Easy, flavorful and perfectly cooked Jollof rice made completely in the in the oven, 5 min prep – no blending or stirring involve.
What more could you wish for? Simply put, the easiest rice you would ever make.
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 has been several debates as to 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.
I just want to say that jollof rice is great for entertaining, especially if you have picky kids. They always go for it.
It is fair to say , this delicious rice dish is a fairly easy to make anywhere in the world because the ingredients are easy to find. However, there is a lot of stirring involve and sometimes the rice would stick to the pot making the dish quite UN appetizing.
Here, I completely eliminated the problem by making it in the oven. Here is how you do it.
Measure all the ingredients throw them in a ½ baking sheet pan. Cover; cook for about a 60 minutes. Let it rest remove cover and voila-Perfectly cooked rice.
Now, if you are not vegan and want to throw in some meat or protein do so by all means. Stir fry shrimp, beef or chicken and medley of vegetables, mix and serve. You have your self a great meal that the whole family would enjoy.
Watch How to Make It
Easy, flavorful and perfectly cooked Jollof rice made completely in the in the oven, 5 min prep – no blending or stirring involve.
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 14 ounce Can tomatoes sauce
- ½ cup cooking oil
- 3 cups rice I used Basmati
- 2 teaspoon Chicken bouillon
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 4 cups chicken broth or water
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme optional
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper or ¾ teaspoon hot pepper omit if cooking for kids
- 1 pound vegetables
- 1 pound beef chicken , shrimp(optional)
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse rice through water. In a half sheet baking pan
-
In a half sheet pan (12-13/16" l. x 10-7/16" w. x 2-1/2”) combine all ingredients and stir so that everything is fully combined
-
Cover tightly with aluminum foil paper.
-
Gently place in oven and let it cook for about an hour.
-
Remove carefully from oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then carefully remove aluminum paper. Fluff rice with a fork and mix evenly. Serve warm
Hi. I don’t have Basmati rice. I only have white long-grain. What would be the cups ratio of water and rice to get same servings
Hi Saurel, same ratio of rice and water .
Hello. My name is Saurel and I’m from Cameroun. I want to prepare jollof rice but I don’t have Basmati rice, I only have white long-grain rice. So to prepare this jollof rice perfectly, what is the exact ratio of cups in need for rice and water. In order to get the same servings
Your recipes are great. I have tried your rice and peas and loved it. So flavorful. I made this today adapting your recipe and others I saw using the oven method and it came out perfect. I did use the blending method for tomatoes, onion, garlic ginger and some bell pepper. Added some allspice, maggi, bay leaf, and curry. The stove method is intimidating for sure. My husband laughed when I told him what I was making. He is a man and has not had any since he was probably a young child or teenager. I’m waiting to see what he thinks of it.
He is Ghanian not he is a man. Talk to text and I didn’t scan to edit it.
Thank you for trying it out, Mea! I hope you both liked it. 🙂
We loved it. So did my mom and our young children. Jamaican beef patties are next. I am a little intimidated about making the crust. Could I use pie crust instead?
Hello,
I made this for dinner and it was amazing!!!! The store I went to did not have basmati rice so I used regular Uncle Ben’s Rice. I paired it with chicken breast smothered in bell pepper, onion, and jalapenos. It was bomb . The rice was so flavorful!!! Looking forward to making more of your recipes!!!
Hello! Glad to hear it worked out well for you. I am SO THRILLED
Hi, whats the skewered meat in the picture with rice? Is there a recipe for that?
Hi Jenni. Here’s the recipe of the skewered chicken >>> https://www.africanbites.com/suyachicken/
Hi Imma thanks for this recipe. I would like to know is the tomato sauce in this recipe same as the sweet tomato ketchup? and is the amount stated in the recipe one and a quarter ounce? Thank you for your response
No it’s not, I used tomato puree . Do not use sweet tomato ketchup. The amount is 14 ounce which is about 396 grams.
I tried the recipe the second time increased oven temperature to 400 degrees for1 1/2 hours it was fantastic the flavor is awesome thank you for the recipe
I also use par boiled rice and washed it
Oh my goodness, Imma this recipe is delicious and foolproof!!!! My boyfriend isn’t a fan of my cooking and is very hard to please in the kitchen (especially as he’s a wonderful cook). However since I’ve started using your recipes he’s pleasantly surprised at my new cooking skills! Following his requests I’ve made this Jollof Rice a total of 3 times in the past week alone!!!! I’ve also made your yummy curried chickpeas which also went down well. On a couple of occasions I’ve added swordfish which actually worked out great. Have also made your banana nut bread too which I took to a friend’s house and she demanded the recipe pronto lol. Your site is amazing and a much needed godsend. I look forward to trying out more recipes in the coming weeks. God bless you x
Aww thank you SO MUCH Cynthia! You’ve really made my morning . So sweet of you to take time out to let me know. Happy Cooking!!!
