Quick and easy Seasoned Rice dish bursting with amazing flavors from herbs and spices. A buttery, herby, and savory side dish that can be eaten on its own and goes pretty well with anything, too. It’s the ultimate comfort food perfect for the whole family! Plus, it requires very minimal effort to make and doesn’t cost as much.
This seasoned rice will surely be your new go-to rice recipe in no time! Aside from its irresistible and addicting buttery and savory flavors, it is also super easy to make.
It really won’t take much of your time ‘coz it’s a one-pot meal where you dump everything in the pot and wait for it to cook.
Yes! As simple as that, and you get to enjoy this delicious comfort food along with your favorite entrees like Stuffed Pork Chops and Pan Seared Salmon. Ahh! So mouthwatering!
And because it’s so easy to make, even my son can do it.
It is one of those cooking bonding moments we enjoy on the weekend. It’s so much fun! Plus, it makes him really proud, too.
What is Seasoned Rice?
It is basically rice cooked in various herbs and spices such as onion and garlic powder, paprika, and thyme.
An easy rice dish that is super customizable according to your palate. To put it simply, you are just adding seasonings to plain rice to make it savory and flavorful.
It is almost the same with fried rice, except fried rice is cooked rice sauteed with various spices. In contrast, seasoned rice is uncooked rice cooked along with spices.
Recipe Ingredients and Substitutes
- Butter – Undeniably, adding butter makes any dish richer and flavorful. It really amps up the flavor of any dish.
- Uncooked Long Grain White Rice – Generally, you can use any kind of white rice you have. But I like using basmati and jasmine rice because they are not too sticky. Or you can also use brown rice. However, it takes longer to cook.
- Garlic and Onion Powder – It is best to use powdered spices as rice seasonings, so they really infuse the flavor into the rice while it’s cooking.
- Salt – Though we already add various rice seasonings to this recipe, it is still best not to skip the salt. That way, our seasoned rice won’t taste flat.
- Oregano, Thyme, and Parsley– What I love about this seasoned rice recipe is the added fancy herby flavors. They complement the overall flavor of this rice dish. On the contrary, most fried rice seasonings don’t include herbs because they are more on the umami side. But of course, you can always add an herby touch to your favorite fried rice.
- Paprika – This rice seasoning adds a hint of peppery sweetness and bitterness to our favorite comfort food seasoned rice.
- Pepper Flakes – Feel free to add more but be careful, tho’, because it might increase your appetite and make you eat more. Well, I really can’t blame you coz’ this seasoned rice is truly comforting and satisfyingly delicious! 😉
- Bouillon – To add more umami flavors to this seasoned rice recipe. It adds savory flavors even in the absence of any meat.
Recipe Variations
- Meaty Goodness – Shredded Chicken, Pulled Pork, beef, or any ground meat will make this seasoned rice more sensational and flavorful. Leftover Ham, Turkey, and deli meats are great additions, too!
- Seafood Delight – For seafood lovers, you can enjoy this seasoned rice recipe with oceany flavors from shrimp, lobster, mussels, oysters, fish, squid, and more!
- Tasty and Creamy – Instead of cooking the rice with water, try it with coconut milk, and you’ll truly have an exceptional rice dish bursting with rich coconut flavor. Just like my Caribbean Rice and Beans recipe here.
- Completely Vegan – Swap the butter with coconut oil or vegan butter and use vegetable stock instead of bouillon to make it completely vegan. You can also add beans for more protein, color, and texture.
- Seasoning Swap – You can add a dash of Creole Seasoning to add more Southern flavors to this seasoned rice recipe. Or you can also try other seasonings like cumin, curry, or Taco seasoning to add more Mexican touch to this exquiste rice dish.
- Fiery Hot – Pepper flakes and cayenne pepper can make this dish spicy. But if you really want it extra hot, you can throw in some chopped habanero, jalapeno, or scotch bonnet peppers. Don’t forget to wear gloves to avoid burning your skin.
- Cheesy Rice Casserole – Everything is a lot better with cheese! Agree? Level up your seasoned rice with few meat and veggie additions. And top it off with combinations of cheese, and you’re all set to enjoy a wonderful cheesy rice casserole.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Rice is highly perishable and known to be a common source of food poisoning. Okay, before you panic, this only happens if you let your cooked rice sit on the counter for too long. I mean hours long!
To prevent that from happening, all you need to do is store your seasoned rice properly. And here’s how to do it:
- Making Ahead – If you’re making this ahead, transfer the seasoned rice to a wide and shallow dish to cool the rice faster. A large plate or baking sheet works best for this. Depending on the amount, it will take about 20-30 minutes to cool down.
