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:
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 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).
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!!
is it possible to bake jasmine rice from raw in the oven? i dont have the right type of saucepan to do it on the hob and tend to bake my rice [ever since i found your greek lemon chicken and rice one-pot recipe]
I’ve used many of your recipes and it’s been wonderful to diversify and learn.
Do you double the liquid when you double the rice? Specifically for claypot recipes?
Best Jasmine Rice recipe ever! The key really is less water (and letting it set; not opening the lid). I followed this recipe exactly – the measurements and the timing of every step. Fluffy. Amazing. Unbelievable. Wow. Thank you (!) for this recipe.
Boy, I luv jasmine rice and I have been doing it wrong for 20yrs.This recipe is wonderful 🌻
It’s never too late to learn new tricks Teena, I’m so glad you enjoyed this way of cooking it! N x
Absolutely the best method for cooking jasmine rice I’ve EVER tried! It was fluffy and perfectly cooked! So good I got a bowl and ate it plain!
Worked just like she said. Best jasmine rice recipe so far. I didn’t reduce heat to simmer then place the lid on. It boiled over a little and maybe wouldn’t have if I had placed the lid on after it went to simmer. VERY GOOD!!
Perfect fluffy rice – love it! I’ve always had trouble with jasmine rice but this recipe is spot on! Thank you!
came to say the same thing! this was perfect 10/10 rice
I had given up on jasmine rice as I could never ever get it to come out right. Always a sticky, clumpy mess no matter what I did. (You would think the instructions on the package would be close to right, no?)
I really wanted to make some, so I bought more thinking if I didn’t get it this time, I would just give up. The first try, following the package instructions, was a fail In my frustration I searched and found this method.
Today was the second try and I almost couldn’t believe how perfect it came out!
The reduced liquid and the shorter cook time than what the package calls for were just right! Thank you so much for saving my sanity and my rice!
Love this recipe. Ive used it several times now- perfect every time. Thank you!
I am used to add salt to my rice. Can I add salt just as I normally would or should I skip it for this recipe?
Just wondering what brand of white rice is your favourite. I used to buy Sunrice or Coles but I feel like I’m missing out on with all of the Taiwanese, Thai etc in the asian store
I’ve been trying to figure out how to cook rice like this for years. I’ve tried basket steamers and a ton of recipes. Tried this on a whim and it was exactly what I’m looking for! This will be my way to cook rice for life!
I followed this recipe to make jasmine rice to go with an Indian curry dish and it was perfect. I’d like to make a coconut jasmine rice — should the liquid to rice ratio be the same? Thanks to all who reply😊
Hi Gail, try the recipe here: https://discountspot.info/fluffy-coconut-rice/%3C/a%3E N x
My partner and I used the unrinsed version and our rice came out perfectly!! We used it for a stir fry and it was delicious. We live in Denver at 5,280 ft. in elevation so I was worried it would be off, but not at all!
Jasmine Rice came perfect with your recipe! I tried a few which got overcooked..Thanks a lot.. We are a fan of Asian food!!Excited to try your other recipes
Love this fluffy rice, cooking this way has made my job so much easier. This is the only way I do my rice now.
Love this fluffy rice, cooking this way has made my job so much easier. This is the only way I do my rice now.
Thank you so much for showing how to cook perfect fluffy jasmine rice. I tried today and it came out so good.
Wahoo!!! That’s awesome Amita! N x
I have a new rice cooker. When cooking Jasmone rice , should the same ratio of 1 1/4 water to one cup Jasmine rice work best?
I’ve used a rice cooker my whole life, and found your recipe because I needed to make rice on the stove in a pinch. Wow—It came out perfectly! Thank you so much for saving my lunch 😀
Awesome, worked perfectly. Thank you