vegetarian rice recipes
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16 Nutritious and Hearty Vegetarian Rice Recipes

Rice packed with fresh vegetables makes for the best side dish or entree, depending on your cuisine. Whether you want white, brown, jasmine, or basmati rice, these bowls of rice are fulfilling, nutritious, and super healthy when mixed with the right vegetables.

To make ultra-healthy vegetarian rice, carefully select your choice of rice and veggies. Make sure to add more greens and colors to get that added health benefit. You can use fresh veggies or even frozen ones. Try some of these 16 delicious and nutritious vegetarian rice recipes for quick, easy, and pocket-friendly meals that will satisfy all your carb cravings.

1. Vegetable Fried Rice

This recipe is the epitome of healthy and nutritious while being aesthetically pleasing. Loaded with various veggies, eggs, and brown rice, you can easily prepare it in 35 minutes. The secret lies in cooking the 3 components separately and then combining them. The best part about making this extra vegetable fried rice is that you can easily incorporate your selection of veggies, like asparagus, snow peas, broccoli, cabbage, and bell peppers.

2. Veggie Rice Bowl

Looking for vegan and gluten-free options for your date night? Try this ultra-nutritious veggie rice bowl that comes together in only 15 minutes. Rich with Asian flavors, this rice bowl has got it all. Stir-fried veggies like broccoli and pepper with chunks of tofu and peas. The rice bowl is then topped with a sauce made with chili, garlic, ginger, tamari, sweet chili sauce, and vinegar. The flavor combination is simply delicious.

3. Smoky Vegetarian Spanish Rice

This smoky vegetarian Spanish rice is to die for. With its brilliant, bold, and fiery flavors infused with delicious vegetables, it’s vegan, healthy, and a low-calorie option for folks on a diet. It only takes 3 simple steps. Cook your rice with the turmeric and bring to a boil. Next, cook your onions, capsicum, and beans with a kick of paprika and garlic. Add the rice, olives, and peas until cooked. Garnish with parsley and lemon juice and serve with lemon wedges to enjoy.

4. Vegetarian Dirty Rice

Who doesn’t love one-pot meals? They don’t make much of a mess and aren’t very time-consuming. This vegetarian dirty rice recipe is super fun to make and is big on flavors. This recipe comes together in merely 30 minutes and uses Cajun seasoning, fresh veggies, red kidney beans, and rice. Cook your Cajun cuisine vegetables, add the spice blend, and then the rice, beans, and broth.

5. One Pot Veggie Rice Bowl

We love how easily and quickly this one-pot veggie rice bowl comes together. This recipe is made with egg, white rice, garlic, and frozen veggies, topped with a dressing of sesame oil, soy sauce, sriracha sauce, and green onions. This budget-friendly nutritious meal is something you’ll cook more than once because it’s that delicious.

6. Easy Vegan Fried Rice

This healthy vegan rice bowl has a whopping 27 grams of protein and is 100 percent delicious. Serve it as an entrée and watch it disappear within minutes. You can pair it up with salad and enjoy a well-rounded vegan meal. This recipe features crispy baked tofu smothered in a tasty 5-ingredient sauce. With brown rice, chopped green onions, carrots, and peas, this rice bowl is bursting with Asian flavors and simply mouthwatering.

7. Middle Eastern Roasted Vegetable Rice

Searching for a middle Eastern recipe full of aromatic and fragrant spice blends? Look no further. Soft and fluffy basmati rice cooked with delicious roasted veggies, it’s perfect for your main meal. It has sliced eggplants, crunchy carrots, and chickpeas that’ll satisfy all your craving. You’ll notice that the bottom layer of the rice becomes crispy as it cooks. You can break up this crunchy layer or enjoy it individually per your preferences.

8. Veggie-Packed Spanish Rice

Make your day stress-free with this hands-off recipe that manages to come together beautifully in one skillet. This veggie-packed Spanish rice is a perfect side to several Mexican dishes. It is loaded with delicious vegetables like onions, carrots, pepper, and corn, which are diced to give you nice crunchy bites full of flavors and aesthetics. To achieve perfection with this recipe, don’t forget to brown your rice before adding the cooking liquid.

9. Curry Vegetable Basmati Rice

This recipe is the ultimate comfort food. With vibrant colors, delicious flavors, and easy-to-follow instructions, this curry vegetable basmati rice is the perfect side dish to complement your main meat-based dishes. This recipe has aromatic flavoring of the curry spice blend, which is added together with the rice to sauteed onions, red pepper, cauliflower, and green beans.

10. Mushroom Rice

Simple recipes don’t mean you can’t have any fun with flavors. With big garlicky flavors, vegetable broth, earthy mushrooms, and butter, this dish makes for an amazing meal that will leave you wanting more. It only takes 25 minutes to prepare. All you need to do is flavor the mushrooms with butter and seasoning and cook the rice and vegetable broth until it is nice and fluffy.

11. Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice

This recipe is light on the pockets and can create a delicious vegetarian nutrient-packed dish with easy-to-find ingredients. You get red beans for protein and veggies for a refreshing balance, and spices add depth to the flavor profile. For those looking for gluten-free, vegan options, it’s the perfect dinner night menu. Moreover, it only needs 35 minutes to prepare and can easily feed an entire family.

12. Vegan Broccoli and Chickpea Rice Bowl

This delightful bowl of broccoli and chickpea rice greets your mouth with warm, nutty flavors. It’s healthy, hearty, and comforting. To make this tasty recipe, you’ll need broccoli florets, brown rice, garbanzo beans, green onions, almonds, and cilantro for garnishing. Steam the veggies and rice, then drizzle with a dressing made of mustard, lemon, pineapple juice, olive oil, tamari, and some seasoning. Serve it warm for the best results.

13. Greek Rice

The Greek rice, also known as spanakorizo, is an easy dish you can whip up in 30 minutes. It has baby spinach and bold flavors of lemon, fresh dill, sautéed onions, and garlic, all tossed in healthy and nutty basmati rice. Rice is cooked with dill, salt, and pepper seasoning and stirred with the spinach mix. Vegetable broth is added to soften the rice. Serve it warm and share it with a loved one to enjoy the flavors to the max!

14. Easy Cauliflower Fried Rice

This recipe is best for weight-conscious folks who want to cut down on carbs, as this recipe uses vegetarian faux fried rice. To give it a bit of spice, the rice can be mixed with Chile garlic sauce, but it’s completely up to you. It’s a dish bursting with flavors of peanut oil, vegetables, eggs, and unsalted peanuts. You can garnish and serve your dish with greens for an added health boost.

15. Vegetarian Fried Brown Rice

If you’re a fan of vegetables, this recipe will definitely fulfill all your cravings. Not only is this a very simple and easy dish to make, but it’s also very healthy. Make sure to use refrigerated brown basmati rice before stir-frying. Chop your vegetables, crisp them up, beat the eggs, mix in all the spices, and then stir fry them with your brown rice. Serve them hot in a bowl and enjoy.

16. Farmers Market Fried Rice

There’s nothing more fulfilling than a bowl of rice with delicious, vibrant vegetables. Farmer’s market fried rice is very easy to make, and it uses up all the extra vegetables that might be sitting in your fridge. The best part is that you can use any rice, even the leftovers, as they are already cooked. All you need to do is saute or fry them with the vegetables, and your dish will be ready in no time.

AboutJamila Khan

Jamila has worked as a freelance food writer for the last five years, with expertise in recipe how-tos, food facts, and history. When she isn’t writing, you will typically find Jamila whipping up a delicious meal in the kitchen.