This saffron Jasmine rice is a fragrant, beautiful, and flavorful side dish when made at home from scratch. The crimson threads of the saffron and onion are highlighted throughout this fluffy golden rice. It adds an extra special touch to your dinner, even though it's about as easy to make as plain, steamed rice.
For more simple rice recipes, try my Pilau rice, curry rice, turmeric rice, tomatoes and rice, or vermicelli rice.
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As long as I have saffron on hand, this rice is one of my go-to side dishes. It compliments just about any main dish and is especially wonderful when paired with poultry, lamb, goat, or seafood!
My family has enjoyed this with smoked lamb, chicken leg quarters, and so much more. It's a hit every single time I make it.
🥘 Ingredients
- Olive Oil - Extra virgin olive oil is used to sautee your onions.
- Onion - Yellow or white onion will both work well. I like my onion extra fine and small cut as both my daughter and I are picky about big chunks of onion.
- Saffron - If you can't find saffron threads at your grocery store, then you can purchase them online.
- Water - You'll need some hot water to soak the saffron threads.
- Jasmine Rice - If you don't have any Jasmine rice, then basmati rice will work.
- Chicken Broth - Cooking your rice in chicken broth is an easy way to upgrade the flavor.
- Salt - Just a small amount of salt.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Saffron Jasmine Rice
This elegant rice is just as easy to make as plain white rice. You will need a cutting board, knife, saucepan, and a mortar and pestle for grinding the saffron.
This recipe makes about 4 servings of rice.
Sauté and Caramelize the Onion
Step 1: Cook the onion. Heat ½ tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat and then add ½ cup (80 grams) of minced onion. Cook the onion for about ten minutes or until translucent and beginning to caramelize.
Grind the Saffron
Step 2: Grind. In the meantime, while the onion is cooking, take the first pinch of saffron threads and grind them in a mortar and pestle (one pinch of about 3 - 4 threads; and if you don't have a spice mortar and pestle, a larger version works just as well for this ) until powdery. Add the second pinch of saffron threads, but do not grind them.
Step 3: Add water. Then add ¼ cup (59 milliliters) of hot water to let the saffron soak in for about 5 minutes while you finish up with the onion and rice.
Combine and Cook the Saffron Rice
Step 4: Add rice. Once the onion is nice and caramelized, add 1 cup (185 grams) of jasmine rice and saute with the onion for about 1 minute.
Step 5: Add saffron. Pour the saffron-infused hot water over the onion and rice mixture, making sure to get all of the saffron out of the mortar.
Step 6: Add broth. Then add 2 cups (473 milliliters) of chicken broth to the large pot and ingredients, stir occasionally and bring the contents to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Allow the saffron jasmine rice to cook on low for 20 minutes or until all of the broth has been absorbed.
Step 7: Serve. Serve immediately while hot.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Brown the onion. You can also cook your onion with the browning in mind for serving. Sauté the thinly sliced onion in a small amount of olive oil or coconut oil, seasoned with a sprinkling of turmeric and paprika for a deeper browned color in your rice!
- Invest in saffron. Saffron is an expensive spice, but you only use a small amount. The higher the quality of the saffron, the more flavorful your rice will be.
- Make it vegan. To make this a vegan dish, you can swap the chicken stock for water.
🙂 😀 Testimonials
I received some saffron as a gift and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it. This recipe turned out so well, I don't even care about the main course I made to go with it. I just want to eat this rice forever. Fortunately, I have plenty of saffron to make more batches in the future. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Breanne
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🥡 Storing & Reheating
Let your rice cool, and then store it in the fridge. I've eaten it up to four days later, and it still tastes great.
I've made double or triple batches and frozen the leftovers, too! Portion the cooled rice into individual storage bags and freeze.
Reheating
Reheat your rice at 300°F (150°C/Gas Mark 2) in a baking dish, with a splash of water, that has been covered with foil.
Read my guide to freezing and reheating rice to learn more.
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📖 Recipe Card
Saffron Jasmine Rice
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
- ½ cup yellow onion (minced, about ½ small yellow onion)
- 2 pinches saffron threads (two portions, 1 pinch each of 3-4 threads)
- ¼ cup hot water (to soak the saffron threads)
- 1 cup Jasmine rice (or basmati, rinsed)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring the ½ tablespoon olive oil to medium heat and add the minced ½ cup yellow onion. Cook the onion for about 10 minutes until translucent and beginning to caramelize.
- While the onion is cooking, grind the first pinch of 2 pinches saffron threads to a powder in a spice mortar and pestle, then add the second pinch but do not grind them. Add ¼ cup hot water to the saffron threads in the mortar and allow them to soak for about 5 minutes.
- While the saffron is soaking and the onion is cooking, rinse your 1 cup Jasmine rice (or basmati) rice and add them to the large pot with the onions once the onions are caramelized. Saute the rice with the cooked onion for about one minute.
- Add the yellow soaked saffron liquid over the top of the rice in the large pot (make sure to get all of the saffron out of the mortar!) then add the 2 cups chicken broth and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring the rice and broth mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes on low or until all of the broth is absorbed.
Nutrition
Ray D says
Excellent! Even my wife loved it, and she otherwise will not eat white rice, ever.
I used Jasmine rice, quarter teaspoon saffron (because that's what a different recipe prescribed for one cup jasmine rice). I also added a pinch each of cardamon and ginger (from a different recipe). I didn't bother to split the saffron into two forms, too complicated and I didn't see the point.
Anonymous says
I doubled the recipe to make it for four people and cut down on the water by a cup. It was plenty moist. I also doubled the saffron strands and it wasn't too much. Still just a lovely subtle saffron flavor.
Breanne says
I received some saffron as a gift and have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it. This recipe turned out so well, I don't even care about the main course I made to go with it. I just want to eat this rice forever. Fortunately, I have plenty of saffron to make more batches in the future. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Catina says
I have only ever seen saffron threads online. In a local store, they are tiny - like hair strands and on Amazon,a good reviewed brand looks to be a bit more substantial when compared to the size of a quarter. Which is best - most appropriately sized for the best results and to meet this recipes requirements? Also, once the 2nd portion has soaked, can I let it dry and reuse or must it be discarded? I appreciate your advice.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
For this recipe, I used the strands that are available (packed within a packet) in a jar from a grocery store. They are indeed fine, hair-like strands and work wonderfully. Also, the little fine pieces of saffron that have broken are perfect for use in your saffron rice.
You can dry your saffron and reuse it, but the resulting flavor in the next dish would be diminished. To best stretch your saffron, dry the saffron in a clean skillet over low heat then crush into pieces. Mix with 1 cup of warm water per each 1/2 teaspoon of the saffron and let the saffron infuse the water then store in a clean jar (or transfer to an ice cube tray and freeze). Each 2 tablespoons or 1 ice cube will equal a pretty generous pinch of saffron.
Hope that helps! And I'd love to see the amazon product you were mentioning too!
Patricia says
Delicious and easy to make! Highly recommend!
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Thank you Patricia! If there is a 'treat' in the world of rice, this fantastic rice is my treat! Glad you enjoyed it too!
James Bergman says
Looks amazing, I don't often use saffron in my cooking. It is an expensive spice and I normally reserve it for a treat at restaurants. In any case, I do love saffron rice and look forward to making it. Thanks for sharing your recipe.