How To Cook Jasmine Rice to Preserve Its Full Flavor

Thai jasmine rice is a delicious long-grain rice variety from South East Asia that’s incredibly popular around the world alongside basmati rice. Many people love jasmine rice thanks to its fluffy texture and sweet aroma. You can easily find jasmine rice in any supermarket, and pair it with any meal you want, whether it’s Thai curry, rice pudding, or as a base for fried rice.

You can find jasmine rice in white or brown varieties, with the only difference being that the brown jasmine rice variety still has its outer bran layer intact. Since brown rice has a bran layer, it will be less sticky than white jasmine rice when cooked.  

Despite its popularity though, many people still make mistakes when cooking jasmine rice.

Want to avoid dry rice or mushy rice and make perfectly cooked jasmine rice every time? Whether you cook your jasmine rice on the stovetop or in a rice cooker, Instant Pot, or slow cooker, here are some tips for cooking perfect jasmine rice with different cooking methods.

Soak and Rinse Jasmine Rice

Rinsing jasmine rice, and generally rinsing any rice, before cooking is an essential step to remove the excess starch from the surface of the jasmine rice grains, as this will keep your jasmine rice from getting gummy once cooked. It is important to rinse the rice two to three times until the water is less cloudy and drain with a fine mesh strainer or rice washer.

Soaking after you rinse rice is also important to the cooking process if you want to retain the aroma of the jasmine rice. By soaking, the separate grains will absorb the water, calling for a shorter overall time for cooking rice, making jasmine rice that is fluffy, aromatic, and has a slightly sticky texture.

How to Cook Jasmine Rice in the Rice Cooker

1. Begin by rinsing the jasmine rice to remove excess starch. Rinse the long-grain rice in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear.
2. Add the rinsed rice and water to your rice cooker, using about 1 ½ cups of water for every 1 cup of rice. Add salt to taste.
3. Cook the rice according to the manufacturer’s instructions, for about 25 minutes. Let the rice sit for 10 minutes after cooking.
4. Fluff with a fork or wooden paddle, and serve.

How to Cook Jasmine Rice on the Stove

1. For this stovetop recipe, cook jasmine rice, with a ratio of 1 cup of rice to 1½ cups water, and ½ teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid (preferably a glass lid) and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Stir once, cover, and reduce heat to low. Let the jasmine rice simmer for 18 minutes. Do not lift the tight-fitting lid or stir the jasmine rice at any point during the cooking time as steaming is important for fluffy rice.
3. Remove medium saucepan from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

How to Cook Jasmine Rice in an Instant Pot

1. Add 1 cup of water for every 1 cup of washed rice to the inner pot. Add salt to taste.
2. Close the lid and lock. Switch the steam valve to the sealing position.
3. Using the “manual” button, cook jasmine rice under high pressure for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Once the timer is up, allow the pressure to naturally release and continue to cook rice.
5. Once the float valve has dropped, meaning all the pressure has been released, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork or rice paddle.

What is the Water-to-Rice Ratio for Jasmine Rice?

Measuring cups of water to rice always varies for the types of rice you’re cooking and what you’re cooking your rice in. The water ratio for jasmine rice differs if you’re cooking the rice on the stovetop, rice cooker, and Instant Pot.

If you’re cooking jasmine rice on the stove, you’ll want to use 1 ¼ cups water for every 1 cup of rice. For the rice cooker, use 1 ½ cups water for every 1 cup of jasmine rice. Finally, cooking in an Instant Pot calls for a 1:1 ratio no matter what kind of rice you’re cooking.

Final Note

Get the most out of aromatic grains like jasmine rice by avoiding these common mistakes. To get that fluffy, separated texture that’s perfect for so many different Asian dishes, knowing how to prepare and cook Jasmine rice properly will give you the absolute best results and a perfect pot every time.