Our 53 Best Rice Recipes of All Time

Creamy Rice Pudding

If you can consider any dessert a comfort food, rice pudding certainly is. It's a rich and creamy combination of rice, milk, sugar, raisins, and vanilla. Top with cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired.

Gourmet Mushroom Risotto

This rich, Italian-style risotto pairs so well with all sorts of meat mains, or it could be a main dish all by itself. This recipe calls for the traditional slow and steady method for cooking risotto, but it's so worth the wait.

Best Spanish Rice

Here's a simple, five-ingredient side dish that is the perfect complement to many Latin dishes, or as a filling in burritos or enchiladas.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Serve this hearty, stick-to-your ribs soup on cold, rainy days with a loaf of homemade bread, as recipe creator Stephanie G suggests. You can cook chicken for the soup or use leftover chicken (such as rotisserie).

• 23 Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipes That Use Rotisserie Chicken

Chef John's Stuffed Peppers

"This recipe's roots can be traced back to the Great Depression when farmers first began selling the unripe peppers out of necessity," says Chef John. "Of course, we did what Americans always do when faced with a new variety of food, we stuffed meat in it."

• Depression-Era Recipes to Stretch Your Meat Budget

Chinese Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken, rice, soy sauce, and egg are stir-fried together in this 15-minute dinner. This recipe works best with cold, leftover rice because it will stay firm.

• Rice Leftovers

Mulligatawny Soup

This hearty Indian soup is loaded with onion, celery, carrots, apples, white rice, and chicken, and gets its incredible flavor from curry powder. Reviewer Amy says, "Two or three days later the soup tasted even better than the first day."

• 9 Comforting Indian Soups for Fall and Winter

Salsa Chicken Rice Casserole

Here's the easy, weeknight casserole you've been waiting for: Layers of rice, chicken, cheese, and a creamy soup and salsa mixture makes for a delicious dinner.

• 5 Cheap and Easy Casseroles to Add to Your Dinner Rotation

Cabbage Rolls

In this budget-friendly, comfort-food classic, cabbage leaves are stuffed with ground beef, onion, and rice and cooked in a tomato sauce in the slow cooker.

• A Month of Budget Slow Cooker Meals for Four People

Easy Fried Rice

Making this simple fried rice side dish is even faster than getting takeout. Reviewers suggest starting with cold rice to avoid a sticky and soggy result.

Spanish Rice Bake

Ready in under an hour, this simple rice bake is an easy and low-cost dinner idea. Ground beef, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and rice are cooked in a sweet-hot sauce and baked with a Cheddar cheese topping.

Stuffed Peppers My Way

In this unusual take on stuffed peppers, the peppers are pre-roasted to soften them and then stuffed with a mixture of onions, tomato, rice, and feta cheese for a delicious vegetarian dish. "I made this for a dinner party of ten people and everybody loved it," says reviewer Wanda.

Authentic Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

This authentic dish features so many flavors that are staples in Cajun cuisine, including Cajun seasoning, andouille sausage, and the Holy Trinity of Cajun cooking — onion, bell pepper, and celery.

Black Beans and Rice

Here's a super quick meal you can easily make at a moment's notice using ingredients you already have in your pantry. Try substituting brown rice for white to up the nutritional value.

• 30 Pantry-Friendly Dinners Ready in 45 Minutes or Less

Mexican Rice

Mexican rice (not to be confused with Spanish rice) is an easy and flavorful side. You can cut down on the prep time by chopping the vegetables ahead of time. "The key is cooking the rice properly and using good quality chicken broth or stock," says recipe creator ALANASMOM.

• How to Make Chicken Stock Step by Step

Sarah's Rice Pilaf

The secret ingredient in this five-star recipe is adding orzo pasta! Toasting the pasta first adds a rich, nutty flavor to the dish.

Zucchini Herb Casserole

Put summer zucchini and tomatoes on display in this simple veggie and rice casserole. "Serve with a crusty French bread or soft breadsticks," suggests recipe creator Debi Blair McGinness.

• Our 12 Best Vegetarian Casseroles

Mama's Asian Chicken and Rice

You'll want to make a double serving of the sauce in this top-rated orange chicken recipe.

Mamaw's Chicken and Rice Casserole

Is there anything more comforting than a chicken and rice casserole? "I grew up on this recipe, my Grandmother got it from a lady from church at a potluck a long time ago!" says recipe creator katiefbenham. "She passed it down to my mom and it's always been a family favorite. Quick and easy for school nights, and the leftovers are just as good!"

Jambalaya

Rice is a key ingredient in this quintessential Creole dish, which is essentially a thick rice stew with chicken, sausage, shrimp, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and celery.

Broccoli Rice Casserole

Broccoli and cheese is one of those seems-so-wrong-but-tastes-so-right flavor combinations. Here broccoli and rice are baked in a delicious cheese sauce for a simple side that even the pickiest eaters will enjoy.

Carrot Rice

Basmati rice, a fragrant rice commonly grown in India, makes up the basis of this rice dish along with carrots, onion, ginger, peanuts, and cilantro. "What a wonderful way to spice up the already delicious and fragrant basmati rice," says reviewer Misty Noriega.

Asian Coconut Rice

By simply cooking rice in part water and part coconut milk, you get sweet rice that pairs beautifully with many Asian dishes. "Garnish with toasted coconut and chopped cilantro if you like," suggests recipe creator SILVREZS.

Oh-So-Good Chicken

With just a few ingredients — many of which you'll likely have on hand — this creamy chicken and rice casserole is ready in under an hour.

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Butternut Squash Risotto

Butternut squash adds a mildly sweet flavor to risotto in this recipe that puts winter squash on full display.

