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This Egyptian rice recipe is an absolute hit-yourself-over-the-head-with-a-frying-pan win for you lazy dearies like me: one pot, under 30 minutes, and no hard-to-find ingredients required. Who in their right mind says no to that?
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Roz bel shareya is usually cooked with chicken broth or ghee (clarified butter), giving it richness from rendered fat. But this vegan version says screw you to both of those things and still delivers the toasty aroma and deep flavor you're hankerin' for, thanks to olive oil, golden brown vermicelli, and earthy spices.
In various parts of the Middle East, rice preparation is an art form. Whether you're using cups of calrose rice in modern kitchens or traditional varieties, this dish has evolved across generations. But don’t you worry, m’dear. This recipe sticks to accessible ingredients perfect for your dinner table, with no animals harmed, while still delivering that authentic taste.
This rice dish is the kind of rice that's begging to be topped with ful medames, harissa chickpeas, scooped up with vegan shawarma, or served alongside a spoonful of matbucha.
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🥰Why you’ll adore this Egyptian rice recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Like all of my vegan Middle Eastern recipes, this skips the usual chicken stock and butter.
🛒 Pantry All-Stars: Nothing too fancy here, just a handful of ingredients you’ve probably already got in your kitchen right now!
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all my vegan recipes, this went through multiple rounds of testing from hundreds of recipe testers and passed.
🤘Learn to make killer vegan Middle Eastern food
This guide to my most popular plant-based Middle Eastern recipes is 100% FREE, & you'll love the actual heck out of it 🥰
🍚Egyptian rice Ingredients
Egyptian Rice
Medium-grain rice is traditional for this dish. It cooks up just slightly sticky and perfectly fluffy, ideal for absorbing all that spiced, toasty flavor. You can sub in long-grain rice, jasmine rice, or regular white rice if that's all you have on hand. Some even use cups of calrose rice for a similar texture since it has that perfect balance of starch. This type of rice makes all the difference in authentic Middle Eastern cooking.
Durum Wheat Vermicelli
Vermicelli noodles are the secret to this rice's amazing texture and classic nutty, slightly caramelized flavor. Broken angel hair pasta works alright in place of regular vermicelli if you need a substitute. Some traditional cooks toast these on a baking sheet before adding them to the rice. Unfortunately for you haters of gluten, rice noodles don't work well for this recipe, so scram… (go hate gluten by yourself in a corner).
Ground Cardamom
Cardamom brings a floral, slightly sweet lift to the dish. I’m especially into the Cloud Forest cardamom from Burlap & Barrel; it’s super aromatic, and I use it in everything from zhoug sauce to vegan pistachio baklava. If you’ve only got whole cardamom pods, crush a couple and toss them in, but be ready to fish them out later.
Dried Mint
Dried mint cools things down just enough and adds that unmistakable herby aroma that makes Egyptian rice awesome. I especially love using dried mint in Turkish yayla çorbası (yogurt soup), makdous, and borani banjan. Fresh mint can be used too, if you have some on hand.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Lebanese Rice
Also made with golden vermicelli and long-grain rice, this rice is lighter on spices and keeps it simple and fluffy. Compared to Egyptian rice, which leans into cinnamon and cardamom, Lebanese rice is more neutral which is why it’s the perfect thing to serve with flavorful Lebanese lentil soup.
Persian Rice
Persian rice is all about the floral notes, with saffron and rosewater, plus added crunch from pistachios and dried fruits. Shhh, don’t tell Egyptian rice that this Persian stuff is significantly more aromatic.
Turkish Rice
Uses orzo instead of vermicelli and mixes in pepper paste, dried mint, and coriander. Turkish rice is what you want to serve ezogelin and soslu patlıcan with!
Moroccan Rice
The perfect base for Moroccan lentil and Moroccan carrot salad is here for ya! Moroccan rice is heavier on the sweet-savory balance, with cumin, cinnamon, and dried apricots.
📖 How to make Egyptian rice
Follow the step-by-step pictures below to master this rice on your first try. But if you’re too hungry to focus, scroll down to see the easy-to-print recipe card. I won’t judge, m’kay?!
