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!!
I have been using the finger measure method for a few years and this felt like cheating! It was perfect!
Love all your recipes! They are all delicious and relatively easy to make.
Hi Nagi!!! Love your recipes. Could you please give instructions on how to make the perfect fluffy Jasmine Brown Rice?? I always seem to mess this one up.
This recipe worked great for me. My rice would need maybe 1 tbsp or so less water even after I rinsed my rice and followed the recipe measurements, but that also just depends on the jasmine rice itself. Overall the rice turned out nice and fluffy and much better than when I had been making it without measuring things and just using the finger measurement method for the water. Also I loved the comment about only washing your rice because if you didn’t then your Asian mom would scold you. 😂 That’s my family. I’ve always been taught to wash rice so it is a habit now.
The area that I get into trouble with is what exactly is 1 cup of dry Jasmine rice? When I google it says 140 grams to 200 grams of dry rice equals one cup of Jasmine. So what is one cup of Jasmine rice?
I’ve had this page bookmarked for years. Just wanted to stop by and say thanks.
Dear Nagi,
I have a question about the recipe/preparation.
I’m new to cooking rice in a pot, and tried your recipe. It worked flawlessly for the first few times. But recently I have a problem. The rice clumps together in a few places and doesn’t cook properly (it stays hard) inside these clumps. Most of it is good. It’s a bit puzzling because I’m doing everything the same way as before, following the recipe. I’m measuring with the same cup, using the same pot etc.
I think maybe it’s because the rice got older? (I got a 8kg pack as a gift 3 months ago and I’m still using it) Would rinsing help? Or is there another way to make perfect rice again?
Thank you in advance if you can help me, and thank you for the recipe!
Had to leave a 5 star comment!!! Recently invested in a 25lb bag of Jasmine but the last time I cooked it, it was very mushy tasteless or overly sticky. Long story short, followed your directions and even w/o rinsing turned out more fluffy and texture was awesome!!!
Hi Nagi
I’ve been using this method for quite some time now and it has been flawless.
We live in a caravan and have just moved over to the “dark side” by purchasing a portable induction cooktop.
I’d be interested in your tip on using this device for rice and other dishes
Cheers
Wow wow wow! I always made mushy jasmine rice and I could never figure out why. Just followed these instructions! Best rice I’ve ever made, thank you thank you!
Wonderful….finally I can enjoy jasmine rice! I tired many times to make this rice with horrible results. Used your recipe and came out perfect and fluffy….perfection! You never disappoint with your fabulous recipes.
Dear Nagi, I have been cooking rice all my life (mid 50’s) and always have some imperfection, too hard, too soft, crusty bottom etc, basically all the thing you mentioned, and I also washed the rice three time before cooking. Last night I was having a friend for dinner (Thai red fish curry) and decided it was time to try to get the rice (Jasmine) right. I googled ‘perfect rice’ and your site popped up first! I had seen your site a few months ago (can’t remember for what ATM) and decided to read your method. I read everything and it all made sense, particulalry the part about ‘no peeking’! So onwards I went; I didn’t wash the rice, and measure 1 cup of rice to 1 1/4 cups of water, brought to simmer, turned down to lowest on smallest hob, didn’t peek and timed it for 12 minutes, then let it sit for at least 10 minutes before fluffing…and my gosh, like magic – it was perfect rice!
I told the story to my friend part way through dinner and I said it was that good I would write and thank you (she now wants the link to your site 🙂 ), so, thank you very much for presenting your method, I’m forever grateful!
(and sorry the comment is so long)
Best,
Perry
Aww what a wonderful message to receive. Thanks Perry!! Loved reading this. Perfect rice forever!!! 🙂 N xx
Thank you! Came out perfect.
The best reason to rinse any rice thoroughly is not to make it fluffier, but rather to remove some of the arsenic.
This has to be the best way to cook fluffy jasmine rice. Best rice I’ve ever cooled. Very impressed, obviously Dozer had some influence here. Thanks Nagi
Hi Nagi. Need some help microwave-cooking Jasmine rice. Your directions are for stovetop. Cold water/hot water, water to rice ratio, covered/ uncovered, how long?
thank you Nagi! this is a never fail recipe!!!!! simple quick and easy!!!
OMG! Me and my better half are over 50 years old. We have been cooking rice wrong our entire lives!
Nagi’s recipe on fluffy rice is now the way I cook rice
Excellent recipe. Best Jasmine rice I’ve made.
Thank you, it worked like a charm. I had almost given up on rice, and what an empty life that would’ve been!