These rice recipes include quick weeknight dinners, flavorful side dishes, and more! Easy and delicious, they show off this pantry staple at its best.
Say goodbye to boring, bland, or mushy rice! These easy rice recipes will help you make the most of this delicious grain. They include quick weeknight dinners, flavorful rice side dishes, and more.
Something you might not know about me is that I really, really love rice. I always keep at least one kind in my pantry, which means that I have rice recipes on heavy rotation. Below, I’m sharing 25 of my favorites, like a 15-minute fried rice, zesty cilantro lime rice (my go-to side dish!), and a couple of comforting risottos.
If you have a bag of rice you’re looking to use up, or if you want to explore new ways to cook it, check them out. I’m sure you’ll find some rice recipes you love!
Easy Rice Side Dishes
Spanish Rice
Filled with onions, tomatoes, and jalapeños, this one-pot rice recipe is flavorful and comforting. Serve it as a side dish with Mexican dishes like enchiladas or quesadillas, roll it into a burrito, or use it to fill stuffed peppers.
Cilantro Lime Rice
One of my all-time favorite rice recipes! Inspired by Chipotle’s cilantro lime rice, it’s fresh, bright, and zesty. Use it as the base of a burrito bowl, or serve it as a side dish with any meal.
Coconut Rice
Cooked in a can of coconut milk, this simple rice is gooey, rich, and fragrant. It’s a great weeknight side dish. I also love it in a bowl with baked tofu, mango salsa, and avocado!
Rice Recipes for Dinner
Easy Fried Rice
This 15-minute recipe is the best way to use up leftover rice! Scrambled eggs, fresh veggies, sesame oil, and soy sauce turn it into a flavorful meal.
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Brown rice, corn, and beans create a satisfying vegetarian filling for these easy, cheesy stuffed peppers.
Best Veggie Burger
Short grain brown rice is the secret ingredient that binds these veggie burgers together. Make sure to use freshly cooked rice here—it needs to be hot off the stove to be sticky enough to do the trick.
Vegan Burritos
My Spanish rice bulks up these black bean, bell pepper, and guacamole-filled burritos. Serve with your favorite salsa on the side!
Maki Sushi
Stuffed with roasted shiitakes, avocado, cabbage, and cucumber, this veggie sushi is savory, creamy, crunchy, and fresh. I’d happily devour it plain (it’s that good!), but dipping it in my carrot ginger dressing really takes it over the top.
Wild Rice Soup
This cozy soup is one of my favorite rice recipes for a chilly fall or winter day. Nutty wild rice, creamy white beans, and loads of flavorful veggies simmer in a lightly creamy broth.
Nori Wraps
These little nori wraps deliver the best parts of sushi (sweet/tangy rice, fresh flavor, and all the spicy mayo) with half the work. Just pile squares of nori with cooked rice and your favorite fixings, and enjoy!
Rice Bowls
Bibimbap
You won’t miss the meat in this vegetarian version of Korean bibimbap! It gets plenty of texture, richness, and heat from the fiery gochujang sauce, seasoned veggies, and perfect sunny side up egg.
Burrito Bowl
No need to run out to Chipotle—with some freshly cooked rice and a few well-chosen toppings, you can make a delicious burrito bowl at home!
Sushi Bowl
This rice bowl captures all the tastes and textures I crave in a good veggie sushi roll. It’s got creamy avocado, crisp cucumber, and nori, plus sticky, seasoned rice. Serve with spicy mayo on the side!
Peach Salsa Halloumi Bowls
If you’re craving fresh summer flavors, this bowl is for you! It stars chewy grilled halloumi along with black beans, avocado, a fresh peach salsa, and my zippy cilantro lime dressing.
Mango Ginger Rice Bowl
This easy bowl is one of the most refreshing rice recipes out there. It’s filled with crisp veggies, pickled ginger, fresh basil, and a light, bright tamari-lime sauce.
Buddha Bowl
Use this recipe as a guide to create a yummy bowl with whatever’s in your kitchen! Start with a base of rice (any kind!), and top it with a protein, a pickle, plenty of veggies, and a flavorful sauce. Tahini sauce, tzatziki, and cilantro lime dressing are some of my favorites.
