Air fryer rice

Air fryer rice is a simple, hands-off kitchen staple that ties any meal together. Using just three ingredients, this air fryer recipe delivers perfectly fluffy rice—never mushy—every time. As an Asian, I’m very picky about the texture of rice. I’m pretty impressed with this method!

Ingredients

If you’ve been wondering “Can you make rice in an air fryer?” the answer is YES! Cooking rice in air fryer is the easiest and most hands-off method for making perfect, fluffy rice. It requires very few ingredients, and clean-up is a breeze. Here’s what you need to make this simple airfryer rice:

• Basmati rice: Or Jasmine rice. Long grain rice varieties have less starch so they work the best in the dry heat cooking of the air fryer.
• Water, coarse sea salt, olive oil

Tools:

• Cake pan: Or any oven-friendly cookware that can fit inside the air fryer basket.
• Tin foil: Putting a sheet of tin foil overtop of the air fryer basket is what allows the rice to steam properly.

How to cook rice in air fryer

Air frying rice is a hands-free and foolproof method for cooking rice. This section includes all you need to know about how long to cook rice in air fryer, from rinsing your rice, cook time and temperature, and water-to-rice ratio.

1. Rinse and drain: Rinse uncooked rice in a fine-mesh strainer or a colander in cool water until it runs clear (about 1 minute). Shake and lightly press to drain.
2. Season and add water: 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. Tightly cover it with foil paper.
3. Air fry time and temperature: Air fry at 300 °F (149 °C) for 30 minutes. Turn the unit off and let the rice steam inside the air fryer basket for 15 minutes before removing the foil paper.
4. Fluff and serve: Carefully remove the cake pan with oven mitts. Fluff the rice with a fork or a rice paddle and serve.

How to reheat rice in air fryer

Refrigerated (cooked) rice should not sit at room temperature because the spores in the rice can grow into harmful bacteria. I prefer reheating rice in air fryer, following these simple instructions:

1. Transfer and cover rice: Put the refrigerated rice directly into a cake pan or oven-friendly bakeware), cover it with foil, and
2. Add water (optional): If you prefer a softer texture, sprinkle a few drops of water to the rice before air frying.
3. Air fry: Heat the rice at 320F for 5 minutes. Check and stir the rice, adding time as needed until it’s heated throughout.

To reheat frozen rice in an air fryer, break the frozen rice into chunks, place it in a cake pan, and cover with foil. Air fry at 320F for 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring as needed.

Air fryer rice

Print Recipe

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.

• Author: Julia
• Prep Time: 3 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 33 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Side Dish
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 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.