Step One
Easy Peezy Lemon Squeezie!:
Submerge the rice in cool water and use your hands to squeeze it and release the starch.
Step Two
Rinse McMahon:
Rinse the rice under cool water until the water runs clear. Let it drain in a fine-mesh strainer and dry briefly.
Step Three
You Used To Call Me Vermicell-Phone:
Heat olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat. After 90 seconds, once hot, add the vermicelli and stir-fry until deeply golden brown.
Step Four
C.R.E.A.M. (Cardamom Rules Everything Around Me):
Add the drained rice along with coriander, cardamom, dried mint, cinnamon, and garlic. Stir for 1–2 minutes to coat the grains in the spiced oil.
Step Five
Don’t Stop Boil-ievin’:
Add the vegetable stock or water and salt. Bring it to a boil over high heat.
Step Six
Sim Simmer, Who Got The Keys to My Bimmer:
Cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce to low heat, and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
Step Seven
HR Fluff And Stuff:
Remove from the heat and let rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff gently with a fork.
✅ Stop, you fiend! Don’t lift the lid to check after the rice has cooked. Keep the steam inside and trust the process until it’s time to fluff!
Step Eight
To Serve and Protect:
Top with fried onions and chopped parsley before serving.
💡Serving Ideas
This Egyptian rice recipe is fantastic as part of all kinds of Middle Eastern meals! It's the perfect accompaniment to Moroccan loubia, Afghan borani banjan, or harissa chickpeas, or harissa cauliflower, so scoop it all over the darned stuff. It also holds its own with vegan shawarma, or a wedge of freshly baked bolani.
And if you want a little heat, spoon over some shatta, zhoug sauce, harissa, or red pepper flakes right on the rice.
👉Top tips
- Rinse For Realsies: Get that starch out or you're signing up for sticky rice. Swish it a few times and really let the water run clear before draining—perfectly rinsed rice grains make all the difference.
- Nail the Vermicelli Toast: Don't walk away. Deep golden color is the goal, but thin vermicelli goes from perfect to burnt hyper-mega-fast. Stir constantly and trust your nose—it'll smell toasty when it's ready. A slotted spoon is great for this process.
- Keep the Lid Sealed: If steam escapes, your rice will dry out. Use a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil and leave it alone—no peeking. Steam is what gets you that perfect finish.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
You’ll miss out on the toasty flavor from frying the vermicelli and blooming the spices, but yes, you can dry-toast the noodles. Just expect the rice to have a little less individuality when done steaming.
🧊 Refrigerating:
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
🔥 Stovetop Reheating:
Add a splash of water, cover, and reheat on low for 7-8 minutes until warm, stirring occasionally.
⚡️ Microwave Reheating:
Loosely cover and heat in short bursts, fluffing between rounds to avoid drying it out.
✌️You'll love these vegan Middle Eastern recipes too:
Learn the secrets to perfect falafel in this fun cooking class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Egyptian Rice
Equipment
- Wide pot
- Fine-mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 1 cup Egyptian rice or short-grain white rice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup durum wheat vermicelli
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 ¾ cups unsalted vegetable stock or water
- ¾ teaspoon salt or to taste
Optional Garnishes:
- Fried onions
- Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Submerge the rice in a bowl of cool water and squeeze it in your hands to release starch.
- Drain and rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cool water until the water runs clear. Let it drain and dry for a few minutes.
- Set a wide pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. After 90 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the vermicelli. Stir-fry until the noodles are deep golden brown.
- Add the drained rice along with ground coriander, ground cardamom, dried mint, cinnamon, and minced garlic. Stir for 1-2 minutes to lightly fry the rice in the spices.
- Pour in the vegetable stock or water and add the salt. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Remove from the heat and let the pot rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and gently fluff the rice with a fork.
- If using garnishes, top with fried onions and chopped parsley before serving.
Notes
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Jacqueline Humes says
Heavenly aroma, deeliscious dish.
Buuut, i had to use ~1/2 brown basmati (my bad!) and fresh mint (~1 T).
I'm gunna make it again soon, with short-grain white and the right mint!
love, monster