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Here’s how to cook jasmine rice that turns out light, fluffy using a boil-and-steam method. With the right water ratio and my easy steaming trick, you’ll get tender, fragrant rice every time.
Here’s my tried and true method for cooking up a pot of jasmine rice! When it comes to serving white rice, I almost always pick jasmine rice because of its mild, buttery flavor and the tender texture of the grains when cooked.
It also makes any curry recipe taste like it just came out of a restaurant! Here’s how to cook jasmine rice: a spin on the traditional method that’s faster and even more reliable.
Why You’ll Love This Method
- The grains stay separate. A rinse before cooking and a quick steam at the end is what keeps them fluffy instead of gummy.
- It’s fast. It’s done in under 30 minutes.
- It’s delicious. Curries, stir-fries, grain bowls: nutty jasmine rice goes with almost everything.
Do You Need to Rinse Jasmine Rice?
Short answer: yes. Rinsing washes away surface starch, which is the main culprit behind grains that clump together. It takes about 30 seconds and actually really does change the texture. (I get into the why and how in How to Rinse Rice.)
How to Cook Jasmine Rice on the Stovetop
I like cooking rice using the “Pasta Method”. Using this method, you’ll cook rice like you would cook pasta: dump it into boiling water, instead of simmering it in water. This method avoids soggy or crunchy rice: the jasmine rice comes out light and fluffy every time. Here’s what I do:
Step 1: Rinse the rice.
Place the rice in a strainer and rinse it with cold water. Is rinsing rice really required? Well, yes. (Here’s more about rinsing rice.) Rinsing removes surface starch on the grains, which can cause the rice to clump together or get gummy.
Step 2: Boil water, then add rice and cook 8 minutes.
What’s the rice to water ratio for jasmine rice? For the pasta method, it’s 6 cups water to 1 cup rice. Boil the 6 cups water, then add the jasmine rice and cook until it’s tender. It will take about 8 minutes. Once tender, strain the rice in a strainer and return it to the pan.
Step 3: Cover and steam.
Place the rice back in the pan and then cover it. This steams the rice and makes it even more fluffy. This step is absolutely necessary because it helps the grains to separate from each other (otherwise they come out soggy). Fluff with a fork and you’re ready to go!
Variation: Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
If you have a pressure cooker, you can use it to cook jasmine rice! Alex and I like using our Instant Pot to cook rice since it’s hands off and frees up another burner on the stovetop. Go to Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
What Is Jasmine Rice, Anyway?
Jasmine rice is a long-grain variety of rice grown mostly in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It’s also known as Thai fragrant rice, and lumped into the category of rice called “aromatic rice”. These are medium to long grain rice varieties (like basmati) that have a nut-like aroma and flavor. You might notice it tastes like popcorn!
Jasmine rice is best paired with Southeast Asian style curries, like our Coconut Shrimp Curry (see below). It’s very similar to basmati rice, but it’s shorter and a little stickier. We save basmati rice for Indian-style curries like vegetable curry and chickpea curry. (See more at Basmati vs Jasmine Rice.)
Serving Size Chart
If you’re planning to serving sizes of rice, here’s a handy cheat sheet:
- How much does 1 cup dry rice make? 1 cup dry rice = about 3 cups cooked
- How much is a serving size of rice? ¾ cup to 1 cup rice per serving.
- How many calories in 1 cup of cooked rice? There about 180 calories in 1 cup cooked jasmine rice.
Storage and Reheating
Leftover jasmine rice keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Cool the rice and refrigerate it within a couple of hours of cooking.
To reheat, add a splash of water and warm it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave to bring back the moisture. Leftover jasmine rice is a great base for fried rice the next night.
Ways to Serve Jasmine Rice
Here are some ideas on what to pair with jasmine rice:
- Shrimp Curry This Thai-style shrimp curry stars silky coconut milk and veggies.
- Quick Coconut Lentil Curry This coconut lentil curry is a fast and easy dinner idea that’s healthy and full of flavor. Perfect for weeknights!
- Easy Stir Fry Vegetables This stir fry vegetables recipe is full of colorful veggies and an easy, savory sauce.
Dietary Notes
This jasmine rice recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
How to Cook Jasmine Rice
Here’s how to cook jasmine rice that turns out light, fluffy using a boil-and-steam method. With the right water ratio and my easy steaming trick, you’ll get tender, fragrant rice every time.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Thai
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 cup white jasmine rice
- 6 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Using a strainer, rinse the rice under cold water, then drain it completely. (Here’s why.) If you have a pressure cooker, go to Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
- In a saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the rice, stir once, and continue to boil uncovered for about 8 minutes, bubbling rapidly. Taste a grain of rice; if it is tender, remove the pan from the heat, then pour the rice into the strainer.
- Return the rice to the pot (without the heat). Cover the pot and allow the rice to steam for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in the kosher salt.
More rice recipes
Here are all our go-to basic rice recipes :
- How to Cook White Rice and How to Cook Brown Rice Our basic recipes using the “pasta method” for cooking rice! It makes brown rice so much faster.
- Instant Pot White Rice and Instant Pot Brown Rice Same methods but in a pressure cooker! It’s nice because it’s hands off and keeps the stovetop free.
- Perfect Wild Rice Wild rice isn’t actually related to standard rice…but it’s treated like rice in recipes! Here’s how to cook it.
- 12 Rice Recipes to Make on Repeat A handful of our favorite ways to use rice in recipes!
This is only an “editing” comment, not intended for posting and NOT about the recipe or the results, yet. In reading the pictorial description for boiling Jasmine rice, there appears to be minor disconnect. Between Steps 2 and three, there is no mention of removing/straining the rice before putting it “back into the pan” (which is in the printed recipe); and the longer description tells us to boil the rice for 6-7 minutes, yet the printed recipe says to do that for 8 minutes. When I try this new-to-me technique, I will begin sampling the rice at the 5-minute mark. This is as good a website as there is. Thanks for your time.
Great point, thank you! The recipe is correct, but did not match the body of the article so we’ve updated it to 8 minutes and added the straining step. Thank you so much! Let us know how it goes.