You’ll love this bright, flavor-packed Greek lemon rice made with onions, garlic, fresh lemon juice and herbs! This is an easy side dish and pairs beautifully with lots of Mediterranean favorites including Souvlaki, Shrimp, and Greek baked cod and many more! Be sure to check out my tips for foolproof results, and grab all the suggestions for what other dishes to serve along! Rice cooker instructions included.
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.
You can serve it with many Mediterranean dishes like:
Greek Lamb (Definitely); Chicken Souvlaki; Beef Kabobs; all sorts of fish dishes like easy baked salmon; and vegetarian dishes like Briam Roasted Vegetables. 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!
You get the point, if you’re into eating Mediterranean, this lemon rice recipe will come in handy.
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, and herbs (I used fresh parsley and a dash of dill weed.)
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, garlic are sauteed. 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!
Two Important Tips for this Greek Rice
To ensure best results for texture and taste, I apply the same tips I’ve learned when making Lebanese rice and Hashweh rice. Here they are:
1.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, 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 it also shortens the cooking time, making sure the interior of the grain actually cooks before the exterior looses its shape and becomes mush.
2.Once rice is finished, leave it covered and undisturbed in the pot for about 10 minutes before adding the finishing touches (the herbs etc.) 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 stovetop. That said, yes, you can use a rice cooker, if you need to, with some adjustments:
Still rinse the rice very well and soak it even for a bit 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 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp garlic powder (do not expect the same taste.) Set rice cooker to appropriate setting. Once 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 you need to. 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 liquid boil a while longer to reduce properly
- Some people add carrots or peas in this rice pilaf (similar to this idea here), but I prefer to keep simple, unadulterated so to speak
Greek Lemon Rice Recipe
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves up to 6
Description
Best Greek lemon rice recipe! Loads of flavor from onions, garlic, lemon juice and fresh herbs. Be sure to check out the notes for tips and ideas for what to serve it with.
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain rice (uncooked)
- 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, juice of (PLUS zest of 1 lemon)
- 2 cups low sodium broth (chicken or vegetable broth will work)
- Pinch salt
- Large handful chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp dill weed (dry dill)
Instructions
- Wash rice well and then soak it for about 15 to 20 minutes in plenty of cold water (enough to cover the rice by 1 inch). You should be able to easily break a grain of rice by simply placing it between your thumb and index finger. Drain well.
- Heat about 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large sauce pan with a lid (like this one) until oil is shimmering but not smoking. Add onions and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until translucent. Add garlic and orzo pasta. Toss around for a bit until the orzo has gained some color then stir in the rice. Toss to coat.
- Now add lemon juice and broth. Bring liquid to a rolling boil (it should reduce a little), then turn heat to low. Cover and let cook for about 20 minutes or until rice is done (liquid should be fully absorbed and rice should be tender but not sticky.)
- Remove rice from heat. For best results, leave it covered and do not disturb rice for about 10 minutes or so.
- Uncover and stir in parsley, dill weed 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 here also shortens the cooking time, making sure the interior of the grain actually cooks before the exterior looses 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: All you need to do to make this rice gluten free is to eliminate the orzo. For vegan, opt for a vegetable broth that is completely vegan instead of chicken 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 stovetop, but you can try a rice cooker. Still rinse the rice very well and soak it even for a little bit 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 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Set rice cooker to appropriate setting. Once rice is finished, stir in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil before adding the parsley, dill and lemon zest.
- Visit The Mediterranean Dish store to check out Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil and our Early Harvest Greek Extra virgin olive oil (both single estate oils from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives.) You will also find a big selection of all-natural and organic spices! Visit TMD Store
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Greek
Hi,
Can you make this the day before you need it. Will it still taste as fresh, or best to make it on the day?
Many thanks.
Hi, Lynda. This is probably best made on the day you want to serve it, but you can make it ahead if you need to. To reheat, place on the stovetop over medium-low heat, add a little water if needed to break up the cold rice, and stir occasionally until warmed through.
