23 Rice Recipes for Your Side Dish Repertoire
Upgrade your dinner with sides featuring steamed basmati rice, colorful saffron rice, irresistible jollof rice, and more.
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
As our editors often say, rice is a highly versatile pantry powerhouse — possibly the world's most popular ingredient. Whether you've neglected a bag of rice for too long or want to try something new, we have a selection of rice recipes from cuisines around the world. Try a simple rice pilaf or fried rice, or another staple rice dish. If you are looking for simple sides and bases full of flavor and perfectly fluffy, start here.
Lemon Brown Rice with Garlic and Thyme
Diana Chistruga
Even the simplest bowl of rice holds possibilities. Use brown rice and transform bland into bold by stirring in butter, lemon, and garlic for an easy side that goes with everything.
Saffron Rice Pilaf with Cherries and Pistachios
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
Saffron not only gives this rice pilaf its jewel-toned hue, it permeates each grain with smoky, earthy, aromatic notes. This dish has hits of flavor from the fruity cherries, fresh cilantro, and toasty, salty pistachios, while fresh lime juice brightens every forkful.
Greek Rice Salad
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Thom Driver
This bright, punchy rice salad is packed with all the flavors we love from Greek cuisine: crunchy vegetables, juicy tomatoes, fresh herbs, and salty feta cheese.
Bacon Fat Fried Rice
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely
1999 F&W Best New Chef Rocco DiSpirito fries rice in savory bacon fat, then imparts a smoky sweetness and balanced acidity with jammy pineapple preserves and crisp fresh chopped pineapple.
Coconut Rice
Matt Taylor-Gross
Coconut rice gets its barely sweet flavor and rich texture from using coconut milk as part of the rice cooking liquid. It may look deceptively plain, but it’s the perfect accompaniment to many Asian, African, and Caribbean curries, stews, and soups.
Island Jollof Rice
Incredible depth of flavor sets jollof rice apart from other seasoned rice dishes. This version of the beloved West African dish was inspired by Eric Adjepong's Ghanaian roots.
Mexican Rice
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Ali Domrongchai
Cooking this rice in a blend of canned tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and jalapeño pureed with the juices from the canned tomatoes gives it extra flavor and a rich color.
Jamaican Rice and Peas
Diana Chistruga
Jamaican rice and peas — seasoned with the special trinity of thyme, scallion, and garlic — is a staple dish of the island. Briana Riddock shares her mom's recipe, with woodsy and fruity flavors from the allspice berries, thyme, and Scotch bonnet pepper.
Nam Khao Tod (Crispy Rice Salad)
Cooked and cooled rice is seasoned with curry paste and dusted with a generous coating of rice flour then fried until über-crunchy in this dish from Night + Market chef Kris Yenbamroong.
Royal Rice
Chefs Saqib Keval and Norma Listman of Masala y Maíz in Mexico City marry aspects of Indian and Mexican cuisines in this colorful dish, a hybrid of biryani and toasted, pilaf-style rice that is cooked in coconut milk with mint, almonds, and golden raisins.
Bacon Ginger Fried Rice
courtesy of Dotdash Meredith video team
Kylie Kwong ensures the eggs stay fluffy throughout this dish by scrambling them, then setting them aside. Then, stir-fry the onion, bacon, ginger, and all of the aromatics and combine the rice and soy before adding them back to the dish.
Fried Forbidden Rice
For a robust take on the Indonesian fried rice dish nasi goreng, Sang Yoon stir-fries black rice, sometimes called forbidden rice, with bacon and roasted garlic.
Sabzi Polo (Herbed Rice)
Sabzi polo is a staple on the Persian New Year's table. It's made with basmati rice and layers of fresh herbs, but what is most coveted is the tahdig — the crunchy crust that forms on the bottom of the pot during cooking.
Kimchi Fried Rice
Andrew Zimmern grew attached to this rice dish while on a trip to Hawaii. It's a flavorful side for any meal or on its own for lunch with a crisp salad.
Caramelized Red Onion Rice with Tamarind
In her book Fresh India, Meera Sodha uses sweet-and-sour tamarind paste to turn plain rice into a show-stealing side in just 40 minutes.
Brazilian Black Rice
This dish from chef Aladim Alves traces its roots to Brazil in the 1970s. It combines richly flavored Bahian seafood with whole-grain black rice mixed with garlic and onion cooked in butter.
Shrimp Fried Rice with Coconut and Pickled Onions
For his exquisite version of fried rice, known in Southeast Asia as nasi goreng, Chris Yeo adds quick-pickled onions and nutty shredded coconut.
Herbed Steamed Rice
Chef April Bloomfield uses chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley, chives, and tarragon, to flavor this 30-minute rice base or side.
Brown Rice Pilaf with Toasted Almonds and Parsley
Emily Farris adds toasted almonds and chopped parsley to this super-simple, gluten-free brown rice dish.
Golden Fried Rice with Asparagus and XO Sauce
Stir-frying rice with egg yolks is a technique that hails from Chinese imperial cuisine, says chef Lucas Sin of Junzi restaurant. It gives the dish a buttery richness and beautiful golden color. A generous amount of onions, garlic, scallions, and fresh ginger builds a foundation of flavor.
Crispy Coconut Sticky Rice
Chef JJ Johnson makes fragrant, lightly sweetened coconut rice, which he pats into a skillet and crisps to serve.
Thai Basil Fried Rice with Radishes
Fish sauce, Thai basil, and lime juice season this 20-minute fried rice from Phoebe Lapine.
Sticky Rice Dressing
Chef Joanne Chang's addition of Chinese sausage to this rice-based stuffing makes makes the rice deliciously sweet and savory.
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