Easy Lemon Rice Greek Inspired

Just 1 pot, 5 ingredients, and 25 minutes required to level up your go-to grain. Let us show you how! If you’ve eaten at a Greek restaurant and wondered what’s in that delicious rice accompanying your main dish, you’re not alone! This recipe is inspired by many such experiences and a desire to make a homemade, plant-based version. Our search for the origin story of this dish came up empty-handed, but common ingredients seem to include white rice, chicken broth, lemon juice, butter, salt, and a handful of other ingredients depending on the recipe.

How to Make Lemon Rice

Our 1-pot vegan version begins with sautéing garlic in olive oil until just fragrant and still light in color. You don’t want your garlic to get too browned as it can result in a bitter flavor. Next, we add lemon zest and sauté briefly. Then comes white rice, water, and a generous amount of FRESH lemon juice! This is not the time or place for bottled lemon juice, friends. If you need more convincing, Ken’s Greek Table has some additional words of wisdom: “For the love of Pete, do NOT use that pre-bottled lemon juice s***!” Now that you’re on board with fresh lemons, there are just two more ingredients before we set it and forget it: 1) sea salt for overall flavor and 2) a little optional pinch of turmeric for a pretty yellow color! After cooking in a saucepan for about 15-20 minutes, we turn off the heat, fluff with a fork, and let it rest until it becomes extra fluffy! We hope you LOVE this lemon rice! It’s:FluffyBrightSavoryComfortingQuick & easy& SO delicious!

What to Serve with Lemon Rice

It’s a versatile side that pairs well with our Classic Vegan Falafel (GF), Grilled Veggie Skewers with Chimichurri Sauce, Hummus From Scratch, and much more. It’s also so good with our Easy Mediterranean-Inspired Nourish Bowls!