• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Sprinkles and Sprouts

Great food with grocery store ingredients

  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact Me
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • By Category
  • Chicken
  • Pasta
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • By Category
    • Chicken
    • Pasta
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
  • ×
    Home > Meal Type > Sides

    Greek Style Rice (Greek Pilaf)

    Updated: Jun 23rd 2021 • Published: Jul 17th 2019 • 27 Comments

    Jump to Recipe SaveSaved! Pin Recipe
    close up on a spoonful of greek rice with text at the top
    two pictures of greek rice with text in the middle
    overhead view of greek rice with text at the top

    This Greek style rice is so easy to make and is the perfect side dish for your greek chicken or souvlaki.

    With just a handful of ingredients, you can make this restaurant style Greek rice pilaf at home! Tender fluffy rice, soft sweet onions, plenty of lemon and fresh oregano! So good!

    Greek rice is wonderful served hot or allow it to cool and serve it at room temperature as part of a picnic. Or portion it out with some grilled chicken and fresh spinach for your lunch prep!

    a silver spoon scooping up Greek rice

    Jump Menu

    • How to make flavor-packed rice
    • What is a pilaf?
    • How to make a Greek Style Rice Pilaf
    • Tips for making Greek Rice
    • What to serve with Greek Style Rice?
    • Greek Style Rice Recipe (Greek Pilaf)

    How to make flavor-packed rice

    Rice is often thought of as the boring bland side dish, and sometimes that is exactly what you need, but if you want to turn your plain boiled rice into something packed with taste then try making a pilaf!!!

    To make rice pilaf, you want to start with a base of onions and then cook the rice in a broth rather than water. Once the rice is finished be sure to add extra flavor with fresh herbs or spices and extra salt and pepper.

    What is a pilaf?

    A pilaf (also know as a pilau) is when rice is cooked over a low heat with broth or stock and a selection of other herbs or spices.
    The resulting rice is tender and fluffy and packed with the cooking flavors.

    rice in a sauté pan garnished with fresh herbs

    How to make a Greek Style Rice Pilaf

    To start the onions and garlic are cooked until soft and sweet in plenty of extra virgin oil. The rice is then tossed through this oil until it gets a slight glass-like look. Then lemon juice and zest are stirred through and vegetable broth is added before the rice is simmered gently until tender.
    To finish the rice is spritzed with lemon juice, garnished with plenty of fresh oregano and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

    So much flavor! You could eat this Greek rice pilaf by the spoonful on its own!

    Tips for making Greek Rice

    • Sweat the onions off until soft and sweet to add extra flavor.
    • Use long grain rice for fluffy grains.
    • Use fresh lemons to get the perfect freshness.
    • Use a great quality vegetable/chicken broth.
    • Finish the dish with a good extra virgin olive oil.
    • If you have them use fresh herbs, they add so much.
    extra virgin olive oil being drizzled over a pan of cooked rice

    What to serve with Greek Style Rice?

    This Greek style rice is wonderful served with:

    • Greek Chicken with Lemon and Dill
    • Greek Chicken Thighs with Feta and Black Olives
    • Garlic Greek Chicken Breasts
    • Greek Salmon with Lemon and Dill
    • Greek Baked Meatballs (The Mediterranean Dish)
    • Grilled Calamari (Greedy Gourmet)
    • Slow Cooker Greek Chicken (Nerdy Mamma)
    • Greek Shrimp (Love & Good Stuff)
    • Greek Oven Baked Fish (Scrummy Lane)
    • Easy Ground Lamb Kofta (Wholesome Yum)
    • Homemade Chicken Souvlaki (Unicorns in the Kitchen)
    close up on the individual grains in the greek rice pilaf

    Enjoy x

    For more delicious side dishes why not try:

    • Braised Celery
    • Creamy Four Cheese Pasta
    • Sautéed Kale and Bacon
    • Simple Pea Mash
    • No Cream Italian Herb Pasta
    • Garlic Green Beans


    Pin this recipe for Greek Style Rice. Pin it here.

    close up on the greek rice on a spoon
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    4.48 from 21 votes

    Greek Style Rice Recipe (Greek Pilaf)

    This easy Greek style rice is so easy to make and makes the perfect side dish for your greek chicken or souvlaki. With just a handful of ingredients, you can make this restaurant style Greek rice pilaf at home! It is wonderful served hot or allow it to cool and serve it at room temperature as part of a picnic. Or portion it out with some grilled chicken and fresh spinach for your lunch prep!
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Resting Time10 mins
    Course: Side
    Cuisine: Greek
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 274kcal
    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)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 1 onion
    • 1 garlic clove
    • 3 tablespoon extra virgin oil
    • 1 ½ cups long grain white rice
    • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
    • 2 lemons
    • 2 ¼ cups vegetable broth

    For garnish

    • 3 tablespoon chopped oregano
    • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • Salt and pepper

    Instructions

    • Peel and chop the onion into small chunks then peel and mince the garlic.
    • Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan/ deep frying pan (Use one you have a lid for)
    • Add in the onions and cook over low heat for 4-5 minutes until soft, Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
    • Pour in the rice and stir to coat in the olive and onion mixture.
    • Add the zest and juice of one lemon, the dried oregano and then pour in the hot vegetable broth.
    • Bring to a simmer then cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat.
    • Once the time is done, remove the pan from the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes.
    • Once this time is done, remove the lid and squeeze over the juice of the remaining lemon.
    • Taste the rice for salt, then garnish with your fresh herbs and finish with extra virgin olive oil and plenty of black pepper and salt if needed.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 274kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 20.6mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 0.7mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @sprinklesandsprouts or tag #sprinklesandsprouts

    More All Recipes

    • French Dip Hot Turkey Sandwich
    • Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breast
    • Open Faced Turkey Sandwich
    • Deviled Eggs with Fried Capers

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jacki says

      April 14, 2022 at 12:12 am

      I’d like to make this tonight but I don’t have fresh oregano. Would I use dried?

