Aromatic herbed rice pilaf is an easy, tasty side dish ready in under 30 minutes. You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry already, and it is perfect to serve with grilled proteins and vegetables.
We like cooking rice at least 3 or 4 times a week, as it is simple to prepare and perfect to pair with curries, stews, grilled meat or fish, and most vegetables. As you can imagine, we have many rice recipes!
It takes very few changes to elevate plain rice to something more!
This easy rice pilaf with herbs has very few steps and a handful of ingredients. Once you rinse the rice, add it to sauteed onions and minced garlic, together with your dry herbs of choice. You then cook it with water and finally add more flavor with fresh parsley and a tablespoon of zesty lemon juice.
Get ready to savor this great side dish in under half an hour!
💎 Why This Recipe Works
- Fresh parsley, rosemary and thyme with sauteed garlic and onion. Now, tell me this doesn't sound like the most flavorful side dish you've ever tried!
- Ready in under 30 minutes and easy to store and reheat. This makes this rice recipe perfect for a midweek dinner, or meal prep for the lunch box.
- I will share a few tips on how to amend the flavors based on what you have or prefer.
- If you like herby pilafs and would like to experiment with brown rice, try our brown rice pilaf recipe!
🛒 Ingredients
- Rice: For this recipe I used basmati rice, which requires 1.5 cups of water for every cup of dry rice (you can find more on how to cook basmati rice). Should you wish, you can use Jasmine rice instead, which requires 1.25 cups of water per cup of dry rice. I shared more on how to cook Jamine rice too!
- Lemon: You can either squeeze a fresh one, or use the bottled one. If you love citrus flavors, try our lemon rice pilaf too!
Be sure to check out the recipe card for all the ingredients and instructions you'll need to make this dish. Don't miss out on any of the details!
♻️ Substitutions and Variations
- Herbs: I used dried thyme, fresh rosemary, and parsley. Be mindful of the combinations you use, and the dishes you will be pairing your pilaf with. I don't like dried basil, but if you do, it is an option, as well as oregano, marjoram, black pepper, dill, and red chili flakes. Dried herbs are stronger than fresh ones, so you may need a little more when swapping. Add fresh herbs at the end so that they maintain their flavor and freshness, and don't turn bitter. You can add rosemary at the same time as the dried herbs, as it behaves differently!
- Butter: It can be used instead of olive oil, or some can be added on top while the herbed rice pilaf is still hot.
- Broth or Stock: While water is enough for this dish, chicken broth or beef broth work very well with the herbs. For a vegetarian option, vegetable broth can be used too. Adjust the quantity of salt used.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make (step-by-step)
- Rinse the long grain rice in a fine mesh strainer under running water. [Picture 1]
- Sautee the onions and garlic. [Picture 2]
- Toast the rinsed rice, dried herbs and fresh rosemary on high heat. [Picture 3]
- Now add the water to the pan, cook, and rest. [Picture 4]
- Remove the lid and add the fresh parsley and the lemon juice. [Picture 5]
- Fluff the herb rice pilaf and serve while still hot. Enjoy! [Picture 6]
🙋♀️ People Also Ask [FAQs]
Long grain rice is perfect for cooking pilaf, as it stays fluffy and its grains separate when cooked. The best types are basmati and jasmine, although, other long-grain white rice types will work too.
Rinse the rice thoroughly to remove excess starch, use the correct water-to-rice ratio, and avoid overcooking. Sautéing the rice before adding the broth helps keep it from getting mushy.
Store herbed rice pilaf in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat refrigerated pilaf in the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of broth. For frozen pilaf, thaw overnight and reheat similarly.
💡 Expert Tips and Tricks
- Wine: Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine after sautéing the rice to add depth and complexity. Dry white wine like Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc are great options.
- Measure by Volume: To cook pilaf, measure the rice and liquid by volume and be precise. Too much liquid can make the pilaf mushy, while too little can leave it undercooked.
🍴 More Delicious Recipes to Try
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🍽️ Recipe
Herbed Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- 1.5 cups Water
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Salt to Taste
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Dry Thyme
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Rosemary or ½ teaspoon dry rosemary
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 3 tablespoon Fresh Parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Rinse the long grain rice in a fine mesh strainer under running water. This step will help remove the extra starch and rice powder. This is not a mandatory step, and you can skip it, as long as you ensure you toast the rice very well before adding the cooking water.
- Add the olive oil to a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat it up on medium heat. Once warm, add the finely chopped onions, minced garlic and a little salt. The salt will help speed up the softening process of the onion by removing the water from it.
- Sautee unit the onions turn translucent and the raw smell of garlic has gone. This will take approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Next, add the rinsed rice, dried herbs and fresh rosemary to the saucepan. Increase the heat to high and toast until the rice changes color and its edges turn translucent too. This step will take approximately 3 minutes, and the aroma of the herbs will be released in the oil.
- Now add the water to the pan and mix well.
- As soon as the water boils, cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low, keeping the water on a very light simmer. If necessary, move the pan to a smaller hob.
- From this moment, do not remove the lid until the cooking process is completed.
- Cook the herb rice for 12 minutes.
- Once cooked, switch off the heat and allow the rice to rest for 10 minutes.
- Finally, remove the lid from the saucepan and add the fresh parsley and the lemon juice.
- Fluff and mix the herb rice pilaf using a fork and serve while still hot. Enjoy!
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