Arborio Rice Recipes
Mushroom Risotto
If you have a bag of arborio rice in your pantry, risotto should be in your future. This mushroom version is our favorite for date nights. Topped with meaty sautéed mushrooms and Parmesan cheese, it feels fancy, but it’s surprisingly simple to make.
Butternut Squash Risotto
This risotto is one of my favorite rice recipes to make in the fall. Butternut squash and fresh sage fill it with the flavors of the season.
Asparagus Risotto
This bright, zesty risotto is perfect for spring! It stars fresh asparagus, leeks, and a mix of soft, leafy herbs.
Rice Salads and Pilafs
Wild Rice Pilaf
I make this nutty rice dish on repeat in the fall. Filled with hearty rice, roasted sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and cranberries, it’s a delicious meal prep lunch or holiday side dish.
Pomegranate Rice Salad
The best part of this recipe is the dressing—it’s a fragrant, zesty mix of citrus juices, olive oil, and warm spices. Beyond that, feel to make this rice salad your own! Top it with dried fruit instead of pomegranates, swap your favorite nut for the pistachios, or add a handful of roasted chickpeas for extra protein.
Essential Rice Recipes
How to Cook Brown Rice
All the best rice recipes start with one thing: fluffy, tender rice. This guide will teach you how to cook perfect brown rice every time, no rice cooker needed!
- Got a pressure cooker? Check out my guide to making Instant Pot brown rice.
How to Cook White Rice
Learn how to cook any variety of white rice to add to your favorite rice recipes! Whether it’s short grain or long grain, basmati rice or jasmine rice, it’ll come out light and fluffy every time.
- Got a pressure cooker? Check out my guide to making Instant Pot rice.
Forbidden Black Rice
If you’ve never tried black rice, you’re missing out! It’s rich in nutrients and has a fabulous nutty flavor. I love to use it in rice bowls. You could substitute it for the white or brown rice in any of the bowls above!
How to Cook Wild Rice
Technically, wild rice isn’t actually rice, but a type of grass. But because I often use it in combination with other kinds of rice, I’m including my guide to cooking it here. With its nutty flavor and chewy texture, it’s one of my favorite grains to use in fall salads and side dishes.
Recipes to Serve with Rice
Looking for more rice recipes? Try pairing a scoop of plain rice with any of these dishes for a healthy weeknight meal:
Rice Recipes: Pomegranate Rice Salad
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups cooked long grain white, brown, or wild rice
- ⅓ cup toasted chopped pistachios
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- ⅓ cup fresh mint leaves
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Roasted Chickpeas, optional
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, plus 1 teaspoon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, zest, lemon juice, maple syrup, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt, and a pinch of pepper. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions, garlic, and pinches of salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute, or until soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the rice, using the back of a wooden spoon to break up any clumps. Heat until warmed through. Turn off the heat and stir in the dressing, pistachios, parsley, and pomegranates. Top with the mint leaves and roasted chickpeas, if using. Season to taste and serve.
I own Love and Lemon Everyday and can’t fin Coconut Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Kale in my book.
Page 85 on my edition is “Spice Red Lentil Sweet Potato Stew””..looks delicious so I’m going to try that one. I would really like the Coconut Soup Recipe if you could post it.
Whoops..just realized I was looking at the Feed Good Food cookbook and found the Coconut Soup recipe in Everyday (I bought all 3 and love them). Got it and will try both.
Hi Christine, I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the books – I hope you love the soup!
Perfect recipe idea, I’m a foodie too
Everytime I think what’s for dinner? BAM here you post the perfect recipe. You made going vegetarian easy and delicious ? thankyou ?
I’m so glad the recipes have been helpful!
I really love your guides, you are such an inspiration to me.
my hubby loves eating rice. He recently bought me a rice cooker, I wish you had a guide for this too with all these recipes
Hi Sara, I’m so glad these posts have been helpful! I use my rice cooker all the time, here’s how:
for brown rice, use this water/rice ratio (skip the oil) and use the brown rice setting:
https://www.loveandlemons.com/how-to-cook-rice/
for white rice, use this water/rice ratio (skip the oil) and use the white rice seting:
https://www.loveandlemons.com/how-to-cook-brown-rice/
Hope that helps!