- Storage – Once cooled, transfer the rice into a clean and dry airtight container. Or divide them into small portions and place them individually in a resealable freezer-safe bag. You can also do this for the leftovers.
- Refrigerate – Refrigerate right away. It can stay fresh in the fridge for about 2-3 days.
- Freezer – Or freeze it to extend its shelf life for up to 2 months.
Reheating Seasoned Rice
- Thaw – When ready to serve, thaw the frozen seasoned rice overnight in the fridge.
- Microwave – Transfer to a microwave-safe dish and flatten out the seasoned rice for even heating. Heat on medium power for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.
- Stove – Transfer to a pan and add a little bit of oil. Heat on medium-high and add the seasoned rice. Keep on stirring until heated through.
Pro Tip: If you find the seasoned rice too dry, you can just add a splash of broth to bring back the moisture.
FAQs
There are a lot of rice seasonings to play around with to add more fantastic flavors to your rice dish. If you want to add umami flavors, you can add chicken or beef bouillon. Or replace water with chicken, beef, or vegetable stock. For deeper and bolder flavors, you can add a dash of Creole Seasoning, Taco Seasoning, cumin, curry, and cayenne pepper.
It is best to season the rice before cooking to really infuse the flavor. But if you have leftover cooked rice, you can still season and cook it to make seasoned fried rice.
Long grain rice, like basmati and jasmine rice, is the best choice for this recipe because it doesn’t get too clumpy and mushy.
What to Eat with Seasoned Rice?
Seasoned rice goes pretty much with any entree. You can try it with some of my favorite pairings below.
More Southern Sides to Love
How to Season Rice
Cook the Rice Along with the Seasonings
- Put all the ingredients in a large pot – and give it a stir. (Photos 1-2)
- Place on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Turn the heat to low. As soon as it starts to bubble, cover and reduce to low heat.
- Let it simmer. Simmer for about 18-20 minutes or until all the liquid is fully absorbed.
Fluff the Rice and Mix
- Turn off the heat. Let it rest for about 5 minutes, add another tablespoon of butter, if desired, then fluff with a fork and serve. (Photos 3 &4)
Watch How To Make It
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Seasoned Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups (277.5 g) uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) onion powder
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) salt
- ½ teaspoon (1 g) freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons (4 g) bouillon
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon (4 g) dried parsley
- 4 tablespoon s (56 g) butter
- 3 ⅓- 3 ½ cups (750 ml) chicken broth or water (see notes)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or cast iron, combine the rice, onion & garlic powder, paprika, dried thyme, salt, bouillon, ground black pepper, crushed red pepper, dried parsley, unsalted butter, and chicken broth. Stir to combine.
- Place on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat.
- As soon as it starts to bubble, cover and reduce to low heat.
- Simmer for about 18-20 minutes or until all the liquid is fully absorbed.
- Let it rest for about 5 minutes, add an additional 1 tablespoon of butter, if desired then fluff with a fork and serve.
- Garnish with dried parsley, if desired.
Tips & Notes:
- Do not open the lid while simmering the rice because the rice will not cook through.
- The 10 minutes rest time is essential. The rice will stick to the bottom of the pan if you don’t follow the 10 minutes resting time.
- Use a different container when storing the rice. Do not use the one where you let it cool. Because all the moisture is there and it might cause the rice to go bad.
- With the same ingredients, you can also cook this seasoned rice using a rice cooker.
- Amp up the flavor with Creole Seasoning, Taco Seasoning, cumin, and curry. Or make it spicier with cayenne pepper and more crushed red pepper.
- Make it vegan by using vegan butter or coconut oil and vegetable stock.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
BHH says
This is way more flavorful than I was expecting. I really like it. I’ll use less salt next time, but do think I’ll make it again.
Imma says
Awesome!! So glad you liked it. Thank you for the feedback!
Michele C. says
Incredible! Numerous flavor variations recommended.
Imma says
Glad you love it, Michele!
Kelly says
Was perfect
Jenn says
This receipe has become a staple in my kitchen. I make it at least once a week. It goes with everything!! Everyone loves it, even as a leftover.
Imma says
Same thing at my house! Everyone prefers this to regular rice :). Thank you for your feedback, Jenn.
mary says
Is there a way to make this with brown rice?
Imma says
Hello Mary. I haven’t tried this recipe with brown rice yet, but I don’t see why it won’t work. You would have to double the cooking time though. Hope this helps.
Laura says
I’m not one to leave reviews often but I had to on this one! Made this last night and it was fabulous! It definitely will be my go to seasoned rice recipe from now on!
Imma says
Awesome! Thank you for the review, Laura :)!