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Learn how to cook jasmine rice perfectly every time—an essential skill for making delicious Thai, Vietnamese, and Southeast Asian food at home.
Named after the fragrant jasmine flower, jasmine rice is a long-grain rice native to Thailand, known for its delicate floral aroma and buttery taste. This jasmine rice recipe is a simple stovetop method that produces tender grains with a little natural stickiness—just right for scooping up with chopsticks or serving alongside your favorite curry.
What You’ll Need To Make Jasmine Rice
Tips For Perfect Jasmine Rice
- Use the right amount of water. I use 2¾ cups water for 1½ cups rice, which is a little more than many packages recommend. I find that the extra water makes the rice more tender, just the way I like it. Keep in mind that the exact amount of water needed can vary depending on your rice, saucepan, and how tightly the lid fits.
- Skip rinsing the rice. I know many rice recipes tell you to rinse the grains first, but I don’t find it necessary here. Rinsing removes some of the surface starch, but jasmine rice naturally has a slightly clingy texture. Just be sure to use unrinsed rice for this recipe, since that’s what the water measurement is based on.
How To Make Jasmine Rice
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan, then stir in the rice and salt. Cover the pan, turn the heat down to low, and let the rice simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed. Give it a taste to make sure it’s tender. If it’s still a little firm, don’t worry! Just add a few tablespoons of water, cover the pan again, and let it steam off the heat for a few more minutes. That’s all there is to it!
Storage, Freezing & reheating Instructions
Cool leftover rice quickly and refrigerate in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking. It will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer. To reheat, sprinkle with a little water, cover, and microwave until steaming hot throughout. There’s no need to thaw frozen rice first. Leftover jasmine rice is also great for making fried rice!
Perfect Jasmine Rice
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups water, plus more if necessary
- 1½ cups jasmine rice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the rice and salt; cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed.
- Taste the rice to test for doneness; it should be perfectly cooked, but if it is still too firm, add a few more tablespoons of water, cover the pan, and let the rice absorb the water off of the heat for a few more minutes.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you’re following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Would I use the same proportions in a rice steamer?
Hi Ann, I don’t have any experience with a rice steamer, so I can’t say for sure. Sorry!
This recipe, plus your recipe for Basmati Rice, are the only ones I use! They turn out perfect every time. Today we had the Jasmine Rice and your Kung Pao Chicken. The family asked me which restaurant I got it from! I said from Jenn’s Restaurant!! Thanks for making me look like a great cook!
This came out horribly. It’s watery and tastes both underdone and overcooked and mushy at the same time. Also not enough salt.
Apologies for leaving a comment without having tried this myself yet, but after reading the insanely polarized reviews, I am so curious to know what the issue might be! Are some people using old rice? Or is the issue in measuring cups which are nowhere near standardized in their measurements?? (Trust me, nerdy as it is, I check all my new liquid measuring cups against a proper measuring beaker and the amounts vary wildly…!!!)
Anyway, I personally bring my water and rice to a boil, then cover and turn off the heat entirely. The residual heat steams the rice and this way there is less chance of foam escaping. Hope this helps somebody save time!
This was very tasty! Came out perfect. I did rinse the rice (habit) and didn’t use any salt. Cooked it for 20 minutes. Make sure to use a large enough pot- using too small a pot can also sometimes cause mushy rice. Thanks for a great recipe!
Your recipe is appropriately named. Perfect! Thank you!
The only Jasmine rice recipe I use. It’s perfect.
The absolute best!
Joy, this may be of interest. It’s an extract from an article on the American Cancer Society’s website regarding arsenic in rice: “The FDA also notes that rinsing rice before cooking has very little effect on arsenic levels, and it can also lower its nutrient value.”
Thank you.
Many thanks!
Just made this recipe exactly as directed.
Turned out perfect. Thank you
I’m curious Joy, are you a classically trained chef?