Perfect Stovetop Jasmine Rice (2025)

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Ingredients

• Jasmine rice: It’s a long-grain variety originally from Thailand. It has a fragrant aroma, soft texture, and slightly sweet flavor.
• Water: You can use cold tap water. Remember, use only 1 1/4 cups of water to 1 cup of rice.
• Oil: The oil not only adds flavor to the rice but can also prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan if you let the heat get a little high. I love using coconut oil for more Thai-inspired flavors, but you can also use olive or another neutral oil.
• Salt.

Rinse the rice: Either rinse the rice in a colander under running water or fill a bowl with water and add the rice. Then swish it with your hand, drain the water, and repeat 3-4 times until the water is mostly clear. Make sure to drain the rice well to remove any excess water.

Why rinse rice? Rice contains arsenic and heavy metals, though Thai jasmine rice, in particular, has lower amounts. Rinsing the rice reduces their amounts and removes excess surface starch from the grain, making the cooked rice fluffy.

Cook the rice: Next, add the water, salt, and oil to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and add the rice. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid (ideally, use a see-through lid).

Simmer for 12 minutes over low heat, then remove from the heat, keeping it covered, and allow it to steam for 10 minutes. If you find a little excess water in the pan at the end, quickly replace the lid and allow it to steam for a couple of extra minutes. Optionally, you can place a kitchen towel between the lid and pot to soak up the steam and stop it from condensing and falling back onto the rice.

While sometimes plain rice is what a meal needs, it’s nice to have some quick and simple methods for adding flavor when needed.

• Saute in oil: Saute the jasmine rice in olive or coconut oil for a few minutes before adding it to the water. This deepens the flavor and can add extra flavor without much effort.
• Add garlic: Saute some fresh garlic in the potbefore adding the rice and liquid
• Add more salt: Be liberal when saltingthe water while cooking the rice.
• Use bouillon cubes: Add a stock cube to the water when cooking the rice, or use homemade vegetable stockinstead of water.
• Add butter: Add a knob of butter to the rice after cooking for creamy, buttery results.

Make ahead

To store: Any leftover rice can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, it can be frozen for up to 6 months. I like to portion it into smaller freezer-safe containers and then freeze them.

To reheat: If the rice is frozen, there’s no need to thaw it before reheating. Reheat in a saucepan, adding about 1 Tbsp of water per cup of rice, and gently heat over low-medium until heated through. Alternatively, microwave it for 1-2 minutes, adding about 1 Tbsp of water per cup of rice and lightly covering the container to allow it to steam.

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