This Lemon Herb Rice recipe is simple to prep, super refreshing and goes great with a variety of flavors. Using just a few basic ingredients, like fresh parsley, lemon juice and garlic, you can easily transform plain white rice into something fabulous!
Herb Rice with Lemon is easy to make on the stovetop or in a rice cooker, and below you will find instructions on how to prepare this side dish both ways.
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Delicious Lemon Herb Rice
You’ll be hard-pressed to find something that doesn’t go well with Lemon Herb Rice. What’s not to love about perfectly cooked white rice, fresh herbs and lemon juice? It’s easy to swap out different herbs and spices to your liking if necessary.
We have provided you with step-by-step instructions to make this on the stove top, Instant Pot, or in your rice cooker so that you’ll be well-equipped to eliminate boring white rice from your life for good!
Lemon Herb Rice Ingredients
- Rice - we like to use long-grain white rice for this recipe. Basmati or Jasmine rice would make excellent substitutes.
- Chicken Broth - broth adds an extra layer of flavor, compared with water. You can substitute vegetable broth if you want to make this vegetarian.
- Butter - feel free to add a little extra to make your rice a little more creamy. You can also substitute olive oil if you would prefer that flavor.
- Garlic - we used fresh minced garlic, but you could use garlic powder if you prefer.
- Parsley - this recipe calls for fresh parsley, but fresh basil, mint or cilantro would taste great, too.
- Salt - you can adjust this according to your seasoning preferences.
- Lemon Juice - fresh lemon juice has the best flavor. If you want a little more zip, you can also add some fresh lemon zest to your cooked rice.
How to Make Lemon Rice on the Stove Top
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the uncooked rice, chicken broth, butter, minced garlic, parsley, and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low.
- Let simmer, without stirring or removing the lid, for about 18-20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all water has absorbed. It is important to keep the lid on until you need to check to see if the rice is done.
- Once the rice is tender and all of the liquid has absorbed, remove from the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and fluff the cooked rice using a fork, then serve immediately. Enjoy!
Lemon Rice in an Instant Pot
- Add the uncooked rice, chicken broth, butter, minced garlic, parsley, and salt into the Instant Pot and stir.
- Close and lock the lid, then turn the venting know to “Sealing” position.
- Pressure cook on High Pressure for about 6 minutes. Once finished cooking, switch to “Venting” position using a kitchen towel to release the remaining pressure.
- Lift the lid carefully and mix in the lemon juice. Stir with a fork, then serve immediately.
Lemon Rice in a Rice Cooker
- Add the uncooked rice, chicken broth, butter, garlic, parsley and salt to the rice cooker and press the “White Rice” setting.
- Once the rice has cooked completely, stir in the lemon juice and fluff using a fork, then serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Choosing a rice can get overwhelming if you let it! There are so many different types of rice to choose from these days.
Our first choice would be to use long grain white rice. Basmati rice and Jasmine rice are two long-grain varieties that will work great for dishes like this Lemon Herb Rice, or Homemade Rice Pilaf. These will all stay nice and fluffy once cooked.
You’ll want to avoid instant rice, or any short grain rice, for this recipe as they tend to get very sticky. If you want to substitute brown rice, you’ll just need to adjust your cooking time, as well as increase the amount of broth that you use.
The fresh, bright flavors in this Lemon Herb Rice will pair well with a variety of entrees, but we especially love to serve it with grilled chicken or fish:
Teriyaki Glazed Salmon
Grilled Apricot Chicken
Easy Grilled Caprese Chicken
Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
Grilled California Chicken
Storing And Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerator: leftover rice can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat in the microwave: combine the rice and 2-3 tablespoons of water in a microwave safe container and mix well. Lay a wet paper towel over the rice and heat on high for about 30 seconds at a time until warmed through.
- To reheat on the stovetop: transfer rice to a small pot and stir in a splash of water. Mix well, then cover and turn heat to low. Continue to cook on very low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
Lemon Herb Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Long Grain White Rice
- 4 cups Chicken Broth can substitute vegetable broth
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 2 teaspoon Garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon Parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the uncooked rice, chicken broth, butter, minced garlic, parsley, and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low.
- Let simmer, without stirring or removing the lid, for about 18-20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all water has absorbed. It is important to keep the lid on until you need to check to see if the rice is done.
- Once the rice is tender and all of the liquid has absorbed, remove from the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and fluff the rice using a fork, then serve immediately. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Easy Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
- No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Dip
- Mint Lemonade
- Lemon Rosemary Chicken Kabobs
- Lemon Green Beans
- Homemade Lemon Bundt Cake
- Lemon Broccoli
- Lemon Ginger Chicken
- More Rice Recipes
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More Delicious Rice Recipes
- Cheesy Green Chili Rice Casserole
- Garlic Parmesan Rice
- Copycat Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice
- Easy Ham Fried Rice
- Turkey and Rice Soup
This Lemon Herb Rice recipe is simple to prep, super refreshing and goes great with a variety of flavors. We have provided you with step-by-step instructions to make this on the stove top, Instant Pot or in your rice cooker so that you’ll be well-equipped to eliminate boring rice from your life for good!
Karen
I have made this more times than I can count and it is always perfection. Tonight I tried it with riced cauliflower instead and that was delish too!
Liz
I was looking for an easy side dish to serve for a cookout and this rice is going to be perfect!
Sam
This rice was delicious and so easy to make! Yum!