Lemon Brown Rice with Garlic and Thyme

4.8
(13)
18 Reviews

This tangy garlic brown rice dish can be served either warm or chilled, as a salad or side.

By
Emily Farris
Emily Farris

Emily Farris is a food and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Food & Wine, Food52, Country Living, CNN, The Daily Beast and many more. She has also written a cookbook, Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff for Your Oven and appears in Women on Food by Charlotte Druckman.

Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines
Updated on August 18, 2024
Active Time:
15 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 15 mins
Servings:
6

Don't write off brown rice as boring! If you've only ever used it as a vehicle on which to serve saucy curries and the like, brown rice recipes such as this one will show you how to transform bland into bold.

23 Rice Recipes for Your Side Dish Repertoire

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What can I add to brown rice to make it taste better?

    This lemon brown rice recipe starts with glorious butter. A generous amount is melted in the saucepan; then we cook a finely chopped shallot until soft. Next, we add the rice. Instead of immediately adding liquid as well, we first stir the rice into the buttery shallots and cook for a few minutes to lightly toast the grains, bringing out their natural nuttiness. When it's time to pour in the liquid, we go for vegetable stock instead of water, seasoning everything with salt and pepper. As the rice cooks, it absorbs the flavor of the stock and the gentle sweetness of the shallot.


    After the rice is taken off the heat, it's time to briefly cook the thyme, chile flakes, and garlic in olive oil, just until the garlic begins to brown. We then add lemon juice and zest to the mixture and season with salt and pepper; this gets stirred into the fluffed rice.

  • How is this brown rice recipe served?

    Garlicky brown rice can be served either warm or chilled, as a side dish or a base for protein. It's great with grilled fish, roasted chicken, or grilled vegetables.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Cooking rice is different from cooking pasta. If you're looking for a truly neutral flavor, then sure, you can definitely cook your rice with water until it's tender and call it a day. But unlike pasta, which depends on sauce or added seasoning after it's boiled for flavor, there are lots of opportunities to add interest to rice throughout the entire cooking process, as we demonstrate here.

If you're following a gluten-free diet, be sure to use gluten-free stock for this recipe.

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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 shallot, finely chopped

  • 1 1/2 cups short-grain brown rice

  • 3 cups vegetable stock

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

  • 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • Zest of 1 lemon

Directions

  1. Ingredients to make lemon brown rice with garlic and thyme

    Diana Chistruga

    Gather the ingredients.

  2. A large saucepan with chopped shallot cooking in butter

    Diana Chistruga

    In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the shallot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes.

  3. A large saucepan with brown rice and cooked shallots being stirred with a wooden spoon

    Diana Chistruga

    Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.

  4. A large saucepan with shallots, brown rice, stock, salt, and pepper simmering

    Diana Chistruga

    Add the stock, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.

  5. A large saucepan with cooked brown rice being fluffed with a fork

    Diana Chistruga

    Cover and simmer over low heat until the broth is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

  6. A large pan with garlic, thyme, and chili flakes cooking in oil

    Diana Chistruga

    In a skillet, heat the oil, garlic, thyme, and chile flakes over moderately low heat. Cook until garlic is just beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.

  7. A large skillet of lemon brown rice with garlic and thyme bring stirred with a wooden spoon

    Diana Chistruga

    Remove from heat and add lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with cooked rice and serve.

A large bowl of lemon brown rice with garlic and thyme, served with grilled vegetables

Diana Chistruga
Originally appeared: November 2013

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