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This turmeric yellow rice is full of aromatic flavors and makes an elegant side dish! It is simple to make and can be cooked in a rice cooker or on the stove top.
Is rice a staple in your house? It is most certainly a staple in ours. We eat rice 2-3 times per week, and I’m on a mission to jazz it up a bit…no more boring plain rice!
This turmeric yellow rice is one of my favorites in the bunch, and it was my 4-year old Kai’s favorite recipe. He always asks if we can have the ‘yellow rice’ again…how I love to hear that!
Not only is it delicious, but it’s super easy to throw together. Traditional yellow rice recipes require chopping and sauteeing, but I’ve cut a few corners so that we can have this prepped and cooking in under 5 minutes, and we can even make it in the rice cooker, too!
Looking for rice recipes? Check out this post with 7 Easy Rice Recipes!
How to make yellow rice
Like the other rice recipes in this series, you don’t need to chop or sautee anything, and you can cook it either in a rice cooker (I love the Aroma 8 Cup Rice Cooker
) or in a pot.
- Rinse rice under the tap using a colander. Honestly? I skip this half the time. But for the fluffiest rice, I recommend rinsing.
- Combine all ingredients in a pot (with minimum capacity of 8 cups), or a rice cooker (I love the Aroma 8 Cup Rice Cooker
) - 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.
Can I use jasmine rice in this recipe? Brown rice? Any other rice? For this yellow rice recipe, any long grain white rice will do (basmati or jasmine). Brown rice can be used but adjust the liquid and cook time according to the package. Short grain white rice or par-boiled/pre-cooked rice won’t work in this recipe.
Can I freeze turmeric yellow rice? YES. This rice recipe 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 dryer than fresh rice.
Can I cook this recipe in the Instant Pot? I have not tried. I would refer to this recipe for Instant Pot Yellow Rice.
Can I use cauliflower rice? Yes! Check out this Golden Turmeric Cauliflower Rice Recipe!
What goes well with this turmeric yellow rice recipe?
This yellow rice pairs well with many flavors, including Mediterranean, Indian and Asian recipes. Here are some ideas:
- Ginger Lemon Chicken Marinade
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin with Soy Ginger Sauce
- A salad tossed in this 5 Minute Asian Salad Dressing
- This Herb Crusted Broiled Salmon
Tips for the perfect yellow rice
- I recommend rinsing your rice under the tap through a collander
- I love the Aroma 8 Cup Rice Cooker, but if you have a large family, you might want to consider the Aroma 20 Cup Rice Cooker
- Looking for more rice recipes? Check out this Instant Pot Wild Rice Pilaf, this Saffron Rice Recipe, or this post with all 7 Easy Rice Recipes
Turmeric Yellow Rice
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice (rinsed)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or unsalted butter)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
Instructions
Stove Top
- In a medium pot, combine the basmati rice and all other ingredients.
- Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let sit for another 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving.
Rice Cooker
- Combine the basmati rice and all other ingredients.
- Cook using the 'white rice' function (or regular function if there is not a white rice option).
- Once the cook time is up, fluff with a fork and enjoy!
Tamra
This is as simple as it sounds and tastes really excellent. I used a long life carton of real chicken stock when I cooked the first batch, then my 13 year old has made it twice since with powdered stock. All tasted great, and reheats well the following day.
Denise
Hi Tamra, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed! Thanks so much for reporting back 🙂
juraspark
My son likes to take brown rice for work lunches and wanted something different than plain but not fried.
This was simple and is a great change from plain.
I made a double batch and froze in portions. He likes the flavor.
I did rinse the rice and then heated the oil and ‘fried’ the rice to bring out the flavour. I mixed all the spices in a small dish to combine evenly and added to the rice and ‘fried for about a minute prior to adding the liquids. (heard somewhere this brings out the flavours).
I simmered for 30 minutes and then left for 15 minutes without removing the lid, fluffed with fork and it turned out perfect. This is a keeper.
Thank you for putting this delicious recipe out there for people like me looking to up the plain old.
Denise
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful review!
Louise Levy
I just finished making the Turmeric Rice dish. It’delicious. I will be stuffing my red, yellow and orange bell peppers with the rice along with a ground turkey tomato sauce topped with grated parmasean and romano cheese and baked in the oven for about 30 minutes. Thank you again. The rice is truly delicious.
Denise
So happy you enjoyed, Louise, and your stuffed peppers sound delicious! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review.
Helen Fryer
This turmeric rice is the easiest and most delicious rice I have ever cooked! I love it so much I’ve done it five times in a row and am now going to try some of the pthers, but I am so grateful for the simplicity of the recipes
Denise
Wow, I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks so much for your review, Helen 🙂