Basmati Rice Pilaf with Almonds

Basmati rice pilaf is a fluffy, aromatic dish made with long-grain basmati rice and toasted almonds. Middle Eastern spices give this dish its characteristic flavor, making it perfect for special occasions or dinner parties. Serve basmati rice pilaf with your favorite protein for a complete meal.

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Why You Will Love Basmati Pilaf:

Basmati rice pilaf is a nice switch from your regular rice side dish, spices of cumin and cinnamon give the rice a wonderful fragrance and taste. 

A generous measure of toasted almonds adds crunch to the dish. This side dish is wonderful served with moist, tender Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs.

Ingredients for Basmati Rice with Almonds:

Basmati rice is more fragrant than plain rice and cooks up fluffy. The grains expand more than twice during cooking and only expand lengthwise, which allows them to stay long and slender when cooked.  Here is all you need for this easy side dish.

• Butter
• Onion
• Basmati rice
• Chicken broth
• Salt
• Cumin powder
• Cinnamon powder
• Zest of one lemon
• Toasted slivered almonds

How to Make Basmati Rice Pilaf:

Just a quick sauté on the stove-top and the oven does the rest. You will love this fluffy rice with its unique spice blend and crunchy almonds. This is a brief how-to of the process, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full measurements and instructions:

1. Sauté the butter and onions in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the rice and stir until the grains are well coated with butter.
2. Boil the broth and pour over the rice. 
3. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven.
4. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with cumin, cinnamon, lemon zest and almonds. 
5. Fluff the rice with a fork, recover the pot and let rest for 10 minutes.
6. Serve with cedar plank salmon or halibut Provencal for an amazing meal.

Tips for Success:

• There is no need to rinse the rice before cooking.  
• The correct proportion of rice-to-broth is 1-1/2 cups of broth/water to 1 cup of rice. 
• Sauté the rice before you add the hot broth.  Toasting the grains of rice will add extra flavor to the dish and bring out the nutty, floral flavors.
• Remove the broth from the heat as soon as it boils.  If you let it continue to boil then some of the liquid will evaporate.
• Let the basmati rice pilaf rest before you serve it.  The resting time will make the rice fluffier.

What to Serve with Basmati Pilaf

Basmati rice pairs well with many different flavors, making it a versatile side dish. Here are some recipes to help you get started.

• Scallops with Romesco sauce
• Baked chicken legs
• Roasted chicken thighs
• Sous vide duck legs or roasted duck with orange sauce
• Baked sea bass

Initially, we made this rice pilaf for Don’s 80th birthday. We served it with a prime rib roast, a spinach salad, steamed green beans, and eggless tiramisu. We also made a wine barrel cake for the birthday boy.

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

4.94 from 15 votes

Basmati Rice Pilaf with Almonds

By Pat Nyswonger

A fragrant rice pilaf with crunchy toasted almonds and a touch of cinnamon, cumin and lemon zest.

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.

Servings: 4 servings

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 Tbsp butter
• ▢ ½ cup diced onion
• ▢ 1 cup basmati rice or long-grain white rice
• ▢ 1-½ cups chicken broth
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon cumin
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ Zest of one lemon
• ▢ ½ cup toasted slivered almonds, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish

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Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Optional: For a fluffier texture, rinse the rice under cold water for a few minutes. Drain the water from the rice but don't worry about drying the rice.
• Heat a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, then add the butter and chopped onions. When the onions are just soft and translucent add the uncooked rice and sauté, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes or until the rice is slightly toasted and you can smell a nutty aroma.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the broth and salt to a boil and pour into the rice, bring it back to a boil, then cover with a lid or foil and place the entire pot in the oven.
• Cook the rice pilaf in the oven for 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. If after 20 minutes there's still liquid in the pot or the rice is still too moist, re-cover and return the pot to the oven for another 2 to 4 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the oven sprinkle the cumin, cinnamon, lemon zest and the toasted almonds on top and gently fluff the rice pilaf with a fork. Then place a paper towel across the top of the pot, replace the lid and let the rice pilaf stand for 10 minutes. To serve, transfer the rice to a serving bowl and sprinkle with additional reserved almonds.

Notes

Remove the broth from the heat as soon as it boils. If you let it continue boiling then some of the liquid will evaporate.

Use a tightly fitting lid. If the lid does not fit snuggly on the saucepan, cover the saucepan with aluminum foil then place the lid on top. The foil will help seal the lid better.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 223kcal, Carbohydrates: 28g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 526mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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This recipe was originally published on June 27, 2014. We updated the post with new photos and added some helpful tips.

View our Web Story here.