Jollof Rice – This easy, flavorful, and flawlessly cooked African classic dish Jollof rice is simple whether you choose to make it on the stovetop or take the easy way out by putting it all in the oven. With its well-seasoned goodness, including onion, garlic, and tomatoes with some nutritious veggies thrown in, it’s perfect for regular nights or special occasions! The soul-satisfying flavors from thyme, paprika, and a Scotch bonnet round out this dish to perfection.
Jollof rice is a legendary one-pot dish that’s ubiquitous in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Togo, and Sierra Leone. In fact, this is the most popular party food in West Africa and has been gaining momentum elsewhere in East Africa.
Because of its popularity, there have been several debates about its origin. What I know for sure is that it is an amazing one-pot dish, and there is no argument when everyone is shoving it down their throat.
Contents…Recipe Ingredients |
What is Jollof Rice?
Jollof Rice, sometimes called jellof rice, is a classic rice dish cooked in a flavorful tomato-infused broth. With its several regional variations in name and ingredients, there is no absolute right or wrong way to cook this popular African rice recipe.
Jollof Rice Ingredients
I just want to say that jollof rice is great for entertaining, especially if you have picky kids. They always gobble it down.
It is fair to say that this delicious rice dish is pretty easy to make anywhere in the world because the ingredients are easy to find.
Despite its many variations, the most common ingredients in a jollof rice recipe are as follows:
- Rice – The starchy base for our dish, this filling ingredient is generally fragrant and soaks a lot of water. I prefer basmati, but you can use any long-grain rice.
- Onions – This veggie is excellent served fresh with its tangy flavor. However, I personally love it slightly caramelized for a bit of sweetness. Get the perfect cut for this ingredient with this easy-to-follow guide.
- Thyme – A deliciously aromatic herb from the incredible mint family is a delicious addition to just about any savory recipe. Fresh is good, but dried will work, and I have a list of the perfect substitutes if you don’t have thyme at all.
- Garlic – Ah, the wonderful garlic flavor makes this Jollof Rice recipe even better. And here’s my trick for mincing it.
- Paprika – This ingredient adds the fabulous pepper flavor without the heat.
- Tomato Puree or Sauce – The sweet, slightly acidic, and fresh flavors of tomato in a thick mixture is perfect for many starchy dishes.
- Chicken Broth (or water) – Basically, the flavorful water that chicken was simmered in. Not only is it full of flavor, but it’s also filled with healthy fats and collagen.
- Scotch Bonnet or Hot Pepper – My favorite hot pepper is a tear-jerker, but sometimes a good cry is good for ya. 🤣 Most of the time, I put it whole instead of chopping it to get the flavor from its skin and not the seed’s heat.
- Vegetables – Carrots, peas, green beans, and corn are all excellent choices to create a mix of colorful veggies to make it even more vibrant.
How to Cook Easy Jollof Rice
Traditionally, Jollof is cooked on the stovetop. However, that involves a lot of stirring, and sometimes the rice sticks to the pot, making the dish quite unappetizing.
In this blog post, I completely eliminated that problem by making it in the oven with just five minutes of prep time and no constant stirring involved.
But if you want to stick to the traditional method, I’ve also included the stovetop method. Here are the super-easy steps to make this simple dish.
- Rinse the rice – Make sure you clean it thoroughly with just water. Do not parboil!
- Put It All In! Add all the ingredients to the baking dish or pan.
- Cover and Cook – Lastly, cover it with aluminum foil and pop it in the oven.
Is that easy enough for you?
Now, if you are not vegan and want to throw in some meat or protein, by all means, do so.
Simply stir-fry shrimp, beef, or chicken and a medley of vegetables, mix with the rice and serve.
Serving, Storage & Make-Ahead
This dish is best steaming right out of the oven, but you may want to let it cool down for about five minutes before putting it on the table.
Store any leftover jollof rice in the fridge in an airtight container. It should last three or four days easily.
