 N x

      Reply
  7. William says

    April 23, 2022 at 4:14 pm

    Rinsing the rice reduces the amount of arsenic!

    (Rice naturally takes up arsenic from the soil and water it grows in.)

    Soaking rice reduces the amount of arsenic even more, as the water has time to leach out more of it.

    Reply
    • Yolande says

      May 20, 2022 at 6:19 pm

      Exactly what I was going to comment on. Definitely worth finding to reduce arsenic.
      I have a friend who recently tested for high levels of arsenic and the doctor concluded it was due to not rinsing her rice before cooking

      Reply
  8. Abby says

    April 12, 2022 at 12:38 pm

    5 stars
    Made exactly as you said & it was perfect. Used a 2qt pot for 1c rice.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 12, 2022 at 1:23 pm

      That’s great Abby! I am happy it worked for you! N x

      Reply
  9. AliceM says

    April 11, 2022 at 9:22 am

    Fanrastic recipe. I didn’t know I’d been doing it wrong. With this recipe the rice came out perfect and fluffy. Thank you so much!!!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 11, 2022 at 6:32 pm

      Woo hoo!! That’s great Alice! N x

      Reply
  10. Jackie Brown says

    March 29, 2022 at 10:51 am

    I did the actual cooking time 1 1/2 minutes longer as I am at 4,000 foot elevation. I do this with all timed recipes. Perfect.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 29, 2022 at 2:13 pm

      I am happy that it worked out well at that altitude Jackie! N x

      Reply
  11. Melissa says

    March 25, 2022 at 10:33 am

    5 stars
    I did the no rinse rice recipe. Turned out perfect.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 25, 2022 at 3:31 pm

      I am happy that you enjoyed it Melissa! N x

      Reply
  12. Deborah says

    March 21, 2022 at 5:59 am

    5 stars
    This is my absolute go to recipe for jasmine rice…perfect every time, as is the recipe for basmati rice. Thank you so much !

    Reply
  13. Karen says

    March 8, 2022 at 2:20 pm

    5 stars
    Finally, I have rice that is fluffy! Thank you so much Nagi 🙂

    Reply
  14. Julie says

    March 7, 2022 at 12:39 pm

    Followed this recipe exactly and the rice was perfect! Thank you, Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 7, 2022 at 12:44 pm

      I am so happy you liked it Julie! N x

      Reply
  15. PP says

    March 3, 2022 at 3:24 pm

    Followed this receipe to a tea and the rice was crunchy and not cooked 🙄 should of known better than to follow a recipe that boasts about being perfect

    Reply
    • Paola says

      April 1, 2022 at 5:51 pm

      Wow, sounds like the issue is with the person who cooked it not the recipe! This turns out perfectly every time I make it.

      Reply
    • Roxie says

      April 18, 2022 at 12:27 am

      PP it would be almost impossible for rice to still be crunchy after being boiled for 12 minutes, and stood for 10, unless it’s burned? Could you comment step by step what you did, I’m sure you may have missed something. Maybe the community can help troubleshoot?

      Reply
  16. June says

    March 1, 2022 at 7:45 am

    Great recipes, thank you for posting

    Reply
    • Patti says

      March 17, 2022 at 6:16 am

      Thank you. Looking forward to healthy, fast, creative and simple recipes. God bless you. 💕

      Reply
  17. Suzanne Balding says

    February 16, 2022 at 9:21 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely perfect. Followed the instructions to the letter and had perfectly cooked, light, fluffy jasmine rice.
    Thank you for making the process so simple.

    Reply
  18. Jon Shocket says

    February 8, 2022 at 10:24 am

    5 stars
    I just wanted to thank the author of this recipe. I love this recipe. I always used to mess up rice, and now as long as I follow this the rice comes out perfect. Thank you so much

    Reply
  19. Mark says

    January 30, 2022 at 2:27 pm

    Rinsing the rice, IS advised as it removes a lot of the LEAD content of the rice. Yes, Lead!
    It’s not a bullshit idea and “greatly reduces” the amount of lead a person can consume. It’s not just for being clean and tidy. Universities around the world have looked into this subject matter.

    Reply
  20. NK Kenny says

    January 9, 2022 at 11:25 am

    Perfect rice! Thank you.

    Reply
Older Comments
Newer Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On

What's for Dinner?

Close up of beef enchiladas in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven

Beef Enchiladas

Butter Chicken served over basmati rice in a bowl, ready to be served

Butter Chicken

Overhead photo of 2 black bowls with Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing, ready to be eaten

Chinese Chicken Salad

Salisbury Steak recipe in skillet.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken - 7 ingredient magic. The coconut fragrance is heavenly! recipetineats.com

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken

Fast prep. Big flavours!

Never miss a recipe

Back to Top
  • Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Center
  • Help
  • Contact Us
  • Image Use
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits Maintained by Zao Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled © RecipeTin Eats 2023 · All Rights Reserved Back to Top