At our house, this easy lemon rice is a side dish staple and with just 5 ingredients, it’s a super simple way to jazz up plain old white rice any day of the week.
No matter where your set your plate, it’s likely that rice will be one of the side dishes served on any international dinner table.
This lemon rice makes regular appearances alongside so much of my main meal cooking, like my Greek marinated chicken, or as a basic side for my Greek pork souvlaki kebabs or turkey kofta skewers, and always with my Easy Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce.
But this lemon rice doesn’t travel only in Greek or Mediterranean circles. It’s a fan of crossing all culinary borders, and it does a fine job of fitting into any dinner no matter the main dish’s international personality.
How to Make Lemon Rice
This recipe really couldn’t be any simpler. The method is the same as cooking any regular white rice, but with a zest and squeezey juiced lemon effervescence. But lemon juice isn’t the only flavor enhancer, I also add the zest of the rind that comes from the fine grating of the citrus rind, releasing the flavorful oils that will really propel the flavor infusion.
To zest the lemon, I use a microplane zester or this OXO hand held grater, rotating the lemon as I grate. And please note, a typical cheese grater won’t work for this job because the holes are far too big and not nearly sharp enough.
For the final lemon touch, adding both the lemon juice and the zest to the cooking water at the start of the cooking process makes the rice absorb the subtle flavors of the lemon.
see more: 31 Quick and Healthy Veggie Side Dishes in 30 Minutes or Less
How to Add Personality to White Rice
I’m a flavor builder, so like many of my other rice side dishes, I like to add another layer of brightness with a little chopped parsley and if there’s any extra zest, I toss it on too. But adding parsley or anything else is totally up to you and your preference.
I also add butter at the beginning of the cooking process simply because I love the combination of the lemon and the butter. If you’re more of a purist, once again, leave it out if you’d like.
Keep the rice simple by adding just the lemon, or switch it up with extra ingredients to match other cuisine flavor profiles, like:
- Chopped nuts like pistachios, Marcona almonds, or pecans
- Chopped dried fruit like apricots, cranberries, raisins, or currants
- Parmesan, feta, or goat cheese
- Chopped herbs such as dill, parsley, or cilantro
- Sauté chopped onion, red bell pepper, or garlic before adding the rice and water to the pan for a more savory flavor
see more: 30 Dinners to Make When There’s No Time to Cook
Main Meal Recipes to Pair with Lemon Rice
- 10-Minute Maple-Crusted Salmon
- 30-Minute Creamy Mushroom and Leek Chicken Breasts
- Broiled Miso Cod With Vegetables
- 10-Minute Teriyaki Shrimp
- Easy Greek Chicken Kebabs
- 10-Minute Chicken Stir Fry
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Lemon Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 lemon juiced and zested, about 2 tablespoons juice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
Instructions
- Rinse 1 cup of white rice in cold water, stirring with your hand, drain and repeat two more times until the water runs mostly clear. Add the rice to a medium saucepan fitted with a lid. Add 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the lemon zest, 1 tablespoon butter, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Stir, then bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cover with the lid. Cook for 20 minutes, then remove from the heat and rest for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in the minced parsley. Add more salt and butter to taste.
Nutrition
More Simple Side Dishes You’ll Easily Make Too
- Easy Lemon Orzo Faux Risotto
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Easy Parmesan Buttered Noodles
- The Best Buttery Parsley Potatoes
- Green Beans and Shiitake Mushrooms
- Easy 5-Minute Parmesan Zucchini
- Heavenly Funeral Potatoes Recipe
Do you have a simple side you love to make or a request for a recipe? Share it in the comments below, or email it to me at [email protected]
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Angela
would brown rice work?
Brown rice will take longer to cook so follow the package directions and let me know how it goes!
Mary Kielb
Hi, Do u double the amount of lemon if you are doubling the recipe’s
Yes, you should double the ingredients if doubling recipe amount.
George Moy
To Heidi your Savory Rice recipe is Delicious and cost Cutter Better than Spending a lot on Rice A Roni But There’s Something I Want to Know.Will This lemon rice Add One Work With Boil In Bag Rice? Also If You Buy Ramen noodles and Have The Soup Flavor Packet (unused) well With The Flavor Packet I Usually pour The Dry Flavor Packet Into The Fully Cooked Rice (or Noodles) and Put Butter Or Corn Oil In It And A Teaspoon of Water and Mix It And What You Get Is Rice With Chicken Rice Or Soy Sauce Flavored Rice.So Sometimes All Your Rice Might Not Get Fully Coated with The Soup Packet,Then you’ll Need An Additional Teaspoon Of Water To Your Rice.But All In All Its A Delicious Rice You Could Have Anytime.
Such a good idea to use the flavor packet George! I haven’t used the boil in bag rice but I bet it would work! Give it a try and let us know if it does!
Allison
Thanks for such a nice recipe! I made this with Basmati rice and lime in replace of the lemon. So delicious!
Yum, your citrus swap sounds perfect!
Dominique Flores
So delicious!! I will definitely make this again, it came out perfectly!
Hayley
Thanks for sharing with us, Dominique–we’re so happy you loved it! :)
corrine
Super easy and delicious. I didn’t have lemons, so I just subbed out the concentrate and we at the whole thing. Yum!
Hayley
Thanks, Corrine, we’re so happy you enjoyed it!
Teresa Gomez
I love this recipe. it pairs so well with pesto chicken. my husband loves this rice. we both agree, it’s full of flavor. thanks for sharing.
Hayley
Thanks, Teresa–we’re so happy you and your husband loved this!
Emily
Turned out beautifully with basmati rice!!!!!
I tried it first with regular long grain rice and it turned out gummy despite rinsing it and boiling all the water out. So I started over with basmati rice and it was perfect!
Hayley
Thanks for sharing, Emily. We’re sorry it didn’t work out the first time but we’re glad to hear you had great results with the basmati rice!
Marie
I had the same issue, rice a little Gummy, and I did rinse it several times before cooking.
It could have been the type of rice you used, or you didn’t cook it long enough.
Susan Craigie
The flavor of this rice is wonderful, however the texture was gummy. I think it is better to wait and fluff with a fork after the 10 minute rest. I think the first fluff releases too much starch in the rice.
Hi Susan, did you rinse your rice before cooking? If not, rinse it until the water runs clear and you won’t have that problem.