There's been a lot of buzz lately over which West African nation produces the best jollof rice, which is a shock to me since I was born and raised on the very best kind. This authentic Nigerian jollof rice recipe, with smoky, spicy, and savory flavors will settle your mind if there's any dispute.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my easy jollof spaghetti, too!
Jump to:
- What is jollof rice?
- Nigerian Jollof in the Jollof Wars
- Why You'll Love this Recipe
- What You'll Need for this Recipe
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Nigerian Jollof Rice Step by Step
- Quick How-to Video
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What to Serve with Jollof Rice
- Black History Month Collaboration
- More Favorite African Recipes
- Authentic Nigerian Jollof Rice
What is jollof rice?
Jollof rice, originated in Senegal and spread across West Africa to become regional staple recipe where rice is simmered in a simple red stew. Traditionally, jollof is cooked over an open flame but is now commonly made on the stove top or even in the oven.
There are different types of jollof across regions and countries including Nigerian, Ghanaian, Senegalese, and Liberian. But the rice always cooks in one pot with a flavorful and fragrant combination of fresh vegetables, aromatics, and spices, so that each grain is infused with flavor. History fun fact: West African jollof rice is actually believed to be a predecessor dish to American jambalaya!
Nigerian Jollof in the Jollof Wars
I like Nigerian jollof rice the best because I was raised on it but there's a little bit of science that helps make my case. Whereas Ghanaians and Senegalese like to use jasmine or basmati rice for jollof, we Nigerians typically use long grain rice, which has a more sturdy texture and larger surface area. This means that the rice grain can absorb more flavor and cook up into a fluffier texture!
Now, despite Naija jollof being collectively superior (in many minds), it's highly personal and each individual makes theirs a bit differently. Across Nigeria, jollof rice preparation varies. My Aunty Toyin taught me everything I know about Nigerian cooking so this is my version of how to make jollof rice like a Nigerian aunty.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple One Pot Recipe - All the ingredients come together in one pot with no fancy tools or kitchen appliances needed. Just a wooden spoon and that's about it!
Layers of Flavor - Are you wondering what does jollof taste like? You'll taste rich savory tomatoes and other vegetables and aromatics along with fiery heat from peppers, meatiness, and even umami flavor. It's also smoky if you do it right.
Customizable - Like so many family recipes, the exact measurements aren't written down anywhere. So you can adjust to your taste. For example, our family likes a very spicy jollof rice but we don't want to burn any tongues out there so we dialed down the fire here.
We love authentic Nigerian recipes around here, like my seafood okro soup, Naija scotch eggs, and ewa riro (stewed beans). Try soaked garri for breakfast and don't forget the zobo drink to wash everything down!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Parboiled Rice is a long grain type of rice that is considered the best rice for jollof rice in Nigeria, though you can use other types of rice--just note the flavor and texture will vary.
Tomatoes, Onions, and Peppers are pureed to create the liquid base for cooking the rice, including scotch bonnet peppers or habanero peppers. You only need one or two of these for decently spicy jollof rice, however Yoruba people love really spicy food so I tend to use three or four. And for the tomatoes, I recommend either Roma or plum tomatoes for the best results.
Chicken and Beef Stock combined make for the best flavor, in my opinion but you can use one or the other depending on what you have available. Turkey bone broth is also a great option!
Spices like curry powder, thyme, and white pepper round out the flavor profile.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Oil - I typically use either palm oil, avocado oil or olive oil for jollof rice but you can try a variety of oils in this recipe. Aim for an oil with a higher smoke point since you'll be cooking at a medium high heat for a sustained period of time.
Maggi Cubes are a type of bouillon or seasoning cube that are staple for many Nigerian dishes. If you cannot find Maggi cubes in your area, chicken or beef bouillon cubes can work as an alternative.
Bell Peppers - The signature beautiful rich red color of jollof rice is the sum of several red ingredients so red bell peppers are preferred but green, orange, and yellow bell peppers will work just fine, flavor-wise.
Vegan - While there's no meat in this recipe, there are meat derived products in traditional jollof rice. To make vegan jollof, use a vegetable broth or stock and vegetable bouillon instead.
How to Make Nigerian Jollof Rice Step by Step
Step One: Puree the tomatoes, bell peppers, scotch bonnet, onion, and water until smooth.
Step Two: Meanwhile, rinse the rice well in warm water then drain.
Pro Tip #1: Rinsing the rice helps to remove excess starch, which can make the rice sticky and gummy instead of fluffy and can also impact the cooking time.
Step Three: Add the oil, rice, puree, spices, and broth to a large, deep pot over medium flame.
Step Four: Cook until the rice is cooked through and has absorbed all the liquid, stirring regularly and adding salt to taste.
