Jollof rice recipe that is easy, quick and delicious! This post include instant pot jollof rice recipe and vegan jollof rice recipe. Don't have instant pot? check out stovetop Jollof rice recipe.
It's another rice recipe today just because we have so many rice recipes we can't wait to share with you! Have you tried my instant pot spanish rice recipe? how about Instant pot basmati rice? Do check them out if you haven't already. If you're new to instant pot, check out How to use instant pot- A simple guide .
So back to instant pot pressure cooker jollof rice, jollof rice is arguably our (my family) best rice dish ever. We love jollof rice, specifically Nigerian Jollof rice. This simple but amazing rice dish is a regular in our home and parties. It's not a party or special occassion if we haven't cooked and served jollof rice. It's such a biggie to us and that's why i'm sharing my instant pot jollof rice recipe with you. I hope you like it as much as we do.
What is Jollof rice
Jollof rice is a popular rice dish in West African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia and Senegal. It's a one pot rice dish where rice is cooked with spices, broth, peppers, onions and simmered in delicious tomato sauce base. Recipes differ accross the different countries and there's rivalry among these countries (especially Ghana and Nigeria) on which country cooks the best jollof rice.
Characteristics of jollof include it's bright orange colour, seperate grains and in the case of Nigerian jollof rice, sometimes smoky party flavour. This recipe is for Instant pot Nigerian jollof rice which is the best jollof rice in my opinion.
Why we love Instant pot jollof rice
- Easy and quick - Cooking jollof rice in instant pot is quicker than stovetop and oven method of cooking it.
- Same authentic taste as the stovetop method.
- No burn therefore easy wash up after cooking
- No watching over the pot till Jollof rice is ready. We can go about doing something else till the IP beeps.
Jollof rice recipe
This instant pot jollof rice recipe is easy and makes use of ingredients you probably have in your pantry and fridge. Let me show you how it's done:
Vegan Jollof rice
Jollof rice is not traditionally vegan as Africans are meat lovers and eat lots of meat and use meat stock in most of their cooking. However it is very easy to make vegan jollof rice and it tastes just as delicious as the traditional one. There are just 2 ingredients that differ between the vegan and non vegan jollof rice - stock cube and meat broth. So for vegan jollof rice, substitute meat broth for vegetable broth and meat stock/bouillion cube for vegetable stock/bouillion cube. That's it! just those 2 ingredients substitutiton, you follow the recipe direction detailed in the recipe card at the end of this post and you have delicious vegan jollof rice (Video recipe also in the recipe card).
Ingredients for instant pot Jollof rice
For this Instant pot jollof rice recipe / pressure cooker jollof rice, you will need the below ingredients (full ingredients and recipe in recipe card at the end of this post)
Rice - long grain rice or golden sella basmati rice
Pepper mix - This is combination of bell peppers, scotch bonnet and onion. Scotch bonnet is hot pepper so if you don't like spicy, it's ok to exclude this. Pepper mix ratio detailed in recipe card.
Fresh Tomatoes
Onion
Tomato puree - This forms part of what gives Jollof rice it's signature colour.
Bouillion/Stock cubes - This is typicall used in Jollof rice recipe however you can leave out but ensure you use rich broth.
Meat broth - Chicken, Turkey or beef broth.
Vegetable oil - Can be substituted for sunflower or olive oil.
Curry powder - Check out my homemade/DIY curry powder recipe if you wish to make yours.
Dried thyme
White pepper
Bayleaf
How to cook instant pot Jollof rice
1) Blend the pepper mix ingredients. You need 1 cup of the pepper mix for the recipe. Store the remaining for future use (details in recipe card).
2) Set the instant pot to sautee then add vegetable oil in the inner pot of the instant pot then add chopped onions and tomato puree. Fry the onion and tomato puree for few minutes. (make sure you keep stirring to avoid burning).
3) Add in 1 cup of pepper mix, stock cube, curry powder, thyme and white pepper. Fry for another 5 minutes. Don't forget to keep stirring to avoid burn.
4) Put off sautee mode of the instant pot.
5) Wash rice with warm water till water runs clear.
6) Add broth, bayleaf, salt, washed rice and sliced tomatoes in the instant pot. Stir and cover instant pot with lid and set valve to sealing.
7) Set instant pot to manual pressure cook 8 minutes. After pressure cooking, do 10 minutes natural pressure release.
8) When instant pot is depressurised, open the lid. Sauce will be settled on the rice, stir the sauce in the rice and jollof rice is ready to be enjoyed.
Looks, smell and taste good.
What goes with jollof rice
You can serve jollof rice with :
Tips for making jollof rice in Instant Pot
Once rice goes in the sauce, give it a good stir before pressure cooking. This is to avoid the sauce settling at the bottom and causing burn error.
Omit or increase scotchbonnet in the pepper mix to suit your taste.
Use vegetable bouillion cubes and vegetable stock for vegan jollof rice.
Frequently asked questions about jollof rice
What gives jollof rice it's red colour?
The pepper mix and tomato puree.
What rice is best to use for jollof rice?
Easy cook rice. long grain rice or golden sella basmati rice.
Calories in jollof rice
The calories in this instant pot jollof rice recipe per serving is approximately 350kcal per serving.
How to store jollof rice
Leftover jollof rice can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
In the freezer for up to 3 months.
To store, keep jollof rice in airtight container or freezer bags, label with dates and freeze.
