Lemon Dill Rice
This Mediterranean inspired one pot Lemon Dill Rice with fresh dill and lemon is aromatic and so flavorful. It’s the perfect rice dish for your grilled or roasted mains, spicy curries or rice bowls. Serve it as a side dish or a main dish!
Jump to:
- Easy One pot lemon dill rice
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Ingredients
- How to Make Lemon Dill Rice
- How To Serve Dill Rice
- How to store & Reheat
- How To freeze dill rice
- Can you cook dill rice in a rice cooker or Instant pot?
- Can you make dill rice with brown rice?
- Have Leftover Dill? Try These Recipes:
- More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Recipe
Easy One pot lemon dill rice
Rice is a staple in many households around the world, and for good reason. It’s versatile, affordable, and filling. But let’s be real, sometimes it can get a little boring. If you’re looking to spice up your plain white rice, then you’re in luck!
This one pot easy lemon dill rice is a delicious twist on a classic side dish. It combines fresh herbs and lemon, hallmarks of Mediterranean cuisine. Addition of dill makes it more like Persian dill rice and the lemon reminds of sunny Greek flavors. Best of both worlds!
If you’re looking to cook a classic, check my post on how to cook the perfect, fluffy Basmati rice.
This lemon dill rice is light, fresh, and has a subtle lemony flavor that pairs well with many different dishes. The dill adds a touch of herby flavor that elevates the dish to a new level. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to make, made in one pot – an ideal recipe for busy weeknights.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Flavorful: The tangy lemon and the fresh flavor of earthy dill complement each other perfectly, creating a perfect side dish that’s both light and satisfying.
- Quick & easy: This is a one pot rice dish, requires minimal prep, and easy to cook. After soaking the rice for 30 minutes, it takes only about 20 minutes for the rice to cook. Perfect for weeknight dinners.
- Versatile: Lemon dill rice is easy to customize to your liking. It pairs well with a variety of main courses.
Ingredients
Rice – use a good quality Basmati rice or a long-grain rice like jasmine rice.
Butter – adds a rich flavor to the rice. Ghee is an excellent substitute if you have it. Use light olive oil for a vegan option.
Onion – use white onion, yellow onion or shallots so it disappears into the rice. I’d avoid red onion.
Garlic – finely minced garlic adds flavor.
Broth or Bouillon Cube – As for the broth, either chicken broth or vegetable broth will work. Alternatively, you can add a stock cube or a bouillon cube dissolved in water.
Dill – fresh chopped dill weed is used both when cooking the rice and before serving. Enhance the herby flavor by adding dried dill, if you prefer.
Lemon – Use fresh lemon juice. Lemon zest can be added if you want a more lemony flavor. For me, whether to add lemon zest or not depends on the main dishes I’m serving this rice with.
How to Make Lemon Dill Rice
*Scroll below for the printable recipe card and ingredient measurements.
Rinse the rice well until water runs clear. For more info on how to rinse rice check my post here. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain and keep it aside.
Heat a heavy bottomed pot and add butter. Once the butter is melted add onion and cook for 2, 3 minutes until translucent. Add the minced garlic and saute until the raw smell disappears.
Add the drained rice to the pot and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often. Don’t miss this step as you toast the rice with the aromatics, it removes moisture and absorbs all the flavors.
Add the chicken broth or vegetable broth, half of chopped dill, salt and pepper. If you’re using a bouillon cube, dissolve it in warm water and add it to the rice. Give everything a good stir. Bring it to a boil on medium heat.
Cover the pot with the lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until all the water has evaporated. Fluff the rice with a fork, fold in the lemon juice and the remaining dill. Adjust seasoning if needed.
RECIPE TIP – If you want to skip soaking the rice, add 5 minutes more to cooking time. Remove the pan from the heat, let it stand covered for 10 minutes.
How To Serve Dill Rice
This delicious dill rice is so versatile it can be served as a side dish or a main dish.
Serve it as a side with Roasted Chicken, Spicy Salmon, Steak Bites or Shrimp. Don’t forget to add Salad Shirazi(Persian cucumber tomato salad) for a Persian feast.
This easy rice recipe is also perfect with chicken curry, red lentil dal or cauliflower curry. Or add it as a base for rice bowls.
Cook the rice with some protein or veggies to bulk it up and serve as the main dish. Here are some ingredients you can cook the rice with.
- Shrimp
- Diced chicken
- Canned chickpeas/ lima beans
- Sweet peas
- Diced carrots
- Sweet corn
How to store & Reheat
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
This lemon dill rice is excellent for meal prep. Once the rice cools, portion it in airtight containers and keep it in the fridge for a week.
You can reheat the rice in the microwave. Since the rice will be dry out of the fridge, sprinkle a tablespoon of water and reheat to freshen it up.
How To freeze dill rice
As with any rice, dill rice is freezer friendly. If you’re not planning to eat the rice right away or to meal prep for more than a week, freezing the rice is the best option.
To freeze, divide the rice into freezer friendly bags. Once sealed, pat the rice down in the bag so it’s evenly distributed. Stack the bags on top of each other in the freezer. Freeze rice for up to 3 months.
Thaw the rice in the fridge overnight and reheat.
Can you cook dill rice in a rice cooker or Instant pot?
Absolutely. Do you know you can also saute in a rice cooker? Use the cook function in the rice cooker to cook the onion and garlic in butter. Continue to follow this recipe below for stove top and cook the rice in rice cooker.
To cook the rice in the instant pot, follow the recipe below. After you close the lid, turn the knob to cook. And pressure cook for 3 minutes and do a quick release.
Can you make dill rice with brown rice?
You can make this dill rice with brown rice. However, keep in mind that brown rice takes longer to cook.
Choose a long grain brown rice like brown basmati rice. Soak it for 2 hours. Follow the recipe below but add 4 cups of liquid instead of 3. Cook on low heat for about 25 minutes or until all the water has evaporated. Let it stand covered for 10 minutes.
Have Leftover Dill? Try These Recipes:
More Recipes You’ll Love:
Recipe
Easy Lemon Dill Rice
Equipment
- Skillet or heavy bottomed pot with a lid
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion or shallot chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 3 cups broth or water + 1 bouillon cube
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 cup chopped dill divided
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Rinse the rice well until water runs clear. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain and keep it aside.
- Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pot. Add onion and cook for 2, 3 minutes until translucent. Add the minced garlic and saute until the raw smell disappears.
- Add the drained rice to the pot and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often.
- Add the chicken broth or vegetable broth, half of chopped dill, salt and pepper. If you're using a bouillon cube, dissolve it in warm water and add it to the rice. Give everything a good stir. Bring it to a boil on medium heat.
- Cover the pot with the lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until all the water has evaporated. Fluff the rice with a fork, fold in the lemon juice and the remaining dill. Adjust seasoning if needed.
Looks like you left out the amount of lemon juice in the list of ingredients.
I have a similar recipe that includes chopped celery, 1 T. Sugar, and 2 T. Lemon juice.
Hi Judy, thanks for pointing that out. I added the required amount of lemon juice in the recipe card. Your recipe sounds interesting with sugar and celery. I need to try it out.