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Brown rice pilaf sprinkled with fresh parsley and served in a blue and white bowl
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4.17 from 6 votes

Brown Rice Pilaf

Brown rice pilaf is a simple dish with tender, perfectly cooked brown rice that gets extra flavor from cooking with the broth, butter and onions. It’s great for a spruced up side dish any night of the week.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Additional Time5 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Yield: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup onion, chopped small
  • 1 ½ cups brown rice
  • 2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Heat the oil and butter over medium heat in a medium pot.
  • Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the brown rice and stir to get it coated in the oils. Let the rice toast for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the broth and bring to a boil.
  • Cover the pot, turn the heat down to low (you want to maintain a simmer) and cook for 30 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for another 5 minutes.
  • Fluff the rice, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve topped with the chopped parsley.

Notes

Brown rice: We’re using a whole grain brown rice for this recipe (the standard you’ll find at the store.) Just make sure you don’t have a quick cook or instant kind, as the timing will be much different.
Butter: I opt for half butter and half olive oil to cook the onion and then coat the rice. You can certainly use all butter if you’d prefer.
Broth: Chicken broth is what I always have on hand, but you can use vegetable broth if you want to keep this vegetarian. I recommend low-sodium so you can control the amount of sodium.
Garlic: Want a garlic kick to your pilaf? Add 2 cloves of garlic, minced, after you’ve sautéed the onion and before you add the brown rice. Cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, and then proceed with the recipe.
Toppings: Ours is topped simply with some chopped, fresh parsley. It really just finishes the dish off. You could also finish yours off with some extra butter or a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese if you’d like.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 424mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g
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