Quick, healthy & easy savoury rice. Veggie-packed, ready from start to finish in less than 30 minutes and perfect as an entree or side!
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Easy savoury rice for the win! Featuring rice, frozen peas, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers and carrots, this easy rice dish is quick and easy to prepare and made from simple ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge, freezer and pantry.
It's ready in under thirty minutes a bit like my One Pot Spicy Vegetable Rice, so even when you are pushed for time you can have this healthy, tasty meal or side on the table in no time.
What is savoury rice?
Savoury rice is a really easy and versatile one-pot recipe featuring rice and various vegetables cooked in stock for lots of flavour, colour and texture. It's a great alternative to plain rice and can be served as a main dish or side.
Ingredients
To make this recipe for savoury rice you will need just a few simple ingredients:
- Rice - White is best. Regular long-grain rice, basmati or jasmine. This recipe has not been tested with brown rice and it will not work with black rice, wild rice, risotto rice or paella rice.
- Veggies - Onion, garlic, carrots, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, peas. All there for flavour, colour and texture. I like to use yellow bell peppers for the colour contrast. The whole cherry tomatoes are so delicious in this. They swell up and become really sweet. The bursts of tomato when eating it are so good. Way better than if you were to use chopped large tomatoes.
- Chili - Totally optional but nice for a little kick of heat.
- Stock - A much tastier alternative to water. The rice sucks up all of the flavour!
- Salt & pepper - Of course!
How to make savoury rice
(For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).
This savoury rice recipe is really simple to make and such a good way of adding lots of flavour and interest to rice while cooking it.
Here's how it's done in a few easy steps:
Step 1 - Saute the onions (adds loads of flavour so don't skip!) then add the garlic and chili.
Step 2 - Add the bell pepper, carrots and rice and cook for a few more minutes.
Step 3 - Add everything else, cover and simmer until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
When you lift the lid it will look something like this:
Success Tips
- Leave the tomatoes whole. The sweet bursts of juicy tomato when eating it are lovely!
- Don't let the peas defrost before adding them. They should go in frozen.
- Don't lift the lid while it's cooking. It's important to keep the heat and steam trapped inside so the rice cooks evenly.
What goes with savoury rice
Savoury rice is great eaten on its own as a meal with a drizzle of hot sauce or chili oil, but can also be served as a side with just about anything that you would usually serve with rice, including:
- curry
- veggie sausages
- baked tofu
- vegan breaded chick'n
- lentil dal
- vegan fish fillet
- five-spice tofu
- sweet and sour tofu
It's also great with my Healthy Sweet and Sour Sauce and my Easy Teriyaki Sauce.
Try repurposing leftovers into burritos with some of my Instant Pot Black Beans or Slow Cooker Black Beans and some vegan cheese shreds.
Variations
Want to make this savoury rice your own? Feel free to swap out any of the vegetables or add some extras. As long as you keep the proportion of rice to liquid the same it will be fine.
You can try adding:
- a couple teaspoons of curry powder
- dried or fresh herbs
- a teaspoon of turmeric
- a couple tablespoon of soy sauce or Tamari for a deeper, savoury flavour.
- add some fresh ginger with the onions
- add more veggies like mushrooms, shredded greens, sweetcorn, broccoli or cauliflower florets
- give it a big protein boost with some tofu, tempeh, beans or chickpeas
Meal prep tips
The vegetables can be prepped up to two days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge to make the prep time on the day you cook the rice minimal. Just be sure to leave the frozen peas in the freezer until the last moment.
This meal can also be cooked, separated into individual containers and frozen until needed. See more details about freezing below.
Storage, Freezing & Reheating Tips
Leftover savoury rice should be cooled and refrigerated as quickly as possible. Don't leave it sitting out at room temperature for a long time. Once cool, transfer to a container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave, or in a lidded saucepan on the stovetop with a few drops of water to moisten it up and stop it from sticking to the bottom. Make sure it is piping hot before serving.
Savoury rice can be frozen. Cool it as quickly as possible and transfer to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Either reheat it straight from the freezer in the microwave or let it defrost in the fridge overnight.
Important - Do not let cooked rice sit out at room temperature. It must be cooled and either refrigerated or frozen very quickly. Defrosting must be done in the fridge and never at room temperature, and never reheat rice more than once.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe is gluten-free as long as you are careful to use a stock that is gluten-free.
This recipe has not been tested with brown rice. If you want to try it be aware that it will take much longer to cook and you will probably need a little more stock.
