This Mediterranean Yellow Rice Recipe is so delicious and super easy to make. Turmeric and paprika bring in a vibrant yellow hue and a ton of flavor. This easy rice side dish is ready to eat in less than 40 minutes.
Simple brown and white rice can get boring, but this seasoned yellow rice gets me excited. The color is vibrant and the textures from the roasted almonds, fresh parsley and perfectly cooked rice make this dish 100% worth making.
If you love easy rice recipes with lots of flavor, try my popular Parmesan Garlic Risotto, Blackstone Fried Rice, and Coconut Jasmine Rice.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- It's simple and involves only 10 minutes of prep time
- The mediterranean flavors are so fresh and delicious
- A great recipe to get out of the boring rice routine
For recipes to pair with this Mediterranean Yellow Rice, try my Chicken Kofta, Grilled Garlic Shrimp, Chicken on the Blackstone, Mediterranean Chopped Salad and Chicken Tzatziki Wraps.
Ingredients:
Basmati Rice-Long grain rice used in Mediterranean cooking with aromatics and a nutty flavor.
Turmeric, salt, paprika-Bring in the best flavors and the yellow color.
Chicken Stock-Creates a deeper flavor than when using water in rice. Stock is made with the bones from the chicken and is thicker than chicken broth. I highly recommend the All Kitchen Brand.
Toasted Almonds- Used as a topping and toasted to create a slight crunch in the rice.
*All ingredients and quantities are listed in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
I prefer Basmati rice in this recipe, but Jasmine rice can be substituted.
For extra spices, you can add in ¼ teaspoon of cumin.
If you don't have chicken stock, chicken broth would be better to substitute than water, but it won't have quite as much flavor as the stock does.
How to Make Mediterranean Yellow Rice:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the rice in the colander to remove starches.
Step 2: In a dutch oven or large pot, heat the stovetop to medium low heat. Add in olive oil and butter until melted. Toss in onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened, stirring frequently.
Step 3: Sprinkle in minced garlic, paprika, turmeric, and salt. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 4: Stir in the basmati rice in the dutch oven and cook for 2 minutes.
Step 5: Pour chicken stock over the rice and bring heat to medium high. Allow the chicken stock to come to a boil. Cover and turn the stovetop heat to low. Cook on low covered for 15 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and do NOT uncover for 10 more minutes.
Step 6: While the rice is cooking, lay the almonds out on a cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow them to cool.
Step 7: Uncover and fork fluff the rice.
Step 8: Top with fresh parsley and almonds. Serve with lemon wedges and enjoy!
Expert Tips for Mediterranean Yellow Rice:
- When cooking the onion, look for translucent color, rather than browning. If it starts to brown, turn down the heat just a bit.
- Even though it's tempting, it's really important to leave the lid on without allowing the steam to come out for 10 minutes at the end of cooking. No peaking!
- I recommend serving the almonds sprinkled on top of the rice. They lose some of their crunch if stirred into the yellow rice.
For more simple dinner side dishes, try my Ancient Grains Salad, Hawaiian Macaroni Salad, Panko Cauliflower, and Kale Pomegranate Salad.
Recipe FAQs:
The yellow color comes from the spices of turmeric and paprika, along with cooking it in chicken stock to bring in extra flavors and color.
A long grain rice is used, usually basmati rice. Jasmine rice is also considered a long grain and can be used in this recipe.
This helps to remove extra starches on the rice, which will result is a fluffier texture that isn't all stuck together.
Store the rice in a sealed container in the fridge. Reheat on the stovetop in a covered pot on medium low heat, stirring often, for about 7-8 minutes until warm. You can also microwave until hot.
More Side Dishes You Will Love:
If you tried this Mediterranean Rice Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Mediterranean Yellow Rice
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
Description
This Mediterranean Yellow Rice is so delicious and super easy to make. Turmeric and paprika bring in a vibrant yellow hue and a ton of flavor. This easy rice dish is ready to eat in less than 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 and ¼ cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup yellow onion, diced small
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 and ¼ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
- Optional: lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the rice in the colander to remove starches.
- In a dutch oven or large pot, heat the stovetop to medium low heat. Add in olive oil and butter until melted. Toss in onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened, stirring frequently.
- Sprinkle in minced garlic, paprika, turmeric, and salt. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the basmati rice in the dutch oven and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour chicken stock into the dutch oven over the rice and bring heat to medium high. Allow the chicken stock to come to a boil. Cover and turn the stovetop heat to low. Cook on low covered for 15 minutes. Then, turn off the heat and do NOT uncover for 10 more minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, lay the almonds out on a cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and allow them to cool.
- Uncover and fork fluff the rice.
- Top with fresh parsley and almonds. Serve with lemon wedges and enjoy!
Notes
- When cooking the onion, look for translucent color, rather than browning. If it starts to brown, turn down the heat just a bit.
- Even though it's tempting, it's really important to leave the lid on without allowing the steam to come out for 10 minutes at the end of cooking. No peaking!
- I recommend serving the almonds sprinkled on top of the rice. They lose some of their crunch if stirred into the yellow rice.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: mediterranean
Holly
My new favorite rice recipe! So good..love these flavors!
Tara Smithson
It's one of my favorites too!