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
I’m very interested in trying this rice dish. It sounds delicious. Can you inform me the size pot you used? Thanks!
Alan
Hi, Alan. I typically use a large Dutch oven (5-6 quarts).
Can’t wait to try this! If you eliminate the Orzo, do you need to adjust the liquid/broth ratio?
Thanks!
Hi, Alice. If you eliminate the orzo, for the correct water amount, I would just eyeball about 1 inch above the rice.
This dish is delish! I made it with Jasmine rice. Thanks, Suzy!
I hate to rate something that I’ve not cooked yet but I’ll be back later tonight because this is on the menu to go with pork souvlaki. I did have a question about the lemon juice. I almost always add lemon juice off heat, so cooking it with the broth goes against what I’d done and learned. Thoughts on adding lemon off heat at the end? Also Making tzatziki, so I’ll have fresh dill on hand. Should I use this instead of dried?
Can you use jasmine rice?
Hi, Lara. Yes, that should be fine. Just remember, the key is to soak the rice before cooking until you are able to easily break a grain.
Are you supposed to cook the orzo first?
Nope. It cooks right along with the rice :).
Hi. Sounds delish but I need to omit the orzo to keep
it gluten free. Do I need to adjust the liquid?
Thx.
Hi, Joyce. Yes, if you omit the orzo, you do need to adjust the water a bit. For the water amount, I usually eyeball about 1 inch above the rice.
I’m confused. Why would someone need to reduce the water? It says to soak the rice, then drain well. Are you then using the drained water? Now I’m nervous because I currently have it cooking in only the broth and lemon juice.
Hello! No, you drain the water…. it is not used in cooking the rice.
Hi I plan making this for Father’s day , can this be made alittle ahead of time? Also what would be the best way to keep warm., I’m making chicken kabobs with it and want to have whatever I can ready to go before I my guest arrive I have 16 people coming for dinner. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hi, Linda. You can make it ahead of time and reheat it on the stovetop with a tiny bit of water, tossing until warmed through. Hope you all have a lovely Father’s Day!
I made this with your ‘Easy Baked Fish with Garlic and Basil’ and together it was one of the best meals I’ve ever made. Will definitely be on my monthly meal rotation 🙂 Can’t wait to try your other recipes. A+++++
Yay! Thank you so much, Scott!
Winner recipe for me and my family. Thank you!
Yay! So glad to hear that, Sandy!
This is the best rice… so glad you were king enough to share…I will be making this recipe again and again… Thank you!
Awesome! Thanks, Jean!
We made the Greek-lemon rice and garlic-dijon chicken last night- as written and they were so easy and so flavorful!! Dinner got rave reviews from everyone. We will definitely be making these again. Thank you!
Wonderful! Thanks, Brian!
Hello Suzy, we loved the taste of this rice dish. Used Risoni instead of Orzo. Found I had to add more water to stop it sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. It was also gluggy. Could the Risoni have caused it to be gluggy? If this is the case, may just make with the rice next time.
Hi, Alison. Hard to say… Risoni is the same as orzo, so that alone wouldn’t cause it to be gluggy. I’m thinking the increased amount of water may have done it, unfortunately.
Hi Susie I am making your rice and chicken dish this weekend for my daughters birthday, can I Sousvide the chicken breast ?
Hi, Richard! I really recommend cooking the chicken with the rice as stated. I feel like if you sous-vide the chicken breasts separately, you will miss out on the delicious flavor combo.
I would not need as much rice as this recipe yields (only for me an my husband). Can this recipe be divided in half? What adjustments in preparation would I need to make?
Sure! I have done this by simply halving the ingredients and it worked out just fine.
Hi Suzy,
Your recipes are amazing and I love the tips you give with it! I did your Lebanese rice recipe so many times and it was always a success. I just have a question, in both recipes you use 2 cups of rice but why do you use 3 and 1/2 cups of water in the Lebanese recipe but only 2 cups in this one? The soaking time is the same, the only difference I noticed is that this one has some lemon juice, but that doesn’t sum up to 1 and 1/2 cups of liquid, this is why I am confused.
Thank you so much 🙂
Hi, Elia! During the creation and testing of these recipes we just found those are the amounts that worked best for each one.
How is this rice reheated?
Hi, Becky. 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.