Classic Rice Pilaf (Easy Homemade Recipe)
This easy homemade rice pilaf is made with long-grain white rice, butter, savory vegetables, and broth for a flavorful side dish with tender, fluffy grains. It’s a classic stovetop recipe that’s easy enough for weeknight dinners but delicious enough for special occasions.
Recipe overview: Classic Rice Pilaf
- Classic pilaf method. The rice is sautéed in butter with vegetables before being simmered in broth, giving it delicious flavor and a fluffy texture.
- Simple ingredients. You only need long-grain white rice, butter, broth, a handful of vegetables, and a few seasonings.
- Easy one-pot side dish. Everything cooks in a single pot on the stovetop, with very little hands-on time.
- Goes with almost anything. Serve this rice pilaf alongside chicken, beef, pork, seafood, or your favorite vegetable dishes.
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“Thank you for a great and reliable recipe – outcome as shown – simple but better than any others I use in the past. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“ — from reader Richard
“This was delicious! The rice was buttery as it was fried and we added lots of great veggies and some shrimp. We will make it many times. Thanks! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“ — from reader Tarheel Cook
I first learned to make this rice pilaf in culinary school, where it was our go-to side dish for whatever main dishes we were working on that week. It always felt a little elevated and special, even though it was so easy to make. Almost 20 years later, it’s still one of my favorite ways to cook rice.
Sautéing the rice in butter with finely chopped veggies before simmering it in broth is such a simple technique, but it makes all the difference! Serve this flavorful homemade rice pilaf with easy skillet chicken with herb butter sauce, simple roasted salmon with lemon and herbs, or pork chops with sage-butter sauce.
This rice pilaf also makes a delicious holiday side dish, especially with herb-roasted turkey breast or other roasted meats.
What is rice pilaf?
Rice pilaf is a dish made by sautéing rice in butter or oil, often with finely chopped vegetables and aromatics, before cooking it in broth or other liquid (unlike plain steamed rice with is typically cooked in water). This method adds flavor and helps create tender, separate grains instead of clumpy rice. My classic stovetop version includes onion, celery, mushrooms, garlic, and herbs for extra savory flavor.
Rice pilaf ingredients
- Butter: Adds richness and flavor, especially when used to sauté the vegetables and rice. You can also use olive oil.
- Onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic: These vegetables add lots of savory flavor. I like to chop them very small so they blend right into the rice.
- Long-grain white rice: I use regular long-grain white rice for this recipe, not jasmine or basmati. The recipe is tested with 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of broth. You don’t need to rinse the rice first.
- Broth: Chicken, beef, or vegetable broth all work, so choose whichever best complements the rest of your meal. Beef broth is especially good if you’re serving the rice alongside a hearty main dish like my slow cooker pot roast.
- Salt, pepper, and bay leaves: Simple seasonings that add flavor as the rice cooks.
- Fresh parsley: An optional garnish for a pop of color.
How to make classic rice pilaf
This is the basic rice pilaf method I learned in culinary school, and it’s still one of my favorite ways to prepare rice!
- Sauté the vegetables. Add the finely chopped onion, celery, and mushrooms to a pot with butter and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened and just beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Toast the rice. Add the uncooked long-grain white rice, salt, and pepper and cook for 2–3 minutes, until the rice is coated in butter and the edges of the grains start to look slightly translucent.
- Add the broth. Pour in the broth and bring everything to a boil. Add the bay leaves.
- Cover and simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, and cook at a gentle simmer for 15 minutes. Avoid lifting the lid or stirring while the rice cooks.
- Let the rice rest. Once 15 minutes is up, turn off the heat. Leave the pot covered for another 5 minutes so the rice can finish steaming.
- Fluff and serve. Remove the bay leaves and gently fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in fresh parsley, taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm!
Tips for perfectly fluffy rice pilaf
- Use the right rice. I recommend regular long-grain white rice for this recipe. Other varieties can require different amounts of liquid or cooking times, so I wouldn’t substitute them without making adjustments.
- Don’t skip sautéing the rice. Those extra 2–3 minutes help develop flavor and give the pilaf its characteristic texture.
- Keep the lid on. Once the rice is simmering, avoid lifting the lid or stirring. You want to keep the steam inside the pot as much as possible.
- Let it rest before fluffing. Those last 5 minutes are important! The rice continues to absorb moisture and finish cooking off the heat.