So this has been around since 2014 and for the past three years I’ve been killing hours cooking jollof rice on my stove? Gotta try this recipe this weekend, but my spouse doesn’t fancy paprika. Can I use curry instead of paprika? I suppose it won’t really change the taste.
You sure can. It would slightly alter the taste. But not that much if you love curry. Or you can leave it out completely. Let me know how it works out for you.
Did it today and it was perfect. My hubby and kids loved it.
I cooked this at 260 degrees Celsius for one hour. I was a little worried at the beginning because I wasn’t sure whether the temperature 350 degrees that you mentioned was in Celsius or Fahrenheit. Plus, the max temp on my oven is 260 degrees Celsius. However, the rice came out perfect and very yummy.
Thanks again.
Oops! My bad . Updated recipe. Glad to hear it worked out well for you. Thank you for taking the time to share this with me .
Can I make this in a rice cooker?
Yes you can.
I would like to make this for my university class when we cover Africa. Can it be made ahead of time? If so, what is the best way to reheat it? Is the chicken raw or cooked when you put it in the pan with the other ingredients? Thank you!
It can be! Reheat in the oven or microwave works as well. The chicken is cooked already before adding to the rice – you can sauté chicken instead of placing in the skewers and roasting . Here is the recipe for the chicken skewers https://www.africanbites.com/suyachicken/
My husband is Nigerian and I’m always on the look out for easy african receipes. This is the one he likes the most!!! Thank you so much! I really wanted to avoid the method of stirring the pot and burnning this rice so this one is perfect! I’ve tried some other receipes from your site and they are lovely. Keep posting please! 🙂
I hear you Audrey! Me no like the stirring too oh! I don’t bother with the stirring method nowadays. Am pleased to hear my recipes have been working out well for you. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know .
This was wonderful! So amazing! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Glad it worked out well for you. Thanks!
Thanks Emma, i tried it and it came out great
Awesome! Thanks for the Feedback!!
I can’t tell you how long it took for me to sit with my Mom and demand that she show me how to make this – and it still doesnt come out as great as hers.
I’m going to try this and see if I have a fighting chance at going toe-to-toe with her!
It will! I do it all the time and turns out great. Be sure to tightly cover it.
Thanks for the tip!!
Can’t wait to try it this weekend.
I just stumbled on your site and I lot what I’m reading and seeing.Please I don’t av a functional baking tray,Is there an alternative?Tnx
Use an oven safe pot with a tight fitting lid. Another great option would be to make it in a rice cooker – works all the time.
Just made this and it had a very good taste!!!!!! Im really happy about it! The only thing is its a little mushy but not too much. I shouldve probably cooked it for maybe 20 more min to absorb the rest of the water. Over all this is a simple great recipe! Can’t wait to try your other recipes!! Your recipes can be trustes lol
Cooking it longer will make it worse. Maybe use less water/broth. What I have noticed is that as the rice rest it becomes drier. Hope this helps
You have 2 teaspoon chicken bouillon. Is that the bouillon cube itself or is it the liquid?
It’s the powder or you can use the cube.
Ok. If I use the cube, should I crush it first and how many should I use?
yes, crush first or completely dissolve in liquid before adding.
Hi, Sorry but I’m still a bit confused about what you mean by a tin of tomato sauce. Do you mean Pasata? Would a tin of chopped tomatoes be just as good? By the way, I made your Puff Puffs and they were delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
I have tried a different variety and they all seem to work just fine. I think Pasata would do just fine. Glad you hear you enjoyed the puff puff
I made this and it has good flavor but did not cook evenly. The basmatic rice on the bottom was pasty and the top rice was hard and I had to cook it for an hour and a half because at the hour mark all the rice was hard. Any suggestions on what I did wrong? I did use fresh veggie like carrots, onions, green beans, red pepper and green pepper, the carrots and onion where semi tender. I did add chicken but I took the meat of the chicken breast bone and partially cooked the chicken and added the breast bones to the dish (I read this will add more flavor). My family loved it except for the hard rice part. I used a metal 9×13 deep cake pan and not the foil pan. Could this have caused the basmatic rice to on top be hard and uncooked? Thank you for any and all suggestions.
Hi Jill, Did you tightly cover it? I feel the addition of the extra ingredients must have been the culprit. Try making it again without the extra ingredients. Thanks!
