Ghana | Main dish

Ghanaian Jollof Rice

Ghanaian jollof rice with basmati rice steamed in a reduced tomato, onion, ginger, garlic, chile, and bay-leaf stew.

Country
Ghana
Region
West Africa
Time
80 min
Serves
6
Level
medium
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Recipe overview

What to know before you cook

Use this overview to check the occasion, serving ideas, regional context, and cooking commitment before you begin.

When to cook it

Best for Parties, funerals, and Sunday meals. Plan on a medium cook and about 80 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Shito, fried plantain, grilled chicken, salad, or kelewele

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Regional lane

Rice, beans, and street table. Waakye, jollof, kelewele, and lunch-counter plates with many sides.

Chef watch-outs
  • Adding too much liquid after the rice goes in.
  • Stirring too often once the grains should be steaming.
  • Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
How you know it is ready
  • The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
  • The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
  • Greens should be cooked through but still look alive and glossy.
Pantry lane

shito, palm oil, sorghum leaves, fermented corn dough, groundnut

Recipe photos

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Ghanaian Jollof Rice recipe from Ghana
Ghanaian Jollof Rice finished dish
Chef board

Build the table around Ghanaian Jollof Rice

Shito, fried plantain, grilled chicken, salad, or kelewele

Best route from here

Rice, beans, and street table

Collections to keep cooking
Swallow and Soup Table One-Pot Family Meals
Servings 6

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How to cook it

Step-by-step method

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Ghana
5 steps 25 min prep 55 min cook 80 min total medium
1
Blend the sauce
Blend tomatoes with one onion, garlic, and ginger until smooth.
2
Fry the tomato stew
Heat oil, cook sliced onion, then fry tomato paste. Add blended sauce, bay leaves, chile, and optional curry or thyme. Cook until thick and glossy.
Reduce stew 20:00
3
Add rice
Stir in washed rice until coated. Add hot stock or water and season well.
4
Steam
Cover tightly with foil and a lid. Cook on low until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Steam rice 35:00
5
Rest and fluff
Rest off heat for 10 minutes, remove bay leaves and chile, then fluff gently.
Rest 10:00

Some cooks use curry powder, thyme, nutmeg, or stock cubes. The rice is often perfumed basmati or another long-grain rice.

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