What are the best and widely used ingredients for Jollof rice and their functions in the dish? You will find them out after reading the discourse below carefully and meticulously.

There are many jollof rice ingredients available for use but some do not help in terms of adding unique flavor and taste to your dish.

Those are not bad though but there are not entirely the cooking items that can play vital roles to ensure the savoring taste of your dish.

That is, by the way, this article highlights all the ingredients for Jollof rice and perhaps their function in the dish.

Ingredients for Jollof Rice

Hey, are you short of the kind of condiments needed for the making of jollof rice? Don’t be bothered, here is a list of so many of them for you.

There are a variety of ingredients used in preparing Jollof rice, and it is a wise idea that you read about them in numbers so that your cooking ordeal will yield positive results.

These are the ingredients for the dish:

1. Rice

Were you expecting something different? Are you surprised to see rice as the first ingredient for jollof? Of course, rice is the first important ingredient for making jollof rice. 



The worst thing that can happen to any Jollof rice dish is “sogginess”, so the variety of rice used is important. Any long-grain rice would do a nice job; you can go for long-grain parboiled rice, basmati rice, brown rice, jasmine rice, and so on.

2. Pepper Mix

The second most essential ingredient in your jollof rice is your Pepper mix.

There are many methods to get the pepper mix needed in cooking this delicate dish but the killer one is using:

*  3-4 red bell peppers (Tatashe),

* 2 scotch bonnet peppers (Ata-rodo),

* 3 medium-sized tomatoes,

* 1 large red onion,

* 1 clove of garlic and

* 2 fingers of ginger.

You can decide to roast all of the above ingredients in an oven before blending to a thick paste (for that smokey flavour). Alternatively, just blend all ingredients straight up to form a paste and you boil to get rid of all the water.

3. Tomato Paste

Tomato paste is the ingredient that provides us with that rich colour associated with Jollof rice and adds its kind of acidic/sour taste to this dish.

4. Cooking Oil

Cooking oil is a good standard ingredient in preparing most dishes including jollof rice.

5. Butter

Butter can be used in instead of, or in addition to, cooling oil when making jollof rice for extra flavour.



Butter is a secret ingredient that can be added at the end of your jollof rice making. The steam melts the butter, which then gives your jollof rice a nice look and extra flavour. This tip does not only go for Jollof rice but any rice delicacy.

6. Red Onions

Onion is in a class of its own. It adds taste, with its unique flavour and aroma to this dish. There are various types of onions though, but the type most preferable for rice dishes is red onions

7. Protein Source

Of course, the jollof rice dish isn’t okay without any protein in it. You can go for Beef, Chicken or Fish, which are the most popular options.

What are the Ingredients of Jollof Rice?

The ingredients for jollof rice are:

1. 400g basmati rice

2. 3 red peppers, halved and deseeded

3. 1 white onion, halved

4. 2 garlic cloves

5. 1 tbsp grated ginger, or ginger purée

6. 1 Scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded if you prefer less heat (optional)

7. 5 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil

8. 100g tomato purée

9. 2 bay leaves

10. 1 tbsp dried thyme

11. 2tsp curry powder (we used hot madras)

12. ½ tsp ground white pepper

13. 600ml hot chicken stock, made with 2 stock cubes.

What is the Secret Ingredient in Jollof Rice?

The secret ingredients for Jollof rice are White Pepper and Butter. With these two ingredients, you really can’t get it wrong.

White pepper is added along with the spices and seasoning while Butter is added at the end, say a few minutes to when the food is done.

With the list of ingredients listed above your jollof rice is said for enjoyment.