Perfect Jasmine Rice
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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. The secret to cooking it perfectly lies in getting the right water-to-rice ratio. The package usually recommends 1½ cups of water for every 1 cup of rice, which works if you like your rice “al dente,” but I prefer mine a bit more tender, so I use a little more water. Some recipes suggest rinsing the rice first, but I find it’s not necessary—jasmine rice has a natural stickiness that helps the grains cling together, even after rinsing, which makes it easier to scoop or eat with chopsticks.
Rice may seem simple, but it can be tricky to get just right. The key is adjusting the ratio of water to rice or the cooking time. I usually start with less water than I think I need, then taste it after steaming. If it’s too firm, I’ll add a few tablespoons more water and let it steam a bit longer. Jasmine rice is ideal for making fried rice. For more foolproof rice and grain cooking methods, see my basmati rice and couscous recipes.
What You’ll Need To Make Jasmine Rice
Step-by-Step Instructions
Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan and stir in the rice and salt.
Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes until all of the water is absorbed.
Taste the rice to check for doneness. It should be perfectly cooked, but if it’s still too firm, just add a few tablespoons more water. Cover the pan again and let it steam off the heat for a few more minutes until it’s tender.
You can cook jasmine rice ahead of time and freeze it for later. Just store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. For easy storage, flatten the rice in sealable plastic bags so it takes up less space in the freezer. There’s no need to thaw it before reheating—just pop it in the microwave with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water, and it’ll be good to go!
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Perfect Jasmine Rice
Jasmine rice is the perfect side for your favorite Southeast Asian dishes. With the right water-to-rice ratio, you’ll have tender, perfectly-cooked rice every time!
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.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Cooked jasmine rice can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Putting it in a flat layer in sealable plastic bags works well, as the rice will take up less space in the freezer. There is no need to thaw the rice before reheating; simply remove it from the freezer and reheat in the microwave with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 169
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Sugar: 0 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 108 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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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Perfect for me and I’m not a cook! This was my first time making Jasmine rice. I used bulk Jasmine rice from Sprouts. It took about 20-22 minutes to absorb all of the water but I see how the time could vary depending on several factors, including the rice you use. It just takes a little patience and common sense to make adjustments. I turned the burner all the way to lowest setting and if I had it a touch higher it may have cooked faster, but I’d rather it took a little longer than burn on the bottom. If you do have burner set a little higher make sure you stir it a few times to keep it from being too well done on the bottom. But I loved the rice! It is lighter and fluffier than regular rice and has a very unique taste. Thanks for this simple recipe! Perfect!
I have made this recipe for jasmine rice, probably upwards of 20 times. It’s faultless, every single time. It’s outstanding. Rice is fluffy, and has wonderful texture. It’s not gloppy, and of course you can moderate the salt to your own taste. Look no further, this is a winner.
Will these proportions work with brown rice?
I’m not 100% sure; you can use the same amount of rice, but check the rice package to see how much water you need to cook it in.
Thank you, I followed your advice about the water / rice ratio and it worked well.
Terrible! It came out a mush! And never add salt!
Just tried the recipe and use the exact measurements and water did not absorb in 15 minutes 😔
Perfect! I had a little over 1/4 cup extra rice in the bag so I went ahead and added it in. I did some math and used 1/2 cup extra water. It turned out perfect!
Hi Jen, I want to try this for the weekend but I’m serving a crowd. Can it be doubled? Sometimes just doubling doesnt always work.
Hi Hella, Yes, you can double it. The cook time may be slightly different so just keep a close eye on it. Enjoy!
The rice turns out perfectly, I just like a bit more salt in the water.
Made this today and it was absolutely perfect. I can always count on you, Jenn!