Saffron Rice Recipe (Indian Style)

Saffron Rice is a fragrant rice dish made by cooking rice with saffron strands, spices, herbs and ghee. The saffron gives the rice a light yellow color and a subtle floral aroma. It can be made with plain rice, basmati rice, or other long-grained rice, using water or stock. Saffron Rice is usually served as a side dish with curries, lentils, or festive dishes.

About This Saffron Rice

Saffron Rice, also known as yellow rice, is a fragrant and mildly flavored rice dish that pairs well with curries, lentils, and saucy vegetable dishes. The rice has a gentle aroma and subtle spice notes without being spicy or overpowering.

This North Indian–style Saffron Rice is simple to make and works well for everyday meals as well as festive occasions. It is cooked with basmati rice, saffron strands, and a few whole spices, which give the dish its characteristic aroma.

Saffron, known as kesar in Hindi, gives the rice its natural yellow color. In this recipe, the saffron strands are lightly crushed and added while cooking, which tints the rice a soft golden shade. Because of this color, Saffron Rice is often referred to as yellow rice.

Apart from saffron, whole spices like cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf, and mace are added to enhance the aroma. These spices flavor the rice gently and complement Indian curries without overpowering them.

Saffron Rice is naturally gluten-free and can easily be made vegan by using oil instead of ghee. Only a small quantity of saffron is needed, yet it adds a distinct aroma and color to the dish.

This rice dish is commonly served with Indian gravies such as Rajma Masala, Paneer Butter Masala, vegetable curries like Palak Paneer and Malai Kofta.

You can also pair it with North Indian dishes like Kadhi Pakora, or lentil dishes like Dal Fry and Dal Tadka.

Explore More Indian Rice Recipes

• Ghee Rice
• Jeera Rice
• Masala Rice
• Indian Butter Rice

How to make Saffron Rice

Preparation

1. First, measure out all of your ingredients and have them ready to go.

2. Rinse 1.5 cups basmati rice 3 to 4 times in water, or until the water runs clear of the starch.

3. Place the rice in a large container and add enough water to cover. Soak the rice for 20 to 30 minutes.

4. After 20 to 30 minutes drain the water from the rice, and set the rice aside.

5. Meanwhile, crush 2 to 3 pinches of saffron strands into a fine or semi-fine powder.

The pinch here is not the chef’s pinch but a pinch between your thumb and index finger. You can crush saffron with your fingers or in a mortar-pestle.

Sauté Spices, Rice & Saffron

6. Heat 3 tablespoons of ghee or oil in a deep pan or pot. Keep heat to a low and add all of the following spices listed below:

• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (shahi jeera)
• 2 to 3 green cardamoms
• 1 tej patta (Indian bay leaf)
• 1.5 inches cinnamon stick
• 2 to 3 cloves
• 1 thin strand of mace.

(Side note: if you are wondering why the tej patta is green in the photo – it is fresh leaf from the balcony garden.)

7. Fry the spices in the hot oil for some seconds or until fragrant. Let them crackle but take care to not let them burn.

8. Now add the soaked and drained rice.

9. On low to medium-low heat, stir for 1 to 2 minutes very well but gently, so that the ghee completely coats the rice grains.

10. Add the crushed saffron to the rice.

11. Add a pinch of turmeric powder now, if you plan to add it for extra color.

12. Stir and mix well but gently.

Make Saffron Rice

13. Add 3 cups of water or as required to the pan or pot. The water should cover the rice by an inch, so add a splash more or so of water if needed.

14. Sprinkle in salt to taste. The water should taste slightly salty.

15. Bring the water to a gentle simmer on low heat. Cover the pan tightly and let the rice cook until the grains separate and absorb all the water.

You should see small steam holes on the surface of the rice when it is done.

16. Lift the lid and check the saffron rice a couple of times while it cooks, but do not stir.

If it looks like the water is simmering off too quickly, and more water 1 tablespoon at a time.

17. Be careful not to overcook the rice. The grains should be cooked through, separate, and still hold their shape.

Once the rice is just cooked, remove the pot from the heat and fluff the saffron rice with a fork.

18. Garnish the Saffron Rice with coriander or mint leaves, and serve with any lentil dish like Chana Dal or Dal Bukhara or Indian curry recipes like Matar Paneer or Mushroom Masala or Veg Handi or Paneer Tikka Masala.

Dassana’s Recipe Tips

1. Variety of rice: My personal choice of rice variety for this recipe is basmati rice. But you can also make it with any non-sticky rice variety.
2. Cooking of rice grains: Make sure the rice grains are well cooked, with each grain holding its shape and not turning mushy.
3. Cook in Instant Pot: To prepare this dish in an Instant Pot, use the sauté function for sautéing the spices and rice in ghee. Then, add the crushed saffron, turmeric powder and mix lightly, with gentle hands. Add 2.25 cups water and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Finally, give a quick pressure release after 5 minutes and fluff the rice gently.
4. For the yellow color: In case you don’t have saffron at home, then use about ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric) in this recipe. However, doing so, the dish will not have the similar aroma and flavor as with saffron.
5. Choice of liquid: The quantity of water will depend on the type of rice you use. Since this is an Indian style recipe, I have added water in it. However, you can even use vegetable stock in place of water.
6. Vegan option: To make a vegan rice, you can use either olive oil or a neutral flavored oil, as an alternative to ghee (clarified butter).
7. Scaling: You can easily halve or scale this recipe to a double or triple for making larger portions.

Your Questions Answered

Saffron Rice recipe from the blog archives was first published on May 2013.