Creamy Parmesan Rice
What Makes My Parmesan Rice So Special
I don’t even make plain rice as a side dish anymore because this creamy parmesan rice is so much more special than plain one:
- Easy but feels special: This is one of those side dishes that tastes elevated, but uses simple, everyday ingredients, and takes about 30 minutes.
- Perfectly creamy (without heavy cream): A combination of broth, butter, and freshly grated parmesan creates a rich, silky texture without any heavy cream needed.
- Risotto vibes, way less effort: You get that cozy, creamy, restaurant-style feel without all the constant stirring.
- Goes with everything: It pairs beautifully with chicken, seafood, steak, or even roasted vegetables, making it an easy go-to side.
- Flexible and customizable: Keep it simple or add more garlic, fresh herbs, or lemon zest and veggies to brighten it up.
Ingredients You’ll Need
When you have a combination of very simple ingredients, each one is chosen for a good reason:
- Rice – Use long-grain white rice for the best texture (jasmine rice is a personal favorite). It cooks up fluffy and separate while still absorbing all that creamy, cheesy goodness. Avoid instant or minute rice, it won’t give you the same texture and can turn mushy.
- Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated parmesan makes a big difference here. It melts smoothly into the rice and gives you the best rich, nutty flavor. Pre-shredded or shelf-stable parmesan won’t melt as well and can make the texture a little grainy.
- Stock (broth) and Milk – This combination is what creates that creamy, risotto-like consistency without needing heavy cream. Broth adds depth of flavor, while milk brings just the right amount of richness. You can use Chicken Stock or vegetable stock.
- Butter – I prefer using unsalted butter to keep this recipe lower in sodium. Butter adds extra silkiness and rounds out all the flavors.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic cloves will yield the best flavor and aroma.
- Onion – yellow onions will work well here.
- Water – make sure to warm it up before adding to the pot.
- Salt – You may want to omit this if you use salted butter.
- Black Pepper – Freshly ground black pepper yields the best flavor.
- Fresh Parsley – This adds the nicest touch of color and fresh aroma!
Flavor Variations
- Lemon – you can add some lemon zest or a squeeze of lemon to finish the cooked rice.
- Variate cheeses – you can use any parmesan or variation, try Pecorino Romano (sharper, saltier sheep’s milk), Asiago (nutty, softer), Parmesano-Reggiano (sharp, robust, and salty).
- Make it creamier – use whole milk, half and half, or go with the richest option, which is heavy whipping cream.
- Herbs – try using some fresh basil or fresh thyme.
How To Make Parmesan Rice: Step-by-Step Visual Guide
This quick and easy parmesan rice side dish recipe is perfect for weeknight dinners, holiday feasts, and potlucks. There’s never a bad time to serve it!
Before starting to cook, warm the liquids. Warm your water, stock, and milk for just a few moments in the microwave or on your stove-top. Using both broth and milk gives the rice richness without heaviness. You want to make sure not to bring it to boil, just warmed.
Sauté the garlic and onions. Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the onions and cook until they’re softened and brown. Mix in the garlic and continue to cook for another minute or so.
Add the rice. Stir the rice into the pot. Let it sauté, stirring slowly from time to time. Toasting the rice helps develop a deeper, slightly nutty flavor as well as help prevent it from being mushy when cooked.
Cook the rice. Pour in the milk mixture into the pot with rice. Stir in the seasonings, TASTE to make sure you’ve added enough salt, and then lower the heat to low.
Cover the pot. Cook the rice for the time instructed on the package directions. Set a timer, it always helps me remember my rice and it’s easy to overcook if forgotten.
As soon as the time is up, take the pot off heat and let it rest a few minutes.
Gently fluff the rice.
Add in the parmesan cheese and remember that freshly grated one will melt much smoother into the rice.
I love to brighten the dish with some fresh minced parsley.
Storing Instructions
- You can store your leftover parmesan rice in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for about 4-5 days. It reheats fabulously in the microwave.
- To refresh the rice when reheating, add a tablespoon or two of stock or milk to the rice. Microwave it covered with a microwave lid or a plate turned upside down. Reheat for about 30-40 seconds at a time, stirring in between until warmed through.
What to Serve with Parmesan Rice
You can serve this creamy and cheesy rice side dish with all your favorite meats but I highly recommend something leaner since this is a rich and filling side.
Chicken – Chicken Meatballs, Parmesan and Herb Chicken, Chicken Milanese.
Beef – Pan Seared Steak, Steak Cooked In The Oven
Seafood – Healthy Baked Salmon, Blackened Salmon
Recipe FAQs
You can, but long-grain white rice works best for this recipe. Medium-grain rice will be softer and stickier, and brown rice will need more liquid and a longer cook time. I don’t recommend short grain rice.
I don’t recommend it. Instant rice cooks very differently and won’t give you that creamy, fluffy texture this dish is known for.
Yes, but keep in mind that the rice will dry as it sits since it absorbs liquids. When reheating, add a splash of milk or broth to bring back the creamy texture.
Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of milk or broth. Stir to make it creamy again.
While technically, you can, I don’t recommend it because the texture will change slightly once thawed. For best results, store it in the fridge and enjoy within a few days.
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Creamy Parmesan Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 yellow onion diced
- 1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
- 1/2 cup water warmed
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock warmed
- 1 cup whole or 2% milk warmed
- 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp fresh minced parsley
- 3-4 tbsp whole or 2% milk to mixed in after cooking
Instructions
- Note: you can warm water, stock, and milk for a few seconds in a microwave or on stove-top. Make sure it's not hot or boiling, just warmed so you are not adding cold liquids to the rice.
- Preheat a medium cooking pot over medium heat and melt butter. Once butter is melted, add in diced onion and sauté until translucent and starts to brown.
- Mix in minced garlic and sauté until just fragrant.
- Stir in rice and let it sauté, while you slowly stir from time to time, for a minute or so.
- Pour in warmed stock and water and then milk. Add the seasoning, gently stir just a couple of times and lower the heat to low.
- Cover the pot and let the rice cook for the amount of time recommended on the packaging (usually around 18 -20 minutes).
- As soon as the rice is done, take it off heat, add a little more milk, parmesan cheese, and parsley and gently fluff and mix everything in.
Video
Nutrition
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All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
I made this as a side dish with one of your chicken recipes and it was so good!
I am so happy you liked it, Tori!