Recipe FAQs
I recommend regular long-grain white rice for this recipe because that’s what I’ve used to develop the cooking time and 2:1 broth-to-rice ratio. Jasmine, basmati, and brown rice can all be used to make pilaf, but they may require different amounts of liquid and different cooking times.
No, I don’t rinse the rice for this recipe. I add the dry rice directly to the pot after cooking the vegetables, then sauté it in butter before adding the broth. This is the method I’ve tested and recommend.
Too much liquid, overcooking, or using a different variety of rice can affect the texture. Be sure to measure the rice and broth carefully, use a gentle simmer, and avoid stirring the rice while it cooks. Letting it rest covered before fluffing also helps.
Yes! Prepare the rice pilaf as directed, then cool leftovers promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. To reheat, add a splash of broth or water to keep the rice from drying out, cover, and heat thoroughly to 165°F.
More side dish recipes
Have you tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious.
Classic Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped cremini or button mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups broth (chicken, beef or vegetable)
- 2 bay leaves
- Chopped parsley , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and mushrooms and cook until vegetables have softened and just started to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes.3 tablespoons butter, ½ cup chopped onion, ¼ cup chopped celery, ½ cup chopped cremini or button mushrooms
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.1 clove garlic
- Add rice, salt, and pepper and cook until rice starts to look slightly transparent, about 2-3 minutes.2 cups long-grain white rice, 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Stir in broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.4 cups broth
- Once boiling, add bay leaves, cover pot with a lid, and decrease heat to low. Let rice simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.2 bay leaves
- Once 15 minutes is up, turn off the heat and let the pot sit on the stove for 5 minutes. Do not lift up the lid yet, keep it covered during this time. (You can let the rice sit this way for up to 30 minutes, if you need extra time to prepare the rest of your meal, etc.)
- Discard bay leaves and fluff rice with a fork. Stir in parsley, if using. Serve immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Chop veggies very small: They should be “small dice”, or roughly ¼-inch. This way they blend well into the rice.
- The best veggies for rice pilaf: I like the combination of onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic for an aromatic, savory flavor that feels elevated. Other veggies you can add or substitute include shallots, carrots and peas.
- Broth: This recipe works with chicken, beef and vegetable broth. Use what you have or what will pair well with the rest of the meal.
- Using other rice: This recipe was developed using classic long-grain rice. Jasmine, basmati, and brown rice may need different ratios and cooking times.
This recipe is simple, but makes a big difference to any meal! Anytime I want something a bit more elevated than plain steam rice, this pilaf recipe is what I reach for.
Absolutely delicious. I also added some minced carrot and could probably add frozen peas.
Why serve “immediately ” !? What happens to the “mix” if not!?
Need rice pilaf recipe for 2 people
Hi Dana! You can always adjust the yield amount in the recipe card, or do your own math to make a specific amount. This recipe will also be great for leftovers!
how to make rice pilaf with uncle bens brown rice
Very good! I’m in a simple cooking phase now and this fits that for me.
Recipe is pretty poorly balanced. Salt was way too little to taste anything. Ended up adding another whole tsp. Not that it mattered since the two bay leaves rendered the whole thing bitter and unpleasant tasting.
Wonderful pilaf recipe, my mother only made Greek style pilaf. This sounds wonderful, I love rice and this is something that will be on my menu in the near future.
Already left a thank you for a great and reliable recipe – outcome as shown – simple but better than any others I use in the past. Beef with porterhouse tonight .
Needed a quick, “beef based” rice recipe – grilling two porterhouse steaks. I am eating the remains of the pilaf as i write… One of the best I cooked over the decades. Basic and a little more, added more vegetables, came out as shown and better. Thank you, no I have to finish my wine and do the dishes.
Richard Hahner
Pensacola, FL
This was delicious! The rice was buttery as it was fried and we added lots of great veggies and some shrimp. We will make it many times. Thanks
this recipe is closest to my moms i had as a kid and we loved it with pork chops or chicken my mom used two cans of campbells beef consumee and the middle or medium size box of uncle bens converted rice with the meat and vegitables you have to make sure the veggies are completely cooked soft so that the rice absorbs the flavor not the veggies so you cook the veggies pour in the box of rice two cans of beef consumee with can each of water to go with them stir it up then brown the chops a bit and place on top cover then cook or chicken just put raw and cook the smell is phenonimal
Even though I burned the onion a smidge, this has been the most well-received non-Mexican rice recipe in the household. First time I ever heard, “The rice was good,” come out of my kid’s mouth. Thank you for the recipe. My go-to (for non-Mexican rice).