Learn how to make the perfect Jeera Rice or Cumin Rice. A quick and simple rice preparation, mildly flavored with spices, packed with aroma and each grain is separate. Serve it with any Indian curry or meal and you won't be disappointed at all.

What is Jeera Rice?

Jeera rice, also known as Cumin Rice is an everyday rice preparation in Indian homes that goes perfectly with curries or meals. Jeera is an aromatic spice used in Indian cuisine. It has a unique flavor and aroma. You've probably had it at an Indian restaurant at some point. It is a super simple preparation where is rice is toasted and cooked with spices like cumin, cardamom and bay leaves. The rich aroma is sure to work up an appetite.

Although it's a simple preparation but the tricky part of the recipe is to get the perfectly al-dente rice where each grain is separate. It's important the rice is not under cooked or over cooked or greasy. I can't emphasize enough how perfection is important when it comes to Jeera Rice.

Why you will love this Jeera Rice Recipe?

• It is a one pot recipe, no fancy ingredients or instructions.
• It's yum and pairs perfectly with any Indian meal or curry.
• Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free.
• We have mastered the art of cooking it to perfection and sharing our tips and tricks with you.
• No soaking required.
• This is a fail proof recipe. No burn, sticky bottom, Under-cooked rice or gummy rice. 
• This recipe has been tried an tested by us and several of our readers from it's master post 'No Burn Instant Pot Basmati Rice '. Since a lot of you specifically asked for Jeera rice, we decided to have a separate post for it.

Jeera Rice Ingredients

• Basmati rice - A good quality white basmati rice that has been aged. Although this recipe has been tested with several brands of basmati rice, our favorite brands are Royal Basmati (available at Costco or Amazon) or Daawat or Tilda. 
• Jeera aka cumin seeds
• Green cardamom pods
• Bay leaves
• Cloves (optional)
• Fat - ghee or oil to toast the rice.
• Water

What is the rice to water ratio to make Jeera Rice?

Depending on how you plan to make Jeera Rice the rice to water ratio is different.

• Instant Pot rice to water ratio
  • 1: 1 rice to water ratio
  • 6 minutes high pressure
  • 10 minutes natural pressure release
• Stove top pressure cooker rice to water ratio
  • 1:1 rice to water ratio
  • 3 minutes high pressure, turn off gas in 3 minutes before any whistles.
• Stove top Pan
  • 1:2 rice to water ratio
  • cover lid and cook on medium heat until all water is absorbed. 

How to make Jeera Rice in Instant Pot?

Step 1: Prepare the ingredients -  Gather the ingredients. Rinse the rice thoroughly atleast 4-5 times to get rid of the starch. Drain the water completely. Try to add all the spices from the ingredient list above to bring out the best flavors but if you don't have them all handy, you can add whatever spices you have handy. 

Step 2: Temper the spices - Using the saute function, heat oil in the pot. Throw in the cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom pods and a bay leaf. Stir for 30 seconds.

Step 3: Toast the rice - Now throw in the washed rice and toast the rice grains in the oil for a minute. Add the water and gently stir scrapping of the bottom of the pot for any rice grains that might have been stuck during toasting.

Step 4: Pressure cook  - Close the lid, seal the vent and pressure cook on high for 6 minutes followed by a natural pressure release. It takes about 10 minutes for the pressure to build. 

Step 5 : Garnish and serve - Open the lid carefully. Fluff the rice with a fork. Garnish with fresh cilantro or a lemon wedge if you like and serve with a curry or Indian meal.  

New to Instant Pot?

Check out our Easy Instant Pot Recipes for Beginners plus 15+ of our favorite tips and tricks to making Instant Pot cooking easy for you. Worried about Burn, read our post on Instant Pot says Burn Message. What is it, what it means, why you get it and how to avoid it?

If you are looking for more Instant pot rice recipes, you can find them here. 

If you don’t have an Instant Pot or an electric pressure cooker yet, we highly encourage you to read our post ‘Is the Instant Pot worth it?‘ and decide of yourself if you should get one

How to make Jeera Rice on Stove Top Pressure Cooker?

Follow steps 1 to 3 from above.  Once you close the lid of the stove top pressure cooker, cook the rice on medium heat for 3 minutes. It takes about 2.5 minutes for cooker to come to pressure. Turn off the heat after 3 minutes and allow the pressure to naturally release. There will be no whistles in 3 minutes. Once the pressure releases follow step 5 from above.

How to make Jeera Rice on a Stove Top Pan?

Follow steps 1 to 3 from above.  Cover the pan with a lid and cook rice on low heat until all the water is absorbed by the rice. Once the rice is cooked follow step 5 from above.

Tips to make the best Jeera Rice ever

• Quality of the rice   - a good quality basmati rice that has been aged for 2 years at least.
• Wash the rice thoroughly - this helps remove the starch and thus no gummy noodles.
• Toast the rice - this is an important step if you want each grain to be separate. 
• Rice to water ratio - depending on what method you choose to cook follow the rice to water ratio accordingly
• Natural pressure release - patience is the key here. Allowing the pressure to naturally release allows the rice to cook to the perfect consistency.

How to avoid the 'Burn Message' when cooking rice in the Instant Pot?

We have a whole post dedicated to the 'Instant Pot says Burn Message', do check it out after this post. We have explained in detail, what is the burn message, why you get it and how to avoid it. 

However a quick tip to avoid burning the rice when cooking in an Instant pot is to to make sure you toast the rice well. Follow the right rice to water ratio and when you close the lid make sure the vent is on seal and not on venting or else it will release all the steam being built inside.

Which is the best rice to make Jeera Rice?

Our favorite brands are Royal Basmati (available at Costco or Amazon) or Daawat or Tilda

Can I double to triple this Jeera Rice recipe? Do I need to adjust anything?

Yes you can easily double or triple the recipe. You don't need to adjust the time settings, however the rice to water ratio will double or triple too.

Can I make this Jeera Rice recipe using the Pot in Pot technique in my Instant Pot?

If you would like to use the pot in pot technique to make Jeera Rice while cooking something like dal in the pot. I would just simply cook plain basmati rice in the pot. As you won;t be able to temper the spices in a pot in pot method. So the best way is to cook the plain basmati rice in the pot and when the rice cools just temper it separately with the cumin seeds and spices. That is what the restaurants do. 

Rice Button or Pressure Cook, when using the Instant Pot?

Honestly we prefer using the pressure cook button than the rice button.

What to pair with Jeera Rice?

Feel free to pair it with any Indian meal as a side or any curry like

• Yellow Dal Tadka
• Chana Masala
• Dal Makhani
• Green Mung Dal
• Aloo Matar
• Tikka Masala
• Brown Lentil Curry
• Mushroom Masala
• Punjabi Kadi
• Kale Saag Paneer
• Methi Malai Matar

You can find more Indian recipes here.

WHEN YOU TRY THIS RECIPE

Don’t forget to take a picture and send it our way. You can tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind

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