Looking for a delicious and easy-to-make side dish? Jeera rice, also known as cumin rice, is a popular Indian rice that is sure to please everyone at your table!
This delicious Indian-style rice is prepared with a few simple ingredients, and it's perfect for any occasion.
We'll be sharing our favourite recipe, substitutions, tips, and tricks for making this rice below.
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Jeera rice is naturally gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan friendly and can be made in just 30 minutes!
History
Jeera rice is a popular dish in India that has been enjoyed for centuries.
Basmati rice, cooked with whole cumin seeds for good health. Cumin seeds also gives the dish its signature flavour and aroma.
Also known as cumin rice or Zeera rice, it can be found on the menus of many Indian restaurants.
Equipment
Noting fancy is needed to make jeera rice with our one-pot method.
Just a simple lidded saucepan and a wooden spoon. Oh, and a fork to fluff rice!
Cooked in the same with as our plain basmati rice recipe but a more flavorful rice.
Ingredients
This fragrant flavoured white rice is made with just a few simple ingredients and is ready to serve in under 30 minutes.
Cumin Seeds
This rice dish gets its unique flavour from cumin, a spice widely used in Indian diet.
Cumin is known for its earthy taste and aroma.
It's preferable to use whole spices, so use whole cumin seeds rather than ground spices (cumin powder) for this dish.
You will need to heat ghee or oil over medium heat before adding the cumin seeds, then gently fry for one minute. Once the cumin seeds start spluttering, they release the flavours.
Oil
Use ghee or oil when making jeera rice. We use vegetable oil in a large lidded saucepan heated over medium high heat.
Basmati Rice
Jeera Rice is typically made with basmati rice, but other types of plain rice will work. Such as Jasmine rice or long-grain rice.
If using brown rice or brown basmati rice, the cooking time will be longer.
For perfect jeera rice, it is best to soak the rice or rinse rice first.
Water
The water to rice ratio is important when making any rice dish. More details for rice-to-water ratios can be found below.
Optional Extras
You can pick and choose any or all of the below whole spices to add extra flavour when you make jeera rice.
Curry Leaves or Bay Leaf
We like to add a couple of curry leaves (or a bay leaf) to the pot for extra flavour.
Cardamom Pods
These add a lovely aromatic flavour to the jeera rice recipe. You can use black or green cardamom pods.
Remember to remove them from the rice. They are only there to flavour the dish and taste bitter if eaten.
Cinnamon Stick
Adding a cinnamon stick is another way to add fragrant spices to this Indian cumin rice recipe.
Green Chilli
In our Jeera rice recipe, we like to add a little spice with some green chillies. You can adjust the amount of green chili used to suit your taste.
Cut a slit lengthways down the green chili, so they release their flavour into the rice but don't make it too spicy.
Coriander Leaves
Coriander leaves (cilantro) are added at the end of cooking and make a nice garnish to the cooked rice.
Simple measurement for rice to water
Always use cold water to start as the time it takes to reach the boil is included in the cooking times.
We give you both UK measures in grams and meals or for our US readers how many cups of water to rice.
UK - rice: water - grams: ml
1 person - 100 grams rice: 250 ml water
2 people - 200 grams rice: 375 ml water
4 people - 400 grams rice: 625 ml water
6 people - 600 grams rice: 875 ml water
US rice in cups: Cups of water
1 person - ½ cup rice - 1 cup water
2 people - 1 cup rice - 1 ½ cups water
4 people - 2 cups rice - 2 ½ cups water
6 people - 3 cups rice - 3 ½ cups water
Remember to adjust other flavourings to suit the amount of rice made.
Soaking rice
Soak the rice or washing rice before cooking is important for several reasons.
First, rinsing rice removes any impurities or contaminants that may be on the surface of the grains.
Second, rinsed rice helps to remove excess starch, for perfectly fluffy, nonsticky rice. Goodbye, clumped-together rice grains.
Third, soaking rice allows the rice grains to fully absorb water, resulting in more evenly cooked and fluffy rice.
How to wash rice?
It's quite simple. Soak rice in cold water, drain and repeat a few times until the water runs clear.
Transfer soaked rice in a fine sieve to drain off any excess water from the washed rice, and then cook the rice according to your recipe. Easy peasy!
