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    Home > Meal Type > Sides

    Garlic Bacon Rice

    Updated: Sep 13th 2022 โ€ข Published: Mar 18th 2020 โ€ข 15 Comments

    Jump to Recipe SaveSaved! Pin Recipe
    PIN IMAGE - Rice with bacon on top with text at the bottom
    PIN IMAGE - A spoon of bacon and garlic rice with text at the top
    PIN IMAGE - A bowl of bacon and garlic rice with text at the top and bottom
    PIN IMAGE - close up on bacon and garlic rice with text at the top and bottom

    When you need a delicious and easy side dish, this Garlic Bacon Rice is perfect. With crispy bacon, plenty of mellow garlic, and fluffy white rice, your whole family will love this super simple side dish that works with so many different meals.

    If you want to know how to cook rice with flavor, then look no further, this dish is yummy enough that you can eat it on its own!

    Serve this flavored white rice with some creamy chicken, grilled chicken, seared steak, or top with a fried egg for a different brunch idea!

    a spoon in a bowl of rice with bacon bits on top

    Garlic, bacon, and carbs is a tried and tested flavor combination that just works!!! My Garlic Bacon Pasta is one of the most popular recipes on my blog, and I know whyโ€ฆ..bacon!!! It just makes things taste better.

    Jump Menu

    • So let's talk bacon!
    • The choice of rice
    • Serve this Bacon garlic Rice with:
    • Garlic Bacon Rice

    So let's talk bacon!

    I ALWAYS have bacon in my refrigerator; it keeps for ages and adds so much flavor to a dish! Most of the time, I have the basic grocery store bacon, and it is perfectly good enough. It lets off enough fat, so you have some bacon grease to add flavor. And that bacon grease/fat is the key to this rice.

    Please don't use the bacon eye or the bacon rounds here (or worse yet! Turkey bacon!!) Well you can, I am not going to be the food police! If that is what works for you, then go for it ๐Ÿ™‚

    But the bacon with some fat on it is what is going to give you the best side dish! Like I say in my Seared Scallops and Bacon Pasta, getting the bacon crispy and releasing all the fats is what makes the sauce taste so good! And the same is valid here. The delicious bacon fat helps with the finished dish!

    a earthen bowl filled with white rice topped with crispy bacon bits

    The choice of rice

    The grocery store's rice aisle is full of rice varieties, and they all have different flavors and cooking times.

    For this recipe, I use standard white rice; it takes on the flavors of the garlic and bacon well and is easy to cook.

    Cooking the rice in broth/stock adds extra flavor too! The garlic, bacon, and broth mean I could happily eat this side dish on its own! Just pass me a spoon and press play on Netflix!

    The quantities given in the recipe card will cook your rice, so you don't have to drain the rice, we want to try and avoid draining the rice as we will pour away some of that flavor that we have worked so hard to create!

    The rice to liquid ratios work for this, just be sure to turn the heat down to a very low gentle simmer. This will give you fluffier rice and also stop the liquid from evaporating too quickly.

    a spoon lifting up a scoop of bacon rice

    Serve this Bacon garlic Rice with:

    • close up of chicken with sliced mushrooms and bacon on it
      Creamy Bacon Mushroom Chicken
    • close up on a spoonful of creamy mushrooms with spinach
      Creamy Tuscan Mushrooms with Spinach
    • Overhead of 4 chicken fillets in a black pan with creamy sauce
      One Pan Creamy Garlic Chicken
    • close up of sauce drizzling over a parmesan chicken breast
      Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Breasts
    • a steak in a black skillet with some butter melting over it
      Seared Steak with Blue Cheese Butter
    • close up of creamy mushroom sauce drizzling over cooked chicken breasts
      One Pan Creamy Mushroom Chicken

    Enjoy x

    For other rice and pasta sides why not try:

    • Jeweled Persian Rice Pilaf
    • Greek Style Rice (Greek Pilaf)
    • Greek Orzo with Lemon and Herbs
    • No Cream Italian Herb Pasta
    • Brazilian Style White Rice


    Pin this recipe for Garlic Bacon Rice. Pin it here.

    close up on a spoonful of rice with bacon sprinkled over
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    4.42 from 17 votes

    Garlic Bacon Rice

    When you need a delicious and easy side dish, this Garlic Bacon Rice is perfect. With crispy bacon, plenty of mellow garlic, and fluffy white rice, your whole family will love this super simple side dish that works with so many different meals. Serve this flavored white rice with some creamy chicken, grilled chicken, seared steak, or top with a fried egg for a different brunch idea!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Side
    Cuisine: Modern Australian
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 334kcal
    Author: Claire | Sprinkle and Sprouts
    For more great recipes follow me on PinterestFollow @sprinklessprout
    Need Metric Measurements?Use the options below to toggle between cups and grams (if relevant)
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    Ingredients

