Creamy Parmesan Rice has so much flavor from freshly grated Parmesan cheese and garlic plus a touch of lemon juice. It’s an easy rice side dish that goes with practically anything.
Easy Side Dish Recipe
This simple rice dish can be ready in just 30 minutes. It is a great option for a busy weeknight meal. Made from basic ingredients you are likely to already have in your kitchen.
The rice gets cooked in a mixture of chicken broth and milk instead of water. The chicken broth flavors the rice and the milk helps make it creamy.
Plain rice can be kind of boring and it is not one of the more popular side dishes at my house. But Creamy Parmesan Rice is a whole different story.
The creaminess factor together with tons of flavor from Parmesan cheese and garlic elevates this rice dish to a crave-worthy side.
★★★★★
What readers are saying
I had my doubts, but OMGOOOSH! It turned out PERFECTLY and I will make this again. I more than tripled the recipe (as a side) for 22 teens at a church function, and they loved it.
It takes a little more time to make than one of those flavored rice packets from the store. But the flavor is much, much better. Plus store-bought rice mixes are full of things that are not great to put in your body. When you make homemade recipes, you control what is in your food and you can be sure it is chemical-free.
Fresh Parmesan Flavor
I buy a piece of Parmesan cheese and grate it with a Microplane Grater. I love how finely it grates things, plus it is super sharp making it easy to quickly grate a lot of cheese.
Creamy Parmesan Rice makes the perfect side for any Spring meal and it goes great with Chicken Drumsticks or Southern Baked Chicken.
Recipe Tip
If you need this recipe to be vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
More Favorite Sides
- Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes
- Buttered Noodles
- Buttered Parsley Potatoes
- Pecan Rice Pilaf
- Orange Rice
- Buttery Peas and Mushrooms
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Watch the short video below to see how to make Parmesan Rice.
Parmesan Rice
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain rice
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium pot. Add onion and cook until softened.
- Add garlic and rice. Stir with a wooden spoon and cook 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth, milk, and salt. Bring to a simmer. Cover pot and reduce heat to low. Cook 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese and lemon juice.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally posted May 4, 2016.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Love this recipe! Subtle enough to serve as a side with a more commanding main dish, but wonderful flavor on its own. Highly recommend!
Delicious! This is our go to rice dish.
Do you rinse the rice first?
What did you replace the cheese with?
Flavor is okay but it turned into mush. It’s not even rice shaped. It’s just rice mush. Probably won’t make again.
This is one of my family’s favorite rice dishes. There is not one complaint when I make this as a side (I have 3 kids under 5, so that is saying something!) I still melt the butter, but omit the onions and the garlic because the little ones obsess about picking them out. I sprinkle some onion and garlic powder in there, and it’s still so good!
Hi!
Don’t chop the onions and garlic. I grate both so that it melts into the rice! Problem solved with the kiddos! 🤣
Great flavor. Easy to make.
Loved this. So easy and delicious results.
delicious! going to put it in my “definitely make again” file.
Has anyone ever tryed making this in your rice cooker?
Added asparagus and loved it!! Great recipe!
My kids love this rice! I will never buy packaged rice again!
Really easy since I had everything on hand. Great flavor! Served with Hellmann’s parmesan mayonnaise chicken!
What I need to adjust the liquids if using instant rice? The instant rice box says it needs one cup of rice to each cup of liquid… But using this I end up with more than three cups of liquid for only one and a half cups of rice. Is that going to turn out?
Make the minute rice then add the other ingredients at the end. That way you don’t have to worry about the excess liquid. Hope this helps! 💗
Made this tonight and totally loved it and shared with friends! Will definitely make it again.
This was amazing. Made as directed, perhaps skimped on the butter, but the perfect end result. Instantly shared recipe with others. Fo sho new staple in the kitchen. NOTE: as a low carb advocate, this is my GO TO binge day comfy food #southernlife.
Made this for dinner last night alongside meatloaf and sauteed spinach. It was delicious – so creamy and flavorful. I adjusted the ingredients based on what I had on hand – Basmati instead of long-grain; yellow onion instead of sweet onion; part chicken stock/part water. I look forward to serving this rice dish with many variations such as adding thinly sliced mushrooms or fresh peas & carrots or shredded (roasted or sauteed) Brussels sprouts. I also like the idea of a rice bowl as suggested by another reviewer. Thank you for sharing this recipe that is not only quick & easy for a weeknight dinner but also quite tasty.
Made this last night as a side for baked chicken. It was delicious. We used instant rice as that was all that we had on hand. Still turned out great. I’ll definitely make this again & use the long grain next time!
Did you adjust the liquids for instant Rice?
I made a similar recipe I used 2 cups rice and 2 cups broth. Simmered 7 minutes. It came out perfect. So fluffy.
Delich. I made mine lactose free with half and half
SO good. I’ve made it twice and have plans to repeat this recipe again and again.