Garlic Butter Rice
Garlic butter rice is the perfect side dish! It is incredibly flavorful and has the liquid to rice ratio just right for the best fluffy rice.
This garlic rice is incredible. It really is a delicious side dish for just about anything. Stir fries, Mexican- or Greek-style fare, alongside slow cooked or grilled meats. It is ultra-yummy eaten just by itself, too!
How to Make Perfect Fluffy Rice
There are a lot of opinions about whether rice should be rinsed prior to cooking or not. I’m not going to dive into that (because there are times I’m a rice rinser and times I am not), but I will say that for this recipe, you do not need to rinse the rice.
The added butter, in addition to the perfect ratio of liquid to rice, produces the best, fluffiest rice ever.
Garlic Butter Rice Ratios:
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 1/2 cups rice
- 2 1/4 cups broth
Let’s talk butter, garlic and rice (which kinds, substitutions, etc)
- BUTTER: I know some of you are going to want to ask me if you can cut the butter down in this recipe. I’d like to say: you do you. But what I’m really here to say is: you only live once. Just go for it. The 4 tablespoons butter adds the perfect amount of flavor – without it (or with less), you’ll get rice, but not garlic buttah rice, if you know what I mean.
- GARLIC: fresh garlic is delicious in this recipe. The frozen cubes of fresh garlic (I grab them from Trader Joe’s) work wonderfully well, too. Garlic powder will also sub in a pinch. The garlic flavor won’t be quite as pungent, but it’s still worth using if you don’t have fresh garlic on hand. Sub in 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder for the garlic cloves.
- RICE: I have tested this recipe with long grain white rice and white jasmine rice, both of which work great. I have not tested it with basmati rice. Additionally, this recipe will not work with brown rice without adjusting liquid and cooking time (feel free to experiment).
And that’s basically it! Follow the recipe, and you’ll have some of the best garlic butter rice of your life!
This rice is just so remarkably tasty. It takes every day steamed rice and elevates it into the “irresistible” category. Not only that, it is the perfect side dish when you want something easy…but also a little bit special.
Here are a few meal ideas (JUST TO NAME A FEW) that would pair fantastically with this garlic butter rice:
Garlic Butter Rice
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic, finely minced, about 1 tablespoon (see note for variations)
- 1 ½ cups long grain white rice or white jasmine rice (see note)
- 2 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock (see note)
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- Chopped, fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a 4- or 5-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 to 45 seconds, stirring constantly, until it smells fragrant (don't let it burn or it can turn bitter-tasting).
- Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for about a minute, until the grains are evenly coated in butter.
- Add the broth/stock and salt and stir.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, bring the liquid to a boil, stir once (scraping up any rice on the bottom of the pan), immediately cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low so the rice maintains a simmer but not a vigorous boil.
- Cook for 16 minutes. At the end of cooking, DO NOT LIFT THE LID. Remove the pan from the heat and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff and serve, topping with chopped, fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
I’d like to double this recipe, would you recommend any changes?
All the ingredients can be doubled straight across- just make sure the saucepan or pot you are using is big enough.
Thank you for this rice recipe! I can cook a lot of things but I’ve always struggled with making good stove top rice. It’s always mushy or hard. This rice is delicious as written but I can also skip most of the butter and garlic or add other spices with the same cooking method and have it turn out great! Thank you again for saving my dinner time!!
So good! I made it twice in one week – that never happens!
We love rice at our house and this was taking it up a notch! I need to figure out how to make it in in rice cooker for it to be perfect…but seriously yum! I used a chicken stock paste and will dissolve it all the way in the water before adding to the rice.
Wow! So flavourful & easy! A perfect side side to go with so many meals. I’m be making this one, again & again. Thank you.
Simple but so good! Thanks Mel!
I used basmati rice and it was excellent!
Opps! I forgot to rate it!
I’ve made this several times, and it’s my family’s favorite part of every meal. Thanks for another winner!
Wow! It was so easy and SO GOOD. I even put in more river than called for, increasing the rice and water to my normal quantity but forgot to double garlic and it was still so buttery and garlicky, but without being to much. That’s so good with our trout and fresh green beans.
