You’ll love this bright, flavor-packed Greek lemon rice made with onions, garlic, fresh lemon juice, and herbs! Check out my tips for foolproof results, and grab all the suggestions for what other dishes to serve along! Rice cooker instructions included.
Never Eat Boring Rice Again!
If you think rice is just a dreaded, boring side dish, this Greek lemon rice will prove you wrong. Dare I say, once you give it a try, it might just become your favorite side of all time!
This lemon rice pilaf is a fairly popular side dish; you may have sampled a version of it at your local Greek restaurant.
This easy side dish pairs beautifully with lots of Mediterranean favorites, including Souvlaki, Shrimp, Greek baked cod, and many more!
How to Make Greek Lemon Rice Pilaf
A few familiar flavor makers get the credit for how bright and tantalizing this rice is. They are: onions, garlic, fresh lemon juice, fresh parsley and dried dill.)
But this lemon rice is very simple to make. It starts with a little bit of rich extra virgin olive oil in which our onions and garlic are sautéed. From there, we add a little orzo, rice, and our liquid (lots of fresh lemon juice and broth). As the rice cooks in the lemon juice, it absorbs all the tang and brightness. And at the end, we hit it up with the herbs and a little lemon zest to seal the deal.
That’s all there is to it!
- Rinse and soak the rice. Place the rice in a fine mesh sieve, and rinse well under running water until it runs clear. Then soak rice in fresh water for 15-20 minutes.
- Cook the aromatics and toast the orzo. Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and orzo. Stir until the orzo has gained some color, then stir in the rice.
- Add the liquid. Now add lemon juice and broth. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the rice is done. The liquid should be fully absorbed, and the rice should be tender but not sticky.
- Remove from heat and steam. Remove the rice from the heat, but leave it covered. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Add herbs and serve! Uncover and stir in parsley, dill, and lemon zest. Garnish with a few slices of lemon. Enjoy!
Two Important Tips for Making Greek Rice
To ensure the best results for texture and taste, I apply the same tips I’ve learned when making Lebanese rice and Hashweh rice. Here they are:
- Rinse and soak the rice. The recipe starts with a very important step most other recipes ignore: Wash the rice well and soak it in plenty of water for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not skip this step; it helps remove excess starch, which causes rice to be sticky, and this rice is not meant to be sticky. Soaking it also shortens the cooking time, making sure the interior of the grain actually cooks before the exterior loses its shape and becomes mush.
- Let it rest after cooking. Once the rice is finished, leave it covered and undisturbed in the pot for about 10 minutes before adding the herbs and lemon zest. Again, this helps maintain the texture and integrity of the rice.
Can I Make this in My Rice Cooker?
I know many are fans of the convenient rice cooker. I totally get that, but this recipe is much better when you make it on the stovetop. That being said, yes, you can use a rice cooker with some adjustments:
- Still, rinse the rice well and soak it for 10 minutes (rather than 15 or 20) to remove the starch (not a requirement for rice cookers, but helpful).
- Add the orzo, rice, and liquid to the rice cooker (adjust liquid amount according to your rice cooker)
- Instead of chopped onions and fresh garlic, use 3/4 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (do not expect the same taste as using fresh, but it will get you close).
- Set the rice cooker to the appropriate setting. Once the rice is finished, stir in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil before adding the parsley, dill, and lemon zest.
Recipe Variations
- You can use brown rice, if needed. It does not yield the same taste and requires some adjustments. See how to cook brown rice for tips.
- For a veggie-boost, try Spanakorizo (Greek Spinach Rice).
- For the gluten-free option, simply omit the orzo and let the liquid boil a while longer to reduce properly.
- Some people add carrots or peas to this rice pilaf (similar to my Middle Eastern chicken and rice recipe) but I prefer to keep it simple, unadulterated, so to speak.
What to Serve with Lemon Rice
If you’re into eating Mediterranean, this lemon rice recipe will come in handy. Here are some of my favorite recipes to serve with Greek rice.
- Greek Lamb (Definitely)
- Chicken Souvlaki and Pork Souvlaki are both a given!
- Beef Kabobs if you like red meat.
- Rice goes really well with all sorts of fish recipes like easy baked salmon or Sheet Pan Salmon with Vegetables.
- Try it with vegetarian dishes like Briam, Greek Roasted Vegetables to make the most of garden produce.
- Heck, I’d turn this awesome lemon rice into a rice bowl; throw in these Keftedes or shrimp skewers and a little Greek Salad. Mmmm, doesn’t that sound wonderful!