• Our 10 Best Butternut Squash Recipes of All Time Will Get You Through the Cold Months

Mushroom Rice

"This recipe works equally well with white or brown rice, instant or otherwise," says recipe creator Arizona Desert Flower. The rice of your choosing is jazzed up with mushrooms, garlic, and onion.

Easy Paella

We would be remiss if we left out this classic Spanish dish in our collection of best rice recipes.

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Lemons are among the staple ingredients in Greek cooking, and they give this hearty soup its bright and zesty flavor. Serve with fresh pita.

Vegetarian Mexican Inspired Stuffed Peppers

These peppers are stuffed with onion, rice, black beans, tomatoes, spices, and cheese for Mexican-inspired flavor. It's a filling, easy meal that doesn't even require a side dish!

Lola's Horchata

Rice is most commonly used as the base for this popular Mexican drink. The result is a creamy and sweet beverage that's served chilled.

Middle Eastern Rice with Black Beans and Chickpeas

Seasoned rice, ground turkey, garbanzo beans, black beans, cilantro, parsley, and pine nuts combine in this 1-hour recipe that you'll want to keep in your dinner rotation.

Easy Korean Ground Beef Bowl

This quick and easy recipe doesn't hold back on flavor — ground beef is sautéed with garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, and brown sugar and served over brown rice.

• 13 Super-Flavorful Korean Beef Recipes

African Peanut Soup

Peanut butter-lovers need to give this nutty vegetable and rice soup a try — it's a staple of African cuisine.

Onion Rice

Here's a simple way to dress up plain white rice that will complement just about any meal.

Bolognese Stuffed Bell Peppers

A spicy, meaty Bolognese filling is combined with rice and stuffed in bell peppers for a fabulous weeknight dinner. "Out of this world delicious!" raves reviewer Snowflake.

Oven Baked Jambalaya

This easy oven method for cooking jambalaya is great for anyone who wants to try their hand at this classic Creole dish.

Brazilian White Rice

Here rice is fried in oil with onion and garlic before cooking in water: "The secret is to not let it overcook because it should come out loose and not sticky," suggests recipe creator Nandabear.

Harvest Rice Dish

A mixture of brown rice, wild rice, slivered almonds, onions, cranberries, mushrooms, and orange zest makes for an amazing autumnal side dish that can easily be adjusted to suit your tastes.

• 12 Comfort Food Favorites to Make at the First Crack of Autumn

Bacon Risotto

What could possibly make creamy risotto any better? Well bacon, of course. This indulgent side dish is truly restaurant-quality.

Carol's Arroz Con Pollo

This one-pot dinner is so much more than meets the eye: Seasoned rice and chicken made with white wine, saffron, stewed tomatoes, and many other herbs and spices make for a flavor-rich combination.

Indian Style Basmati Rice

"This is a savory Indian style rice dish flavored with whole spices and fried onions," says recipe creator DHANO923. "Soaking the basmati rice before cooking makes all the difference."

Zucchini Risotto

Zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes and basil bring color and fresh flavor to this creamy risotto.

Big Ed's Cajun Shrimp Soup

This easy soup features Cajun flavors but is much faster and less involved than jambalaya or gumbo.

Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto

The Instant Pot turns this labor-intensive dish into a fuss-free side. Recipe creator Shauna James Ahern says, "...risotto made in a pressure cooker is so simple and quick that it feels like cheating. It's not. This is the real stuff. You'll probably start making risotto far more often after you try this one."

• 15 Rice Sides and Dinners You Can Cook in Your Instant Pot

French Spring Soup

As the heavy, winter soup season comes to an end, transition to spring with this seasonally appropriate soup that features leeks, potatoes, carrots, and asparagus.

• Make It a Meal: 5 Spring Weeknight Dinner Ideas

Pork Fried Rice

You can also make this pork fried rice with leftover pork chops, as reviewer Cord Steph suggests.

Rice Balls a la Tim

A cheesy rice and ground beef mixture is formed into balls, breaded, and baked. Serve with pasta sauce and garlic bread for a satisfying meal.

Maria's Rice

Condensed French onion soup, beef broth, and butter are all you need to take plain white rice to the next level. Recipe creator Melissa Davidson says, "​​It goes really well with roast, pork chops, or a rotisserie chicken."

Khao Neeo Mamuang (Thai Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango)

"This wonderful and authentic-tasting Thai dessert is as good, if not better, than any sweet sticky rice with mango available in Thai restaurants," says recipe creator Michelle.

Melinda's Porcupine Meatballs

These meatballs get their name from the grains of rice that stick out of them, which also add delicious texture.

• How to Make the Best Meatballs

Chicken Chimichangas

Recipe creator Rebecca Swift describes these chimichangas as, "Tortillas filled with a chicken, rice, beans, and olive mixture - rolled, fried, and topped with a piquant avocado mix, sour cream, and cheese, all served on a bed of lettuce."

Mexican Bean and Rice Salad

Beans and rice are livened up with fresh flavors including lime, cilantro, garlic, cumin, jalapeno, and bell pepper. Because it's meant to be served chilled, this salad makes great no-reheat leftovers for work or school lunches throughout the week.

• 50 Cold Lunch Ideas to Pack for Work

Mahi Mahi with Coconut Rice and Mango Salsa

In this Caribbean-inspired dish, mild Mahi Mahi is marinated in a flavorful soy sauce mixture, broiled, and served with a sweet coconut rice and fresh mango salsa.

More Rice Recipes:

• Pictured: Pepper Beef Rice Skillet
• 35 Ways to Use Leftover Rice
• 20 Ways the World Makes Chicken and Rice
• More Rice Side Dish and Rice Main Dish Recipes.