I have to give my older daughter credit for this recipe! I asked her if she had any ideas for dinner for the upcoming week, and she randomly said, “rice with golden raisins and almonds,” even though it’s not anything we’ve had in recent memory or that I’ve ever made before. However, I agreed it was a good idea, and it’d been a while since I’d made a true rice pilaf (I usually make my cheat version from my Fast & Fabulous cookbook using orzo pasta that my kids always love). So, I figured I’d document the process and share it on the blog today.
A couple of notes…
I purposely made this brown rice pilaf recipe to have more than four servings so that we could have leftovers since we love leftovers at our house. This one is straightforward to reheat. I especially love to bring it back to life in a small pot on the stove along with a few splashes of liquid! Anything more exciting than plain brown rice is worth saving for the next day, in my opinion.
I actually had to order the golden raisins from Amazon. For some reason, our usual grocery stores (Whole Foods and Earth Fare) don’t stock them—although I have seen them at Target before. I’ve never seen a brand that offers organic golden raisins anywhere (and I spent some time searching for them), so we just had to go with conventional for this recipe. My daughter loves regular raisins and thought the golden ones would be an excellent way to switch things up and would go well with rice. So I have to say, she was right! I’m always thankful for the creative input. :)
Almond and Golden Raisin Rice Pilaf
Get creative with a spin on a favorite classic. I've added almonds and golden raisins to this brown rice pilaf recipe, and it does not disappoint.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice, rinsed
- 3 cups chicken broth, can sub veggie broth
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- fresh parsley, optional garnish
Instructions
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Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium to large pot over medium heat. Stir in the shallots and cook until they just begin to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes.
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Stir in the almonds and raisins and cook for another couple minutes until the almonds begin to turn golden brown.
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Stir in the rice until it is well coated and the grains begin to turn translucent. Add in the broth and salt and bring to a boil. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, turn down the heat to low and cook until the rice is tender, anywhere from 25 to 45+ minutes depending on the type of rice you bought (quick-cooking vs. regular brown rice).
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Mix in the extra tablespoon of butter, season with more salt (and pepper) to taste (if desired), garnish with fresh parsley (if desired), and serve.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Can be vegetarian when using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Nutrition Facts
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I made this recipe and I also added barley, onions, and turmeric and garlic. The turmeric gives the rice a nice yellow color. I have also thrown in wild rice for a textural and color interest.
What I would like to know is why you did not use an Instant Pot when making this??? I use mine all the time, and in this recipe I used my chicken bone broth made in my IP.
Great recipe, and thanks for sharing.
Hi Melody,
Thanks so much for the comment! Lisa actually isn’t a fan of the Instant Pot (we all have our favorites!), and you can read more about that here: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/why-i-dont-like-instant-pot-curried-lentil-sweet-potato-stew/
– Nicole
Loved this—very simple & tasty. I used regular raisins, onion instead of shallots, and brown rice & barley mix. I also threw everything in my rice cooker after browning the rice, and it came out just fine. Simple, few ingredient recipes are the best!
Maybe a weird question but did you serve anything else with this or was this the main entree? Thanks!
I have bought golden raisins at Trader Joe’s in the past, assume they still carry them.
Good to know! – Nicole