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This Persian rice recipe brings lovely, floral, warmly spiced, supremely-fluffy grains to your bowl. Fast, fuss-free, and still brings oodles of those “Middle Eastern showstopper” feels to your dinner table.
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Javaher polow is sometimes referred to as Persian jeweled rice, but we’re simplifying it for weeknight cooking, so no soaking overnight, no elaborate tahdig flip. Serve it with Moroccan lentils, harissa chickpeas, or borani banjan spooned right over the top of the rice.
So lace up your apron, because this rice is ready for its moment!
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🥰Why you’ll adore this Persian rice recipe
✊ Vegan AF & GF: Like all of my vegan Middle Eastern recipes, this one doesn’t rock any butter, chicken broth, or other ingredients that cause harm to animals. It’s all rice, spice, and is silly easy to make, which is exactly why it’s one of my go-to vegan gluten-free recipes.
⏱ No-fuss Fancy: All the vibes of Persian jeweled rice without the ceremony. One pot, no tahdig stress, on your table in under 40.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my vegan recipes, this one’s been cooked, tweaked, and demolished by a massive team of recipe testers all over the world.
🤘Learn to make killer vegan Middle Eastern food
This guide to my most popular plant-based Middle Eastern recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🍚Persian rice Ingredients
Basmati Rice
I'm big on aged basmati for this type of rice, it cooks up fluffy with a kinda-unbeatable nutty aroma that makes plain, boring ol' white rice eaters cry them to sleep in jealousy. You can also use white basmati rice—each grain of rice will remain separate and fluffy. If all you've got is normal non-aged basmati, jasmine rice, or long-grain white rice, you're still good. Just know the fragrance of those is more chill that the aged basmati.
The Spices
Cardamom’s the floral backbone here—use the ground stuff or toss in a few pods (just fish ’em out before serving). Cloves add their musky warmth that balances the sweet, the nutty, and the floral. And cinnamon? That’s the soul of the dish. Use sticks if you can, or sub in some baharat if you like.
Barberries
Barberries, sometimes labeled zereshk, are a traditional mini-cranberry-like dried fruit used in a lot of Middle Eastern recipes for balancing the richness of beets and heavy tagines. Dried currants, cranberries, sour cherries, or golden raisins are all great subs if you can’t get your hands on barberries (which are NOT named after Barbie, even though they are quite pretty, just so ya know).
Saffron Threads
Persian rice without saffron? That’s the dumbest idea I’ve heard all day. Skip these only if you absolutely have to. Fun fact: Saffron is one of the world's most expensive spices, but a little goes a long way.
Rosewater
A small splash of rosewater gives this rice its unmistakable Persian identity. I use it in this recipe, but also in my vegan pistachio baklava, and even in zhoug when I want a subtle floral lift. It’s optional (I guess), but highly recommended, just make sure you don’t overdo it.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Lebanese Rice
Lebanese rice skips the rosewater and saffron for a more stripped-down flavor, just toasty vermicelli and rice. It’s cleaner, simpler, and more neutral, perfect to go with Lebanese lentil soup and Lebanese baba ganoush.
Moroccan Rice
Moroccan rice leans savory-sweet with cinnamon, cumin, and dried apricots. Rock a pile of Moroccan lentils or Moroccan carrot salad all over it, why don’tcha?
Turkish Rice
Built with Turkish pepper paste and orzo, Turkish rice is more tender and robust tasting. While Persian rice is light and aromatic, Turkish rice goes heavier on herbs like mint and coriander, so that barbunya and şakşuka can sit pretty on top.
Egyptian Rice
Made with short-grain rice and warm spices, Egyptian rice skips the fruit and floral notes, leaning more into cozy comfort.
📖 How to make Persian rice
Follow the steps below exactly to master this rice recipe on your first try. Hate looking at pretty pictures? Whatever. Scroll down if you must, and just follow along with the printable recipe card instead.
Step One
Cool Runnings:
Submerge the rice in cool water and squeeze to remove the starch.
Step Two
The Seven Deadly Rinse:
Drain and rinse in a fine-mesh strainer under cool water until it runs clear. Let it dry for a few minutes.
