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Here’s how to cook jasmine rice that comes out perfectly fluffy! There are a few tricks to cooking this fragrant long grain rice.

How to cook jasmine rice
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Here’s our tried and true method for cooking up a pot of jasmine rice! It’s perfect for serving with Southeast Asian style curries and stir fries. Alex and I are partial to jasmine rice for its mild, buttery flavor and the texture of the grains when cooked. It makes any curry taste like it just came out of a Thai restaurant. Here’s how to cook jasmine rice: a spin on the traditional method that’s faster and more reliable!

How to cook jasmine rice: a tutorial

Here at A Couple Cooks, we 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.

Jasmine rice

Step 1: Rinse the rice.

Place the rice 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.

How to cook white rice

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). Fluffy with a fork and you’re ready to go!

Alternative method: pressure cooker

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.

Jasmine rice in pressure cooker

What’s 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.)

How to cook jasmine rice

How much is a serving size of rice?

If you’re planning to serving sizes of rice, here’s a handy cheat sheet:

  • What’s the water to rice ratio? Use 6 cups of water for every 1 cup dry rice (for the Pasta Method!).
  • 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.

How to use jasmine rice in recipes

Jasmine rice is one of Alex and my favorite varieties: it reminds us of food we ate while traveling in Cambodia and Laos! Here are some ideas on what to pair with jasmine rice:

  • Shrimp Curry This Thai-style shrimp curry it over the top delicious! Featuring silky coconut milk and veggies.
  • Quick Coconut Lentil Curry This coconut lentil curry has it all: it’s 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 sauce that makes them taste irresistible!

This jasmine rice recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

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How to Cook Jasmine Rice


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  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 3 cups 1x
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Description

Here’s how to cook jasmine rice that comes out perfectly fluffy! There are a few tricks to cooking this fragrant long grain rice.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup white jasmine rice
  • 6 cups water
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Thai
  • Diet: Vegan

More rice recipes

Here are all our go-to basic rice recipes :

About the authors

Sonja & Alex

Hi, we’re Alex and Sonja Overhiser, married cookbook authors, food bloggers, and recipe developers. We founded A Couple Cooks to share fresh, seasonal recipes and the joy of cooking! Our recipes are made by two real people and work every time.

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2 Comments

  1. Ron Weaks says:

    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.

    1. Sonja Overhiser says:

      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.