More Greek Rice Recipes
Ingredients
- 2 cups Basmati rice
- Early Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (just over 1 cup chopped onions)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 cup orzo pasta
- 2 lemons, juiced, plus the zest of 1 lemon
- 2 cups low sodium broth, chicken or vegetable broth will work
- pinch salt
- Large handful chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
Instructions
- Rinse and soak rice. Place the rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse well under running water until it runs clear. Then soak it in fresh water for about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain.
- Cook aromatics and toast the orzo. Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, Once the oil begins to shimmer, add onions and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and orzo pasta. Stir for a bit until the orzo has gained some color, then stir in the rice.
- Add the liquid. Now add lemon juice and broth. Bring liquid to a rolling boil (it should reduce a little), then turn heat to low. Cover with a lid and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is done. The liquid should be fully absorbed, and rice should be tender but not sticky.
- Remove from heat and steam. Remove rice from heat. Leave it covered and do not disturb the rice for 10 minutes to let it steam.
- Add herbs and serve. Uncover and stir in parsley, dill, and lemon zest. If you like, add a few slices of lemon on top for garnish. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cook’s tip #1: Do not skip washing and soaking the rice well; this is important to help get rid of excess starch, which causes rice to be sticky (this rice is not meant to be sticky). Soaking the rice also shortens the cooking time, making sure the interior of the grain actually cooks before the exterior loses its shape.
- Cook’s Tip # 2: Once rice is finished, leave it covered and undisturbed in the pot for about 10 minutes before adding the herbs, etc. Again, this helps maintain the texture and integrity of the rice.
- What Dishes Go Well with this Greek Rice? Chicken Souvlaki, Beef Kabobs, Greek Baked Cod; All sorts of Salmon; Briam Roasted Vegetables. Heck, I’d throw it in a bowl with these Keftedes or shrimp skewers and a little Greek Salad. The possibilities are endless!
- Gluten-Free & Vegan Option: Eliminate the orzo to make this rice gluten-free. To make it vegan, opt for vegan vegetable broth.
- Brown Rice Option: It is not my preference, but you can use brown rice in this recipe. Remember that brown rice will require more soaking time and more liquid to cook. Consult the brown rice package to adjust this recipe.
- Rice Cooker Instructions: This rice is best cooked on the stovetop, but you can try a rice cooker. Still, rinse the rice very well and soak it to get rid of starch (not a requirement for rice cookers, but helpful). Add the orzo, rice, and liquid to the rice cooker (adjust liquid amount according to your rice cooker). Instead of chopped onions and fresh garlic, you will use about 3/4 teaspoon onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Set the rice cooker to the appropriate setting. Once the rice is finished, stir in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil before adding the parsley, dill, and lemon zest.
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
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I have made this recipe for my family – twice now, and it is the best Mediterranean rice dish I have made. It is easy to make and the trick definitely to keep it covered until you are ready to serve. The first time I served this with Suzy’s Easy Egyptian Potato Casserole and this past week with the Lemon Garlic Baked Chicken Drumsticks.
Thanks, Yurika!
The taste is amazing, but I followed this recipe to the letter, soaking the rice for over 20 minutes. When cooking time was over, there was still uncooked rice because there wasn’t quite enough water to cook the entirety of the rice. I’m at high altitude, so this could be the reason, but having to re-add water is frustrating and compromises the texture.
Can you easily double this recipe by doubling the ingredients?
Hi there, with rice, I do not typically recommend simply doubling the recipe…I would make two batches.
I double rice all the time and as long as you’re also remembering to double the rest of the ingredients and make sure you’re actually MEASURING “level” cups for the rice and water (versus “eyeballing” or just shaking off a heaping amount of the ingredients), it has always worked for me. Some things – like cakes, rice, bread machine recipes, and other recipes that depend on accurate measurements due to ratio sensitivity. Other things like most bread recipes made by hand, boiling pasta, etc., you can eyeball them and the recipe will work out just fine.
This is my first time ever commenting on a recipe. I made this for supper tonight and it was fabulous. I love the simplicity of it and how great it tastes. My husband told me that it was the best rice he has ever had – he’s a very picky eater. The only thing I would do different next time is not use all the lemon juice for personal preference. Cant wait to try out more of your recipes, thanks so much!
So great to hear! Thanks, Amanda!!!
