Bright and zesty Greek Lemon Rice is super tasty and so easy to make. With just a few simple ingredients and less than 30 minutes, you can turn a pantry staple into a flavorful side dish for your favorite meals!
Are you sick of the same old, same old white rice? We totally were too, which led me to do some experimenting and research into new ways to spruce up white rice. Our favorite? This lemon rice recipe! A riff on greek rice, this recipe is so easy, only taking 25 minutes to make, which is about the same amount of time it takes to make regular rice anyway! A pinch of this, a dash of that, and you’ll have a new favorite, easy lemon rice recipe to add to your meals.
Ingredients
- Long Grain Rice
- Butter
- Fresh-squeezed Lemon Juice
- Chicken Broth
- Turmeric (spice)
- Salt
- Fresh Herbs – optional (like dill, mint, or basil
Here’s How You Make It
You’re just a few steps away from the best lemon rice recipe ever!
- First, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (photo 1)
- Next, stir in the rinsed rice for 1 minute, then stir in the turmeric. (photo 2)
- Now stir in the broth, lemon juice, and salt and bring it all to a boil. (photo 3)
- Reduce the burner to a high simmer, cover, and let the greek rice cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring once or twice throughout. (photo 4)
- Finally, fluff with a fork and serve. (see below)
Why This Recipe Works
Easy — It doesn’t get any easier than melt, stir, add, boil, and simmer. The directions for this rice really are very simple and the process is so fast!
Lemon — You can’t have lemon rice without lemon of course. But seriously adding fresh-squeezed lemon juice to this Greek rice dish is key to giving it the most perfect, citrusy flavor.
Butter — The trick to this lemon rice is first stirring/cooking the rice in the butter so that the rice really absorbs some of that buttery flavor grain by grain. Plus, it helps release a bit of a nuttier flavor in the rice.
Turmeric — A lesser-used spice for sure, but turmeric adds a lovely flavor and color to this lemon rice that you won’t want to skip!
How to Cook Rice
Cooking rice isn’t that complicated, but it does require a few steps to get it just right. Here are the steps I follow when making any rice at all, but in addition this lemon rice.
- First, I measure out the rice (the ratio is 2 cups of water (or broth) for every 1 cup of rice).
- Pour the rice into a fine-mesh strainer in the sink and give it a rinse for about 30 seconds or so to get rid of some of the starches that can cause rice to stick together.
- Add the correct amount of water to the pan, then add the rice.
- Bring the rice and water to a boil. Add salt and butter if desired.
- Once it’s boiling, add a lid to the pan and turn the burner down to a high simmer.
- Check the rice after about 15 minutes to check for doneness. If there is still water on the top, allow the rice to cook for another couple of minutes or so until it’s soaked up all the water.
- Turn off the burner and let the rice rest for a couple minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.
Ideas for Serving Lemon Rice
- This is the recipe I use for the rice in my Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice Gyros and it is AMAZING!
- I love to serve this lemon rice with a side of healthy baked chicken.
- This dish also goes great with pork tenderloin.
- For veggies that go with Greek rice, try my roasted broccoli, oven roasted Brussels sprouts, or an easy green salad.
- If you’re feeling seafood, then a baked salmon or grilled shrimp would make the perfect accompaniment to this easy rice recipe.
Expert Tips
- This lemon rice will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- You can freeze this easy rice recipe for up to 2 months but I don’t think it tastes as good once it thaws as the rice can get a little mealy.
- For the butter, I use unsalted butter, then add salt later to taste. If you use salted butter, you might not want to use as much actual salt. But it’s totally a personal preference!
- If you want to add a little something “extra” to this lemon rice, try fresh herbs like parsley or oregano, a cup of frozen peas, a can of diced tomatoes (drained), or some toasted pine nuts.
- Do add butter (or you can use oil) to the grains before adding the water. The rice will soak up the oils/fat and help to coat the grains and allow them to slide past each other and not be so sticky.
More Amazing Rice Recipes
For more delicious, easy side dishes featuring rice, hop on over to my recipes for Super Easy Mexican Rice, Cauliflower Fried Rice, and Easy Chicken Fried Rice.
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
- Cajun Shrimp and Rice Skillet
- One Pan Spanish Chicken and Rice
- One Pan Lemon Herb Chicken and Rice
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fried Rice
- Pork Fried Rice
- Shrimp Fried Rice
Greek Lemon Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice - rinsed (see note)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs - optional (dill is my favorite!)
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter.
- Stir in rinsed rice for 1 minute, then stir in turmeric.
- Stir in the broth, lemon juice, and salt and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a high simmer, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring once or twice throughout. Fluff with a fork, stir in fresh herbs if desired, and serve.
Notes
- When using long grain white rice it’s always a good idea to rinse the rice first as it helps to achieve fluffy (not sticky) rice. Pour the rice into a fine-mesh strainer in the sink and give it a rinse for about 30 seconds or so to get rid of some of the starches that can cause rice to stick together.
- This lemon rice will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- You can freeze this easy rice recipe for up to 2 months but I don’t think it tastes as good once it thaws as the rice can get a little mealy.
- For the butter, I use unsalted butter, then add salt later to taste. If you use salted butter, you might not want to use as much actual salt. But it’s totally a personal preference!
- If you want to add a little something “extra” to this lemon rice, try fresh herbs like parsley or oregano, a cup of frozen peas, a can of diced tomatoes (drained), or some toasted pine nuts.
- Do add butter (or you can use oil) to the grains before adding the water. The rice will soak up the
I had the same experience as some other reviewers with the rice turning out too mushy and the lemon flavour was overpowering. I recommend less broth and less lemon juice per cup of rice than indicated in the recipe (especially if the rice is pre-rinsed).
love this recipe and the lemon-forward flavor! I use one lemon per cup of rice and add the zest in to the grains while toasting them; and then save the lemon juice and add right when fluffing the rice and let it absorb while the rice keeps warm – keeps the lemon juice from going bitter. Thanks!
So easy and so good! Love it! Perfect side for Greek chicken!
Way too much broth and my rice came out mushy. When I tried to salvage it, it just got burnt and we threw it out.
Can I do this recipe in my rice cooker?
This recipe hasn’t been tested in the rice cooker but if you end up trying it, I would love to hear how it goes! 🙂
Way too much broth. Rice was mushy and slimy and I had to throw it away