Cooking Cumin Rice
When we make jeera rice, we use a simple absorption method which will give you perfectly cooked rice grains every time.
Once you've rinsed and drained, add rice to the gently fried cumin seeds a saucepan with the required water (see measurements above).
Bring to a boil, a rolling boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low and put a lid on the saucepan.
Simmer for the allotted time - it is important you do not take the lid off let the rice rest as the steam will continue to cook as the excess liquid will soak into each rice grain.
Remove the whole spices and green chili (leave the cumin seeds in) and fluff up the rice grains using a fork.
📖 Step by Step Recipe
Jeera Rice - Indian Cumin Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 1 tablespoon Cumin Seeds
- 400 grams Rice (2 cups) wash the rice through a sieve before cooking.
- 625 ml Cold Water (2 ½ cup)
Optional Extras (use what you like of the below to add extra flavour to this Jeera Rice Recipe)
- 2 curry leaves
- 3 cardamom pods
- cinnamon stick
- 1 green chilli
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Coriander Leaves chopped to serve
Instructions
- Fry cumin seeds in oil for 1 min½ tablespoon Vegetable Oil, 1 tablespoon Cumin Seeds
- Add washed rice and stir into the oil and cumin seeds400 grams Rice (2 cups)
- Add cold water and any of the optional flavourings.If using green chilli, cut a slit lengthways in it to allow the heat to seep out.Turn on maximum heat. Bring the rice and water to the boil.625 ml Cold Water (2 ½ cup), 2 curry leaves, 3 cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, 1 green chilli
- Turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Place a lid on the pan and cook for 10 minutes.
- LEAVE LID ON. Turn heat off, and time for another 10 minutes to finish cooking in the steam. Remove the optional flavourings which will have floated to the top.
- Fluff the rice with a fork.
- Serve with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.1 tablespoon Fresh Coriander Leaves
Video
Notes
Measurement for rice to water
UK - rice: water - grams: ml1 person - 100 grams rice: 250 ml water
2 people - 200 grams rice: 375 ml water
4 people - 400 grams rice: 625 ml water
6 people - 600 grams rice: 875 ml water US rice: water in cups
1 person - ½ cup rice - 1 cup water
2 people - 1 cup rice - 1 ½ cups water
4 people - 2 cups rice - 2 ½ cups water
6 people - 3 cups rice - 3 ½ cups water Remember to adjust other flavourings to suit the amount of rice made.
Nutrition
Serving suggestions
This Indian cumin rice recipe goes well with many different types of Indian dish.
Serve hot sprinkled with chopped cilantro with our Indian vegetarian recipes brinjal bhaji or paneer curry, mango chutney and mint yoghurt for a hearty and satisfying meal.
Jeera rice will taste delicious as a side dish with chicken, beef, lamb or vegetables.
Fragrant Jeera rice is also delicious on its own, and it makes a great base for other toppings like vegetables or grilled meats.
No matter how you serve it, this restaurant-style Jeera rice recipe is sure to please everyone at your table and is certainly more impressive than plain basmati rice!
Storage
Leftover rice can be stored in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
It is important to refrigerate cooked rice within one hour to prevent food poisoning.
Jeera Rice is best served fresh but can be reheated successfully.
When reheating, make sure that the rice is steaming hot all the way through before serving.
Reheat Jeera Rice in a saucepan with a little water over low heat until piping hot throughout.
Or microwave in 30-second intervals until piping hot throughout.
Alternatively, make a fried rice dish adding meat and frozen peas and serve it as a main meal.
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We hope you enjoyed this perfect Jeera Rice recipe, don't forget to share our recipe with your friends and family on social media.
Let us know what other spices you like adding to rice?
Meredith
There's an error in the conversion from ml to cups watermin step 3. 625ml is equivalent to 2.5 cups, not 4.25 cups.
Kay
Thank you for pointing this out Meredith, not sure what happened there, but it now has been changed 🙂
Savita
The rice looks so so amazing! Perfect for my Indian dinner night
Kay
Thank you so much, Savita 🙂
I hope you like our Jeera rice recipe, and makes your Indian dinner night great 😉