To reheat - If from fridge, put a cup of water inside the microwave to provide moisture so jollof rice doesn't dry out.
If from the frozen, microwave on high heat from frozen.
Other recipes on the blog you'll love:
If you like this instant pot jollof rice and vegan jollof rice recipe, you should check out some other instant pot recipes :
Jollof rice - Instant Pot (include Vegan Jollof rice)
Equipment
- Instant pot pressure cooker
Ingredients
PEPPER MIX
- 1 medium Fresh tomato
- 1 medium Bell pepper
- 1 small Onion
- 1 scotch bonnet optional
JOLLOF RICE
- 2 cups Easy cook long grain rice or golden sella basmati rice
- ⅓ cup Vegetable oil
- 1 cup pepper mix
- 1 small onion sliced
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 bouillion/stock cubes vegetable bouillon for vegan jollof rice
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1 medium fresh tomato sliced
- 3 cups broth vegetable, chicken, turkey or beef broth
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Blend together the pepper mix ingredients and measure out a cup. You need 1 cup of the pepper mix for this recipe. Store the remaining for future use.
- Set the instant pot to sautee then add vegetable oil in the inner pot of the instant pot then add chopped onions and tomato puree. Fry the onion and tomato puree for 2 minutes. (make sure you keep stirring to avoid burning).
- Add in 1 cup of pepper mix, curry powder, dried thyme, stock cubes, salt, and white pepper. Fry for another 2 minutes.
- Put off sautee mode of the instant pot.
- Wash rice with warm water till water runs clear.
- Add broth, sliced tomato, bayleaf, salt and washed rice in the instant pot. Stir and cover instant pot with lid and set valve to sealing (ensure bottom of IP is deglazed to avoid burn error).
- Set instant pot to manual pressure cook 8 minutes and after pressure cooking, do a 10 minutes naturally pressure release.
- When instant pot is depressurised, open the lid. Sauce will be settled on the rice, stir the sauce in the rice and jollof rice is ready to be enjoyed.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Love this recipe? Don't forget to rate it below. If you make it, we'll love to see it, Tag @recipevibes on instagram.
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Your menu look appetizing and delicious
Thank you so much.
Do you put the pressure cooker on high for manual pressure??
Yes Stacey. Manual pressure cook high for 8 minutes.
If you double this recipe, Do you need to add more than 6 cups of broth? I find when I double a recipe exactly in the instant pot, the pot doesn’t pressure up properly. Maybe due to not enough liquid?
Hi Stacey, No you don't add more than 6 cups broth if you double the recipe. I double the recipe most times in my 6qt instant pot and it works fine.
I tried this recipe with my instant pot, it was easy and straightforward and it taste perfect too. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for the feedback.
Perfect Every time I cook this. Hugs...
Thank you so much for the feedback.
Hi Kemi! Thank you so much for this recipe. For the first time, my jollof rice didn't become pudding ahahaha. I just wondered if you could tell me how much salt you put in the rice? I kind of struggled with this...
Hi Unoma. I'm glad my recipe worked for you. I start with 1/2 a teaspoon of salt depending on how salty the broth is.
Thank you!! I've found that I have to put a bit more. It might be my broth, I think 🙂
My pleasure. It's great you figured it out.
I love this recipe and have made it so many times now. My kids love it too. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe
Reading this made me happy. Thanks so much for your feedback.
I keep getting the burn message ... I am becoming so frustrated with making jollof rice. 😢😢
I thought it was only me! It seems if you have the newer model you get the burn message more often. Every successful instant pot jollof rice recipe I have seen used the older model.
Thankyou so much for this! My jollof rice came out amazing!
That's good to know. Thank you for the feedback.
Tastes good!! the recipe steps are missing when to put the bouillon cube
I've edited it to add that. Thank you!
I have an instant pot the same one you have in the video and I keep getting the burn message. I’m frustrated this is not working at all
I have tried to make jollof so many times and it never tastes right...until now! And the fact that it's so EASY and instant pot! Even more perfect. One of my firm favourites! I also freeze half the pepper mix so save it for another time and it works. Love love LOVE it!
Thanks so much for the feedback:)
I'm confused, is it both bouillon cubes and broth?
Yes, both.
I came across your site today and have spent many happy hours looking at your recipes and planning my family's future meals. Thank you so much!!! I am very excited as a home cook to learn from you.
Welcome to the Recipe Vibes family Madelaine 🙂
Thank you for this recipe, please can you state what amendments I need to make to double the quantity. My family enjoy it but, it's gone too quick 😊. I think I should double everything except the broth? If so, please clarify how many cups I should use to 4 cups of rice bearing in mind 2 cups of the pepper mix. Thank for your reply in advance, which is greatly appreciated.
You double all the ingredients including broth. The cooking time remains the same.
Hey Kemi thank you for replying, it's much appreciated. I also happened to see another comment below wanting to triple the quantity, so, I kindly wanted to ask, what is the maximum that the pot can accommodate; 6 cups of rice or can it be 8 cups?
Many thanks.
It won't fit 8 cups of rice. Mine doesn't.
If you triple the recipe (I’m having a party!), do I need to increase the 8min cook time and/or the 10 natural release? Thanks!
Jill
No, you don't increase the cook time nor natural release time.
Great tasting, but I get the burn message. I didn't even need to continue past the point of it burning (didn't even get to pressure!) as it was already cooked!! I used basmati rice and followed instructions exactly. I have the Instapot Duo Crisp