Mediterranean Yellow Rice makes a delicious side dish all year long. This Greek-inspired recipe starts with sautéing onions and aromatic mediterranean spices in olive oil. The rice pilaf turns out fluffy, flavorful and full of textures, thanks for the addition of sweet currants and crunchy toasted almonds.
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What is Mediterranean rice?
Rice is a popular side dish in Mediterranean cuisine but it’s rarely cooked plain. Instead, it’s typically toasted with some onions and spices in olive oil and then cooked with water or broth.
This type of rice dish is often called “rice pilaf” or “rice pilau” and similar versions (but with slightly different flavor profile) are also popular in Turkish, Lebanese and Iranian cuisines.
For even more textural interest, Mediterranean rice often features sweet and crunchy additions, such as dried fruit (currants) and nuts (sliced almonds or pine nuts).
What’s to love about this recipe
- This yellow rice recipe is super easy to make and full of flavor
- It’s vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free
- It turns regular rice into an exciting flavorful side dish
- Perfect addition to any Mediterranean main course, including kofta, falafel, souvlaki, gryos, kebabs or simple grilled veggies
- Try it alongside these Air Fryer Chicken Kabobs, Easy Air Fryer Falafel or Cauliflower Schawarma Bowls.
Ingredient notes
- Rice: basmati rice works best in this recipe but jasmine rice or white long grain rice can also be used
- Water: you can also use vegetable or chicken broth for even richer flavor
- Onion: use yellow, sweet or white onion in this recipe
- Garlic: fresh minced garlic will work best but if you prefer you can use garlic powder instead
- Olive Oil: use extra virgin olive oil for best flavor
- Currants: smaller than raisins, you can get them in most grocery stores
- Sliced Almonds: I buy them already sliced and toasted. If you have raw sliced almonds, place them in a dry small skillet and toast for a few minutes tossing often, until golden.
- Salt and Pepper: I like freshly ground pink Himalayan salt or kosher salt and black pepper from the mill
- Spices: to add flavor and yellow color to the rice you will need ground turmeric, cumin and cinnamon.
How to make Mediterranean Yellow Rice
STEP 1: Sauté onions with spices. Heat up olive oil in a medium-sized pot, add diced onion together with turmeric powder, cumin and cinnamon. Cook for a few minutes on medium heat stirring often. Add garlic and cook for another minute stirring constantly until fragrant.
STEP 2: Toast the rice. Add raw rice, salt and pepper to the onion-garlic mixture and toast stirring until golden brown, 3-4 minutes.
STEP 3: Add liquid. Pour in water, vegetable broth or chicken stock, turn the heat down to simmer.
STEP 4: Cook. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 12-15 minutes until tender and fluffy. All liquid should be absorbed. Turn the heat off, open the lid and cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel. Place the lid back on. This step helps remove the steam and prevents the rice dish from going soggy.
STEP 5: Add currants and nuts. Stir gently.
STEP 6: Taste and serve! Add finishing touches: season with more salt and pepper and stir in chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
What to serve with Mediterranean Yellow Rice
This flavorful rice is super versatile and goes well with most meat and seafood dishes, especially grilled or air fried. Here are some ideas to try:
Storage suggestions
- Store leftover Mediterranean Rice in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If you're making this easy side dish for meal prep, divide between individual airtight containers.
- To freeze, place in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw completely before reheating.
- To reheat, microwave for 2 minutes, stir and microwave for another 30 seconds to am minute, if needed. Or, place the rice in a skillet or saucepan with a splash of water and cook for a few minutes of medium-low heat, stirring often until hot.
Substitutions and variations
You can easily customize this recipe to your dietary needs or current pantry stock. Here are some ideas:
- Skip the currants if dried fruit in rice doesn’t speak to you OR swap them for chopped up dried apricots or raisins
- You can use pine nuts in place of sliced almonds
- For a nut free version, skip the almonds
- If you don’t have cumin, you can swap it for dried coriander
- Skip the cinnamon if you don’t have any
- Add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper if you for some spice
- For a fresher flavor profile, stir in chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, chives or cilantro and add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end.
- If you want to make it a complete meal, add chopped cooked chicken breasts, cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese and serve with grilled veggies or a side salad
Recipe FAQs
This rice dish is a type of pilaf. Rice pilaf (or pilau) is a flavorful rice dish where rice is toasted and aromatic spices and cooked in broth. There are different kinds of pilaf, some specific to certain geographical regions. Different versions of rice pilaf can be found in cuisines of Turkey, Iran, Lebanon and other places.
If you have basmati rice, I would definitely use it in this recipe. It has nice slightly nutty flavor and gets exceptionally fluffy which works really well in this recipe. My second choice would be jasmine rice and my third regular long grain white rice.
Yes, especially brown basmati rice. You will need to adjust cooking time since brown rice takes longer to cook. I do think white basmati rice will give you best results but brown will absolutely work and you’ll get some added health benefits from eating whole grain rice.
Yes! If you can’t find or don’t have currants, swap them for small raisins or skip altogether. Chopped up dried apricots will also work.
More Mediterranean recipes to try
- Cauliflower Schawarma Bowls
- Greek Pasta Bake
- Greek Chickpea Salad
- Musabaha {Whole Chickpea Hummus}
- Falafel Platter
If you try my Mediterranean Rice recipe be sure to leave me a comment and give this recipe a rating. I would love to hear from you and see how it turned out for you! You can also share and tag me on Instagram!
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Recipe
Mediterranean Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup white basmati rice see note
- 1 ¾ cup water or vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 small onion diced small
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoon currants
- 3 tablespoon toasted sliced almonds or pine nuts
- ½ teaspoon kosher or pink Himalayan salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Heat up olive oil in a medium-sized pot, add diced onion together with turmeric powder, cumin and cinnamon. Cook for a few minutes on medium heat stirring often. Add garlic and cook for another minute stirring constantly until fragrant.
- Toast the rice. Add raw rice, salt and pepper to the onion-garlic mixture and toast stirring until golden brown, 3-4 minutes.
- Pour in water, vegetable chicken broth and turn the heat down to simmer.
- Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 12-15minutes until tender and fluffy. All liquid should be absorbed.
- Turn the heat off, open the lid and cover the pot with a clean kitchen towel. Place the lid back on. This step helps remove the steam and prevents the rice from going soggy.
- Stir in currants and sliced almonds or pine nuts.
- Taste the rice and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
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Meet the Author
Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.
Brit
I used raisins instead of currents. Who knew the sweetness of a raisin would go so well with a savory rice? Very good!