Move over, plain white rice! Shake up your routine by making this fluffy saffron rice. It is an aromatic, floral, and light rice recipe that is transformed into a gorgeous golden hue using bloomed saffron. It’s the ultimate easy-but-fancy side dish that pairs perfectly with any meal!
“Smiles, Rainbows, and Rice! I could survive on that!” – Anthony T. Hicks
Who says rice has to be white all the time!?!?
Whoever says that doesn’t love colorful food!
It’s the reddish-yellow color of this rice that is eye candy and a feast for your taste buds.
It’s a “bridge recipe” because it goes with so many different meals.
🛒 Ingredients for making it
Here is a quick look at the ingredients. It is to understand why these specific ingredients were chosen. To get the full recipe, go to the recipe card below.
- Saffron – It is probably the most expensive spice out there. Saffron is found all around the world with varying degrees of potency. It has anti-inflammatory properties and has been used by many cultures to lower pain and even fever. See citation below.
- Rice – White basmati rice is what I have always used in my recipes. It’s the rice I grew up with, so I use it all the time. Basmati is a very aromatic rice, known for its almost flowery taste. The best part is that it’s very easy to boil this rice. Check out my tips and tricks for cooking the perfect basmati rice. I also show you how to remove excess starch and get separate grains.
- Spices – This recipe has a combination of cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom. These spices have been known to have healing effects for the digestive system, lymphatic system, the immune system, and so much more. See citations below.
🙌 Must-follow tips
- Rinse 3 times – Rice comes in packages, so it tends to be crushed during shipping. That powdery white rice dust ruins the flavor of rice. Those who are pro at eating rice will immediately know if the cook rinsed rice before cooking it.
- “Bloom” the saffron – Saffron, by itself, is inactive. It doesn’t color the rice right out of the bottle. So to activate or bloom it, soak the strands in warm water in a small bowl for about 10 minutes. To make it even more interesting, bloom it in lukewarm ghee (made from butter). This will make the rice look so colorful. To get a vibrant deeper orange color, use extra saffron threads and less water or ghee. I have seen my grandma use a mortar pestle to crush the saffron before blooming it.
- Perform the “mushing” test – The rice should be fully cooked and hot before you add any saffron. This is the only way to ensure that the saffron “stains” the rice. To check if the rice is cooked, use the back of a fork or spoon to gently crush one grain of cooked rice. If it crushes completely, then it’s cooked. If only part of it or none of it is crushed, then the rice is not cooked yet.
🥀 Types of saffron (saffron grades)
Saffron is identified by its grade. Each country has a distinctive color and shape of saffron. The deeper the red color, the more aromatic it is, and consequently, more expensive.
Saffron coming from Persian countries (Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey) is considered to be the best saffron in the world.
Signature Persian saffron is classified into 4 distinct classes
- Sargol (has a delicate flavor)
- Super Negin
- Negin
- Pushal (has the best flavor)
- Kooshe
Use the saffron you can afford. The (Affiliate Link) Afghan grade of saffron is the best saffron in the world, but you will have to sell your limbs to buy it. (Affiliate Link) Spanish saffron is the most common variety and is easily available anywhere. That’s what I used in this recipe.
Source: Golden Saffron, ZaranSaffron, and my own experiences.
🥣 What to serve with saffron rice
This aromatic side dish is a staple for holiday dinners and pairs perfectly with hearty vegetable stews. It pairs well with air fryer roasted vegetables, Roasted whole cauliflower, or a tempeh bowl. Here are a few other recipes that will go well with this rice:
Some Indians don’t eat root vegetables during certain times of the year. For those people, I suggest serving saffron rice with an easy vegetable korma (no onion, no garlic). This is a very hearty meal.
Remember to soak the saffron while you let the rice cook. This way you are saving time and giving saffron time to bloom.
How do you plan to use this saffron rice?
❓ Answering Common Questions
Yes, you can freeze saffron rice. Place it in a freezer-friendly container and freeze it for no more than 30 days. Be sure to keep the rice as flat as possible (no clumps). This will make it easier to defrost it, and it won’t lose its flavor
Yes, saffron rice is vegan by itself. It’s normally cooked in water, so no broth is required. However, some chefs have been known to use chicken broth. My recipe is fully vegan. However, using ghee instead of water to soak the saffron makes it vegetarian.
Check out my complete guide to what vegans eat and don’t eat
Yes, you can use turmeric instead. Turmeric will give it a yellow hue only. It won’t give the rice any aroma or any floral flavors. Add about 1 teaspoon of turmeric to about five tablespoons of water. Use the water to “color” the rice once it has cooked. Turmeric makes it yellow rice, not saffron rice, but it still tastes really good.
Saffron requires time to “bloom”. If you add saffron to the liquid and immediately put it into the rice, you won’t get any benefit. Let the saffron sit in the water for about 10 minutes before adding it to the rice.
Ready to customize your rice? Try adding these in—they really take that golden saffron flavor to the next level:
– Peas
– Vegetables (sauté them or boil them)
– Raisins
– Coconut milk
– Caramelized onions
– Pomegranate seeds
– Brussels Sprouts
🗃️ How to store saffron?
- Store saffron in a clear, glass bottle with a tight lid. I use these bottles, specifically made for storing saffron. Amazon Affiliate Link -> Acrylic capsule storage bottles for saffron storage.
- Place them in the pantry where there is almost no light. Sunlight or light of any kind can degrade the quality.
- Saffron can last a long time, especially the Persian saffron. Ideally, use it up within six months.
🔥 How to reheat saffron rice?
To microwave it, sprinkle a little on the frozen rice (Do NOT thaw it). It should be no more than 1 Tbsp. Make sure your rice is in a microwave-safe container.
