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
We all love this but I used parboiled rice, which I figure doesn’t need soaking time. I just use my regular proportions plus a tiny bit more because of the orzo and it comes out great every time. I lucked out and got the proportions correct the first time I made it, but you might have to fiddle a but depending on your rice and pasta.
Made this rice last night and it got rave reviews from family. I followed the recipe exactly as written & it turned out perfectly. Regarding commentors who say it was bland, I did add more than a pinch of salt at the end when adding the lemon zest, parsley, & dill.
Love this recipe. I add Feta Cheese at the end. So delicious!
Unfortunately, I followed the advice of the reviewers who said to add extra liquid. Big mistake. Now I have a big mushy rice porridge 😩 flavors are great. Next time I’ll follow the actual recipe. My mistake.
Sounds delicious. I am having 30 guests on Easter and am wondering if this rice dish would work well to be made a day early and reheated in oven if would it be too dry?
Hi, Amy. This is probably best made on the day you want to serve it, but you can make it ahead if you need to. If you want to prepare it a night or two ahead, bring it to room temp then refrigerate. When ready to eat, heat over medium/medium-low and add a tiny bit of liquid to help things…break up the rice using a wooden spoon and toss occasionally to make sure everything is heated equally.
Thank you!
How did you arrive at the nutrition calculations on this recipe? I was making a couple adjustments and the calories (i.e. brown rice for white rice, reducing olive oil) and my calories came to 210 for each of 10 servings. Just trying to figure out how I’m so far off.
Thanks for the heads up, Cathy. We’ll take a second look at the numbers here. Please note, though, like most recipe websites, the nutritional information you see on our site is calculated using an online program that’s based on entering the recipe’s ingredient list. Various factors can change the nutritional information in any given recipe, and sometimes, different online calculators will provide you different results based on their own algorithm.
I’m not too good with rice, often screw it up. Followed the directions exactly (other than soaking the rice for a half hour) and this was delicious. (Cooked in a 5 qt dutch oven). Saw some reviews saying it didn’t turn out, I made this out of curiosity… could Suzy have one bad recipe? Nope, it’s delicious and I will definitely be making it regularly.
Thanks so much for the sweet review, Meghan! So glad this was successful for you!
If I wanted to use PRESERVED LEMON in this recipe what changes would you suggest? Should I leave out all the other lemon ingredients or just add the preserved instead of the zest?
Hi, Judy. It’s a bit hard to say, as we’ve never tried this recipe with preserved lemons. If you give it a go, though, please stop back an share your thoughts! We’d love to know if it was a success!
Will do! Love ALL your recipes!
Tonight I did fixed the Greek Lemon Rice substituting Preserved Lemon, and it turned out delicious! In step 3 while adding the broth, I substituted the pulp I’d removed from the preserved lemon rather than the lemon juice. Then when I removed the rice from the heat in step 4 I added the finely chopped preserved lemon rind (3 of the 4 quarters) and left it covered for the 10 minutes. My husband said “it’s the best!”.
Thank you so much for coming back to share this, Judy!! So helpful!
This rice wasn’t bad, but it was really lacking in flavor. I think more seasonings need to be thrown in there. Maybe more salt, if you’re not on a strict low-sodium diet, or possibly add more garlic. You could also probably spice it up a bit with some turmeric and maybe paprika. But the recipe, as it stands, it’s just really bland, sadly.
Definitely not enough liquid! I went with the recipe and boy was I wrong to do so. 2 cups of liquid is nowhere near enough! I know the normal ratio for rice is 1 cup of rice = 2 cups of liquid, so 2 cups of rice should have 4 cups of liquid. Not only that, but the orzo needs liquid to cook in.
This lemon rice recipe is a game changer. I have tried several others and none of them compare with the lemon rice you get in a Greek restaurant. I followed the instructions, including pre-soaking and it turned out perfectly! I think what pushes it over the top is incorporating the lemon juice in with the broth when cooking the rice. The lemon flavor is balanced beautifully with the other herbs. No need to look any further for Greek lemon rice recipes – this will be my “go to” from now on. Thanks!
Thanks for the awesome review!
Wish I’d read the comments/trusted my gut on the liquid amount. Seemed like not enough and I was right. Great flavor but it was crunchy.
The same thing happened to me! I thought that maybe the lemon juice would make up for the lack of liquid but the rice was dry and crunchy. We ate it anyway and just put some of your delicious Taziki sauce on it. I would like to know what to do differently next time. Maybe use 3 cups of broth instead of 2?
Otherwise, the flavors were delicious!
I loved the ingredients in this recipe, so I was really looking forward to making it. I followed the instructions, including the recommended washing and soaking the rice, but it came out sticky and crunchy. I’d love to give it another go, maybe increasing the stock to 3.5 cups given the 2 cups of rice the recipe calls for. I would love your feedback, as I have made several of your dishes and thoroughly enjoyed them!
Thank you!
Hi, Julie. It’s hard to say exactly what may have gone wrong without being there. Perhaps you are right, you may need to increase the amount of liquid a bit.
This was absolutely amazing! Already added it to my favorites and can’t wait to make it again . All of your recipes are wonderful. I made your grilled shrimp recipe to go with it and it was heavenly. I love The Mediterranean Dish and thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us.
This is great. The reason other people complain of the rice being dry is that it may not take you 20 min to cook this….it took me maybe 5 min for the rice to cook. Soaking the rice saves a lot of cooking time. You have to keep an eye on the rice for doneness. You can’t just a timer for 20 min and expect it to be perfect
Omgosh, this is awesome!