Dress up your favorite rice or grains with a squeeze of lemon juice, crumbled feta, and fresh basil. This quick and easy lemon rice dish takes less than 10 minutes to make and is a great side dish to go with so many of your favorite meals. I like it best with pan-seared chicken, but you can also serve it with grilled fish, steak, or even crispy tofu!
I first stumbled onto a version of this lemon rice recipe in an issue of Cooking Light a few years ago, where it played second fiddle to a grilled lemon chicken breast. I never make that particular chicken recipe anymore because the marinade was finicky and resulted in rubbery chicken (ew!) but the rice... oh the rice.
The acidity of the lemon juice, the tangy bits of feta cheese, and the brightness of the fresh basil combine to throw a dance party on your tongue. And while the lemon rice with the thinly sliced fresh basil would be great on its own, each chunk of crumbled feta is a little tangy gem, bursting with flavor.
I've tweaked the original recipe a little bit over the years. The original called for equal parts oil and lemon juice, which often resulted in rice that felt greasy, so I've cut down the olive oil. And where the original called for microwavable, pre-cooked brown rice, I prefer using my rice cooker and a long-grain white rice like jasmine or basmati. But you really can use any grain you like.
If you're a beginner home cook or just starting to build your confidence in the kitchen, what I want you to take away from this is: Making great food doesn't have to be hard or time-consuming.
Cooking doesn't have to mean tons of prep, lots of dishes, or hard-to-find ingredients. Sometimes it just means tossing rice in a bowl with lemon juice, a bit of cheese, and a fresh herb.
The Mediterranean and Greek flavors of this lemon basil feta rice pair also make it a great base for a grain bowl with cumin-roasted broccolini and tahini sauce, or even rolled up in a wrap or stuffed in a homemade pita pocket with lamb or chicken meatballs and a tzatziki sauce.
This recipe is so simple, there's hardly any cooking involved. I usually use my beloved Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy rice cooker to make the rice. It can keep rice warm for days, which means I can make a big batch and use some of the rice for this and still have more left for other dishes or to freeze in 1-cup Souper Cubes for later.
Once the rice is cooked, I whisk the dressing in a large mixing bowl to emulsify it before stirring in the rice, using a spoon or spatula to break up any clumps.
Then, I add the crumbled feta cheese so that the warmth of the rice begins to soften it slightly. I usually break up the bigger chunks with my hands, but I also like to add the tiny lil baby crumbs of cheese that collect at the bottom of the container too.
Adding the feta while the rice is still hot makes it easier to combine and distribute evenly. The feta won't truly melt into the rice, but as it softens, it will lightly coat the rice grains.
Finally, I finely chiffonade the basil stir it in. I always cut and add the basil last (or right before serving) because basil oxidizes and darkens fairly quickly.
📖 Recipe
Lemon Feta Basil Rice
Recipe Notes
- To chiffonade basil leaves, layer 6-8 leaves on top of each other, roll them into a log, and slice thinly across the log.
- You can also add frozen peas, edamame, or corn right from the freezer while the rice is still warm and let the residual heat from the rice defrost them.
- Try a lime juice/cotija/cilantro combo for Mexican flavors or lemon/parmesan/thyme for an Italian twist.
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. After that the rice sometimes gets a bit of a weird texture. Reheat the lemon basil feta rice in the microwave, heating in 20-second bursts on high, stirring in between. The basil will be darker after a day or two in the fridge, but will still taste great and is safe to eat.
- Depending on what rice or grain you use, you may need to add more or less lemon juice and olive oil depending on how absorbent your grain of choice is.
- Always rinse your rice before cooking. I used to be skeptical of this extra step, but it really does make a difference — your rice will be fluffier, and less likely to clump up or stick together.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked rice (or grains, any kind)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (one whole lemon)
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ cup feta cheese (crumbled)
- ⅓ cup fresh basil (hand torn or chiffonade)
Instructions
- Cook rice using whatever method you prefer.
- In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- When rice is done cooking, add it to the bowl with the lemon juice and stir to combine and break up the rice. The lemon juice and olive oil will naturally separate, so whisk it again right before adding the rice if you see separation.
- While the rice is still quite hot, add the feta cheese and stir to evenly distribute. Use your fingers to crumble any especially large chunks as you add them. The heat from the rice will melt the feta slightly, but it should still remain in visible chunks.
- Tear or thinly slice the basil leaves and add them to the rice. Toss to combine.
- Serve warm.
Cecile says
Loved this recipe! I thought I was being so "extra" adding the feta I had in the fridge, guess I should have read the recipe more carefully! It also kept really well and tasted great the next day or two, the lemon flavor held up!
Jim says
Can you use lemon juice from a squeeze bottle or is it important to use a real lemon?
Rebecca says
Squeeze bottle is fine!
Kristin C. says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I had seen it a while back and I kept meaning to make it when I remembered to buy feta (which of course I didn’t) so I made it with pecorino Romano cheese instead (kept the basil) and it is fantastic! You have such a lovely way of detailing your recipes!! Thank you!!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I’m so glad you liked it and that it worked well with pecorino! It really is such a flexible recipe, well done embracing that 🙂
nicole says
we made this as a side with broiled salmon and it was the perfect pairing! bright and fresh and tasty, comes together super quick. we added more fresh basil to the leftovers the next day and it was just as good the second time. i love that its so simple to make but impactful in flavor- lemon, feta, and basil is a great trio. definitely going into the recipe rotation!
karen marie says
Your rice maker - you say "It can keep rice warm for days" and it sounds like you, for example, make rice on a Tuesday and continue eating out of the rice maker through, let's say, Thursday?
Doesn't the rice overcook?
Anyway, this rice sounds fantastic. I'd make it today because I do have feta in the fridge but I have no basil - woe is me!
I had watermelon, spinach, and blueberries in my fridge, and made a "clean out the fridge" salad with a balsamic-bacon dressing. I threw in feta "just because," and it was incredible. Feta is an underrated cheese.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
My rice cooker has a "keep warm" setting that keeps the rice perfectly warm without overcooking!
SGB says
If no fresh basil on hand what is the recommendation for dried basil amount? Thank you.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Rule of thumb is to use 1/3 or 1/4 the amount of fresh herbs if using dried! In this case the basil is there for flavor and being precise isn't super important, so I would maybe start with 2 tablespoons of dried basil, taste it, and add more if you think it needs it!
Betsy says
Three cups of raw rice, cooked? Or three cups of cooked rice?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
3 cups of cooked rice!