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With the right water-to-rice ratio, you can make perfectly cooked jasmine rice every time.
Named after the sweet-smelling jasmine flower, jasmine rice is a long grain rice native to Thailand with a delicate floral and buttery scent. The secret to cooking it perfectly is using the right water-to-rice ratio. Typically, the instructions on the package call for 1½ cups water for every 1 cup of rice. That’s fine if you like your rice “al dente,” but I prefer mine more tender, so I use a bit more water. Many recipes call for rinsing the grains before cooking but I think it’s an unnecessary extra step; even when you rinse jasmine rice, the grains have a slightly sticky texture and cling together.
As simple as rice may seem to prepare, it can be difficult to get “just right.” The key is usually tweaking the water-to-grain ratio or the cooking time. I often add a bit less water than I think I need in the beginning, then taste after steaming. If the rice is still too firm, I add a few tablespoons more and 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.
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 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.
How To Freeze Jasmine Rice
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.
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Perfect Jasmine Rice
By Jenn Segal
With the right water-to-rice ratio, you can make perfectly cooked jasmine rice every time.
Servings: 4-6
Total Time: 20 Minutes
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
Nutritional Data Disclaimer
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.
See more recipes:
- Dairy-Free
- Freezer-Friendly
- Gluten-Free Adaptable
- Make-Ahead
- Vegetarian
- Asian
- Thai
Comments
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!
- — Natalia on May 9, 2024
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Your recipe is appropriately named. Perfect! Thank you!
- — Nan on January 8, 2024
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The only Jasmine rice recipe I use. It’s perfect.
- — Jasmine M on September 28, 2023
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The absolute best!
- — Jen on August 25, 2023
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Worked like a charm! Thank you!
- — Zoe on June 4, 2023
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I want to make rice for over 25 people. Should I just scale up this recipe or are there others changes I should make?
Btw- I will be feeding a big crowd near 4th of July in an Airbnb as we also celebrate my dads 89th birthday. Do you have some recipes you’d recommend for a large crowd? Must be kid friendly to the <5 age group as well. Thank you!- — Robin Wooten on June 2, 2023
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Hi Robin, I think you can scale the recipe up for 25 servings. And regarding ideas for the 4th, a few recipes that come to mind and are relatively easy to scale are these ham and cheese sliders, peel and eat shrimp, chicken salad, and grilled chicken wings. And here’s a post with a lot of dessert ideas. Keep in mind that you may have to scale these recipes up as well. Hope it’s a great celebration!
- — Jenn on June 6, 2023
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Followed recipe exactly. Turned out fabulous. This recipe forever from now on. Thanks, Jen.
- — Hazel on April 27, 2023
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As always you get me out of trouble. I put my jasmine rice in freezer for storage but neglected to put amounts and time on storage container. Quickly go to my favorite chef, and there was the info I needed. Thank you.
- — Judy Schell on December 23, 2022
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💗
- — Jenn on December 23, 2022
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Is it necessary to rinse rice well to take off the starch which causes it to be clumpy?
- — Carol Schaubroeck on October 19, 2022
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Hi Carol, Many recipes call for rinsing the grains before cooking but I think it’s an unnecessary extra step here; even when you rinse jasmine rice, the grains have a slightly sticky texture and cling together.
- — Jenn on October 19, 2022
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Please rinse your rice before cooking. Rinse it at least 3 times or until the water runs significantly clearer. To have super soft and fluffy rice, let the rice soak in water for 20 mins first. Add a pinch of salt to the water. If you use table salt intend of kosher salt, use even less.
- — Prish on October 18, 2022
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Ugh, you HAVE to rinse your rice. For one, it really does produce a superior end result. For two, rice has a certain amount of naturally occuring arsenic. Seriously everyone, *please* wash your rice!
- — Joy Stewart on September 20, 2022
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I’m curious Joy, are you a classically trained chef?
- — Steven Pensak on June 19, 2023
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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.”
- — Steve on June 20, 2023
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Thank you.
- — Ignatz on July 15, 2023
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Many thanks!
- — Sylvia on March 4, 2024
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Just made this recipe exactly as directed.
Turned out perfect. Thank you- — Sandra on May 26, 2024
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I always keep jasmine rice for an occasional option from basmati rice. It pairs wonderfully with any sort of curry. I never rinse jasmine rice, thus it retains a little sticky quality.
- — Jeffery on July 15, 2022
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thanks! we love jasmine rice, and we don’t usually add the salt, but we do add about a tbsp of olive oil when we cook it in the saucepan like this recipe; in the rice cooker, the rice comes out a bit more dry , [no oil used] but is great for eating with chopsticks!
also, this recipe works great for basmati rice!
- — Marie
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First time I have ever made rice successfully. I followed the directions precisely and in 15 minutes I had perfect Jasmine rice. Thank you I have a love/hate affair with rice. It’s always either gummy or still hard. This was perfect. It’s my go to forever now.
- — Sandy
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Not sure what happened but this rice was so gummy. I followed the instructions exactly and it looked like I made porridge.
- — Ella
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Next time try rinsing it in several changes of water (until the water runs clear); put it into a pot with filtered water and a pinch of kosher salt and bring it to a boil. Reduce to the lowest heat and cook for 12 minutes. You should have perfect rice using this method.
- — Joy Stewart on September 20, 2022
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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!
- — Peter Differ
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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.
- — Carol
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Will these proportions work with brown rice?
- — Marie-Jeanne Fenlon
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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.
- — Jenn
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Thank you, I followed your advice about the water / rice ratio and it worked well.
- — Ben Beuret
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Terrible! It came out a mush! And never add salt!
