Jollof Rice (Oven Baked) – 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 75 -80 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.
Tips and Notes
- I have tried several cookware for this rice and my recommendation are as follows. Any shallow baking dish would work here , a dutch oven is good too and an Aluminum baking dish.
- Tightly cover the pot or pan , with foil paper or it’s lid . Double foil paper to retain more heat .
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)
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse rice through water. In a half sheet baking pan
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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
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Cover tightly with aluminum foil paper. Double if you can, it helps cook faster
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Gently place in oven and let it cook for about 70 -80 minutes . Carefully remove remove from the oven and check after 70 minutes. Since posting I have retried recipes several times and it works best for my oven after 75 minutes.
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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
How to Make Jollof Rice in the Oven
What if I dont have the can tomato sauce? What is the substitute
You can use a can of crushed tomatoes, however the consistency will not be the same. I would recommend, if you can, to use the can of tomato sauce if you can get your hands on it because it’s a crucial ingredient to this dish 🙂
Hello, I am wondering if I can double the recipe easily? Would everything be doubled except for maybe the salt? Would any directions change other than needing a bigger pan?
Thank you!
Karen
Hello Karen,
Everything should be doubled except the cooking time. You might have to add just a few minutes more, depending on the baking dish. Start checking after 80 minutes .
Hi Imma
.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR RECIPES!!!
Yours is my favourite go to website.
What adjustments would I need to make to prepare Basmati Brown Rice for my jollof.
I believe brown rice basmati takes lokner to cook than the white rice version.
Please help.
I totally spaced out and forgot to add the 1/2 cup oil! It’s already in the oven will it turn out ok still?
Hi Christina. I am sure you would have definitely taken out the rice from the oven by now :). I am guessing the rice was a little on the dry side. Do let me know how it turned out.
We want to make this for 12 people this weekend, so I am guessing we will need to double it (at least). Will I need to adjust cooking times?
Also, I want to use green beans and sliced carrots. Should I put them in with all the other ingredients or wair a bit? (Will they overcook?)
Thank you.
Hi Chuck,
The same amount of cooking time works . I like to sauté the vegetables and throw it in when it’s all done. It is vibrant and colorful this way, also you would ensure that your vegetables are perfectly cooked.
Happy Cooking .
Is it pre-boiled rice or just raw rice, to be used
It’s uncooked and rinsed rice.
This is no Joke.. I made this JRice yesterday and exactly taste like party Rice. Never will i cook jollof rice in a pot n on fire…No..No… I sent this link to all my Foodie Contacts and honestly to learn… and i promise myself to pick a recipe weekly from this site.
I love n enjoy cooking.. but this is another dimension for me.. Thanks for showing me the easy way.. No more burnt rice and scrubbing pots.. Well done.
It tried this yesterday and it came out so well. Because of the rice I was using I only used 3 cups of broth.
Thanks for a quick and easy way to make jollof.
If the shrimp are cooked, add them as you fluff the rice, the residual heat will warm them enough and they will not go rubbery.
I loooooove this recipe! I am watching Parts Unknown and trying to cook one of the dishes cooked in each episode. This has got to be my favorite so far! One thing, the shrimp turned out rubbery in the oven. Is it supposed to be cooked at a different point in the cook? Thanks!
This recipe is a Godsend! Thank you for sharing. My family loves it!
I tweaked it a little bit. Instead of using broth I blended red peppers without water and added it. It came out really yummy.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!!!
Is the rice pre cooked?
No it’s not precooked.
How did u prepare the rice before putting in the oven ? As in was it parboiled?
Hello Franca. No, the rice was not parboiled before putting in the oven. All you need to do is wash the rice. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!
I love your method of making it in the oven. My only issue I had is all of the seasoning was left on top, with cooked rice on the bottom. I mixed added a tiny bit of water and hopefully that will do it. Thanks again!
Hi Imma, what the brandname of your basmati rice? Merci
Hello Laurette,
I use royal . It’s available at Walmart and Costco. I have tried several variety and they work just as well.
Hi! Red onions or white onions in this style of cooking. Im also making gizdodo which calls for onions. Thank you.
Either works just fine.
What type of beef will I is for the Jalloff Rice?
Any beef works .
Ever try making this with a slow cooker…?
No I haven’t .
Could you please explain the cube of chicken boullion – how much water should you use to dissolve it?
And what kind of hot pepper should I use instead of the 1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper ?
Please let me know before cooking
Thank you,
Habenaro pepper
When we were visiting friends in Nigeria, they made us something that they called “stew” and served it with jollof rice. It was a thick tomato sauce and the served it over chicken (or maybe cooked the chicken in it, I am not sure which). (They also said they can do it with beef.) Does this sound familiar to you? If so, do you have a recipe for “stew” that you can suggest? Thanks!
You can check out this recipe here >>> https://www.africanbites.com/beef-stewafrican-style/ Hope it’s what you’re referring, too. Enjoy!
Hi,
I cooked the shrimp with the Jollof. Would it taste the same if I did?
The shrimp might be too rubbery.
How would this work if I substitute the rice for riced cauliflower?
Sorry, I can’t give you an exact proximation, I haven’t tried this with riced cauliflower.
At what point do I add the shrimp to the jollof rice?
You saute it separately and add after you remove from the oven or when serving it.
I am not too crazy about bouillon cubes. What can I add instead?
. About 1-2 teaspoons of creole seasoning would add more flavor to it.
hi! can this be made in a microwave oven instead? can’t wait to try it!
Hi,
Haven’t tried it in a microwave . If you do let me know the outcome .
Thanks
Hello! Tried this recipe for the first time today, followed the instructions and amounts of liquid and Basmati rice. Unfortunately my rice at the bottom of the cooking tray was mushy and the top was raw. I did stir well and used tight tinfoil… I had to finish it on the stove. Flavour was awesome! But rice no good.. what did I do wrong? 🙁
To reduce the mushy rice – reduce the liquid by 1/3 cup especially if using larger chicken thighs they tend to release extra liquid.