Par-boiled, then steamed is the traditional way to cook Steamed Persian Rice, and it takes just 4 ingredients. It’s to go-to side dish to serve with all your favorite Persian stews like Ghormeh sabzi or kabobs like koobideh.

A grey plate full of Persian basmati rice with saffron.

You can make this recipe with or without saffron, though I love the vibrant color the saffron gives. This recipe is similar to tahdig but makes the rice without the crispy bottom. If it’s that crispy, crunchy bottom you want, make this recipe for rice tahdig instead.

🌟Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Simple: This rice has few ingredients and is a great accompaniment to any dish. This rice is usually served with Persian stews like Khoresh e Beh and Ghormeh Sabzi.
  • Easily adaptable: Once you learn how to cook this Persian rice you can easily adapt it to make other Persian rice favorites like Baghali Polo, Adas Polo, and even Tahdig. My spouse’s favorite is Zereshk Polo, made with barberries.
  • Persian staple: I’ve never been to a Persian home or restaurant without a heaped plate of this rice! It goes well with so many dishes and makes me feel at home with every bite.

🧾Ingredients in This Recipe

Basmati rice, salt, saffron, and oil, laid out on a countertop.
  • Basmati rice – Long grain basmati rice. The two brands I always buy are Dunar Elonga Basmati Rice and Royal Authentic Basmati Rice.
  • Oil – use canola or vegetable oil.
  • Saffron (optional) – Saffron can be expensive, so it’s used sparingly.
  • Salt – used to season the rice in the water. You can use table salt, sea salt, etc.

👩‍🍳How to Make This Recipe

Two hands washing rice in a glass bowl in a white sink.
  • Wash the rice with cold water until the water runs clear. Then soak it in cold water until the next step.
A pot of water with rice coming to a boil.
  • Bring 2/3 of a pot of water to boil. Add 3 tablespoons of salt. Then, strain the rice and add it to the pot. Gently stir, bring it back to a boil, then remove the lid to keep it from overflowing.
Pouring rice into a green colander from a metal pot.
  • When al dente, strain. Do not overcook! If salty, rinse with cold water. Shake the colander to remove as much water as possible.
Pouring white rice into a metal pot on a black stove.
  • Add 3 tbsp of oil in a pot. Then gently add the drained rice.

Looking to Make Tahdig?

I have an entire post dedicated to making tahdig because everything from the equipment to small details can make all the difference.

Read More
Pouring oil into a metal pot of rice with holes in the rice.
  • Using the back side of a kitchen utensil, make 6 deep holes in the rice, then put the lid back on. Cook on medium heat, watching it carefully.
A hand holding the lid of a pot wrapped in a grey tea towel.
  • When the lid gets foggy, pour a little oil over the rice – about 3 tbsp. Then put the lid back on and turn the heat to the lowest possible setting.
  • Optional: wrap the lid in a kitchen towel. This helps absorb excess water and keep the rice from getting mushy.

Note: If your pot does not have a glass lid, check for condensation on the top of the lid.

A marble bowl with ground saffron and two ice cubes in it.
  • Cook 20-30 min from when the oil is poured on top.
  • Optional: If using the saffron, now is the time to steep it. Steep the ground saffron by topping it with 2 ice cubes while the rice cooks.

If using saffron, now is the time to add it to about a cup of cooked rice and mix well with a fork. Pour this yellow rice over the rest of the rice in your serving dish.

Not sure if you want to use saffron?

This rice will still be delicious without the saffron but will have a simple flavor. My mom would usually make it without saffron for weekdays, and always with saffron if we were having guests.

🍚 What To Serve with Persian Rice

Here are some of my favorite Persian stews that I enjoy with this rice. And be sure to check out all my Persian recipes here.

I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m up to.

Author: Candice Walker

4-Ingredient Steamed Persian Rice (with or without Saffron)

5 from 11 votes
Print Recipe Save
Par-boiled, then steamed, this rice is the traditional way to cook Persian rice with just 4 ingredients. Serve with all the favorite Persian stews like ghormeh sabzi and kabobs like koobideh. You can make this recipe with or without saffron.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Persian
Diet: Gluten Free, Kosher, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 4
Calories: 315kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups basmati rice you can use as little as 1.5 cups
  • 3 tbsp salt
  • 5 tbsp flavorless oil canola, sunflower seed
  • 1 pinch saffron optional, ground
  • water

Instructions

  • Wash the rice with cold water until the water runs clear. Then soak it in cold water until the next step.
  • Bring ⅔ of a pot of water to boil. Add 3 tablespoons of salt. Then, strain the rice and add it to the pot. Gently stir, bring it back to a boil, then remove the lid to keep it from overflowing.
  • When al dente, strain. Do not overcook! If salty, rinse with cold water. Shake the colander to remove as much water as possible.
  • Add 3 tablespoons of oil in a pot. Then gently add the drained rice.
  • Using the back side of a kitchen utensil, make 6 deep holes in the rice, then put the lid back on. Cook on medium heat, watching it carefully.
    When the lid gets foggy, pour a little oil over the rice – about 3 tbsp. Then put the lid back on and turn the heat to the lowest possible setting.
    Optional: wrap the lid in a kitchen towel. This helps absorb excess water and keep the rice from getting mushy.
  • Cook 20-30 min from when the oil is poured on top.
  • Optional: If using the saffron, now is the time to steep it. Steep the ground saffron by topping it with 2 ice cubes while the rice cooks.
  • If using saffron, now is the time to add it to about a cup of the cooked rice and mix well with a fork. Pour this yellow rice over the rest of the rice in your serving dish.

Video

Notes

Looking for tahdig? Make this recipe.
You want the rice to still have a little bite. Persian rice is never served mushy.
If your pot does not have a glass lid, check for condensation on the top of the lid.
For bright yellow rice, you can use ground saffron. I prefer the threads because the aroma is stronger, even though the rice doesn’t get the classic bright yellow you see in restaurants.
This rice will still be delicious without the saffron, but will have a simple flavor.
This rice will still be delicious without the saffron but will have a simple flavor. My mom would usually make it without saffron for weekdays, and always with saffron if we were having guests.

Nutrition

Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5236mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you try this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a Review to let us know how it came out, if you have a successful substitution or variation, or anything else.

10 Comments

  1. I’m looking forward to trying this. Thank you for posting it. I have a couple of questions:
    Step 6 says to “Cook 20-30 min from when the oil is poured on top.” However, the instruction to pour oil on top is later, at step 8.
    Also, if I wrap the lid in a towel, how will I know when the lid gets foggy as in step 8?
    I appreciate any guidance. Thank you!

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    That was the best and easiest Persian Rice recipe I’ve seen! I tried another one last month, and the rice came about way to greasy. This was so simple to make and my family loved it!

    Reply

    1. The amount isn’t as important since you will be using way more than you need… think about it like filling a pot of water to cook noodles for pasta. So just make sure the pot is about 2/3 full, and you will be OK. Great question!

      Reply
5 from 11 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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