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        April 15, 2022 at 11:47 am

        Hi Jacki,
        I would just leave out the fresh oregano. You have the dried in the rice, the fresh is more for garnish, so I would just suggest skipping it.
        Hope that helps 🙂
        Cx

        Reply
    2. A. says

      September 08, 2021 at 4:26 am

      Can I use chicken broth in place of vegetable broth?

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        September 09, 2021 at 1:15 pm

        You sure can 🙂
        Cx

        Reply
    3. Tracy says

      March 28, 2021 at 10:43 am

      Can you make this ahead in the morning and then reheat for dinner?

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        March 30, 2021 at 2:02 pm

        You could definitely make this in advance and then reheat it.
        I would save the fresh herbs and olive oil garnish for when you reheat it.
        I hope that helps 🙂
        Cx

        Reply
    4. Topher Makkreel says

      February 04, 2021 at 9:36 am

      5 stars
      Made for the first time with pork souvlaki. Sooo good. Thanks for this amazingly easy recipe with so much flavor.

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        February 04, 2021 at 10:09 am

        I am so pleased you enjoyed it! Pork souvlaki sounds like a great main dish to have with the rice!
        Thank you for taking the time to come back and comment 🙂
        Cx

        Reply
    5. Misty says

      November 06, 2020 at 11:21 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you. My family loves this rice dish, I make it every time I make Greek food. It’s super easy to make, which great for this super busy mom.

      Reply
    6. Karen says

      July 20, 2020 at 7:37 am

      Had this with Chicken Souvlaki tonight! They were perfect together. Thanks for the recipe. 🙂

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        July 21, 2020 at 3:38 pm

        Oh the rice would have been wonderful with your chicken souvlaki. So pleased you enjoyed it 🙂
        Cx

        Reply
    7. Misty says

      July 12, 2020 at 1:42 am

      4 stars
      Thank you for this recipe. I make it every time we make Greek food.

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        September 21, 2020 at 12:15 pm

        Misty, thank you so much for the lovely comment.
        So pleased you enjoyed the rice 🙂
        Cx

        Reply
    8. Inga says

      July 10, 2020 at 5:35 pm

      5 stars
      I made it once 2 weeks ago and it was a hit with my family. I was asked to make it again a few days ago (I thought it was too soon to make it again as my family tires of dishes if we repeat them too often). Again it was delicious. This morning my teenaged daughter asked me for your recipe. She said that this is a keeper!

      Reply
    9. Nikki says

      July 01, 2020 at 10:15 am

      This sounds delicious. I want to make but wondering if I can do this in the rice cooker?

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        July 03, 2020 at 12:18 pm

        I have never tried that.
        Sorry I can't be more help
        Cx

        Reply
    10. Melissa says

      April 24, 2020 at 5:47 am

      5 stars
      Made this tonight and it was delicious! We had it as a side to Greek chicken skewers. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        April 27, 2020 at 1:47 pm

        So pleased you enjoyed it, it is one of my kids favs 🙂
        perfect with greek chicken skewers!
        Cx

        Reply
    11. Maria G Perez says

      January 07, 2020 at 7:24 am

      Easy and very flavorful

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        January 07, 2020 at 11:51 am

        Oh I am so pleased you enjoyed it Maria 😀

        Reply
    12. Mandi says

      September 27, 2019 at 8:51 am

      5 stars
      This was really tasty and easy to make. Thanks!!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        September 27, 2019 at 9:58 am

        Oh I am pleased you enjoyed it Mandi Cx

        Reply
    13. Marjory says

      August 04, 2019 at 2:13 am

      5 stars
      Love this recipe which captured Greek flavors perfectly. We had falafels with it and everybody loved it.

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        August 04, 2019 at 9:03 am

        Oh I am so pleased that the family enjoyed it Marjory. I think it would make the perfect side dish for falafels!! What a great dinner idea.

        Reply
    14. Ashley says

      August 03, 2019 at 11:13 pm

      5 stars
      We love making this rice as a side to grilled chicken. So good!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        August 04, 2019 at 9:03 am

        Thank you Ashley, it is just the perfect side for summer grill-outs isn't it?

        Reply
    15. sheenam @ thetwincookingproject says

      July 28, 2019 at 4:41 pm

      Totally trying this recipe.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    a lady stood in a white kitchen chopping a tomato

    I'm Claire and I love food!
    I dream about food and I am happiest when I am in the kitchen cooking. Whether that is dinner for my family, snacks for drinks with my girlfriends or testing new recipes for my site, the kitchen is my happy place. Sprinkles and Sprouts is where I share it all and I am so happy you are here.

    Read More →

    As featured in

    Popular

    • Easy Homemade Brown Gravy (no drippings)
    • Creamy Tomato Chicken and Chorizo Pasta
    • Homemade Peshwari Naan
    • Easy Garlic Bacon Pasta
    • Homemade Peri Peri Seasoning
    • Slow Roasted Greek Lemon Potatoes

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Sprinkles
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    All content, recipes and photographs are copyrighted to Claire McEwen and are the property of Sprinkles and Sprouts.
    THEY MAY NOT BE REPUBLISHED IN PART OR WHOLE WITHOUT PERMISSION AND PROPER CREDIT.
    Contact me to see republishing and syndication rights.

    Copyright © 2020 Sprinkles and Sprouts

    Copyright © 2023 · Cravings Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

    22423 shares