No more boring white rice...these SEVEN easy rice recipes are changing the game! With just a few simple ingredients, you can transform your rice into a flavor-packed side dish.
Rice is such a blank canvas that is so fun to play around with! This post shows you how to add different flavors to your rice without the need to chop or sauté anything...simple seasonings and jarred ingredients can go a long way here!
Cook it on the stove, or in a rice cooker, and enjoy.
These 7 easy rice recipes
- require no chopping or sauteeing (so you can just measure things out and be done!)
- can be made on the stove top or in a rice cooker
- are perfect for meal prep
- are so much more delicious than plain rice!
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped four of my favorite rice recipes from this post. With no sauteeing, they are so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Step by step directions
NOTE- these rice recipes were tested with basmati rice (not brown basmati). For brown rice or other type of rice, you may need to adjust the liquids and cook time according to the package.
1. Rinse rice- Rinse rice in a colander under the tap, or cover with water in the pot, swirl, and carefully decant the water, repeating until water runs clear.
TIP- rinsing the rice removes starch from the surface of the grains, yielding fluffier results.
2. Combine all ingredients in a pot or a rice cooker. Make sure the rice is submerged in water and not sticking to the sides of the pot or rice cooker.
TIP- I recommend a 4L/ 4 quart pot, or an 8 cup rice cooker.
3. Cook! If you are using a rice cooker, just press the 'white rice' button. If you are using the stove top method, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand (covered) for another 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
TIP- see Instant Pot basmati rice if you want to use a pressure cooker.
Rice FAQ
These rice recipes were tested with white basmati rice (not brown basmati), but you can swap for any long grain white rice. You could also swap for brown rice, although you'll need to adjust the cook time. I do not advise using short grain white rice or par boiled/pre cooked rice in these recipes.
That should work fine, but you'll need to reduce your liquids to a 1:1 liquid to rice ratio. See: Instant Pot Basmati Rice, Instant Pot Jasmine Rice, Instant Pot Brown Rice for cook times.
Yes! You can either swap for butter or just leave it out. We really loved the texture the coconut oil gave to the rice. I recommend refined coconut oil to avoid coconut flavor.
Despite it's bad rep, rice keeps well in the fridge, and we enjoy our rice for up to 4 days after cooking. To avoid risk of contamination, make sure you don't let the rice sit out for a long time after cooking it. When serving leftovers, re-heat it until it is steaming hot, and do not re-heat more than once.
Storage & food safety
If not handled properly, rice can be at risk of growing harmful bacteria that can make you sick. If you follow the following steps, you will be perfectly fine:
- Get it into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking- do not let it sit at room temperature for too long as this is the temperature at which harmful bacteria can replicate
- Store in an air tight container for up to 4 days
- Reheat until steaming hot (add 1 tablespoon of water to the container, and fluff it up halfway through)
- Do not reheat more than once
Read more about rice & food safety here!
Freezing
Rice freezes well. You can freeze it in meal prep containers or in freezer bags (I love these re-usable silicone freezer bags!). Some people add a little bit of water when re-heating freeze/thawed rice, as it does end up slightly drier than fresh rice.
7 rice flavors
lemon herb coconut saffron turmeric mexican cilantro lime
Scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card
- 1. Herb Lemon Rice- 1 cup basmati rice, 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or butter), ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ lemon zested, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable), ½ lemon juiced (after cooking)
- 2. Coconut Rice- 1 ½ cups basmati rice, 13.5 oz coconut milk (400 mL; full fat), 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (or brown sugar), ½ teaspoon salt, 2 ¼ cups water
- 3. Saffron Rice- ¼ cup boiling water, pinch saffron threads (roughly ⅛ tsp), 1 cup basmati rice rinsed, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 ¾ cup stock (veggie or chicken)
- 4. Mexican- inspired Rice- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed, 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or butter), 1 cup salsa, ½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 5. Cilantro Lime Rice- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed, 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or butter), ¼ teaspoon salt, zest of 1 lime, 2 cups water, ½ cup cilantro leaves chopped, juice of ½ a lime (after cooking)
- 6. Pesto Green Rice- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed, 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or butter), ¼ cup pesto, 2 cups stock (veggie or chicken), fresh basil leaves (to serve), sliced almonds (to serve)
- 7. Turmeric Yellow Rice- 1 cup basmati rice (rinsed), 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or butter), ½ teaspoon turmeric, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
More easy dinner recipes
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7 Easy Rice Recipes
Ingredients
1. Herb Lemon Rice
- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil refined recommended
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- zest of ½ a lemon
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups stock chicken or vegetable
- juice of half a lemon after cooking
2. Coconut Rice
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice rinsed
- 13.5 oz coconut milk 1 can; 400 mL
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ cups water
3. Saffron Rice
- ¼ cup boiling water see note 1
- pinch saffron threads note 1; roughly ⅛ teaspoon
- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil refined recommended
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cup stock veggie or chicken
4. Mexican-Inspired Red Rice
- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil refined recommended
- 1 cup salsa
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder regular chili powder works, too
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups stock veggie or chicken
5. Cilantro Lime Rice
- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil refined recommended
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- zest of 1 lime
- 2 cups stock veggie or chicken
- ½ cup cilantro leaves after cooking
- juice of ½ a lime after cooking
6. Pesto Green Rice
- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed
- ¼ cup pesto more to serve, if needed
- 2 cup stock veggie or chicken
- fresh basil leaves after cooking
- sliced almonds after cooking
7. Turmeric Yellow Rice
- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil refined recommended
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups stock veggie or chicken
Instructions
- Rinse rice- Rinse rice in a colander under the tap, or cover with water in the pot, swirl, and carefully decant the water, repeating until water runs clear.
- Combine- Combine all ingredients not labelled 'after cooking' in a pot or a rice cooker. Make sure the rice is submerged in water and not sticking to the sides of the pot or rice cooker.
- Cook- Rice cooker- press the 'white rice' button. Stove top- bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand (covered) for another 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
Tips:
- Get rice into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking
- Do not let rice sit at room temperature for extended amounts of time
- Do not reheat more than once
- Discard rice that develops an 'off' smell
Video
Nutrition Information
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