- — Anon
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Just tried the recipe and use the exact measurements and water did not absorb in 15 minutes 😔
- — Vilma Roca
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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!
- — Jennifer Cripe
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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.
- — Hella
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Hi Hella, Yes, you can double it. The cook time may be slightly different so just keep a close eye on it. Enjoy!
- — Jenn
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The rice turns out perfectly, I just like a bit more salt in the water.
- — Lisa
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Made this today and it was absolutely perfect. I can always count on you, Jenn!
- — Heather
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I usually use a rice maker but didnt have one on hand. I made this recipe in my nonstick saucepan and will only make it this way from now on!
It was moist and fluffy! Thank you for sharing your recipe!- — Kelli Nelson
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Followed this recipe as we were out of minute rice, my brother showed up with more minute rice and it finished cooking in less time than this, it took over 30 mins to absorb the water and was still hard in the middle.
- — Robert Zigler
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As a Yorkshireman I don’t have a clue how to cook rice so I googled it and Jenn’s recipe came up, it turned out spot on and next time I need to cook some jasmine rice I’ll go straight to her recipe! Many thanks, Ken in snowy North Yorkshire
- — Ken Campbell
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My Jasmine rice came out perfectly!! The directions on the bag made the rice sticky and over done. I’m so glad I found this site with the perfect way to cook the rice!! Thank You!
- — Tondelaya
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This is my go to recipe when I cook jasmine rice. I always forget the ratios. It comes out perfect every single time. Only thing I do differently is add star anise to it.
- — S. Lopez
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Ratio is spot on!
- — Linda
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This rice turned out perfectly! I typically use a rice cooker since I am terrible at cooking rice on the stove but I thought I would give it a try. I’m so glad I did. My family could not figure out what I had done differently. They absolutely loved it! Thank you so much for this recipe. I now have confidence in cooking perfect jasmine rice on the stovetop.
- — Denise Lynch
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I just tried the recipe tonight and it turned out great. This is the first time I have added the rice to the boiling water instead of bringing both to a boil (which is what the package usually says). This is the recipe that I am using from now on.
- — Ruth
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I followed the recipe to the letter and the rice came out slushy and horrible
- — Andrew copley
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Thank you to the writer for providing the necessary information
- — Nguyen Song Ngoc Thach
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After reading the mixed reviews for this recipe, I just HAD to see for myself how good or bad it was. I could have really soggy, too salty rice or fluffy and flavorful rice. The suspense was killing me and it was part of the allure of following this recipe exactly. I made sure to measure everything precisely and used my timer as well. The only thing I changed was using sea salt instead of table salt. I think sea salt tastes far better in food than table salt. Perhaps next time I’ll use my Himalayan salt and see what happens.
Anyways, I just want to say that my rice came out PERFECTLY! I was so amazed. I didn’t wash my rice, I added the salt, and the rice came out fluffy with just the right amount of saltiness. Now, I wouldn’t use this for fried rice or anything like that, but on it’s own, it tastes good and you definitely do not need to add soy sauce. Definitely adding this to my list. Thank you, Jennifer! Had this with some orange chicken I made from scratch.
- — IndigoSnake
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Wow! The ratio of water to rice really cooked a
fluffy rice instead of sticky. Thank you for sharing.- — Antonia Scott
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I made this dish using good quality chicken sausages and it was really delicious.
It’s a definite winner in terms of taste as well as its quick and easy preparation and cooking time.
Thanks very much, I’ll be sharing this recipe on 🙂
Christine- — Christine
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Although I did find that it took a bit longer to cook, this is a GREAT recipe for rice. My rice came out moist and tender; also, adding that amount of salt just brings it to a new dimension! Thanks!
- — Cooking in Tucson
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Ummmm, I have no idea what all the negative reviews are about…I am positively TERRIBLE at cooking rice and I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly! I’ve never had rice come out this well…even with a rice cooker. Jenn, your recipes are always winners…thank you so much for sharing them!
- — NavyGirl
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🙂
- — Jenn
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I wish I had snapped a photo, because the rice was perfect! I always rinse the rice well, and rather than wait for the boil, I just added everything to the pot at once, brought to boil, then reduced to simmer. Once simmering, I set timer for 15 minutes. Thank you!
- — Catherine
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To take your Jasmine rice to the next level, use Swanson chicken stock instead of water. I use a simple 2:1 ratio. (2 cups stock, to 1 cup rice.)
- — Artie
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My rice was terribly soggy, swimming in way too much water. I’m not sure if the ratios were off but I followed it exactly, measuring the water and rice. I know I will look for another “recipe” to follow the next time.
- — Maggie
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I wish I had snapped a photo, because the rice was perfect! I always rinse the rice well, and rather than wait for the boil, I just added everything to the pot at once, brought to boil, then reduced to simmer. Once simmering, I set timer for 15 minutes. Thank you!
- — Catherine
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My rice were longer and rounder 🥲 which rice did you use
- — Vasavi
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The rice turned out fine so I will use this ratio going forward but will not add salt. Way too salty
- — Meeta
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Not sure why this doesn’t have 5 stars. I have been using this recipe for a couple months and I love it—no more dried out rice!
- — Abby
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Perfect Jasmine Rice every time. Pairs perfectly with Blackened Tilapia and Roasted Broccoli with Chipotle Butter. 👌
- — Chad
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If by soft you mean soggy. I’m sure this ratio is for someone but with completely soggy rice I’m honestly not sure who. I prefer soft and fluffy but this didn’t yield that for me and I tried three separate times!
- — Katy
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Thank you Jennifer Segal, I followed your recipe directions exactly as printed and it was not mushy. However, it was absolutely perfect and DELICIOUS!!!
FIVE STARS
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- — Betty Gehringer
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