Lemon Pepper Rice (Greek Side Dish + VIDEO)

Name: Lemon Pepper Rice
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: 2 cups jasmine rice (long grain white rice ); 3 cups broth (chicken or vegetable (gluten-free if needed)); 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 cloves garlic (peeled and minced (or 1 teaspoon dried ground garlic)); salt and pepper (to taste. We like to use lots of fresh ground pepper to give this recipe a little kick. ); 1.5 tbsp lemon zest; 15 oz garbanzo beans ((chickpeas)); 2 tbsp parsley (garnish, finely chopped - optional)

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Lemon Pepper Rice is a fresh, easy, less than 30-minute, Greek side dish tossed with garbanzo beans (chickpeas), parsley, bright lemon zest and pairs perfectly with our Mediterranean chicken kabobs.

2 wooden bowls of lemon pepper rice garnished with a fresh lemon wedge.

This lemon rice side dish is going to be your families’ new go to recipe. The best part is that it can be made all in one pot! You’re going to love the texture of the jasmine rice, the savory aromatics and the broth. When the bright lemon and fresh parsley notes hit your tongue, you’ll be hooked. How much do you want to bet you’re going to want seconds?

8 Reasons to Love Lemon Pepper Rice

Budget friendly
Easy Pantry meal
One of our favorites from our 17 Pantry Recipes for Emergency Preparedness
Gluten-free
Dairy-free
Vegan option
One-pan recipe
Less than 30-minute side dish or vegan main

Ingredients

Jasmine rice – is our favorite; but you can exchange with short grain rice or even brown rice. If you choose to use brown rice, you will need to increase the water and cook time for the recipe.

Fun fact: Did you know that the standard Japanese cup is less than an imperial [US] cup? 1 cup Japanese (cup) = 0.85 cup US (cup). For this recipe you can use either a Japanese cup or an American measurement cup for this recipe. The reason being, is long as you use the same measurement tool for both the rice and the water, the ratio for rice and water will remain the same and the added aromatics do not need to be changed.

Aromatics – of course GARLIC and sauteed onions really make this simple rice dish go to the next level.

Fresh Ground Black Pepper, and lots of it, or to your taste. So simple, but yet quite tasty.

Lemon zest makes this one pan side dish super fresh and delicious. If you prefer, you can add lime zest or even Meyer lemon zest to the lemon garlic rice instead. We always support using what one has on hand.

Fresh Parsley or dried parsley or even mixed Italian dried herbs like basil, oregano and thyme.

Chicken Broth but you can also use vegetable broth or water to keep this recipe vegan.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) coats each grain of rice to keep them separated and gives the rice pilaf a delicious toasted nutty flavor. You can also use butter or vegan butter if desired.

Garbanzo beans also known as chickpeas are a delicious addition and add an extra boost of protein. Have you ever tried our Roasted Crunchy Garbanzo Beans for a healthy snack?

Step by step showing how to make lemon rice.

How to Make Stovetop Rice Pilaf?

There are 4 really important rules to make the BEST Lemon Pepper Rice pilaf.

Rinse the rice under cold water until it's clear. The white powder residue on the rice is starch. This starch can make the rice stick together. A rice colander is great for any kitchen. Place the rice in the colander in the kitchen sink and use your fingers to mix the rice until the water runs clear. Alternatively, you can rinse your rice in any pot or large bowl. Drain the water out carefully with the lid to capture any escaped rice. Be careful! Raw rice and plumbing do not go well together. In addition, don’t put rice in the garbage disposal as this can harm it.
Coat the rice well in the olive oil before adding the broth. This procedure keeps the rice separated and gives the lemon pepper rice a delicious toasted nutty flavor. We used the same technique on our Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Saffron.
Make sure you have a tight-fitting lid without any vent holes to steam the rice. Now, don’t you be peeking whilst the rice is steaming. If you open the lid, you let all the steam out.
Jasmine long grain rice to broth/water ratio is 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of broth/water. After you add the broth to the rice, put on the lid, bring to a very light boil and then simmer gently for 12 minutes. Do not peek. Then, remove from heat and let it rest for 10 minutes with the lid on before fluffing with a fork or rice paddle.

What to serve with Mediterranean Greek Rice?

Our deconstructed Greek vegan chickpea lemon rice is absolutely fantastic alongside grilled chicken, Herb Marinated Rack of Lamb or Mediterranean Red Snapper Packets. Give our lemon pepper rice a try in our Parsley Lemon Shrimp Wraps or even as a vegan main dish with an Easy Tabbouleh Lebanese Salad. Be sure to try our Greek Feta Yogurt Snack Bites as a delicious starter.

Close up shot of rice with garbanzo beans showing each grain of rice perfectly cooked.

Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ's)

How to Store Lemons?

Did you know that you can freeze lemons? If you find yourself a big lemon sale or unable to go through a huge bag before they start to degrade, just freeze your lemons whole in a sealable plastic bag. Really!

Lemons will keep for about a month in the freezer. If you need lemon zest, zest the lemons them while they are frozen. If you need the juice, just put the frozen lemons in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes to soften or microwave for a few seconds.

Frozen lemons are miles better than the liquid that comes in a plastic lemon squeeze container. By the way, the same goes for limes, which one can freeze as well. Lemon zest really brightens up our Lemon Pepper Rice side dish.

What is the water to rice ratio for steamed jasmine rice?

Jasmine long grain rice to broth/water ratio is 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of broth/water.

What is the difference between 1 US cup vs 1 Japanese cup?

A Japanese cup is less than an US cup measurement
1 cup Japanese (cup) = 0.85 cups US (cup)

Easy rice pilaf and garbanzo beans in a wooden bowls garnished with lemons and parsley.

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