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Home » Sides » Garlic Herb Oven Baked Brown Rice Pilaf

Garlic Herb Oven Baked Brown Rice Pilaf

April 5, 2023 By Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan 4 Comments

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Hello! I feel like I barely know how to blog anymore, but I am here with a delicious baked brown rice pilaf that I have been making for meal prep lately. This pilaf is flavored with pistachios and herbs and a touch of onion and garlic. It’s super delicious!

Baked brown rice pilaf in a white ceramic bowl garnished with thinly sliced parsley and mint

Baking the brown rice in the oven is perfect because while it bakes, your attention and stove are freed up for making an accompanying dish. I have been pairing it with Moroccan flavors, like my Moroccan vegetable stew, as well as a chickpea stew that I will [try to] post soon.

Definitions of pilaf vary, but one thing they all have in common is that they’re made of a grain that’s cooked with other flavoring agents. Those might be vegetables, spices, broth, or other grains. Basically it’s like making a side dish of rice, but the rice is elevated beyond just plain rice!

Because of all of the oil soluble flavor compounds in onion and garlic, it’s important to saute them first before cooking them in the rice. If you have a Dutch oven, you can make this whole recipe end to end in that. If you don’t, you’ll need to start off in a frying pan and then transfer the contents to an oven safe dish that can be covered for the second part of the recipe. I recently broke my Dutch oven – yes it is possible and no I don’t want to talk about it! – so the last few times I made this, I used the latter option and it’s no biggie!

Collage of steps for making brown rice pilaf: saute the onion until golden brown; add garlic until browned; stir in chopped dates into fully cooked brown rice; garnish with chopped pistachios and herbs
In this case, I’m making the pilaf with brown rice to up the fiber profile and add more chewiness and nutty flavor. The use of pistachios and fresh mint might seem odd, but the flavors really work! I’ve found that most years if I plant mint in my garden, I end up making a lot of mojitos to try to use it up; I’m happy to be finding more savory applications and it adds a little something extra to this brown rice pilaf that parsley alone can’t achieve.

I’ve seen people add other vegetables to pilaf, but here we keep it simple with onion and garlic. Last but not least, some chopped dates add a sweet note that really brings the dish together. I have some aleppo pepper in my pantry, so I like a little sprinkle of that on top – it’s not spicy, just flavorful, but it’s also completely optional.

A close-up of brown rice pilaf being scooped up with a wooden spoon, showing the fluffiness of the individual grains of rice
Rice is not exciting. I get it. But this recipe *might* just change your mind. With all of the textures and flavors going on, you may want to simply eat this baked brown rice pilaf on its own! It’s naturally vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free. Please enjoy!
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Garlic Herb Baked Brown Rice Pilaf

The oven makes it easy! This brown rice pilaf bakes to nutty and tender perfection while you do other more important things. Full of texture and heart healthy whole grains, it makes a great side dish for anything with a Mediterranean flavor profile.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine gluten-free, Mediterranean, Moroccan, vegan
Keyword baked brown rice, brown rice pilaf
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 1 hour hour 12 minutes minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour 37 minutes minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 268kcal
Author Yup, it's Vegan

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven or, a saute pan + a baking dish
  • aluminum foil or tight-fitting lid for baking dish

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 white or yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 clove garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 cups brown rice (I like medium grain best for this dish)
  • 3 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 cups pitted dates (1.5 oz) finely chopped
  • 1/3 cups roasted shelled pistachios roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (ideally flat leaf; leaves and stems both OK)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If not using a Dutch oven: lightly grease the baking dish that you plan to use.
  • Heat the olive oil over medium heat in your Dutch oven or in a pot. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and salt and stir well. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown slightly, 4-5 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and cook for another approximately 60 seconds, until fragrant.
  • Stir in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the rice and bay leaf. If not using a Dutch oven, transfer contents to the prepared baking dish.
  • Cover tightly (using foil in addition to a lid, if needed) and transfer to the oven. Bake until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 60-65 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven. Discard the bay leaf and stir in the chopped dates. Cover and let sit for a few minutes for the dates to soften. Stir in the pistachios and chopped herbs. Season to taste with additional salt and black pepper.

Notes

If you have a different dried fruit on hand, try using a similar amount of that instead of the chopped dates! Other nuts can also be substituted for the pistachios. The date/pistachio combo is absolutely a 10/10, though!
Using all mint or all parsley is also AOK if you want to sharpen the grocery list a bit. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1sixth recipe | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 316mg | Potassium: 358mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 700IU | Vitamin C: 11.7mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen‘s More Mediterranean cookbook.

Filed Under: Sides Tagged With: grains, Mediterranean-inspired, nuts and seeds, one pot, refined sugar-free, soy-free, sweetener-free, thanksgiving

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Comments

  1. Jennifer Carr says

    May 28, 2023 at 08:49

    I didn’t see any reviews. This is very similar to a successful baked brown rice recipe that I currently use but only has 2 1/2 cups of boiled cooking liquid. Is your correct at 3 1/2 cups?

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      August 16, 2023 at 08:28

      Yes definitely. Just checked the original source I adapted the recipe from and it’s 3.x cups there too.

      Reply
  2. Susan says

    April 16, 2023 at 23:11

    How about cooking the rice in an instant pot, then adding the other ingredients? Sort of like a Mediterranean version of fried rice. Would that save time? The ratio of brown rice/liquid in IP is 1:1. Time is 15 minutes at high, natural release 5 minutes. The cooked rice is chewy but fully cooked. Here’s a link for softer versions: https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-brown-rice/#exp

    Reply
  3. Sue says

    April 16, 2023 at 10:57

    I’m always happy to see a new post from you Shannon. Hope you are staying well. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

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I'm Shannon, founder of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. I create healthy plant-based recipes that everyone will love, using seasonal produce and global inspiration.
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