Greek Rice Salad starts with perfectly cooked rice and just might become your new favorite salad. It’s also a gluten-free option to serve instead of pasta salad.
When it comes to cooking I can totally wing it. For baking I obviously have to follow a recipe. But for cooking I rarely do. Even when I find something on Pinterest I want to try, I just read through it and then stand in the kitchen and do my own thing. I have years and years of practice plus a pretty good sense of what flavors pair well together. Good thing my job is creating recipes I guess.
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So when I needed to bring a side dish for a family gathering, I threw together a version of this Greek Rice Salad. At the time, I used a store-bought dressing which had the unfortunate side effect of tinting the whole salad pink. It wasn’t a good look. The salad was really good though. It got lots of compliments. So I knew I needed to publish it here, minus the unappetizing pink color.
I have made numerous pasta salads over the years. But I’ve been on a rice kick lately and so I decided a pasta-type salad might be even better with rice as the base. And I was right. The key to a great rice salad is having a fluffy and flavorful rice as your foundation.
Watch how to cook rice on the stovetop:
Now that I’ve made this Greek Rice Salad I want to branch out and create more versions. I think one with Asian flavors would be an obvious choice. What types of ingredients and flavors would you put in your own rice salad? Tell me in the comments!
Tips for Greek Rice Salad:
- This is the brand of rice I use in this salad.
- I cook the rice about 30 minutes ahead of when I want to assemble the salad.
- This salad tastes best at room temperature or just slightly chilled.
- This is a great bowl to both mix the salad in and transport and store it.
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More Recipes with Rice
- How to Cook Rice
- The Best Rice Pilaf
- Vegetarian Chili
- Mexican Rice and Bean Soup
- Easy Fried Rice (with Ham and Pineapple)
Greek Rice Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup rice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup sliced black olives
- 1/2 cup red pepper chopped
- 3/4 cup English cucumber chopped
- 3/4 cup artichoke hearts drained and chopped
- 3/4 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Add the vegetable oil to a non-stick pot and heat over medium heat.
- Add the rice and salt. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often, to toast the rice a bit.
- Pour in the water and stir
- Bring the rice to a gentle boil.
- Turn the heat to low and cover the pot. You want the rice to gently simmer. Low heat on a gas stove is plenty for simmering. If cooking on an electric stovetop, you may need to set the burner to medium-low heat.
- Cook the rice, with the lid on, for 15 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed
- Fluff the rice with a fork and allow to cool for about 30 minutes (with the lid on the pot).
- Transfer the rice to a large bowl.
- Add the red onion, parsley, black olives, red pepper, cucumber, artichoke hearts and feta cheese. Stir to combine.
- In a glass bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the rice salad and toss well to combine.
- Can serve immediately. Or cover and chill until ready to serve.
krissy says
I love greek pasta salad. ive never thought to use rice! so yummy!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you. It’s a really nice change of pace. I hope you try it!
Caitlyn Erhardt says
This looks so interesting, I have never tried a “pasta” salad with rice! Such a good idea!
foodtasticmom says
I like the rice because it doesn’t suck up the dressing and dry out as it sits in the fridge like pasta can do. I hope you try it!
Andrea Metlika says
The flavors in this are amazing! i could eat this all the time.
foodtasticmom says
Thank you so much Andrea!
Julia says
This is a great recipe for large gatherings! Love Greek flavors so trying this soon.
foodtasticmom says
Yes, it’s a great dish to take to a party for sure!
Tracy says
Love all those Greek flavors – never thought of putting them into a rice dish. This sounds great!!
foodtasticmom says
Thanks Tracy. I hope you try it!
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
This salad looks soooo good! I’d never have thought to put rice in but its such a great idea.
foodtasticmom says
Thank you so much Bintu!
David says
Good idea for a change of pace from pasta salad! Have you tried it with brown rice? That might be a nice way to boost the nutrition.
foodtasticmom says
Great idea. I haven’t tried it (yet) with brown rice, but I will. I plan to make some flavor variations of this salad too.
Veena Azmanov says
Such a lovely , colorful and healthy salad. I love salad for Dinner and this one is unique. Have to try this for sure.
foodtasticmom says
I love salad for dinner too. Top this salad with some grilled chicken and it would make a terrific dinner!
Jacqueline Debono says
Such a good idea to make rice salad instead of pasta salad. I love rice but mostly eat it with hot dishes such as curry. Def want to try this Greek rice salad. It looks and sounds delicious!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you. Come back and let us know what you think!
Lisa Bryan says
Greek salad is one of my favorite salads but I’ve never added rice to it before. Sounds delicious and more hearty. Will definitely whip this up next time!
foodtasticmom says
Great! I hope you like it!
Tisha says
Greek flavors are so great for a salad, love this is with rice! Such a great lunch idea!
foodtasticmom says
Thanks Tisha!
heather says
I’ll eat anything with black olives and feta – yum!!
foodtasticmom says
That’s just one of the reasons we’re friends 🙂 Thanks Heather!
Claudia says
I just made this, and wow is it delicious! I’m always looking for tasty salad recipes and this is definitely one I’m making again. Thanks!
foodtasticmom says
I’m always happy to hear positive reviews like this. Thank you for taking the time to write!
Aimi says
Have you ever made this ahead of time? Just wondering if I prepared it on a Friday night for a dinner on Sunday if it would still taste good?
foodtasticmom says
You might want to add a little more dressing when you are ready to serve it. But it’s definitely still good the next day. I think Friday to Sunday should be fine.
Zenovia says
What a great idea. I had some “greek” rice left over from dinner the other night and was wondering how to use it up along with vegetables in my fridge that needed to get eaten. This was a perfect idea and now I have a wonderful “greek rice salad” for lunch. Adding a side of chicken to give it some Protein and voila, quick healthy meal in a bowl. Thanks for the idea.
foodtasticmom says
You’re welcome! I love hearing how readers use my recipes as a jumping off point in their own kitchens!