Okay, this is a pretty big statement to make, but… This Yellow Jasmine Rice is the best rice I’ve ever had.
Yep. The flavor is simply out of this world. The aroma as it cooked almost gave me a high. Plain white rice is dead to me now.
If you follow the blog you’re probably familiar with how much I love jasmine rice. I don’t know how I lived my whole life without knowing about it, but since discovering it a year or two ago, I just can’t stop. It’s incredible. If you haven’t tried jasmine rice yet, go find it NOW.
What is Jasmine Rice?
Jasmine rice is naturally fragrant and has the most wonderfully rich, mellow, and almost nutty flavor. You can find it at most major supermarkets either in the international foods aisle or in the rice section, usually on the bottom shelf. Even Walmart is in the jasmine rice game and is selling Great Value brand jasmine rice. It can be pricy if you buy one of those small specialty brand containers but if you buy an Asian brand (usually in larger bags on the bottom shelf), it can be just as inexpensive as regular rice. Also check bulk bins. Some stores will have jasmine rice (white AND brown) in bulk.
Spice it Up!
Anyway, I decided to kick up the jasmine rice by adding a few spices and something magical happened. The turmeric and cumin added to the rich, nutty flavor of the jasmine rice and the little pinch of cinnamon added just a hint of spicy sweetness… like hitting the cymbals on a drum kit. The first bite was so good, I swear I saw angels.
What Do You Serve with Yellow Rice?
This super flavorful yellow rice makes an excellent side to just about any grilled or roasted meat. I have served it with Chicken Adobo, Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs, and Chimichurri Chicken Kebabs. It also makes a great component to vegetarian meals. I like to pair it with a fried egg and some sautéed greens (see Golden Rice Bowls).
Can I Make This in a Rice Cooker?
Yes! While it does turn out a little better when you sauté the garlic and spices in a skillet first, you can just add all the ingredients to a rice cooker and press “go” when you’re in a pinch!
Yellow Jasmine Rice
Servings 6 cupsIngredients
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.22)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 tsp turmeric ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp cumin ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon ($0.02)
- 2 cups uncooked long grain jasmine rice ($0.96)
- 3 cups chicken broth* ($0.38)
- 1 bay leaf, optional ($0.15)
Instructions
- Add the butter, garlic, turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon to a medium sauce pot. Sauté over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic has softened.
- Add the uncooked rice to the pot. Stir and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes to slightly toast the rice. You may hear a slight popping or crackling noise as the rice toasts.
- Add the chicken broth and bay leaf to the pot. Place a lid on top, increase the heat to high, and bring the pot to a rolling boil. As soon as it reaches a full boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer (with the lid in place) for 20 minutes.
- After letting it simmer for 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest (do not remove the lid) for an additional 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Yellow Jasmine Rice – Step By Step Photos
Add 2 Tbsp butter, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp cumin, and 1/8 tsp cinnamon to a sauce pot.
Sauté the garlic and spices in the butter over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic has softened.
Add 2 cups of uncooked long-grain jasmine rice to the pot. I use this brand, which can be found in 5 lb. bags, usually on the bottom shelf of either the rice aisle, or the Asian section of major grocery stores.
Stir and cook the rice in the butter and spices for about 2 minutes. This will toast the rice and spices giving them a deeper, nuttier flavor. You should hear a popping or crackling noise as the rice toasts.
Add 3 cups of chicken broth to the pot, along with one bay leaf (if using). I use Better Than Bouillon to make my broth because it’s less expensive than buying cans/boxes of broth and way better quality than the little cubes. It also provides all the salt needed to season the rice.
Give everything a good stir, place a lid on top, and increase the heat to high. Bring it up to a full boil then immediately turn the heat down to low. Let it simmer on low (with the lid) for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit undisturbed (do not remove the lid) for another 10 minutes. If you’re using a bay leaf, it will probably have floated up to the top and you can remove it at that point. You’ll also see swashes of spices over the surface.
Fluff the Yellow Jasmine Rice with a fork to redistribute all the spices, then serve!
Not kidding. Best rice I’ve EVER eaten.
Need more help with cooking rice? Check out my guide for How to Cook Rice.
I was amazed at how flavorful this rice was, given the modest amount of seasoning for a large quantity of raw rice. Delicious to the point of almost being addictive!
Pinned! I am so glad I saw this on a gloomy Thursday morning. Perked my interest. I love Jasmine rice. I agree, I will never go back to plain white rice again. Basmati rice is also the BOMB!
I’m so glad I found this recipe. I was tired of plain jasmine rice, the spices were the perfect combination. Instead of broth I just used water though and added a little salt and it was still amazing.
I’ve been craving this rice and can’t wait to try making it myself. Thank you for sharing!
I made this in the rice cooker after the saute/toast step. Worked perfectly. The spices were mild, will probably add more of everything next time .
This rice is excellent. It is the second time I am making it and the areama is so inviting. Thank you for sharing.
I love this rice! I make it all the time. It’s great served with hummus! Thanks for the great recipe.
WOW! This rice …Wow! I wanted some flavorful rice that was easy to make and this was it. Great flavor, great texture. My partner raved about it for days. I did use Better than Bouillon vegetable stock instead of chicken to make it vegetarian.
Best rice that I’ve ever had!!!! This was my first time cooking rice & it turned out perfect. I’m definitely making this again. Yummy! ☺☺☺
I agree it smelled fab while cooking however the complete absence of flavor was not worthy of the effort. My family said they would’ve preferred plain rice since they know not to expect it to have flavor. This beautiful looking rice was a dinner don’t.
So not true… This is a wonderful recipe. Thank you Budget Bytes for all that you do.
The smell of this rice as it cooked was amazing! I changed a few things for our dietary needs since we eat a plant-based diet (vegan “butter” and plain water instead of broth, plus salt) and it still turned out yummy. Thanks for the easy and aromatic recipe.
Just made this. It was a hit. We are Vegan so I changed a few things. It was still so yummy. I used olive oil in place of the butter. I used Roasted Garlic Better Than Bouillon instead of chicken. I also was out of Jasmine rice. Only had basmati. I only used 1/16t cinnamon. Could definitely still taste it, but it was mild.
Forgot to add that I made this in my Instant Pot. Used the ‘saute’ feature to do the browning. Then after I put the water in, I put the lid on, set manually for 3 minutes. Then let the pressure release naturally.
We love this rice. Husband usually use the store brought yellow rice. Since I cooked this no more strore brought. Thank you. I love your website by the way.
I didn’t like the cinnamon either. I might try it again without it. I knew I shouldn’t have added it. Even though it was only 1/8 tsp, it is all I taste.
Family hated the cinnamon in the rice. I’ll leave it out next time. I love having rice with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves as a breakfast with milk like you would have oatmeal. But this just wasn’t working for us.
So you give it a 1 Star when you can simply omit the cinnamon? That’s lame.