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Italian Lemon Basil Wild Rice

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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

fresh lemons basil leaves wild rice italian seasoning in wood tray

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.

pot of cooked rice on wood board with white towel

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.

wooden bowl of lemon basil rice with fresh lemon wedges

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

*This post contains affiliate links. See my full disclosure policy here.

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!

wooden bowl of lemon basil rice with fresh lemon wedges

Italian Lemon Basil Wild Rice

Brandi Doming
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!
5 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Italian, Vegan
Yields 4 servings

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

WILD RICE BLEND: To be clear, 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.
Tried this recipe?Tag @thevegan8brandi on Instagram and use tag #thevegan8!
Keyword Italian herb rice, Italian rice recipe, lemon basil rice, lemon wild rice

 

Filed Under: Potatoes/Rice, Sides Tagged With: Basil, Italian, lemon, Rice, side

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Comments

  1. Bob Bush

    March 6, 2020 at 8:01 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      March 6, 2020 at 8:56 pm

      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.

      Reply
    • Barb

      June 20, 2020 at 12:40 am

      5 stars
      Simple and delicious!!

      Reply
  2. Donna Worthen

    March 6, 2020 at 8:13 pm

    5 stars
    Looks delicious. I’m also wondering how the cooking translates to an instapot.
    Thanks

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      March 6, 2020 at 8:41 pm

      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.

      Reply
  3. Steve Jones

    March 6, 2020 at 9:45 pm

    5 stars
    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

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      March 6, 2020 at 10:19 pm

      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!

      Reply
  4. Rochelle

    March 6, 2020 at 11:26 pm

    Hi Brandi, I want to make your rice recipe It sounds tasty! Can I use my rice cooker?

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      March 7, 2020 at 12:50 am

      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.

      Reply
  5. Colleen

    March 8, 2020 at 10:45 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      March 9, 2020 at 9:35 pm

      Yay, really glad to hear you enjoyed it Colleen! SO good to hear from you too, thank you so much for making it!

      Reply
  6. Julie

    March 21, 2020 at 1:35 am

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
    • Angela

      March 29, 2020 at 9:05 pm

      Thank you this was a question I had!

      Reply
  7. Aly

    August 30, 2020 at 3:10 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    • brandi.doming@yahoo.com

      August 31, 2020 at 6:10 am

      So glad to hear that, thank you Aly!

      Reply

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I'm Brandi, creator of this vegan blog and cookbook author of The Vegan 8 Cookbook. Many of my recipes focus on 8 ingredients or less, not counting salt, pepper or water, but not all of them. I love to create health-focused recipes, using whole foods to improve fitness and muscle-building, with the occasional comfort meal thrown in there! I'm an expert on oil-free cooking and baking! read more →

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