This Italian Lemon Basil Wild Rice is bursting with lemon flavor and fresh basil and several Italian dried herbs. It is the perfect side dish or companion to an entree or main dish. It is also oil-free and gluten-free and requires just 5 main ingredients!
ITALIAN LEMON BASIL WILD RICE
If you LOVE lemon and love basil, then this Italian Lemon Basil Wild Rice is for you! Sometimes you want something a little bit more interesting than boring brown rice or plain, fluffy white rice. Don’t get me wrong, I love them both, but this past week I was craving a lemon and Italian herb type of rice, so I through this all together and oh my, it turned out SO delicious! Make this Italian rice recipe next time to go as a side for one of your dinners instead of plain rice. It will liven up the whole meal!
I love the bite of wild rice blends. It has a heartier texture and I love the colors as well of the multiple rices mixed in.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
- Wild rice blend: This is a wild rice blend, not actual black wild rice. They are not the same.
- Salt and water
- Fresh lemon juice
- Garlic cloves
- Italian seasoning (store-bought OR my homemade blend
- Fresh basil leaves
HOW TO MAKE ITALIAN LEMON BASIL RICE
(full details and instructions on recipe card below)
Step 1: First, rinse the rice well in a fine-mesh strainer. This produces fluffier rice.
Step 2: Add all of the ingredients to a medium pot, except the fresh basil. Bring to a boil, give it a quick stir, reduce the heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes until all the water is completely gone.
Step 3: Return the lid and let the rice sit for only 5 minutes.
Step 4: Fluff the rice with a fork and then stir in the chopped basil. Serve immediately.
WILD RICE BLEND
Ok, now let’s clear something up. There is rice that is called wild rice and then there is wild rice blends. The 2 are very different. If you can’t tell by the photo, this is not actual wild rice, which are long, black grains. This is the wild rice blend that you see in the stores. It contains white Texmati rice, red rice, black rice and brown rice. There are different kinds by small variances. I used the Rice Select Royal Blend and highly recommend it. It can be found at most grocery stores, even Walmart and Target and on Amazon.
All rices cook differently and require different amounts of water and cooking times, so please do not sub another rice, as it may not work here. Only make this recipe as written using the rice I have tested here.
MORE VEGAN ITALIAN RECIPES
- Vegan Stuffed Ricotta Shells
- Hearty Italian White Bean Basil Soup
- Vegan Oil-Free Creamy Italian Dressing
- Vegan Lemon Florentine Pasta
- Easy Vegan Italian Meatballs
- Best Vegan Garlic Alfredo
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If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Italian Lemon Basil Wild Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140g) wild rice blend, NOT just wild rice (SEE NOTES) I buy this brand
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (store-bought OR my homemade blend)
- 1 cup + 6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons (30g) fresh lemon juice
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced (8g)
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
- 3-4 tablespoons (8g) freshly chopped basil
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Rinse the rice first well with room temperature water. This helps produce fluffier rice.
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium pot, except the fresh basil. Bring to a boil, give it a quick stir, reduce the heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes, covered, until all the water is completely gone.
- Return the lid and let the rice sit for only 5 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and then stir in the chopped basil. Serve immediately. Do not return the lid at this point, or it can make the rice turn mushy.
Notes
Delicious! My family loved it.
Very happy to hear this!!
Loved it! Made it for Thanksgiving for me and anyone else who doesn’t eat traditional stuffing. I used 1 cup of low sodium chicken bone broth instead of water. And I used dried parsley, basil, & thyme. Came out great! Didn’t have any fresh basil so I substituted. The lemon juice & garlic really enhanced the recipe
I made this with half-brown rice because I didn’t have a wild rice blend, and this was still really great! It’s very flavorful and I loved the fact that it was oil-free and vinegar-free! Another great recipe from this blog—thank you!
So glad to hear that, thank you Aly!
I didn’t have fresh basil so had to use dried and I loved it! The lemon added such a fresh taste. I’m curious what you serve as a main dish with it as this is a side dish.
Thank you this was a question I had!
This recipe was bursting with Spring flavors! The wonderful texture of the wild rice blend gave an extra welcome “bite,” and the fresh basil took the lemon garlic seasoning to the next level! I enjoyed this with some similarly-flavored baked tofu and quickly went back for seconds. 😋 Thanks for the winter doldrums pick-me-up, Brandi!
Yay, really glad to hear you enjoyed it Colleen! SO good to hear from you too, thank you so much for making it!
Hi Brandi, I want to make your rice recipe It sounds tasty! Can I use my rice cooker?
Hi Rochelle! I’ve only tested it on the stovetop so I’m not sure of what adjustments, if any, are needed. It’s really quick on the stove though.
Hi Brandi,
The first ingredient just says “1 cup (140 g)”; should I assume that’s the amount of wild rice blend. Just want to be sure.
Thank you,
Steve Jones
Baltimore, MD
Hi Steve! Hmm, I’m not seeing that, can you hit to refresh your browser? I’m seeing this: “1 cup (140g) wild rice blend, NOT just wild rice (SEE NOTES) I buy this brand” Thank you!
Looks delicious. I’m also wondering how the cooking translates to an instapot.
Thanks
Thank you Donna! I do not know since I do not own an instantpot, but this rice cooks in just about 15 minutes, so it’s already really fast.
Hi Brandi! It looks easy and awesome. Have you ever used an instant pot, or have any thoughts on how it would work for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Bob! Thank you! No, I’m sorry, I am not sure since I don’t own an instantpot, but this rice cooks in just about 15 minutes, so it’s already really fast.
Simple and delicious!!