Easy Homemade Rice Pilaf
Here’s a simple and easy-to-follow recipe for creating the best homemade rice pilaf, filled with butter, veggies, herbs and seasonings. It’s an elevated rice side dish that will enhance any meal!
Thanks to my days in culinary school, I’m proud to say that rice is one of my specialties. We always made a rice pilaf to go with whatever main dishes we worked with that week since it’s easy but feels special. That was 10 years ago, and I’m still making rice pilaf all the time!
While plain steamed rice is just that— plain, this easy homemade rice pilaf has big flavor all on its own. Cooked in broth with butter, onions, celery, mushrooms and herbs, it takes just a few extra minutes to prep but the payoff is huge. Go ahead an elevate your next meal with this rice pilaf recipe!
“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
Table of Contents
- What is rice pilaf?
- Rice pilaf ingredients
- The best way to make rice pilaf
- Recipe FAQs
- Serve this rice pilaf with
- Get the recipe
What is rice pilaf?
Essentially, rice pilaf is just rice that has been cooked in broth instead of water. It often also includes butter or oil, vegetables, and spices for additional flavor. The texture is light and fluffy, instead of sticky like steamed rice.
Rice pilaf ingredients
- Butter or olive oil: Use whichever you prefer.
- Vegetables: In this recipe I use onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic, but you don’t have to. It’s just a great flavorful combo! Other vegetables you can add/substitute are shallots, carrots, peas, etc.
- Long-grained rice: You can make pilaf with any variety of rice or grain, though the amount of liquid required will vary. For this recipe I recommend long grainwhite rice, like jasmine rice or basmati rice.
- Broth: Use vegetable, beef or chicken broth or stock. Use what you prefer, or what will go best with the rest of your meal!
- Seasonings: Be generous with salt and pepper, and consider adding herbs for additional flavor. This recipe uses bay leaf and parsley, but you can also add thyme or rosemary.
The best way to make rice pilaf
This is how I learned to make rice in culinary school, and it’s the only way I’ve been making rice ever since:
- Prep vegetables and gather ingredients. Chop veggies very small, almost a mince, this way they blend well into the rice.
- Sauté veggies and rice. Cook the veggies first in butter or oil in a saucepan until softened, about 5 minutes, then add the rice and cook for 2-3 minutes more until they look slightly translucent.
- Add remaining seasonings and broth. Bring to a boil.
- Simmer for 15 minutes. Reduce to low to medium-low heat (just so it maintains a gentle simmer) and cover.
- Rest for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and leave the rice covered.
- Fluff and serve. Use a fork to fluff it up and remove the bay leaves (if using) and add parsley. Give it a taste and add more salt and pepper if needed, then enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this recipe can be used with other types and varieties of rice. Different rice will require different liquid amounts. Follow the instructions on your package of rice.
To make this rice pilaf in advance, follow instructions as written. Keep it warm for up to 4 hours in a slow cooker or instant pot on “warm setting”. Or you can cool it completely and store in the fridge up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave, stirring often, or reheat in the oven at 350°F in a casserole dish covered with foil for about 30 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water or broth to make up for moisture loss.
If desired, you add up to 1 lb ground beef or turkey or chopped chicken breast. Cook butter or oil before adding veggies and proceeding with recipe. You can also stir in any cooked meat at the end after fluffing up the rice.
Serve this rice pilaf with
- Simplest Lemon-Herb Roasted Salmon
- Pork Chops with Sage Butter Sauce
- Easy Skillet Chicken with Herb Butter Sauce
- Garlic Herb Roasted Tri-Tip Steak
Find more main dish options in my full main dish recipe index.
Get the recipe
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 rice
- 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken beef, or vegetable broth
- 2 bay leaves
- Chopped parsley
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 brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add rice, salt, and pepper and cook until rice starts to look slightly transparent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, add bay leaves, cover pot with a lid, and decrease heat to low.
- Let rice simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes.
- Once all liquid appears to have been absorbed, turn off heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
- Discard bay leaves and fluff with a fork. Stir in parsley. Serve immediately.
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).