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Air fryer rice

This recipe shows you how to make air fryer rice with basmati and jasmine white long grain rice with the perfect time, temperature and tools.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup Basmati rice, or Jasmine rice
  • 1.25 to 1.5 cup water, room temperature
  • ¼ tsp coarse sea salt
  • 2 tsp olive oil

Tools:

  • 1 cake pan, fits a 6-qt. Air fryer basket. My cake pan size is 7.5-inch height x 3.5-inch wide
  • Foil paper

Instructions

  1. Add uncooked rice to a fine-mesh strainer or a colander. Rinse and wash under running cool water until it runs clear, scrubbing the rice in between your hands several times, about 1 minute. Shake and lightly press to drain. If you prefer not to rinse the rice, go to the next step directly.
  2. Add rice, water, salt, and olive oil to the cake pan. Use 1.25 cup water if the rice is rinsed; use 1.5 cup water if the rice is not rinsed. GIve it a stir and tightly cover it with foil paper. Carefully transfer it to the air fryer basket.
  3. Air fryer at 300 °F (149 °C) for 30 minutes. After that, unplug the air fryer machine but let the rice sit inside of the air fryer basket for 15 minutes before removing the foil paper. Do not peek underneath or remove the foil paper during that time, because the hot steam will continue to cook the rice, and the rice grains will continue to absorb the remaining water.
  4. Carefully remove the cake pan with oven mitten. Fluff the rice with a fork or a rice paddle and serve.

Notes

  • I’ve tested using both hot water and room temperature water to make rice in an air fryer. I do not recommend using hot water to cook the rice as the outer exterior of the rice gets cooked much faster than the center. This results in unevenly cooked rice grains – the outside is mushy and the inside is undercooked.
  • Rice to water ratio for air fryer :
    • 1 cup rinsed basmati or Jasmine rice: 1.25 cup room temperature water
    • 1 cup dry (not rinsed) basmati or Jasmine rice: 1.5 cup room temperature water
  • Reasons to rinse rice before cooking:
    • To clean: If there’s dust or debris, rinsing the rice can help remove it.
    • To de-starch: It helps remove the starch so that the rice grains are less likely to stick to each other.
  • To reheat refrigerated rice in an air fryer: Transfer the refrigerated rice directly into a cake pan (or oven-friendly bakeware) that fits into your air fryer basket, cover it with foil paper, and air fryer at 320F for 5 minutes. Check and stir the rice. If the rice is not heated through, send it back for another 3-4 minutes. If you prefer a softer texture, sprinkle a few drops of water on the rice before air frying.