OMG!!! I just want to say THANK YOU so much for this recipe. I am from the islands(Trinidad) and my husband hails from Nigeria. Let me tell you, jollof seems easy to prepare but is also very tricky. Everytime I cook it, it’s either too mushy, too watery, too clumpy. But your recipe omg your recipe works wonders and miracles. Girl I love you!!! I follows your recipe exactly, only thing I changed was instead of tomato paste I used tomato purée(didn’t have any paste on hand). Omg my jollof came out amazing!!!!! Soft tender separated grains of rice!! My husband was in love!! Best jollof I’ve ever made. Please everyone try this recipe and don’t knock it!! So freaking fast and simple oh my god! Thank you so much!!!
AWESOME! Love you too Mary! I can feel your excitement. Believe me , I felt the same way too the first I made this . Comes out perfect all the time. Happy New Year
I made this recipe tonight and I have to say that it was absolutely delicious, this is the only method I will be using from now on to make my jollof rice. Easy and tasty, what a time saving method. I am Sierra Leonean; so I know what real jollof rice should taste like, I have to say this works, its yummy. For my veggies i used what at hand; shredded cabbage, carrots, yellow pepper and green onions. The tomato sauce is excellent and I like the taste better than using tomato paste. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe with us.
Totally agree with it! It is a great ways of making jollof rice without all the fuss. So glad it turned out exactly the way you like it . Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
My new friend, Taharrios has recommended this recipe to me. I will definitely try the oven method with the traditional ingredients, cabbage, carrots, green onions, etc… Can’t wait to taste it..
His new Canadian friend
Can’t wait to hear how it turned out for you, Louise. Happy cooking!
normally i use roma tomatoes and add tomatoe paste to it for the stew and some spices, since am not going to do any stew should l blend the tomatoes and add the paste to it with my beef together with the rice and put everything in the baking pan and put it in the oven ? l also did your chips i love love love it thanx for the recipe
You should go easy on the tomato paste.Too much tomato paste would be over-powering. Make sure your beef is cooked before throwing it in the mix. Do let me know how it works for you. Thanks
Sounds so easy but am confused.
1. Do I need to prepare the stew separately before pouring it into the the baking bowl?
2. Do I need to water?;
Am just a confused person. Thanks
Hi Eugenia! Sorry to hear you are confused . Let me clarify things for you.
No you do not need to make separate stew, just mix everything together with 4 cups for water or chicken broth.
Place in the oven and tightly covered, depending on your oven, you might have to adjust cooking times. Hope this helps
Hey Immaculate. So for this oven method you don’t blend the canned tomatoes? You just pour everything straight from the can into the baking pan and it comes out perfect?
Also, what type of tomatoes are you using for the rice? Tomato puree? Tomato sauce?Diced Canned Tomatoes? Thanks.
I have all of the above and they do work. However, I prefer tomato puree or tomato sauce.
You’ve got that right , no blending – Super easy way and a crowd pleaser.
I just made this for my family and friends that came over. It was easy, quick and yummy…plus that hour gave me time to do other things around the house. Thanks for sharing your love of cooking!!
This really comes in handy when you are entertaining. Nice to know your family enjoyed it as much as mine.
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!
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!
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
Awesome! Glad it worked out for you. Rice cooker is a really good alternative to oven.
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.
Thanks of the feedback! The oven really needs to be warm enough to get going.Glad it all worked out for you
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!
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!
I’m going to serve this as a side dish with chicken…which vegetables did you use?
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.
Can this be done with brown rice? Thank you, great post!
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.
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.
Hi, thank you so much for taking the time to share this . I definitely know to extend the cooking time when using brown rice
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!
Therese, they really don’t taste acidic. Try it for yourself. Always good to hear from you.
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
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!
This is so great. i tried it he moment i saw it. give me a chance to call u Emma, this is perfect
Thanks Knorah . Call me Emma anytime- my friends do.
Imma i tried this recipe and it came out superb.infact it was really goos. Thanks for the recipe
Rice came out nicely. Very easy to make , no stress ontop of that flavourful and yummy.
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.
Kelsey, mm working on the exact measurement will let you know by the end of the weekend.
Can i use foil pan?
Yes, you can. That is what works best for me.
Just made this recipe on sunday and it came out great! NO MORE stove rice again. Thanks this is a keeper!
Brenda, I am glad we both feel the same way.
this sounds like a great way to cook rice and it looks amazing!
Thanks Dina. You have got to try.
I’ll try this but I want to ask if no water is added
Risqat , you have the option of adding 4 cups water or chicken broth. Let me know how you like it.
I’ve never cooked rice in the oven, but this looks so easy and delicious I have to try it.
Nene, they are really easy to make . No more stovetop jollof rice for me.
Nene, let me know how you like it.