Recipe
Easy Savoury Rice
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil , optional (see notes for oil-free)
- 1 large onion , diced
- 4 large cloves garlic , chopped finely
- 1 small fresh chilli , or dried, (OPTIONAL)
- 1 large or 2 medium carrots , diced
- 1 large bell pepper , diced
- 1½ cups / 300 grams uncooked white rice , regular long-grain white rice, basmati or jasmine
- 3 cups / 720 mls vegetable stock , gluten-free if necessary
- about 30 cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1½ cups / 195 grams frozen peas
- 1¼ teaspoon fine salt , plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper , plus more to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put a large pan over medium heat and add the oil (or some water to keep oil-free).
- Once hot, add the onion and sauté until softened and just starting to colour.
- Add the garlic and chili and sauté for 1 minute more
- Add the carrot, bell pepper and raw rice and stir for a couple of minutes until the rice starts to make slight popping sounds.
- Add the stock, tomatoes, peas, salt and pepper. Stir well, and as soon as the liquid on the entire surface is bubbling, give it a good stir, put on the lid and turn the heat to low.
- Cook for 20 minutes with no peeking, then lift the lid and pull some rice aside with a spoon or tilt the pan to ensure most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- If when you check it there is still liquid present keep it on the heat with lid on for another 5 to 10 minutes before proceeding with the next step.
- Once the liquid has mostly gone, turn the heat off, and leave the pan with the lid on undisturbed for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
- Taste to check seasoning and add more as required, then serve.
NOTES
Success Tips
- Leave the tomatoes whole. The sweet bursts of juicy tomato when eating it are lovely!
- Don't let the peas defrost before adding them. They should go in frozen.
- Don't lift the lid while it's cooking. It's important to keep the heat and steam trapped inside so the rice cooks evenly.
Storage, freezing and reheating
Leftover savoury rice should be cooled and refrigerated as quickly as possible. Don't leave it sitting out at room temperature for a long time. As soon as it is cool, transfer to a container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave, or in a lidded saucepan on the stovetop with a few drops of water to moisten it up and stop it from sticking to the bottom. Make sure it is piping hot before serving. Savoury rice can be frozen. Cool it as quickly as possible and transfer to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Either reheat it straight from the freezer in the microwave or let it defrost in the fridge overnight.
Important - Do not let cooked rice sit out at room temperature. It must be cooled and either refrigerated or frozen very quickly. Defrosting must be done in the fridge and never at room temperature, and never reheat rice more than once.
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NUTRITION
This recipe was originally published on August 4th 2015. I've updated the post and photographs but the recipe remains the same and now I am republishing it for you. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!
Nikki says
In our house it is fondly known as "Nice Rice." I've been making this recipe for years. It's so simple and easy to make, so tasty too. A mouth full with a cherry tomato in it is "Jackpot!" As the only vegan in a house full of meat eaters, I sneak this vegan recipe in every other week and I never get any complaints. Nice Rice is an absolute winner in our house. I have made it so many times I don't even need the recipe anymore. Thought it was time to come and give it the 5 star rating it deserves.
Melanie McDonald says
Thank you so much for your review, Nikki. I love that you call it "Nice Rice"!
Nikki says
I had to think on what its actual name was when I looked it up. haha. I just recently made it with green capsicum (bell pepper) instead of cherry tomatoes, since I had red and green capsicum I had to use up. I personally think it's the cherry tomatoes that make it pop, but my hubby actually preferred it with the capsicum (weirdo!) It freezes as well. Forgot to mention that. As the only vegan in my house, I need vegan dinners in the freezer ready to go. I usually add a little aioli if it comes out of the freezer.
Tracy L says
This was great and so easy to customize!
Debbie says
Very good! Added savory tofu chunks. Didn’t have carrots so I added more tomatoes. Easy and delicious!
Kit O'Donnell says
made this recipe today and it was a great success, only problem was no quantities so i had to guess but i'll be doing it again
Melanie McDonald says
No quantities? I'm not sure where you were looking but all of the ingredients and their quantities are listed exactly, along with full and detailed instructions.
Patricia G says
Tried it tonight with Ponzu sauce and chopped green onion as a topping. Excellent and delicious!
Charlene says
Instapot directions?
A Virtual Vegan says
I haven't tested this recipe in an Instant Pot.
Gary Taylor says
Used easy cook brown rice, no oil and added courgette, green and broad beans. Cooked perfectly and the whole family loved it.
Nichol says
Delicious! Love how detailed your instructions always are!
Maria says
Wow! This was delicious and so simple.
Georgia says
Oh Yum! This is delicious!
pragati says
This is my go-to meal...except i don't use stock.. so colorful and yum!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks Pragati! I have never tried it without the stock. Using water makes it even easier though and great for those times when you are all out of stock.
Shivani says
I am a rice eater so immediately knew I had to make this. It was really good!