Rice pilaf is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 7 recipes to get you started.

What is rice pilaf?

Rice pilaf is rice cooked by toasting the grains in fat before simmering them in seasoned broth. That method gives you separate, fluffy grains instead of a sticky pot.

The boxed version on the supermarket shelf packages that idea: long-grain rice blended with little strands of toasted vermicelli and a packet of dried seasoning.

The toasted pasta is the signature. It turns golden and nutty in the pan and gives the finished dish its flecked look and savory backbone, the same trick behind the classic rice-a-roni style pilaf.

It is a pantry shortcut to a side that tastes like more effort than it took.

How to Cook It

The box method is the one that matters: toast, then simmer. Melt butter or heat oil in a saucepan, add the rice and vermicelli, and stir over medium heat until the pasta turns deep golden and smells nutty, about three to five minutes.

Skipping that toast is the most common mistake, and the reason a batch tastes flat.

Then add the seasoning packet and liquid, usually around two parts liquid to one part dry mix. Bring it to a boil, cover, and drop to a low simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

Let it rest off the heat for five minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Two upgrades cost nothing. Swap the water for chicken or vegetable broth, and finish with a knob of butter and chopped parsley for a side that holds its own next to a roast.

Serving and Pairing

Pilaf is built to sit beside a protein, and it does its best work under anything with pan juices or sauce to soak up.

It is the standard partner for roast chicken in Chicken a la Nancy, for Marinated Chicken Breasts with Mozzarella, and for Cornish Hens with Raisin-Rice Pilaf, where dried fruit stirred in echoes the dish's name.

It also works as a base rather than a side. Fast Dish Catfish plates the fish straight on top, and the cooked grains roll into Chicken Rice Burritos.

Cooled, seasoned pilaf makes a quick grain salad, the move behind Confetti Rice Salad and Peaches & Cream Rice Salad. Stir a vinaigrette and some diced vegetables through leftovers.

The mistake to avoid is doubling down on salt. The seasoning packet is already salty, so taste before you add any, and reach for broth and fresh herbs for depth instead.

Substitutes

Out of the box but have the pantry? Make it from scratch: toast a cup of long-grain rice with a small handful of broken vermicelli or angel hair in butter, then simmer in seasoned broth. You control the salt and it tastes fresher.

A plain rice mix or a box of seasoned long-grain-and-wild-rice blend swaps in directly. Couscous or orzo cooks faster if you only need a quick starch, though you lose the toasted-grain character.

In a recipe that just wants cooked grains, like a salad or a burrito filling, plain cooked rice works fine; season it a little more to make up for the missing packet.

Buying and Storage

Boxed pilaf mix is shelf-stable and keeps in the pantry for many months; check the date and store it cool and dry. Watch the sodium on the label, since packets vary widely and some run very high.

Once cooked, treat it like any rice. Cool it quickly and refrigerate within two hours, then keep it covered for three to four days. Cooked rice left warm too long can grow Bacillus cereus, so do not leave a pot out on the stove all afternoon.

Reheat with a splash of water or broth to loosen the grains, covered, until steaming hot throughout. Cooked pilaf also freezes well for up to three months, which makes a big batch worth the effort.

Quick facts

In Chinese

大米抓饭

British (UK) term

Rice pilaf

en français

riz pilaf

en español

arroz pilaf

Recipes using rice pilaf

There are 7 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 7 recipes