    US Customary - Grams
    • 1 ยฝ cups uncooked white rice
    • 8 slices bacon
    • 2 tablespoon butter
    • 6 garlic cloves
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ยฝ teaspoon pepper
    • 2 ยผ cups broth, hot - see note 1

    Instructions

    • Start by rinsing the rice. To do this, place it in a bowl and cover with water, use your fingers to agitate the rice. Drain the water away and repeat 2-3 more times until the water stops looking cloudy. Drain the rice and set it to one side.
      1 ยฝ cup white rice

    • Stack the bacon up and chop it into small dice. (don't remove the fat as we want that in the dish)
      8 slices bacon

    • Add the bacon to a heavy-based saucepan, cook over medium-high heat until the bacon is crisp.
    • Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate lined with a sheet of paper towel. Leave the bacon fat in the pan.
    • Turn off the heat under the pan and add in the butter.
      2 tablespoon butter

    • While the butter is slowly melting, peel and slice the garlic cloves.
      6 garlic cloves

    • Turn the heat under the pan back on to low and add the garlic. Stir for 1 minute until it is fragrant but hasn't started to color.
    • Use a spoon to scoop out two tablespoons worth of garlic and butter and save for later.
    • Add the rinsed rice to the garlic and stir for 60 seconds, so the rice is well coated in the butter mixture.
    • Add the hot broth, salt and pepper, then stir and cover.
      2 ยผ cup hot broth
      1 teaspoon salt
      ยฝ teaspoon pepper

    • Turn heat down to medium-low, so it is simmering very gently. Cook for 13 - 15 minutes until all the broth has been absorbed.
    • Turn off the heat, but leave the rice to rest with the lid still on for another 10 minutes.
    • Finally, stir through the crispy bacon. Transfer to a serving dish, spoon over the reserved garlic butter and serve.

    Notes

    1. The broth wants to be hot when you add it to the rice, so the rice cooks evenly andย you can use vegetable or chicken broth/stock for this dish.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 971mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 317IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @sprinklesandsprouts or tag #sprinklesandsprouts

    More Sides

    • close up of roasted vegetables in a blue cast iron pan
      Easy French Ratatouille
    • Overhead close up of the grains of basmati rice
      Indian Basmati Rice
    • close up of a spoonful of chopped carrots and corn
      Buttered Carrots and Corn
    • close up on the grains of rice in a bowl of fried rice
      Cantonese Fried Rice

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chenรฉe says

      November 24, 2022 at 5:18 am

      5 stars
      Bacon and garlic are two of the best flavors, and this rice combines them perfectly! So easy to make and delicious!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        January 31, 2023 at 3:16 pm

        โ˜บ๏ธ

        Reply
    2. Dennis says

      October 24, 2022 at 8:50 pm

      5 stars
      This made a delicious side dish for grilled chicken last night! The rice had so much flavor!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        January 31, 2023 at 3:34 pm

        Sounds like the perfect dinner ๐Ÿ™‚
        Cx

        Reply
    3. Debbie says

      July 25, 2022 at 11:41 am

      5 stars
      This garlic bacon rice is now a favorite at my house. It is true adding bacon to anything makes it better. This is easy and so flavorful. Thanks for a great recipe.

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        August 05, 2022 at 1:59 pm

        I couldn't agree more Debbie.
        Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment ๐Ÿ™‚
        Cx

        Reply
    4. Jamie says

      July 25, 2022 at 10:34 am

      5 stars
      I served this as a side to our chicken dinner and my family inhaled it! Anything with garlic and bacon is a hit with my family and we definitely loved this!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        January 31, 2023 at 3:34 pm

        I am so happy ๐Ÿ™‚
        Bacon just makes everything better!
        Cx

        Reply
    5. Travy says

      July 22, 2022 at 9:09 am

      5 stars
      My family loved this rice! The garlic and bacon together is soooo delicious and made the perfect side! Great foolproof rice cooking tips, too!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        January 31, 2023 at 3:22 pm

        Thank you
        Cx

        Reply
    6. Megan says

      July 20, 2022 at 6:59 am

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness! Why didn't I think of this! So much deliciousness!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        January 31, 2023 at 3:34 pm

        It is the best isn't it ๐Ÿ˜‰
        Cx

        Reply
    7. Gloria says

      July 19, 2022 at 1:13 am

      5 stars
      Sounds like the perfect side dish for any protein. In fact I could make a meal on this delicious rice alone. My family is going to love this one.

      Reply
    8. Veronika says

      January 20, 2022 at 9:22 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a delicious and simple recipe! Came out perfect and was a great compliment for a pan seared chicken we made yesterday ๐Ÿ˜‰

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        January 31, 2023 at 3:17 pm

        So happy you enjoyed it ๐Ÿ™‚
        Cx

        Reply

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