Soooo good! I wanted to use my rice cooker and this is how I did it. I sautéed the onion in the oil on the stove as directed. Added garlic and sautéed until fragrant. I omitted the orzo bc my mom is gluten free. I added the rinsed and soaked rice (I used short grain jasmine bc it’s all I had) and stirred to coat. Then I dumped all that into my rice cooker. I added the lemon juice and the rest of my liquid was chicken stock (liquid according to rice cooker, not recipe). Set cooker and when it was done I stirred in the lemon zest, parsley and about 1T of fresh dill. Amazing!!!! Will definitely make this again and again! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing your tips, Sharon!
Loved this! Made with your baked cod recipe and it was just perfect.
Sounds like a great meal, Lama!
This was fantastic when paired with the “Easy Mediterranean Scallop” recipe! The Lemon Rice has a sour “twang” from the lemon zest and juice, which goes perfectly with the sweet tomatoes and peppers in the Scallops. Both of the recipes are brilliant and there’s a synergy of flavors when they’re paired together.
Thanks, Jason!!
All I have to say is, WOW! This recipe is so delicious! I will say tho that I added a bit more lemon zest at the end and WOW. So flavorful. As soon as my friend and her husband left, she texted me asking for the recipe.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing
Hi
Can I ask if this rice is meant to be eaten hot or cold please?
Making it for friends tomorrow and just want to know which way is best.
Thank you
Lou
It’s meant to be eaten as part of a hot meal.
i loved this recipe . The family loves . i didn’t have orzo so i substituted broken spaghetti
Great idea! Thanks for sharing, Debbie!
Great recipe. The first time I made it my husband thought it had too much lemon juice. Have to be careful about the size of the lemon. Second time I added a little less lemon juice and half the zest. Will think to measure amount of lemon juice next time to have more predictable flavor Also cooked it 15 min and then turned off heat when it was still very Al dente. After sitting 10 min it was perfect.
Thanks for sharing, Dorothy!
This was delicious, we had it with grilled salmon and it was perfect! It made so much I am going to try and make it into a cold salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives and maybe some greek yogurt. Can’t wait to try it !!!
So great to hear it, Sherry! Thanks so much
Has anyone tried with lime? I have a few fresh ones
It should work with lime 🙂
Great recipe and great advice! I was going to rate it 4 stars, but I think it was just me messing up a few things on my end. Here’s what I took away:
• Personally, I looove salt. However, I was so intent on following the instructions that I forgot to put any salt at all! I noticed there’s salt in the ingredients list, but I might have missed where the instructions say to salt the rice. Either way, I did not use low-sodium broth, in fact I used a vegetable bouillon mix that probably has a fair amount of salt and MSG. The directions for the mix say to use a teaspoon or more, I dropped a heaping teaspoon and then some into my water for a broth. I noticed immediately that there wasn’t enough salt when I found myself wishing there was butter in my rice—I didn’t actually want butter, I wanted salt!
• This actually turned out to be the stickiest rice I’ve ever made—but I liked that! I rinsed my rice until the water ran clear and left it soaking for maybe 17 minutes, then added it to my onions and garlic frying. I stirred around my rice a bit, then added the broth. Then, I squeezed my two lemons into it. I also left it to rest for the advised extra 10 minutes once I turned the burner off.
• I was pretty worried the flavor wouldn’t be lemony enough, but I was very wrong! Usually, adding two lemons hardly has an effect when cooking alio e olio for example, but this is definitely lemony. In the future, I might add less lemon? Maybe. I do really like lemon…
Overall, great recipe. Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing! Always appreciate learning and hearing feedback!
I love this recipe and I’ve made it several times, but I have also found that this rice comes out sticky, even with rinsing and soaking it! Maybe I’ll try not soaking it and see if that helps? Any suggestions?
Hi Julia, it could easily be the type of rice as well. Soaking typically does help when we make it.
Jasmine or basmati usually doest need rinsing if the water ratio is correct. i use anywhere from 11/3to 2 cups of liquid depending on the recipe.
Love this recipe. Do you think I could make this ahead and Gently re-heat Covered In a low oven?
Could I make this ahead and just gently reheat in the oven , covered? Need it for a party.
You can reheat it on stovetop over medium-low heat, add a little water if needed to break up the cold rice, and stir occasionally until warmed through.
Thank you! I didn’t mean to post the question twice!
Is the 1/2 cup of orzo pasta supposed to be cooked or uncooked when adding?
It should be uncooked.