Flavorful and filling, our garlic rice recipe will be the perfect complement for almost any main dish. Serve it alongside grilled meats, baked salmon, or even rotisserie chicken.
This is sure to be one of your family favorites.
Why This Recipe
Delicious. This makes a great side dish with a buttery garlic flavor. This flavorful side dish is made with fresh garlic and is the perfect side dish for so many main courses including beef, chicken and fish.
Hands-off. This is an easy rice recipe. Once you get it to a boil, you can put the heat on low and walk away to finish other components of your meal. It is done in about 15-20 minutes.
Inexpensive. If you have hungry mouths to feed, garlic butter rice is a great way to fill their bellies! It is made with simple ingredients from your grocery store.
Neutral. Garlic rice goes well with so many different types of cuisine and all of the meals you love.
Ingredients for Garlic Rice
Basmati Rice. You can also use a different long grain rice such as jasmine rice which has a nice flavor as well. Changing the the type of rice will change the amount of water needed and the cooking time.
Water. If you prefer, you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth but either will change the flavor slightly.
Vermicelli. A thin form of spaghetti.
Garlic Cloves. Small or large will both work.
Salt.
Vegetable Oil. Or you can use olive oil.
Parsley. Cilantro will also work. Use fresh herbs. Rinse and chop the herbs before adding them to the rice.
Substitutions and Variations
For Lemon Garlic Rice, you can add the juice of one lemon to the mixture prior to cooking.
For a more savory rice, you can use Chicken Broth or Beef Broth in place of the water.
How to Make Garlic Rice
The full recipe instructions for this recipe are in the recipe card below, but here is a step by step overview of the recipe
Rinse your rice and mince your garlic. In a medium size pot, over medium heat, heat up some oil.
Chop the garlic cloves.
Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant
Add the vermicelli and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until the garlic and vermicelli are golden brown. Add your washed rice to the pot, then the water and salt. Stir until well combined.
Bring the pot with rice to high heat without a lid, until the water starts bubbling. Then bring the heat all the way down to low, cover it with a lid, and let it cook for 16-18 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from the stove and stir the rice. You can garnish it with some cilantro or parsley, but that is optional.
Recipe FAQs
Garlic is added to this rice during the cooking process. If you like, you can add cilantro and lime juice stirred in after the rice is finished cooking.
Basmati is the rice we recommend, but jasmine rice will also work really well
Rinsing the rice removes extra starch dust that has collected on the rice since it was harvested. If you wash the rice thoroughly, it will be fluffy and light and it is a simple way to improve the texture.
Yes! You can make this recipe with any rice of your choosing, but we think it is best with basmati. No matter what rice you choose, make sure to follow the package instructions for the amount of water
Yes, place water, rinsed rice, garlic and olive oil in the pressure cooker instant pot and stir. Secure lid on pot. Select the rice cooking button and close steam valve. When cycle is complete - 10 to 12 minutes, fluff rice with fork.
Yes, place all of the ingredients in your rice cooker and stir. Set the cooker to the cook setting. When cycle is complete, fluff rice with fork.
Tips for Best Results
Wash your rice at least five times or until the water isn’t cloudy anymore.
As your rice cooks you may need to stir it a few times to keep it from sticking. It does not need to be stirred constantly and removing the lid often will allow too much steam to escape.
For a special touch, slice a few cloves of garlic into very thin slices and fry them in hot oil until they turn crispy. It makes a beautiful garnish for your rice!
Store leftover rice in an airtight container. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months. Add a small amount of water (approximately one tablespoon) to the container and microwave your rice or throw it in a skillet to reheat it or thaw it.
If you don't have fresh garlic, you can use minced garlic, however, it won't have as much flavor as fresh.
More Delicious Side Dish Recipes
- Easy Shrimp Creole With Rice
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
- Pressure Cooker Jasmine Rice Pudding
- Homemade Chicken and Rice Soup
Garlic Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked rice
- 4 cups water
- ⅓ cup vermicelli
- 4-6 large or 6-8 small cloves of garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Oil for cooking (I used vegetable oil)
- Parsley or cilantro optional for serving
Instructions
- Wash your rice at least 5 times, or until the water isn’t cloudy anymore.
- Mince your garlic.
- In a medium size pot, over medium-high heat, heat up some oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add the vermicelli and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the garlic and vermicelli are golden brown.
- Add your washed rice to the pot, then the water and salt. Stir until well combined.
- Bring the pot with rice to high heat without a lid, until the water starts bubbling.
- Then bring the heat all the way down to low, cover with a lid and let it cook for 16-18 minutes.
- Remove from the stove and fluff rice with a fork.
- You can garnish it with some cilantro or parsley, but that is optional.
Tamara
I love that there's spaghetti in it too. It's making my stomach growl to look at.