Perfect Jasmine Rice in Rice Cooker
Cooking Perfect Jasmine Rice in Rice Cooker cannot get any easier than this! I got all the tips you need! Take it from an Asian who eats rice every day, sometimes for all three meals.
I'm not kidding. I eat rice almost every single day. We Asians cannot live without our rice. That's what we grew up eating. No self-boosting but I truly think I can cook rice even with blindfolds. It's in my muscle memory and I don't even have to think about the steps. It's not only me; it's the same for many Asians. We grow up eating so much rice, we just naturally learn the process from our elders.
** Amazon affiliate links are included on this page
Tips to cook Perfect Rice every time
Use good quality rice
In my honest opinion, Thai Hom Mali Jasmine rice makes the perfect rice and has the perfect aroma, flavor, and texture when cooked right. Rice that comes from Thailand should have the Thai Hom Mali Rice certification mark. It's a green circle that says Thai Hom Mali Rice, Originated in Thailand, Department of Foreign Trade. Only buy the Jasmine rice with this certification mark as it guarantees the quality.
Rince your Rice
Even if you buy premium quality Jasmine rice, you HAVE to rinse your rice. This is not only to remove impurities but to remove all the excess starch that is coating the rice grains. This starch becomes hydrated, sticky, and mushy when you cook with it. Always wash your rice until most of the starch is washed out. Make sure to drain your water too.
Rice to Water Ratio
The rice-to-water ratio is very important to get the perfect rice texture. Who loves overcooked mushy rice or hard undercooked rice, right?
When you wash rice it absorbs a lot of water too. So the 1 cup of rice: 2 cups water ratio that's written in Western books doesn't work well here. You'll end up with mushy overcooked rice I guarantee. You can use the one-knuckle method that's so popular in Asian culture too, but it doesn't apply well in every scenario. Especially if you use a larger pot to cook a small amount of rice.
What works best for me is 1 cup rice: 1.25 water ratio for softer rice and 1 cup rice: 1 cup water ratio for firm rice specifically for fried rice.
Salt (optional)
I personally like to add a little bit of salt to my rice. For me, it balances out the taste of the other dishes I serve rice with. And the rice doesn't taste bland on its own.
Oil (optional)
Many people add oil to rice but this is optional in my opinion. You can cook very good rice without any oil at all. I don't usually add oil to my rice. But if you're cooking rice for fried rice, then it's good to add a little bit of oil or butter. This helps the rice grains to remain separated.
Rice Cooker Cup vs Standard Cup measurement:
I know this is so confusing. Rice cookers usually come with their own cups and they are not the same as standard US 240ml cups. Usually, 1 rice cooker cup equals 3/4 of a standard cup. So if a rice cooker description says you can cook 3 uncooked rice in it, they mean 3 rice cooker cup measurements (which equals 2.25 standard cups).
And they assume every 1 cup of uncooked rice makes 2 cups of cooked rice. This is not true for many rice varieties. In my experience, 1 cup of uncooked rice yields 2.5 - 3 cups of cooked rice depending on the rice variety.
Jasmine Rice Recipe Video
(Video wouldn't show up when the ad blocker is on)
Rice Cooker I Use:
If you eat rice very often, I 100% recommend getting a rice cooker. It's a game-changer. You don't necessarily need to buy a $200 Zojirushi. I use this less expensive Aroma Rice Cooker and it makes Perfect Jasmine Rice every time I use it. And it has a stainless steel inner pot.
In my 1.2 qt (1.13 liter) rice cooker, I can cook 1 US standard cup of rice in it. Which yields 2.5 cups of cooked rice.
Cooking in Instant Pot:
My 6qt instant pot is my go-to when I cook Jasmine rice in large batches. Please check out this detailed recipe for that.
How to Serve
Rice is best served warm as soon as it is cooked. I love white Jasmine rice with the following recipes
- 1 cup Jasmine Rice
- 1.25 cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Oil (optional) (good to add if you're planning to make fried rice)
Add rice to the removable rice cooker inner pot. Wash Jasmine rice about 3-4 times or until the water is not cloudy. Rub and stir the rice grains with your fingers while washing, it helps to loosen up the excess starch coating the grains. After washing the rice grains should look shinier than before.
Use your hand as a colander and tilt the pot to drain all water from your rice. It's okay if there is a little bit of water left after draining.
Measure and add water to the rice. (1 cup rice: 1.25 cup water ratio). Also, add salt and oil if you prefer.
wipe the bottom of the rice cooker's inner pot if it's wet. Place it in the rice cooker, cover it with the lid, and turn on the cook button.
When the rice cooker is turned off and your rice is done, let it sit for 5 - 10 minutes before serving. Rice grains firm up a little bit as it cools. Gently fluff up the rice with a spoon before serving.
