Dinner/ Side dish/ vegetarian dinner

Garlic Butter Rice

6 March 2022 | Last Updated: 11 March 2022 By Aleksandra

Garlic butter rice makes an easy and delicious side dish that goes literally with anything! It’s buttery and garlicky with a hint of refreshing citrus flavor from the lemon juice. It’s so good you will eat it straight from the pot!

If you’re looking for other delicious rice recipes, try this cilantro lime rice or coconut rice.

Garlic butter rice in a white bowl topped with chopped parsley with a fork on the side.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make garlic butter rice:

Labeled ingredients for garlic butter rice.
  • Long grain white rice
  • Chicken broth or vegetable broth or just water
  • Butter
  • Fresh garlic
  • Lemon juice – this is an ingredient that most recipe don’t call for but I think it makes such a difference, just a small amount adds a refreshing flavor to the dish. I recently made this cilantro lime rice and it was the lime juice that added such an amazing refreshing flavor to it I could not stop eating it. Then I wanted to make something similar that would be more garlicky and would go with most dishes. I came up with this recipe, it was delicious but something was missing – it was the lemon juice. It really makes such a difference. You can add more than written in the recipe!
  • Parsley – as a garnish. Adds flavor and a pop of color!

How to make it step by step

A collage of 6 photos showing how to make garlic butter rice step by step.

STEP 1: Finely chop garlic – preferably with a knife and not a garlic press. Garlic pressed through a garlic press has a more harsh flavor while finely chopped garlic has more of the garlic aroma while not being as harsh.

Melt the butter in a medium pot. When hot add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant.

STEP 2: Add the rice and cook, stirring, for about 30-60 seconds, until all the rice grains are coated in butter.

STEP 3: Add the broth and stir.

STEP 4: Close the pot with a lid (preferably transparent), bring to a boil then reduce the temperature to low and cook for 14 minutes.

Take the pot off the heat and leave it (covered) to rest for 10 minutes.

STEP 5: Fluff the rice with a fork and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

STEP 6: Serve topped with chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

Storage

You can keep this rice side dish in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. It reheats very well, you can reheat it in a microwave/oven or in a non-stick pan.

You can also freeze it for up to 3-4 months.

What to serve it with

This garlic butter rice goes literally with anything, but it would be especially good with:

Garlic butter rice in a blue bowl topped with chopped parsley.

Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!

Garlic Butter Rice

Garlic butter rice makes an easy and delicious side dish that goes literally with anything! It’s buttery and garlicky with a hint of refreshing citrus flavor from the lemon juice. It’s so good you will eat it straight from the pot!
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Garlic butter rice in a white bowl topped with chopped parsley with a fork on the side.
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5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
resting time 10 minutes
Total Time 29 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 269kcal
Author Aleksandra

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter 45g
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup long grain rice 190g
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth or water, 360g
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chopped parsley to serve

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Instructions

  • Finely chop garlic (preferably with a knife and not a garlic press).
  • Melt the butter in a medium pot. When hot add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant.
  • Add the rice and cook, stirring, for about 30-60 seconds, until all the rice grains are coated in butter.
  • Add the broth, close the pot with a lid (preferably transparent), bring to a boil then reduce the temperature to low and cook for 14 minutes.
  • Take the pot off the heat and leave it (covered) to rest for 10 minutes.
  • Fluff the rice with a fork and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
  • Serve topped with chopped parsley.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Calories = 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Diet Vegetarian
Tried this Recipe? Rate the Recipe and tell us what you think in the Comments!

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2 Comments

  • Reply
    Martha Cheves
    9 March 2022 at 15:31

    5 stars
    I made this and loved it. I made it again and added chicken and loved it even more. The chicken I cut into small pieces and cooked it with the garlic on a lower heat until the chicken was done. This recipe can easily be served as is or changed just a bit to everyone’s own taste buds. I want to make it again using shrimp!!! Bet that will be delicious too and so simple to make.

    • Reply
      Aleksandra
      9 March 2022 at 18:44

      thank you, Martha, for such an amazing review!

    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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