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Jollof Rice
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Jollof Rice (Oven and Stovetop Method)

This easy, flavorful, and perfectly cooked African classic dish, Jollof (Jellof) rice, is made even simpler by baking it in the oven. It's perfect for regular nights or special occasions!
Course Main, Side
Cuisine African
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 5
Calories 559kcal
Author Imma

Ingredients

  • 3-4 tablespoon (42ml-56ml) vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced (red or white onion)
  • 2 teaspoon (1.6g) fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon (1g) dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon (8g) garlic, or 2½ teaspoon (9.7g) garlic powder
  • 3 cup (591g) rice, long-grain, uncooked rice (I used basmati)
  • 1 tablespoon (7g) paprika
  • 2 teaspoon (4g) chicken bouillon
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 14-ounce can tomato puree or sauce
  • 4 cup (1,000ml) chicken broth or water, 5¼ cups for stovetop
  • 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, or ¾ teaspoon hot pepper (omit if cooking for kids)
  • 1 pound (453.59g) vegetables, peas, carrots, green beans, or corn (optional)
  • Parsley, for garnishing

Instructions

Baking Method

  • Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃. Rinse the rice with water and drain.
  • In a half-sheet pan (approx. 13"x18"x 2½"), combine all ingredients and stir so that everything is fully incorporated.
  • Cover tightly with aluminum foil paper. Double the foil if you can because it helps cook faster.
  • Gently place in the oven and cook for about 70-80 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and check after 70 minutes. Since posting, I have retried the recipe several times, and it works best for my oven after 75 minutes.
  • When cooked, remove carefully from the oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes. Then carefully remove the aluminum paper. Fluff rice with a fork, throw in your add-ins, and mix evenly. Serve warm.

Stovetop Method

  • Rinse rice and drain.
  • Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.
  • Next, add onions, thyme, and garlic, cook for about 2 minutes or until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
  • Add rice, season with paprika, bouillon, salt, and pepper.
  • Cook, stirring often until fragrant, for about 30 seconds, and brown occasionally stirring, for about 2-3 minutes.
  • Pour tomatoes sauce, chicken broth, and hot pepper, if any, into the saucepan.
  • Bring to a boil, stirring once or twice. Reduce heat to low, cover saucepan, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, for 15-18 minutes.
  • Remove pan from heat, let it sit covered for 5 minutes, then fluff rice with a fork or serving spoon. Then throw in sauteed veggies and beef, chicken, and shrimp (if desired) and mix.
  • Garnish with parsley and serve.

Notes

Cookware
I have tried several styles of cookware for this rice, and my recommendation is as follows:
  • Any shallow baking dish would work here; a Dutch oven and an aluminum baking dish work, too. 
  • Make sure they have a tight-fitting lid or cover it tightly with aluminum foil, as shown in the video.
  • Tightly cover the pot or pan with foil paper or its corresponding lid. Double foil paper to retain more heat.
Tomato Sauce Substitute
  • If you don't have a can of tomato sauce in your pantry, you may replace it with a can of crushed tomatoes or tomato puree (thicker than tomato sauce). HOWEVER, the consistency will not be the same.
  • If you can, I would recommend using the can of tomato sauce if you can get your hands on it because it's a crucial ingredient to this dish.
Doubling the Recipe
  • To double the recipe, double everything EXCEPT the cooking time. Depending on the baking dish, you might have to add just a few more minutes and start checking after 80 minutes.
Other Add-ins
  • If you want to add other vegetables to this dish like green beans and corn, sauté first the vegetables and throw them in when it's all done. It is vibrant and colorful this way; also, this would ensure that your vegetables are perfectly cooked.
  • One of our readers threw in shredded cabbage, carrots, yellow pepper, and green onions into the mix.
  • On the other hand, if you want to throw in shrimp, saute them first and add them as you fluff the rice. The residual heat will warm them enough, and they will not go rubbery.
  • Ensure your beef or any other meat is cooked before throwing it in the mix.
Rice
  • The rice was NOT PARBOILED before putting in the oven. All you need to do is RINSE the rice with water.
  • I used Royal basmati rice for this recipe, available at Walmart and Costco. I have tried several varieties, and they work just as well.
  • If you don't have basmati rice, you may replace it with white long-grain rice with the same ratio of rice and water.
  • As per some of our readers here, you can use brown rice, but that would need a bit more water (I cannot give you the exact measurements because I never tried it), and it will take you two hours since brown rice takes longer to cook.
Scotch Bonnet Pepper Substitute
  • Swap habanero pepper for the Scotch bonnet or replace it with ¾ teaspoon hot pepper. Omit if serving it for the kids.
Using Bouillon Cubes
  • You may swap bouillon cubes with 1-2 teaspoons of Creole seasoning, which should add more flavor to it.
  • When using bouillon cubes instead of the powder, simply dissolve it completely in liquid before adding.
Paprika Substitute
  • You may leave out altogether the paprika or swap it with curry. It will slightly alter the taste, but that's not a bad thing if you love curry.
Other Notes
  • You can also cook this in a rice cooker.
  • Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 175g | Calories: 559kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 1443mg | Potassium: 642mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 5685IU | Vitamin C: 19.9mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 3.1mg