Best Ever Rice Pilaf
Posted: 04/20/20
Updated: 02/02/23
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This is the BEST ever rice pilaf, if you ask me! Rice is sautéed in butter then baked with stock and aromatics for the perfect, super flavorful side dish. I got this recipe from my mother, who’s been making it for decades. The aromatics make it different and better from most rice pilafs, and that’s why it’s a family favorite!
Why This Recipe Is So Good
- This rice pilaf is so easy, but so delicious and fragrant! Buttery rice with fresh, aromatic celery, carrots, and parsley, with slivers of almonds and tangy lemon juice make this the perfect side dish.
- My mom has been making this dish for as long as I can remember. The warm, comforting aroma of this rice pilaf brings back so many wonderful memories, and I’m sure it will become a staple side in your household, too!
- Pilaf is the perfect way to dress up rice. The simple ingredients in this recipe are easy to find (you may already have them!) and are an amazing way to kick your pantry staple up a notch!
Chef’s Tips
- To make vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- For vegan, use vegan butter instead of regular butter, as well as subbing vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
What Is Pilaf?
Pilaf refers to how the dish is prepared, which is with broth instead of in water like traditional rice. While rice pilaf is made with rice (obviously), pilaf can also be made with other ingredients like wheat or orzo. Paella, pilau, and biryani all evolved from pilaf.
More Simple-Yet-Delicious Recipes
- Mom’s Best Tuna Noodle Casserole
- 5 Minute Lemon Garlic Shrimp
- Instant Pot Brown Rice
- Almond Flour Banana Bread
- Marry Me Chicken (Chicken in a Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce)
- Air Fryer Pecan Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce
- BBQ Chicken Salad
Rice Pilaf
Rice is sautéed in butter then baked with stock and aromatics for the perfect, super flavorful side dish.
servings
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 ½ cups uncooked rice
- 3 ¼ cups chicken broth
- 6 tablespoons chopped celery ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons
- 6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons
- 6 tablespoons chopped carrots ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons
- 6 tablespoons sliced almonds ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons, plus more to garnish if desired
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper more or less to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice juice from ½-1 lemon, optional
Equipment
- 2.5-quart casserole dish
- Large skillet
- Aluminum Foil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Lightly grease casserole dish with butter or cooking spray and set aside.
- Add butter to large skillet over medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add rice and stir well. Cooking, stirring frequently, until rice is lightly browned.
- Pour chicken broth into skillet. Stir to incorporate, then bring to boil. Once rice mixture begins to boil, transfer mixture to greased casserole dish.
- Cover dish with aluminum foil and place in oven. Bake 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove casserole dish from oven and uncover. Add celery, parsley, carrots, and sliced almonds. Season with pepper to taste, then stir well to distribute ingredients.
- Cover dish with foil and return dish to oven, baking another 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove dish from oven and uncover. If desired, squeeze lemon juice over pilaf then stir to incorporate. Garnish pilaf with additional sliced almonds (optional) and serve immediately.
Notes
- Make it Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Make it Vegan: Sub vegetable broth for chicken broth and use vegan butter instead of regular butter.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 340kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 555mg, Potassium: 282mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 3119IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 75mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 40g
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Can I cook it in a enameled dutch oven rather than casserole dish for the oven portion?
I would think that’d be fine, but we didn’t test it so I can’t say for sure. Let us know how it turns out if you try it!
Made exactly as written- delicious! Easy to do, perfect with our roasted chicken
So happy to hear that, Shelley! Thanks so much for the review!
I’ve always been confused by rice recipes that are toasted before boiling. Do you still wash the rice first? I thought you were always supposed to wash rice, but when I see videos of toasting the rice in oil first, it always looks dry.
Whether or not you wash the rice first just depends on the type of rice, the method you’re using, the recipe you’re making, and the result you want for the final dish.
As far as rinsing it before toasting, it’s not necessary! Rinsing removes the excess starch from the rice, and toasting will do that, too, to an extent.
What kind of rice should I use? Minute Rice? Long grain rice?
Long-grain white rice is preferable!
Love this recipe and have made it several times! Any idea how I could prepare it ahead of time and then cook it the next day? Maybe it’s not possible.
This is best to cook the same day you plan to serve it, but you can chop the veggies ahead of time.
Absolutely phenomenal! 10/10
So glad you enjoyed it, Jordyn!