Learn how to cook PERFECT Indian Basmati Rice Recipe in under 30 minutes! This easy basmati rice uses fragrant spices to create authentic tasting Indian rice. Pair it with roasted vegetables to make a healthy, vegan meal for dinner!
Basmati Rice Recipe
I love Indian food. The problem is that I don’t have much experience with Indian cooking or traditional Indian spices, so I was always a little scared to try making it at home. Instead, I’d order Indian takeout and dream about being able to cook my own flavorful dishes in my kitchen.
Finally, I decided to learn how to make my own Indian Basmati Rice — the perfect side dish for Chickpea Curry, Butter Chicken (my fav), or any of your favorite Indian recipes. And I’m so glad I did!
How authentic is this basmati rice recipe? It tastes just like the fluffy, aromatic rice from our favorite Indian restaurant — Matthew even thought I bought it from there! The best part is how easy it is to make Indian restaurant-style basmati rice at home. You don’t need to be an expert in Indian cooking — even beginners can make this light, fluffy, and perfectly seasoned Indian rice recipe every single time.
How to Cook Basmati Rice
Let’s start with the first step — cooking the rice! To get that perfect basmati rice texture, you’ll want to soak the rice for about 20 minutes before cooking. Simply place the rice in a bowl and cover it with water. This step helps the grains cook up fluffy and separate (and even makes them a little longer once cooked). Trust me on this — soaking your rice makes all the difference, so don’t skip it!
Can you see that just from soaking it for 20 minutes has already made the rice noticeably more fluffy?
How to Make Indian Rice
Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add cinnamon, cumin, cloves and cardamom to oil and stir until all combined.
Add rice to saucepan and stir until completely coated with spices, about 2 minutes.
Add salt and water to saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover with lid and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.
Remove rice from stove, fluff with a fork and serve.
Your kitchen is going to smell like a food lovers dream! Indian food in some of the most fragrant food and this Indian basmati rice is going to smell great!
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Enjoy!
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Easy Indian Basmati Rice
PrintIngredients
- 1 1/2 cup basmati rice
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups water
Instructions
- Place basmati rice in a medium sized bowl, covering it completely with water. Let it sit for 20 minutes, and then drain the rice. Doing this is going to provide the rice a great texture – please don’t skip this step.
- Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add cinnamon, cumin, cloves and cardamom to oil and stir until all combined.
- Add rice to saucepan and stir until completely coated with spices, about 2 minutes.
- Add salt and water to saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover with lid and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove rice from stove, fluff with a fork and serve.
Ben Franklin jr says
It’s 3:33 am and I just made this and a little ginger glazed chicken. Great simple recipe with a few Indian spice staples
Pamela Reed says
Hey Ben, I love middle of the night comments like this! 🙂 So happy you liked this rice!
Benjamin Franklin M says
My wife is sick and hasn’t smelled in a week. This woke her at 7 am as I made it a second time. It’s a new regular side dish here for sure. Thanks soooo much!✌️💚
Georgie Schultz Peschke says
Can you use brown basmati rice?
Nicola Smith says
I have this question as well. We have brown rice at home.
Brian says
That’s what I thought. Thanks!
(That will enable the quantity multiplier to calculate correctly.)
Brian says
In the Indian Basmati Rice recipe, there seems to be a “space” type-O in the cinnamon amount. To clarify, for 6-servings, is it 1/2 tsp or 1 1/2 tsp?
Thanks!
Pamela says
Hi Brian, it’s 1/2 teaspoon.
Catherine says
This was 100% delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe. I made this to go with chicken tikka masala and it was perfect. It was so good my husband kept asking for more rice. He even took my rice I had to go with my tikka masala and I had to get more. This is definitely a keeper!!
Catherine says
Have you made this recipe in a ride cooker? My rice is only good when I use a rice cooker ;). Would you still soak it using a ride cooker?
Catherine says
Thank was supposed to say rice cooker. Thanks autocorrect!
catherine says
I made some in the rice cooker. Turned out perfect!
Devi Prasad says
to make the rice non-sticky and delicious, i recommend to use AMIRA BASMATI RICE.
Nora says
It came out perfect.tastes amazing. I added peas at the very end. Thank you. It was easy and authentic.
Pamela says
Hey Nora, thanks so much for commenting and letting me know you made this recipe. I love the addition of peas!
Diane R. says
This was so simple and absolutely amazing. I added a handful each of cashews and raisins and I couldn’t stop “tasting” it while I made the other dishes. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Caprine Agrotech says
Loved this simple and tasty!
Pamela says
Glad you liked the recipe!