Step Three
Dr. Bloom Is In The Room:
Add olive oil to a wide pot over medium heat. After 90 seconds, toss in the drained rice, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Step Four
Susan Boil:
Add in the barberries, chopped pistachios, and saffron. Stir just enough to mix the color and flavor around. Add rosewater, water, and salt. Bring it to a full boil over high heat.
Step Five
Sim Simmer, Who’s Got The Keys to My Bimmer:
Once it boils, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, lower the heat, and simmer for 17 minutes.
Step Six
HR Fluff And Stuff:
Take it off the heat and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and gently fluff with a fork.
Step Seven
Garnish Into Thin Air:
Transfer to an attractive serving dish and garnish with pomegranate, parsley, and rose petals.
💡Serving Ideas
While it’s a side dish, this rice doesn’t play backup. Spoon it under vegan kofta, vegan shawarma, or harissa cauliflower.
Rock some oil-cured makdous, or borani banjan, upon a gorgeous steaming pile of this rice. Serve with a wedge of bolani or a warm piece of kuboos, and if you like it with some heat, hit it with a drizzle of shatta, harissa sauce, or zhoug.
This rice pairs beautifully with many Persian stews and is a popular dish throughout Northern Iran.
👉Top tips
- Squeeze Like It Owes You Money: Starch is the enemy of fluff. Squeeze the soaked rice under water and rinse it until the water runs clear, or expect rice that clumps up on you. Nobody wants sticky rice when making Persian rice!
- Use a Pot With a Real Lid: Steam escape ruins the whole vibe. A tight-fitting lid keeps the heat and moisture where they belong. You can also place a clean kitchen towel or tea towel between the pot and lid to absorb excess moisture.
- Don’t Skip the Rest: The 10-minute post-cook rest is when the rice cooks to completion. Skip it and risk smushing the rice grains when you fluff it.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Use dried currants, dried cranberries, or golden raisins. They all bring that sweet-tart contrast that balances the recipe. You can also try fava beans or other small pieces of dried fruit.
The crispy crust at the bottom of the pot is what makes this one of the most beloved rice dishes in Persian cuisine. For traditional tahdig, make sure your non-stick pot is well-oiled and heated over medium heat before adding a thin, even layer of white basmati rice mixed with saffron water. Let this cook until it begins to crisp (about 5-7 minutes) before adding the remaining rice on top of the rice that's crisping.
Some even use a yogurt mixture at the bottom of the rice pot with a bit of saffron for that beautiful golden brown color and extra crunch. Some cooks (who are indifferent to the suffering of animals) use egg yolks to help achieve that perfect, crispy golden crust.
🧊 Refrigerating:
Store cooled rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before reheating for best texture.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating:
Add a splash of water to a pan, cover, and warm over medium heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating:
Scoop it into a medium bowl, cover loosely with paper towels, and reheat in short bursts, fluffing between rounds.
✌️You'll love these vegan Middle Eastern recipes too:
Learn the secrets to perfect falafel in this fun cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Persian Rice
Equipment
- Fine-mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 1 cup aged basmati rice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 tablespoons dried barberries or dried currants
- ¼ cup pistachios chopped
- 12 threads saffron
- 2 teaspoons rosewater
- 1 ½ cups water
- ⅔ teaspoon salt or to taste
Optional Garnishes:
- Pomegranate seeds
- Parsley chopped
- Dried rose petals
Instructions
- Submerge the rice in a bowl of cool water and squeeze it in your hands to release starch.
- Drain and rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cool water until the water runs clear. Let it drain and dry for a few minutes.
- Set a wide pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. After 90 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the drained rice along with the cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. Stir-fry for 2 minute to release the aroma of the spices and to thoroughly coat the rice in the oil.
- Stir in the barberries, pistachios and saffron. Add the rosewater, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 17 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and gently fluff the rice with a fork.
- If using garnishes, top with pomegranate seeds, chopped parsley, and dried rose petals before serving.
Notes
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Reshyll says
This Persian rice made my whole kitchen smell like a spice market (in a good way). Unreal.