About 1 cup of saffron rice takes about 6 minutes to heat in the microwave. Stir at the 3-minute mark to make sure it heats occasionally
My favorite way to reheat this rice has to be the pressure cooker. I highly recommend you use the pressure cooker to heat it.
Thaw the frozen rice just enough to transfer it into a pressure cooker-safe container. Place the container in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker
Cook on high for about 5 minutes. The time will depend on how much rice you have to reheat. Experiment and let me know how long it took you to thaw the rice.
🍚 My favorite rice recipes
- Pineapple fried rice
- Instant Pot fried rice
- Peanut rice
- Spinach rice
- Coconut rice
- Mexican fried rice
- Wild rice with mushrooms
- Broccoli rice casserole
If you don’t like basmati rice, you can use brown rice or long grain rice.
💌 Sharing is caring
Don’t be shy, chime in below in the comments. Please share your thoughts on this Persian-inspired saffron rice recipe. If you enjoyed this, please give it 5 stars and share it on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
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How To Make Saffron Rice
Ingredients
For Cooking the Rice
- 1.5 cup basmati rice
- 7 cup water
- 1/2 tsp Pink Salt Optional
For the dry spices
For the saffron
- 3 Tbsp hot water you can also use melted ghee instead
- 8 strands saffron This doesn't have to be preciese
For Rinsing the Rice
- Water
Instructions
Rinse the rice
- Add rice to a strong bottom pan
- Add about 3 cups of rice to the pan and give it a quick stir
- Drain as much of the water as possible. Doesn't have to be all of it it
- Repeat the above steps 2 more times
Cook the Rice
- Add the 7 cups of water to the rice
- Add the dry spices to the rice + water
- Place rice on medium heat
- Cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the rice has doubled in size
- Test the rice by mushing it. See notes
- Using a sieve, drain the water from the rice
Soak the saffron
- While the rice is cooking, heat the 3 Tbsp water
- Add saffron strands to a glass bowl
- Add the heated water
- Give it a quick stir and set aside
Assemble the recipe
- Place the cooked rice in a pan
- Add the infused saffron water
- Stir well and serve immediately
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Citations
- What to know about saffron
- The Benefits of Saffron for Treating Age-Related Macular Degeneration
- 10 Incredible Saffron Benefits For Your Mind + Body
- Saffron Health Benefits: What Science Says and How to Use It
- 10 Health Benefits of Fall Spices You May Not Have Heard About
- Effects of Cinnamon, Cardamom, Saffron, and Ginger Consumption on Markers of Glycemic Control, Lipid Profile, Oxidative Stress, and Inflammation in Type 2 Diabetes Patients
- 10 Health Benefits of Cardamom, Backed by Science
- Dental Health Benefits of Cloves: Nature’s Little Secret for a Healthier Smile
- What Would Happen If You Chewed ONE Clove Day
- Clove: Health Benefits
- 5 Possible Health Benefits of Cinnamon, According to Science
- 5 Spices with Healthy Benefits
- The Benefits of Cinnamon
- What are the health benefits of cardamom?
- Benefits of Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) and Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) Extracts for Their Applications as Natural Anti-Inflammatory Adjuvants
- Cardamom Helps Prevent Bad Breath, Cavities & Cancer
Hello! I am planning on making this recipe soon to serve alongside some lamb curry- it looks amazing.
One question: I am a little confused about the amount of rice – in the recipe it says only 1.5 cups to 7 cups water, but in the rinsing section it says to use 3 cups and repeat for 3x.
Thanks!
Hello Eric, Thanks for asking. I apologize for the confusion. Here is the breakdown. First, the rice is rinsed and then cooked. So, to rinse the rice, I use 3 cups of water to 1.5cups of rice. I discard most of that 3 cups and repeat the rinsing steps 2 more times. That’s where the 3x rinse comes in. When Cooking, I will add 7 cups of water to 1.5cups of rice. I will cook that rice until it’s about triple its original size. Then, I rinse out the rice completely before adding the saffron mixture. Hope that clears it up. Feel free to ask more questions. Thank you.
The rice came out perfect, and I love the strands of saffron. I was trying to replicate the rice served at our local restaurant and adding those extra spices was perfect. Will be making again.
Thank you, Joanie.
I’ve always wanted to try out this kind of rice! I’ve had it a few times and it’s delicious. I can’t wait to make this recipe now, thank you!
Thank you so much, Bryan.
This is a wonderful side! We loved the combination of flavors and the aroma is fabulous! I highly recommend this recipe!!
Thank you, Deb.
I can’t get my saffron to bloom like this so I am going to try the trick of putting it in my ghee instead! Thanks for the great idea!
Thank you, Jennifer.
Love the color and flavor of this rice! My family loved it! I served with a mojo pork this past weekend. Perfect side dish!
Thank you, Nikki
What a beautiful recipe. I don’t know that much about saffron so this is the perfect post for me! Pinning!
Thank you, Julie
The flavor of this rice from the spices is amazing! I really love the color saffron adds to the rice, This recipe is definitely a winner!
Thank you, Kathy
This rice is so flavorful and turns out perfectly!
Thank you, Lisa
Your saffron rice is beautiful! I see that you have a rice paddle as a recommended product. I use mine all the time. Can’t imagine serving rice without it now. Funny thing, when we bought our house the prior owns left the rice paddle there, so I inherited it from them. I love it & imagine they miss it! LOL I’ll be making your rice & serving it with my rice paddle soon.
Thank you, Debi. Its so funny that you mention rice paddle. Indians use it all the time in our rice recipes. I know male family members who wouldn’t eat rice if it wasn’t served using a rice paddle. Apparently it contributes to the taste, lol? I am happy to hear that you use a rice paddle too. It helps scoop out the rice better than any other utensil.