Lebanese Rice is a delicious way to make a simple rice that goes with any grilled meats or vegetables. Toasted broken vermicelli pasta is the distinguishing ingredient, adding a layer of color and flavor, often with pine nuts on top.

This rice dish belongs on the must-know list! I learned as my mom and hers before her taught: break thin pasta into little pieces. Brown those in butter. Add the rice to coat. Add chicken broth, salt, lid, and cook for 30 minutes. Every week at least once. The little browned noodles add color, depth, flair. Given how little butter is used in day-to-day cooking in the Mediterranean, I wonder if the butter-browned piece comes from the French influence that is such a part of Lebanese culture. The classic French pilaf starts with onion and garlic softened, never browned, in butter. When I hybrid my Lebanese + classic French pilaf, I brown the vermicelli first, then at a low temp soften the onion and garlic. Though traditional Lebanese rice needs no improvement, the depth of flavor from the addition of onion and garlic takes the rice to stand-alone level!

What is Lebanese Rice

Lebanese rice is a simple Middle Eastern rice pilaf, but the distinguishing ingredient is the browned vermicelli pasta that flecks the rice with color and flavor. The rice can be made very simply with just rice, butter or olive oil, and water or chicken broth. But take it to next level greatness by starting with a quick softening of onion and garlic to impart deeper, even more delicious flavor to this simple dish. This traditional Lebanese rice recipe finds its way to plates with saucy Lebanese stews like lubieh or green bean stew or stuffed eggplant.

Ingredients

Butter or extra virgin olive oil

Vermicelli pieces. Middle Eastern grocery stores carry wonderfully fat bags of these cut pieces for rice. You can improvise by breaking angel hair pasta or any thin pasta into small 1-inch pieces.

Yellow onion (optional)

Garlic clove (optional)

Salt. Pepper is a fine addition but I don’t typically use black pepper, to avoid the black flecks. Try white pepper instead.

Long-grain rice. The type of rice you use matters here! Use basmati rice or my mom’s go-to, Ben’s converted white rice. Avoid jasmine rice for this one, as well as short grain rice.

Chicken stock

Cinnamon stick

How do you cook Lebanese rice

Step 1. In a medium saucepan with a lid, heat the butter over medium-high heat. When the butter melts and foams, add the vermicelli noodles and saute, stirring constantly, until the pasta and butter are a deep golden brown color.

Step 2. Reduce to medium heat and add the onion, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, with the lid on, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Step 3. In a medium bowl, rinse the 2 cups of rice with cold water 4 or 5 times. This removes the excess starch, to prevent the rice from being sticky.

Step 4. Add the drained rice to the vermicelli mixture, and stir to coat. Add 3 cups of the chicken stock. Taste and add more salt if needed. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook for about 30 minutes.

Step 5. Turn off the heat and remove the lid, letting the steam heat escape for 5 minutes. Stir the rice and taste, adding salt if needed, and more chicken stock a tablespoon or two at a time to moisten the rice. Serve immediately. 

How to make hashweh (or hushweh)

Hushweh rice is a different recipe than this basic Lebanese rice recipe. That Lebanese rice pilaf includes a combination of rice with browned ground meat (ground beef or lamb), is seasoned with spices, and does not always include the vermicelli pasta (a cup of rice to 1 pound or 1/2 pound meat). Hushweh is topped with a generous sprinkling of toasted nuts (pine nuts, almonds, or a mix of several types of nuts). Read the full recipe for Lebanese Hushweh for this beloved comfort food dish.

Tips for the best Lebanese rice

Don’t use too much liquid. I have reduced the ratio of rice to liquid steadily over the years! Now I find much more consistent results for individual rice grains that don’t stick together, with 1 ¼ cups liquid to 1 cup rice. If the finished rice needs more softening or moisture, simply stir in more liquid and allow the rice to rest with the lid on to absorb.

Spice it up. This rice often includes cinnamon as a seasoning. For this flavor, add two cinnamon sticks with the chicken broth. Remove the sticks before serving. Dust the top of the rice with a dash of cinnamon before serving. 

Add a shower of fresh herbs, such as chopped fresh parsley or mint, to finish the rice.

Go vegan. The same amount of Vegetable broth or cups of water are nice alternatives to the chicken stock for the cooking liquid. The water ratio is the same, as is the cooking time. Be sure to taste the liquid before cooking to the rice to see if it needs seasoning with salt. Similarly, extra virgin olive oil is a fine substitute for the butter to brown the vermicelli pieces.

What to serve with Lebanese rice

Lebanese rice is one of the most versatile dishes you can make! Arabic rice is a mainstay of the rice dishes on Lebanese restaurant menus and in home cooking. Serve this perfect side dish with any grilled meats or vegetables, roasted chicken, chicken shawarma, Lebanese beef kafta. In Middle Eastern cuisine, this rice is always on the plate with Lebanese stew with green beans as well as Lebanese eggplant. Add a salad with fresh, bright flavor such as fattoush salad, tabbouleh, or simple Lebanese Salad (Salata). Round out your meal with hummus, labneh or plain yogurt, Lebanese turnip pickles, kalamata olives, and pita bread. 

Looking for more pilaf recipes like this one? Don’t miss my mujadara recipe, lentils and rice or bulgur that packs a flavor and protein and fiber punch!

Make Ahead and Storing leftover rice

This dish stores very well, so it can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Refresh the rice before serving it by sprinkling it with a couple of tablespoons of water, then reheat in the microwave or on the stove top on medium low heat. Stir occasionally to distribute the heat evenly.