Pro Tip #2: Be sure to use a large enough pot so that the rice has room to fluff and expand as it cooks and absorbs all the liquid and flavor. I use an 8 quart pot for making party jollof.
Pro Tip #3: Jollof rice typically takes about 40 minutes to cook, in my experience but I find it best to stay nearby during the process, stirring often, and taste testing as you go. Check the recipe card notes below for some common corrections you might need to make along the way.
Step Five: Remove and discard any burnt pieces of rice, if desired.
Pro Tip #4: Many people believe that jollof tastes best when a bit of it burns as this imparts a smoky flavor. But if your rice starts burning excessively or very early on in the cooking process, reduce the heat slightly and add more broth, water or oil.
Quick How-to Video
Frequently Asked Questions
You can cook jollof rice at home up to three days in advance, as long as it's stored properly.
To store, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to five days.
Cool the rice to room temperature then transfer to freezer safe containers or zip-top freezer bags and place in the freezer. Jollof rice will keep for up to six months in the freezer.
It depends on who is making it. Party jollof that you would enjoy at a large gathering is generally milder to suit a wide variety of tastes. You can adjust the spice level by using more or fewer scotch bonnet peppers.
What to Serve with Jollof Rice
When made properly, jollof is honestly delicious all on its own but is still technically a side dish. Serve it with fried plantains and a protein like chicken stew or goat meat or even suya shrimps.
Black History Month Collaboration
My heritage is Nigerian on my dad's side and Black American on my mom's side so I like to switch up (and sometimes even combine) what I share in the BHM virtual potluck each year. As for the rest of our virtual potluck menu, the contributions span the African diaspora, with Soul Food classics, Caribbean staples, Latin fare, Creole creations, and more African recipes.
You can also see regular recipe contributions from top Black food bloggers on Facebook at We Love Black Food Bloggers.
More Favorite African Recipes
Now that you know how to cook jollof rice and the ingredients, I hope you enjoy a big pot of Naija-style jollof with friends and family very soon. And sharing is caring online, too, so be sure to pin this recipe on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
Authentic Nigerian Jollof Rice
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 Blender
- 1 8 quart pot
- 1 wooden kitchen spoon
Ingredients
- 7 roma tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper
- ½ white onion
- 4 habanero or scotch bonnet peppers use fewer or more depending on your heat preference
- ½ cup water
- 8 cups parboiled rice
- ¼-1/3 cup oil like palm oil, olive oil or avocado oil
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 4-6 ounces tomato paste
- 4 maggi cubes crushed into powder
- 3 cups chicken and or beef stock
- 2 teaspoons powdered white pepper
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 bay leaf or one teaspoon powdered bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon powdered thyme
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Cut tomatoes, onion, and red bell pepper into chunks, discarding bell pepper seeds. Add all to a blender with scotch bonnet pepper and ½ cup of water then blend until completely liquified and uniform (about 2 minutes).
- Meanwhile, rinse the parboiled rice in plenty of warm water until water starts to run clear then drain.
- Add rice and oil to a large pot over medium flame, followed by blended tomato mixture, tomato paste and sauce, chicken and beef stocks, crushed maggi cubes, white pepper, curry powder, bay leaf, and thyme. Stir everything together until uniform.
- Cook for about 40 minutes or until rice is fluffy and cooked through and all liquid has dissipated, stirring (to help prevent sticking and burning) and taste-testing the liquid and rice as you go. See notes.
- It may be necessary to add more liquid along the way to prevent the rice at the bottom from burning excessively (see recipe notes). The bottom layer of rice in a pot of jollof rice often burns, which is where the smoky flavor comes from. Some believe that the rice tastes best when this happens. As you stir the rice and expose any burnt portions, you can simply discard them if you don't want them in the rice.
Video
Notes
- More oil for moisture
- More stock or bouillon for flavor
- More tomato paste or sauce for color
- Sea salt to your taste
Tamara says
I had Jollof rice at a friend's house awhile back, and I've been looking for the recipe ever since. This is the perfect recipe! Super delicious, and tastes just like my friend made it.
Kaluhi says
This was freakin perfect!!!! Loved the flavor and love how everything came together so perfectly!
Immaculate Ruému says
As a Nigerian myself, nothing beats a good pot of Jollof rice. This recipe did not fail and I can now say it is one of my faves. Vibrant, flavourful and just simply delicious!
Jazz says
I'm so glad you approve, Imma!
Eric & Shanna Jones says
So glad we came across this recipe! We've been looking for a jollof rice recipe for a while, and yours did not disappoint. So much flavor! We've already enjoyed this with so many dishes. Thanks for sharing your heritage through this recipe.
Jazz says
You're so welcome. Glad y'all enjoyed!
Jazz says
Glad y'all enjoyed. Jollof goes with just about everything in my book!