To have it ready ahead of time, make it, then let it cool. Store it the same way you would leftovers. Put it in a baking dish, add a splash of water or chicken broth, cover it, and bake it in a preheated 350℉/177℃ oven for around 20 minutes. Ready!
Tips & Tricks
- People say not to wash your rice because you remove the enriching vitamins. However, you really don’t lose that much, and washing your rice before cooking makes for fluffier rice.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pan for the stovetop version to reduce the chances of your rice burning.
- Let the rice sit covered for about ten minutes after removing it from the heat so that the rice evenly absorbs the remaining moisture. Then fluff your deliciousness with a fork for perfectly fluffy rice.
FAQs
While I made cooking the rice easy-peasy by baking it, the real secret to amazing Jollof rice is taking your time on the sauce, especially caramelizing the onions.
You bet it is! Great food makes you happy, and happiness is healthy. Besides, rice is a healthy carb, and the tomatoes are fabulous.
It happens to the best of us. If there’s liquid still in the pan, just extend the cooking time. If your pan is dry and the rice is still hard, heat up some broth or water and stir it in. You want the liquid you’re adding to be hot so that it doesn’t cool your rice down and take even longer to cook.
What to Serve with Jollof Rice
This delicious rice dish can be served with just about any meat or non-meat recipe that you like. You can start with these few below and then explore other recipes to pair with this lovely dish:
- Chicken Stew (African-style)
- Suya Chicken
- Fried Plantains
- Asun (Spicy Roast Goat)
- Curried Goat Stew
- African Beef Stew
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
More Popular African Recipes You’ll Love
- Egusi Soup
- Eru
- Moin Moin
- Puff Puff (Please also see my list of Puff Puff Recipes)
- Fish Pepper Soup
- Okra Soup
- Maafe
How to Make Jollof Rice
Baked Method
- Prepare the rice and the oven – Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃. Rinse the rice with water and drain.
- Combine and Stir – In a half-sheet pan (approx. 13″x18″x 2½”), combine all ingredients and stir so that everything is fully incorporated. (See photos 1-2)
- Cover and Cook – Cover tightly with aluminum foil paper. Double the foil if you can because it helps cook faster. Gently place in the oven and cook for about 70-80 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and check after 70 minutes. Since posting, I have retried the recipe several times, and it works best for my oven after 75 minutes. (See photo 3)
- Open and Serve – When cooked, remove carefully from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then carefully remove the aluminum paper. Fluff rice with a fork, throw in your add-ins, and mix evenly. Serve hot, but you can let it cool a tad if you prefer. (See photo 4)
Watch How to Make It
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Jollof Rice (Oven and Stovetop Method)
Ingredients
- 3-4 tablespoon (42ml-56ml) vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, diced (red or white onion)
- 2 teaspoon (1.6g) fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon (1g) dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon (8g) garlic, or 2½ teaspoon (9.7g) garlic powder
- 3 cup (591g) rice, long-grain, uncooked rice (I used basmati)
- 1 tablespoon (7g) paprika
- 2 teaspoon (4g) chicken bouillon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 14-ounce can tomato puree or sauce
- 4 cup (1,000ml) chicken broth or water, 5¼ cups for stovetop
- 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, or ¾ teaspoon hot pepper (omit if cooking for kids)
- 1 pound (453.59g) vegetables, peas, carrots, green beans, or corn (optional)
- Parsley, for garnishing
Instructions
Baking Method
- Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃. Rinse the rice with water and drain.
- In a half-sheet pan (approx. 13"x18"x 2½"), combine all ingredients and stir so that everything is fully incorporated.
- Cover tightly with aluminum foil paper. Double the foil if you can because it helps cook faster.
- Gently place in the oven and cook for about 70-80 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and check after 70 minutes. Since posting, I have retried the recipe several times, and it works best for my oven after 75 minutes.
- When cooked, remove carefully from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then carefully remove the aluminum paper. Fluff rice with a fork, throw in your add-ins, and mix evenly. Serve warm.
