Learn how to cook basmati rice so that it’s light, fluffy and perfect every time! No need to rinse it, drain it, or add any extra ingredients!
Learning to cook basmati rice so that it comes out perfectly every time is an excellent life skill. After all, it’s so versatile and goes brilliantly with so many things!
It’s amazing with a good vegan curry or stir fry and it’s even our favorite rice to stuff into a vegan burrito.
Of course if it comes out mushy or gluey then that can ruin an otherwise great meal.
There’s just a couple of essential things to master and you’ll be a pro at making perfect fluffy, tender basmati rice, anytime.
The most important tip of all, is to get the right ratio of water to rice, which is 1 cup of basmati rice to 1 and ½ cups water.
If you don’t get this ratio right, then nothing else matters. If you DO get the ratio right, then you are well on your way to perfectly cooked rice. It’s as easy as that.
We have a few more tips up our sleeves, but that is the most important.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- 1 ½ cups Water
Ingredient Notes
There is no need to add oil, salt or anything else to your rice while it’s cooking. Once it’s cooked and fluffed up, you can absolutely add salt, fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro or parsley or anything else you please. But you don’t need to cook it with any added flavorings.
How To Make Basmati Rice
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add basmati rice and water to a medium sized saucepan.
- Heat it over medium high heat, uncovered.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, where the edges are bubbling and the surface of the water is white and foamy.
- Place a tight fitting lid on, turn down the heat to medium low.
- Leave it to simmer for 12 minutes. Don’t lift the lid!
- After 12 minutes, remove it from the heat and leave it to rest with the lid on for 10 minutes. Don’t lift the lid during this time.
- After 10 minutes, remove the lid.
- Use a rubber or wooden paddle to fluff the rice.
Tips For Perfect Basmati Rice
Use a big enough pot. When making 1 or 2 cups of rice, it’s fine to make it in a medium saucepan (with a lid). When you’re making 3 or more cups of rice then it’s best to move it to a big pot. There needs to be plenty of space for the rice to expand.
The saucepan or pot must have a tight fitting lid. If the lid is loose then steam will escape and you’ll lose some of the water.
Bring it to the boil before putting the lid on. When you bring the rice to the boil it should be uncovered. As soon as it starts to boil, you add the lid. This results in even cooking because the water reaches the correct temperature before the lid goes on.
Don’t lift the lid once it’s on. Once the lid is on, don’t open it until all the water is absorbed. If you open it too soon, steam will escape and you will get unevenly cooked rice.
Let it rest for 10 minutes. While the rice is resting, it is actually completing the cooking process. This is essential.
Fluff with a rubber or wooden paddle. Don’t fluff it with a fork as that can break the rice.
Basmati Rice Q&A
What about rinsing the rice? There is no need to rinse the rice if you bought your rice in a sealed package from the supermarket. In fact, rinsing it can result in your rice ending up gummy. If you must rinse the rice (for hygienic purposes, if you didn’t buy it in a sealed package from the grocery store) then you can reduce the water in the recipe by 2 tablespoons.
How should basmati rice be stored? Keep your cooked basmati rice stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Can you freeze basmati rice? It freezes really well for up to 3 months. You can freeze it in a freezer safe container. You also don’t need to thaw it! Just reheat it directly from frozen in the microwave. If it’s a bit dry, mix in a splash of water.
Vegan Curries To Serve With Basmati Rice
- Vegan Chana Masala
- Vegan Cauliflower Curry
- Vegan Katsu Curry
- Vegan Tikka Masala
- Vegan Butter Chicken
- Thai Pumpkin Curry
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Basmati Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- 1 ½ cups Water
Instructions
- Add basmati rice and water to a medium sized saucepan. Heat it over medium high heat, uncovered.
- Bring it to a simmer, where the edges are bubbling and the surface of the water is white and foamy.
- Place a tight fitting lid on and turn down the heat to medium low. Leave it to simmer for 12 minutes. Don't lift the lid!
- After 12 minutes, remove it from the heat and leave it to rest with the lid on for 10 minutes. Don't lift the lid during this time.
- After 10 minutes, remove the lid. Use a rubber or wooden paddle to fluff the rice.
Notes
- Flavorings: There is no need to add oil, salt or anything else to your rice while it’s cooking. Once it’s cooked and fluffed up, you can absolutely add salt, fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro or parsley or anything else you please. But you don’t need to cook it with any added flavorings.
- There is no need to rinse the rice – if you bought your rice in a sealed package from the supermarket then there is no need to rinse it. In fact, rinsing it can result in your rice ending up gummy. If you must rinse the rice (for hygienic purposes, if you didn’t buy it in a sealed package from the grocery store) then you can reduce the water in the recipe by 2 tablespoons.
- Storing: Keep your cooked rice stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Freezing: It freezes really well for up to 3 months. You can freeze it in a freezer safe container. You also don’t need to thaw it and can just reheat it directly from frozen in the microwave. If it’s a bit dry, mix in a splash of water.
How can there be only one rating?! This is the best cooking tip/hack I’ve ever used! All those years making gummy rice no matter how hard I tried, dealing with a messy rice cooker in the hopes of Indian restaurant-quality basmati rice–I can’t believe that everything I did for the “perfect” rice (salt; oil; rinsing 25x) just made it worse. You’ll be nervous the first time, expecting to burn the bottom of your pot or undercooked the rice, that’s okay! Trust me, if you follow her directions to the letter, you’ll be making rice as often as you’ve really wanted to! I haven’t bought even one box of frozen rice at Trader Joe’s since discovering this amazing web site a while ago. Thank you!
Yay! So happy to hear Tatum! Thanks so much for your great review!
Can I use this same cooking method with jasmine rice?
Hi Eve, jasmine rice is similar but not exactly the same. The ratio is different, so you would use 1 and 1/4 cups water to 1 cup jasmine rice.