12 Rice Recipes to Make on Repeat

Let's start with a knock-out side dish rice recipe: Southwest rice salad! It combines long-grain basmati rice with black beans in a protein-packed side dish. The rice is seasoned with cumin, garlic, and cider vinegar, then mixed with colored bell peppers, green onions and rice. It's a great healthy lunch idea or dinner side dish. And it's plant based, vegan and gluten free, so it works for a variety of diets!

And, rice as a main dish recipe: dress it up as fried rice! There’s something about the chewy clumps of eggs and the savory ginger and soy-infused bites that feels positively life giving. Usually we make fried rice on the fly without a recipe. But after years of tinkering, we wanted to share our master method. Here’s how to make the very best fried rice: it tastes just like takeout from your favorite restaurant!

Next up: let's talk basics. Here's a white rice recipe that comes perfect every time! Have you ever over-cooked rice and ended up with a glue-y mush? Under-cooked it to where it’s crunchy? Gotten it stuck to the bottom of the pan? Any way you can think of to botch rice, we’ve done it! Until, we met the perfect way to cook rice…and our lives changed forever. (Really!)

Also try: Jasmine Rice, Basmati Rice

Ever wanted to cook brown rice, until you saw the 1 hour cook time? Who has 1 hour to cook rice on a weeknight? Here's the “fast way” to cook brown rice. It’s not instant, but it cuts down the time investment for sure. In just 35 minutes, you’ve got a big pot of nutritious brown rice that cooks perfectly every time!

Did you know an Instant Pot is also a rice cooker? Here’s how to cook the best Instant Pot rice, including both brown rice and white rice. It’s a little faster than the stovetop, but the biggest plus: it's totally hands off. And it works perfectly every time!

Methods: Instant Pot White Rice, Instant Pot Jasmine Rice, Instant Pot Brown Rice, Instant Pot Basmati Rice

Wild rice is actually not technically rice! It looks like rice, but it's not the same as white and brown rice. It's actually a seed from a water grass that grows in lakes and rivers. But since it's treated like rice, we've included it in our rice recipes, too! This wild rice soup is impossibly creamy, packed with flavor and full of tender veggies and hearty rice. White beans and cashews bring a creamy body and loads of plant-based protein. Everyone asks for the recipe—it’s that good.

This Spanish rice and beans is a a pantry-staple sort of meal that works as a healthy vegan and vegetarian dinner or a hearty side! Flavored with salsa and adobo sauce, the Spanish rice is filled with tangy roasted red peppers, beans, and herby cilantro. You won't be able to stop eating it!

Here’s a modern spin on wild rice casserole that’s cozy and all about whole foods! Why relegate this healthy whole grain only to wild rice soup? There are plenty more ways to serve it, and this one is truly spectacular. It’s broccoli cheese flavor: perfect wild rice flecked with savory bits of sauteed broccoli, gooey white cheddar, and a creamy easy-to-make filling. It's a crowd pleaser!

Here's another fantastic side dish rice recipe: black beans and rice! Here long-grain rice is jumbled with black beans and green bell pepper, and seasoned with cumin, lime and cilantro. It’s the a great side to serve with tacos or any Latin-style meal, or as a lunch idea (it saves well for eating throughout the week). 

This rice recipe can be a main dish or a side: rice casserole! You can use any variety of rice here, but we used red rice, which has a vibrant bright color. Combine it with the elements of everyone's favorite dip: spinach, tangy artichokes and mozzarella cheese. It comes together into a hearty, savory casserole that's total comfort food.

Here's a great way to make rice into a healthy meal: as a grain bowl! This bowl is full of goodness: starting with short grain brown rice cooked with turmeric so it has an electric yellow color. Top that with seasoned broccoli, kale, and chickpeas, and a drizzle of zingy Tahini Sauce. It's a seriously satisfying lunch or healthy dinner. Another great option? Mediterranean Rice Bowls.

No list of rice recipes is complete without fried rice! This one is straightforward and delicious, featuring leftover brown or white rice cooked up with scrambled eggs and a clean-out of pantry veggies. The best part? Garlic and ginger add an aromatic undertone, and the hot pan gives it the perfect crispy crunch. See also: Three Onion Homemade Fried Rice.

Another classic rice recipe: risotto! Risotto is a traditional Italian dish where short grain arborio rice is cooked in broth. Adding the broth gradually makes the grains plump up and become creamy. Here's our base Parmesan risotto recipe, with a hint of truffle oil for some elegance. Here are a few other variations: Butternut Squash Risotto, Mushroom Risotto, or Roasted Cauliflower Risotto.

Last but definitely not least in our rice recipes: paella! Paella is a traditional rice dish from Spain. It's easy to make at home and a great dish for entertaining or celebratory meals. This one features shrimp and artichokes, cooked on a bed of arborio rice that's seasoned with turmeric and smoked paprika. It's a showstopper! See also: Simple Vegetarian Paella.