You should read the comments and then adjust your recipe!!
Everyone knows that for one cup of rice you need two cups of liquid- so for your two cups of rice, we should have four cups of liquid!!!
Came here to say this. I didnt catch it in time and am now trying to see if I can salvage this huge pot of half-cooked/half raw rice. Very flavorful tho. Frustrating oversight by the author.
I have a question if I’m making a large batch 20 people. Can this be made in the oven in a roasting pan? How many cups of rice should I use?
Hi, Bess. If you want to increase the amount of this recipe, we really recommend making it in multiple single batches. Doubling, tripling, etc. a rice recipe to make one huge batch can get a little tricky and doesn’t always turn out.
This recipe needs WAY more liquid!! After cooking everything as directed for about 10 mins I lifted the lid to check and the rice was cooked dry, nearly burning on the bottom of the pan. Had to add double the stock.
Nice ingredients but serious flaws. Not enough liquid to rice ratio. Too much lemon juice which over powers. I ended up doubling the broth, adding some salt and pepper and fresh grated Parmesan cheese which helped but in future I would significantly lessen the amount of lemon juice and add more broth. And I like lemon but it is too much.
I followed the directions exactly. I soaked the rice 20 minutes. I cooked as directed. Let set for 10 minutes. Decided to make sure rice was cooked. It was not crunchy raw. Disappointing for sure. I have added water and trying to cook longer. Hoping for the best but unlikely. Btw the flavor was yummy. Next time I will add 2 cups more broth. I knew it was too little liquid but hoped the soaking meant it needed more. 🤷♀️
This is so Amazing! delicious, simple and a crowd pleaser! Thank you
I only had brown rice so I soaked for 30 minutes and used more liquid as stated in the “tip section”
Came out perfect! Delicious and flavorful! Definitely will make again!
This was absolutely delicious! Unfortunately I didn’t have any orzo on hand so made it with just the rice. Look forward to making it with the orzo next time.
The flavor is great, but mine came out quite al dente – even after rinsing for 20 and following the cooking instructions. Is there something I might not be doing correctly?
Hi, Kerri. A couple of quick thoughts: 1) you may need to spend a little extra time rinsing & soaking your rice 2) once the liquid has boiled, be sure it cooks for the rest of the time over very low heat, covered. It may take a couple tries as you discover what works best with your own stove.
I really like this recipe, but did you mean 1 C rice to 2 C water? I did 1 C rice and I still had to keep adding water. I rinsed it and soaked it as directed and it still came out sticky.
Hi, Penny. Suzy has always used the ratio listed here, and it has worked well for her. Thanks for the feedback, though. We’ll take another look and see if it needs adjusting.
Hi there, just wondering if I can use Basmati rice?
Thank you
Hi, Joan. Yes, you can use basmati here, just be sure to give it a good rinse. It will still need to soak, but probably not as long.
I used the “2x” scale of the recipe and the results were not great. I followed the recipe to the letter but ended up having to add more lemon water and broth because the rice and orzo were undercooked. I will try again using the “1x” scale. My guests said they really liked it. I thought it was “OK” – not what my taste buds were expecting. I was looking forward to a more fluffy rice and a bigger “hit” of lemon taste. Also needs more salt.
I made this in the instant pot, came out great! Sautéed everything first, then shut IP off. Added broth and lemon juice, high pressure for 4 minutes, and 10 minutes NP. Added dill (used 2 Tbsp fresh because I was out of dried), salt, zest and parsley. Yummy!
So glad I came upon your comment I made it in my IP following your tips thank you! It came out perfect what a lovely recipe too. It’s a keeper!
Great to hear! Thanks so much for taking the time to review!
This is a keeper! I will be making this dish on a regular basis. I love Mediterranean food and this will accompany many dishes that I already make.
I have tried some of your recipes i see on Facebook great recipes n I’m learning a different way of eating and its not a boring diet way great taste to my tastes buds
That’s wonderful, Esther!