Recipe video above. Garlic Rice is the easiest, best tasting side dish that you can serve with anything! From roast chicken to chops, stir fries to fish, Middle Eastern to Mexican food, this buttery rice is so flavourful you can eat it plain.Have some tonight, freeze some for later! See notes for recipe scaling tips.
Prep time: PT5M
Cook time: PT20M
Rating
4.93 stars (69 reviews)
Keywords
butter rice, garlic butter rice, garlic rice, rice side dish
3/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt ((or 1/2 tsp table salt))
1 tbsp parsley (, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish (optional))
Categories
Rice
Side Dish
Cuisine
Asian
Western
Steps
No need to rinse the rice. The rice will be fluffy because this recipe uses the right ratio: 1.5 cups liquid for every 1 cup of rice.
Sauté garlic - Melt half the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Once foamy, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until it turns light golden.
Coat rice - Add the rice and stir for 30 seconds or until the grains turn translucent.
Simmer - Add stock and salt. Turn heat up to high, then once the water starts bubbling, put the lid on and immediately turn the stove down to low (or medium low, if your stove is weak/small). (Note 5)
Cook 15 minutes - Cook the rice for 15 minutes. No stirring, don't lift the lid.
Rest 10 minutes - Tilt the saucepan and have a quick peek to ensure all the water is absorbed. Then remove off the stove, with the lid still on, and rest for 10 minutes.
Fluff rice, then fluff through remaining butter until melted. Toss through parsley, then tumble into serving dish. Sprinkle with extra parsley then serve!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 308 kcal
Carbohydrates: 52 g
Protein: 7 g
Fat: 8 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Trans Fat: 0.3 g
Cholesterol: 18 mg
Sodium: 331 mg
Sugar: 0.3 g
Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
Reviews
Jan on 2026-06-23 (5 stars): I’ve made the garlic kale rice hundreds of times but this is the first time I’ve made just buttery garlic rice. Of course it’s delicious and I’ve frozen the rest for another day.
Sandra on 2026-04-26 (5 stars): This recipe also scales up to big batches well if you use the oven rice cook method 😋
Sheila on 2026-04-15 (5 stars): So easy and delicious! Served this tonight with the Chicken Marsala recipe and will definitely be making it again.
Lauren on 2026-03-20 (5 stars): Best tasting rice I've ever made, was worried the rice would stick to the bottom of the pan without stiring but it didn't. Trust the process! The smell when I took the lid off after cooking and resting, promised delicious buttery garlicky heaven and it certainly delivered on the taste.
Lourdes on 2026-03-02 (5 stars): Absolutely delicious! Didn't use the last 2 TBL of butter.
Penny Henderson on 2026-03-02 (5 stars): First time I've ever cooked rice without washing first. This recipe is incredibly simple and a huge hit with everyone. Pairs beautifully with just about everything.
Cori on 2026-01-29 (5 stars): Made just as described and it was honestly the best rice I have ever had.
Ruby Rodriguez on 2026-01-08 (5 stars): Really good! I didn’t take exact measurements, but for the garlic, since I used pickled garlic, I did measure 1/4 cup of that. Delectable. Paired BEAUTIFULLY with salmon.
Sarah Harrison on 2026-01-03 (5 stars): Delicious!!! Will definitely make again
Marjorie Blackburn on 2025-11-04 (5 stars): I started to use the alternative oven method but didn’t see what the temp should be. I’ll try 375 F. Wish me luck.
Christine McDermott on 2025-11-03 (5 stars): Perfect rice every time using Nagi’s rice cooking method. Made this Garlic rice for the first time last night and I’m converted. It’s full of flavour and absolutely delicious.
Julie on 2025-08-28 (5 stars): Made this a couple of times now, always delicious. Much better than just plain rice. I've always used Jasmine Rice & followed the recipe as is. Perfect! Thanks again Nagi!
Scorbett on 2025-08-21 (5 stars): This is suuuuuperrrrrb! Have made it several times now and it's become my go-to rice recipe. So quick and so very tasty! My fave is with chorizo, king prawns, peas and a big dollop of aioli for a 'fake Paella', or with a ribeye steak and salad, or with Nagi's poached chicken recipe and a side of Provencal Tian. Thank you Nagi, you are ingenious ⭐
Jo Butler on 2025-08-18 (5 stars): My family loved this. My eldest said rice is usually just to ‘fill you up’. According to him, this recipe was interesting and tasty. He happily had another bowl just on its own.