LOVE the garlic in this recipe! Next time, I’ll make it in a larger pot and brown the rice more before adding the broth to give it more of that flavor.
Thank you Mel. I simply adore this recipe and love this rice. My goodness it is delicious.
SO GOOD!! We all loved it! So easy and delicious. I served it with your cashew chicken lettuce wraps and yum!
This was delicious and easy! My 8 year old said it is definitely a repeat!
Did the first few steps on the stove and then put the toasted garlic butter rice into the rice cooker. Was so good. Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks for chiming in on how to make it work in the rice cooker!
Delicious!! I made it with jasmine rice, as we keep it on hand in bulk. This will be on repeat for my family—-everyone loved it. Simple & no fuss!! Just the sort of dish I love. Side note—I didn’t use the exact amount of garlic only because we’ve grown some fresh garlic that is super strong. I have to use half or less of the amount called for in any given recipe that includes garlic.
Thanks for another amazing side to through into our usual rotation. I’m in a season of constant crazy, and having easy weeknight dishes that are super tasty is such a blessing!
Thanks for the review and insight, Tabitha! Glad this went over well! (Feel you on the constant crazy as of late!)
I did this in the instant pot, and it was perfection! Even my kid who doesn’t like rice gobbled this up. I took Mel’s suggestion and used 1 and a fourth cups of water per cup of rice. I used jarred minced garlic and sautéed it in the instant pot with the butter before adding the rice. I used the rice setting and let it natural release. I added dried parsley just before serving. So good!!
Thanks for adding your variations and adjustments, Jenny! Glad it was a hit!
Could you do this in a rice cooker?
I haven’t tried but others below have commented with their rice cooker results – looks promising!
All I have are the bags of “minute” basmati and jasmine rice. Will this work if I lower the liquid and cooking time?
Answering my own question…
It came out fine! I used two bags of success 10 minute jasmine rice and two cups of stock. I did find it a little salty even without 1/2 tsp kosher salt. So perhaps my salted butter and stock are to blame. Will make this again. Thanks Mel! You’re the best of the best.
Glad it turned out, Ashley! Thanks for reporting back!
Hi Ashley – could definitely try! I don’t know the ratios of liquid to rice for minute rice – but if you look on the cooking instructions on the bag, it should give you a good starting point.
This recipe is so good! My family of five loved it. Thanks for another great recipe, Mel!
Thank you so much, Danielle!
This recipe cooked wonderful in my rice cooker! I did grate the garlic on my microplane since I wasn’t going to sauté it! I used exact measurements and it was amazing!
Thanks for the report back on the rice cooker! Glad it worked out!
Needed a side dish tonight for dinner! This was quick, easy, and delicious!! Will be making this on a regular basis!!
Glad you liked it, Jessica – thank you!
Sounds like an IP could be used?
I think an IP should work! I’d probably cut the liquid down even more. I usually use 1 1/4 cups liquid for every cup of white rice in an Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
Like Kay, I am also wondering about using a rice cooker.
Hi Karen – this is what I responded to Kay’s comment with: I don’t own a rice cooker, but I’m guessing it could be if there is a way to saute the butter and garlic and then coat the rice in the butter (and I believe rice cookers use a different ratio of liquid to rice, so you’d need to adjust for that). If anyone tries it in a rice cooker, let us know!
This was so good and so easy. My whole family loves it. This is going to become a regular dish in on the dinner menu.
I used my instant pot to make this using the rice button. Turned out perfect.
Thanks, Amy!! So happy you loved it (thanks for making it so fast and taking the time to leave a comment).
I just made this tonight. I was a little worried when the liquid seemed to disappear really fast and thought maybe my lower altitude was causing problems. But it was PERFECT! And so delicious. And now I want to eat it every day. Thank you!
Can you use a rice cooker to make this?
Hi Kay! I don’t own a rice cooker, but I’m guessing it could be if there is a way to saute the butter and garlic and then coat the rice in the butter (and I believe rice cookers use a different ratio of liquid to rice, so you’d need to adjust for that). If anyone tries it in a rice cooker, let us know!