Stovetop Method
- Rinse rice and drain.
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Next, add onions, thyme, and garlic, cook for about 2 minutes or until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
- Add rice, season with paprika, bouillon, salt, and pepper.
- Cook, stirring often until fragrant, for about 30 seconds, and brown occasionally stirring, for about 2-3 minutes.
- Pour tomatoes sauce, chicken broth, and hot pepper, if any, into the saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, stirring once or twice. Reduce heat to low, cover saucepan, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, for 15-18 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat, let it sit covered for 5 minutes, then fluff rice with a fork or serving spoon. Then throw in sauteed veggies and beef, chicken, and shrimp (if desired) and mix.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Tips & Notes:
- Any shallow baking dish would work here; a Dutch oven and an aluminum baking dish work, too.
- Make sure they have a tight-fitting lid or cover it tightly with aluminum foil, as shown in the video.
- Tightly cover the pot or pan with foil paper or its corresponding lid. Double foil paper to retain more heat.
- If you don’t have a can of tomato sauce in your pantry, you may replace it with a can of crushed tomatoes or tomato puree (thicker than tomato sauce). HOWEVER, the consistency will not be the same.
- If you can, I would recommend using the can of tomato sauce if you can get your hands on it because it’s a crucial ingredient to this dish.
- To double the recipe, double everything EXCEPT the cooking time. Depending on the baking dish, you might have to add just a few more minutes and start checking after 80 minutes.
- If you want to add other vegetables to this dish like green beans and corn, sauté first the vegetables and throw them in when it’s all done. It is vibrant and colorful this way; also, this would ensure that your vegetables are perfectly cooked.
- One of our readers threw in shredded cabbage, carrots, yellow pepper, and green onions into the mix.
- On the other hand, if you want to throw in shrimp, saute them first and add them as you fluff the rice. The residual heat will warm them enough, and they will not go rubbery.
- Ensure your beef or any other meat is cooked before throwing it in the mix.
- The rice was NOT PARBOILED before putting in the oven. All you need to do is RINSE the rice with water.
- I used Royal basmati rice for this recipe, available at Walmart and Costco. I have tried several varieties, and they work just as well.
- If you don’t have basmati rice, you may replace it with white long-grain rice with the same ratio of rice and water.
- As per some of our readers here, you can use brown rice, but that would need a bit more water (I cannot give you the exact measurements because I never tried it), and it will take you two hours since brown rice takes longer to cook.
- Swap habanero pepper for the Scotch bonnet or replace it with ¾ teaspoon hot pepper. Omit if serving it for the kids.
- You may swap bouillon cubes with 1-2 teaspoons of Creole seasoning, which should add more flavor to it.
- When using bouillon cubes instead of the powder, simply dissolve it completely in liquid before adding.
- You may leave out altogether the paprika or swap it with curry. It will slightly alter the taste, but that’s not a bad thing if you love curry.
- You can also cook this in a rice cooker.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used in the recipe.
Lyndsey says
My husband and I tried making this according to the directions, but after an hour the rice came out of the oven just as soupy as when we put it in! We upped the temperature to 400 and put it in for yet another hour, and it turned out fantastic. Any ideas on why it might have needed the extra hour? Thanks!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Lyndsey, this has happened to me too! When I tried to cook in my sisters kitchen. It might be the oven temperature, or the dish was not secured thoroughly. In my case, I use her mini convection oven.I cooked it for another 40 minutes before it was ready. Thanks for the feedback!
Terri says
I cheat! I use a rice cooker and once I mix the tomato paste, etc., the rice loosens up. I made the rice last night, with a couple alterations, and my husband and I really enjoyed it! Altering was necessary because I failed to buy the exact ingredients! Preparing it was a last minute decision. My creativity worked though!! Lol
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Glad it worked out for you. Rice cooker is a really good alternative to oven.
kristin says
I made this tonight and had the exact thing happen! After an hour, I checked it and it was still the same as when I put it in. I turned the oven up to 400 and baked till it was done. It turned out good and we all liked it, but I was worried at first when it didn’t seem to be turning out right. Next time I make it, I’ll start with the higher temp from the get go.
