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Super Easy Yellow Rice complements just about any meal. You can make this on the stove top or in the rice cooker. So tasty!
This yellow rice recipe is one of our favorite side dishes. It truly is “super easy” and it seriously goes with almost anything! You can keep it plain or spice it up to go with different meals. If you are in a rush and don’t have time to make it over the stove, you can also throw all the ingredients in a rice cooker and do it that way. My family loves this light and fluffy side dish and you will too!
What is Yellow Rice?
Yellow rice is basically white rice that is colored by the spices turmeric or saffron when prepared. This yellow rice recipe calls for turmeric, but you could easily substitute saffron and achieve the same bright yellow color and a slightly tangy flavor. Yellow rice is traditional in Spanish, Cuban, Indian and Indonesian dishes, plus many more. The flavor is mild enough that you can serve it with countless recipes.
Toasting the Rice
A part of what makes this recipe so delicious is toasting the rice. Toasting the rice in some butter before you boil it gives it an amazing, nutty flavor. You definitely don’t want to skip this step!
How to Make Yellow Rice in a Rice Cooker?
You can also throw all the ingredients in a rice cooker to make yellow rice that way. It’s a secret weapon for making the rice extra fluffy, and it can save up space on the stovetop. I like this one from Aroma Housewares that can make up to 6 cups of cooked rice, which is more than enough for this yellow rice recipe. You can get it on Amazon for $20.
Yellow Rice Recipe Variations
The possibilities for this rice recipe are endless! Mix and match any of these to create the perfect, easy yellow rice side-dish for your next family meal.
- Adding frozen peas or carrots to the rice while cooking is an easy way to add color, texture, and added nutrients.
- Make this dish Cajun style by adding diced onion, red and/or green bell pepper, and diced jalapeño while sautéing the rice. Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning before adding the chicken broth. After the rice is finished cooking, you can stir in grilled smoked sausage, shrimp or chicken. Red or black beans make the meal even more hearty and delicious.
- For a more Indian flair, add ½ teaspoon of sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, four cardamom pods, and a handful of golden raisins before bringing to boil. So yummy!
- Add this dish to your Mexican feast by adding jalapeño and diced onion to the rice while sautéing, and sprinkle with a little cumin before adding the broth.
More Yummy Rice Recipes
Rice is one of those easy to make, filling, and oh-so-delicious side dishes. After you try this Yellow Rice, try a few of our other favorites:
- Easy Restaurant Style Mexican Rice
- Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
- Ham Fried Rice
- Easy Garden Vegetable Rice
- How to Make Sushi Rice
- Lemon Pesto Rice
How to Make Yellow Rice
Video
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder or dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and gently stir until rice begins to lightly brown.
- Add garlic, onion powder, and turmeric and stir until well mixed in.
- Slowly stir in chicken broth and raise heat to medium-high. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mix to a boil then turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add cilantro, and fluff with a fork. Serves 4.
This may be a silly question , but am I to assume that the rice shouldn’t be rinsed beforehand??
I usually don’t rinse my rice beforehand when I make this recipe because you are browning the rice in a skillet before cooking. You CAN rinse beforehand but you will want to allow the rice to dry before sautéing it.
I want to make this
Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Can you use curry powder instead of turmeric? Thank you.
You can, but the curry powder will add a stronger flavor than the turmeric!
Amazingly delicious. I used to buy this in the box, but this was way better. I didn’t have chicken broth, so to a 1qt measuring cup I added about 5tsp of chicken bouillon to hot water and followed the recipe for a 2x. It was a bit salty, so next time I won’t add the salt and reduce the Maggie.
This was the easiest and most delicious yellow rice recipe I ever made. I used salt free chicken broth and added my own salt, and made it in my rice cooker. Nothing could be easier. Next time I’ll sub olive oil for the butter.
Marvelous
One of my children is allergic to rice, so I made this recipe substituting the rice for orzo. Other than cooking the orzo for a shorter length of time, uncovered, while stirring, I didn’t change anything, and it came out great.
I made it into a meal by mixing in pigeon peas (gandules) and canned pork. Both of the kids and my husband gave rave reviews.
My hubby went back for seconds and that said a lot about the yummy taste….
Great recipe, easy to make and tastes really good!
One of the best yellow rice recipes I’ve made! Next time I would increase the turmeric/ garlic/ onion a tad but it was a huge hit as is!
Did you rinse rice first
We didn’t but you can!
I used basmati rice since I intended it for an Indian dish this time and it turned out great!
Loved this recipe!! TY
Second time making homemade yellow rice. First time was a different recipe and it did NOT turn out right. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Took our fajita night to a whole new level!
Made 4/22/24 : doubled this and used instapot. Set instapot on saute then added one stick of butter. Once melted, added 1 red bell pepper and half an onion chopped. Sautéed til soft. Added 10 cloves of chopped garlic (I love garlic) and 2 cups dry rice. Made sure to constantly stir while Toasting rice to avoid burn notice. Added listed spices but included a tsp of garlic powder. Turned off saute. Added 4 cups stock and put the lid on and pushed rice button. Natural release for 10 minutes and added a whole bag of frozen peas. Close lid for a few mins. Came out good. Will add a touch more salt next time.
Really good recipe! I only substituted garlic powder for the real stuff and it was delicious! Even my picky kids loved it!
This was so good! All that I did was add the onions and red and green bell peppers after I had toasted the rice and not sauteing them as I forgot. I’m going to try it the right way but this is at least a once a week side dish from now on.
Super easy and super good! Used my instant pot on saute, following the directions thru the addition of the chicken broth, salt, and pepper, and then just used the rice button. No more pre-packaged yellow rice for us, this recipe is so much better and just as easy! Thanks for sharing it!