Not sure about you, but we’re always looking to add a little pizzazz to our side dish game. Here’s the way to do it: this lemon rice recipe! Just a few simple ingredients take standard rice to the next level. Simply stir in lemon juice and zest, fresh garlic, and a bit of parsley after cooking up a pot of rice, and it infuses a zingy, citrusy flavor that’s positively irresistible! This is our new trick for entertaining and it always gets rave reviews. Jump to the recipe—now.
Ingredients in this lemon rice recipe
Lemon rice is the type of recipe we love to whip up as a side dish, because it requires just a handful of ingredients to make big flavor impact. All you really need is rice and a lemon, and you might already be stocking most of the other ingredients. Here’s what you need for lemon rice:
White long grain rice Salted butter Garlic (or garlic powder) Lemon, zest and juice Fresh parsley
Because it’s a simple ingredient list, there’s no shortcuts here! Use a real lemon with zest and juice, and a real garlic clove for the best flavor (not jarred in either case). However, if you don’t have garlic on hand, garlic powder tastes good too: though it doesn’t have the beautifully pungent flavor of fresh garlic.
Tips for lemon rice
There’s no trick to lemon rice: the simple combination of aromatic garlic and zingy lemon works wonders when it comes to flavor. There are just a few things to note about the method:
Rinse the rice. Rinsing rice removes starch from the outside of the grains. This prevents getting a gooey, sticky, gummy pot of rice. Let the rice stand for 10 minutes after cooking. This rest time is crucial because it steams the rice, letting the water become fully absorbed into each grain. Add the lemon zest and juice after cooking. For the freshest lemon flavor, add the lemon zest and juice at the end of cooking. Parsley is optional but recommended. Adding a bit of green chopped herbs adds a nice color to the presentation of this dish.
Best way to zest a lemon
The quickest and best way to zest a lemon for lemon rice? Use a microplane grater. A microplane is a handheld grater with sharp holes in it, which is quicker and more consistent than using a box grater or a zester. Here’s how to zest a lemon with a microplane:
Ways to serve lemon rice
Lemon rice is a truly versatile side dish: it pairs with many Mediterranean-style recipes from chicken to fish and vegetarian dinners. Here are a few great ways to serve it:
Salmon like Pan Seared Salmon or Brown Sugar Salmon Tilapia like Fried Tilapia or Parmesan Crusted Tilapia Fish like Swordfish, Mahi Mahi, or Chilean Sea Bass Shrimp like Garlic Shrimp, Grilled Shrimp or Shrimp Scampi Chicken like Creamy Garlic Chicken Vegetarian and vegan mains like Eggplant Rollatini, Eggplant Parmesan, Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Baked Falafel, or Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
More easy side dishes
This lemon rice is one of our favorite easy and healthy side dishes! Here are a few more sides to try:
Go for Spinach Rice with Feta, Cilantro Lime Rice or Coconut Rice Mix up classic Creamed Corn Bake up Garlic Roasted Potatoes Try salads like Bell Pepper Salad, Broccoli Cauliflower Salad, Orzo Pasta Salad, Green Goddess Salad, Favorite Lentil Salad and more Go for Garlic Roasted Potatoes, Best Mashed Potatoes, Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, or Purple Mashed Potatoes
Dietary notes
This lemon rice recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free. 5 from 1 review