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks of the feedback! The oven really needs to be warm enough to get going.Glad it all worked out for you
Samantha says
Thanks Immaculate for this modification.
I made some on Saturday with brown rice and as expected it took two hours.
I am never making stove top jollof of again as my guests all had seconds!
You never have to worry about rice that isn’t cooked just right and fluffy!
ImmaculateBites says
Samantha, just made some of this jollof rice this weekend, like the fact that you made it healthier by using brown rice. Thanks for the feedback!
Lyn says
I’m going to serve this as a side dish with chicken…which vegetables did you use?
ImmaculateBites says
I usually use peas and carrots or the mixed vegetables combo( peas, carrots, green beans and corn. Let me know how it works for you. Be sure to cover the pan tightly.
Towo says
Can this be done with brown rice? Thank you, great post!
ImmaculateBites says
It can be done. However, I cannot give you the exact measurements because I never tried it. Keep in mind that brown rice needs more cooking time and a little bit more water. Let me know how it works for you if you make it.
Poppy says
I tried this with brown rice and after 60 minutes there was a lot of liquid in the pan. I put it back in the oven for 35 minutes and by that time most of the liquid had absorbed. However when I tasted it the rice was still slightly hard. The taste was good but it seems like for brown rice it has to be in the oven for much longer than 1 hr.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi, thank you so much for taking the time to share this . I definitely know to extend the cooking time when using brown rice
Therese says
Looks good and simple! Quick question, won’t the tomatoes taste acidic if it’s not fried first?
Keep up the good work, enjoy your recipies!
ImmaculateBites says
Therese, they really don’t taste acidic. Try it for yourself. Always good to hear from you.
Flo says
Hi Immaculate ,
My family is originally from Angola ,but I was born in Botswana, due to the dispersion caused by the civil war. My mom jokes with me and calls me an American because I don’t cook African food. When I found your blog I thought maybe if I made a couple of your healthy dishes then I can earn some points…lol.
On a side note, if I use brown basmati rice would the cook time be the same?
thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Flo, you will definitely earn some points with some of the recipes here .
I have not tried this jellof rice with brown rice yet . I would suggest you add maybe about 1/2 more cup of water and increase the cooking time by 10 minutes.Let me know how it works out for you. Thanks for stopping by!
knorah says
This is so great. i tried it he moment i saw it. give me a chance to call u Emma, this is perfect
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks Knorah . Call me Emma anytime- my friends do.
Rose says
Imma i tried this recipe and it came out superb.infact it was really goos. Thanks for the recipe
kelsey says
Rice came out nicely. Very easy to make , no stress ontop of that flavourful and yummy.
kelsey says
Ok thanks. Is there a measurement one can use for coconut rice just in the oven? will appreciate it because my hubby loves coconut rice and if I can do it in the oven only then it will be great.
ImmaculateBites says
Kelsey, mm working on the exact measurement will let you know by the end of the weekend.
kelsey says
Can i use foil pan?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, you can. That is what works best for me.
Brenda says
Just made this recipe on sunday and it came out great! NO MORE stove rice again. Thanks this is a keeper!
ImmaculateBites says
Brenda, I am glad we both feel the same way.
dina says
this sounds like a great way to cook rice and it looks amazing!
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks Dina. You have got to try.
risqat says
I’ll try this but I want to ask if no water is added
ImmaculateBites says
Risqat , you have the option of adding 4 cups water or chicken broth. Let me know how you like it.
Nene says
I’ve never cooked rice in the oven, but this looks so easy and delicious I have to try it.
ImmaculateBites says
Nene, they are really easy to make . No more stovetop jollof rice for me.
ImmaculateBites says
Nene, let me know how you like it.