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!
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 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.
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:
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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
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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)
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If you rinse AND soak for 1 hour, you must reduce the water by 3 tablespoons (ie 1 1/4 cups minus 3 tablespoons)
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Rinsing vs no rinsing – rinsing yields a barely noticeable marginal improvement in fluffiness. It would not be noticeable to most people;
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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
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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:
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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 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:
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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;
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COVER and turn to LOW – Turn heat down and cover, cook 12 minutes. Do not lift lid!
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Stand 10 minutes to let the rice finish cooking. If you skip this, the grains are wet and slightly hard in the middle;
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Fluff! Use a rubber spatula or rice paddle – this stops the grains breaking (Jasmine rice is softer than most white rices).
And voila! Fluffy 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
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How to cook Jasmine Rice (stove)
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:
- 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.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
A common sighting – Dozer trotting off ahead of me to join his friends on the beach. I get there eventually!!
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
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
What if I need to cook 2 cups jasmine rice? Do I use 2.5 cups water or 2 1/4 cups ?
There is a sliding scale at the top of the recipe that does that calculation for you Anne! N x
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
Hi.
Should I add salt to the water before cooking and also some butter at the end before fluffing.
No need to add salt until after you cook it Ken but I always say YES to butter!! N x
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 🙂
I test absolutely EVERYTHING that I publish Martha! Welcome!! N x
I’m so happy to hear I don’t have to rinse the rice!! It turned out perfectly. Thanks for the recipe, Nagi!
I keep telling people that but not everyone believes me!! 😂 N x
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.
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
Made exactly as you said & it was perfect. Used a 2qt pot for 1c rice.
That’s great Abby! I am happy it worked for you! N x
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!!!!
Woo hoo!! That’s great Alice! N x
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.
I am happy that it worked out well at that altitude Jackie! N x
I did the no rinse rice recipe. Turned out perfect.
I am happy that you enjoyed it Melissa! N x
This is my absolute go to recipe for jasmine rice…perfect every time, as is the recipe for basmati rice. Thank you so much !
Finally, I have rice that is fluffy! Thank you so much Nagi 🙂
Followed this recipe exactly and the rice was perfect! Thank you, Nagi!
I am so happy you liked it Julie! N x
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
Wow, sounds like the issue is with the person who cooked it not the recipe! This turns out perfectly every time I make it.
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?
Great recipes, thank you for posting
Thank you. Looking forward to healthy, fast, creative and simple recipes. God bless you. 💕
Absolutely perfect. Followed the instructions to the letter and had perfectly cooked, light, fluffy jasmine rice.
Thank you for making the process so simple.
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
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.
Perfect rice! Thank you.