This Curry Rice is going to blow you away! Not only is it packed to the brim with flavor and texture, it’s also the easiest rice to make! Throw everything (uncooked rice included) into a casserole dish and bake to fluffy perfection — no mushy rice here!
Plus we’re sharing plenty of ideas for how to make this side dish into a main course meal.
Curry Rice Recipe
We couldn’t love this Indian Curry Rice more — not only is it ridiculously tasty and packed to the brim with flavor, but it’s also so easy to make! And we haven’t even started talking about the smells that will be wafting throughout your home — hint — it’s unreal.
And while I understand the skepticism — baking uncooked rice with a myriad of spices — what, are you sure?! Yes. It really works and I promise it is going to change the way you prepare rice! No stovetop, no babysitting, not a grain of mushy rice in sight. Instead you’ll get perfectly fluffy grains of rice that are infused with a ridiculous amount of flavor. Every. Single. Time.
Curry Rice Ingredients
We’ll highlight a few of the important ingredients for this dish below:
- Basmati rice. This is non-negotiable in this recipe! We tested with all different kinds of rice and none worked out very nicely except for basmati rice. If you don’t have this particular variety of rice I wouldn’t recommend making this recipe, it won’t work out very well. Truth!
- Chicken stock. A high-quality, flavorful stock adds loads of flavor and allows us to cut down on spices or other additions. We highly recommend Swanson’s® chicken stock in this recipe.
- Carrots. Avoid packaged pre-shredded carrots; they are hard, dry, and far less flavorful. When you grate your own carrots you’ll notice how much more moisture the carrots have which is a must for the recipe to properly work (we’re relying on that moisture for the rice to cook properly!) Grab large carrots, peel ’em, and grate them on the large holes of a grater.
SHORTCUTS
Making This Curry Rice Recipe EASY
A couple of shortcuts to ensure a quick and easy Curry Rice Recipe prep:
- Quick garlic and ginger. We love Dorot® cubes. You can keep them handy in the freezer and pop them into this (and other) recipes when needed. (Check if your local store carries them; they’re typically found with frozen veggies in the grocery store.) Another option is to use refrigerated garlic paste and refrigerated minced garlic. And if you’re all about fresh, simply grate fresh ginger and garlic with a microplane right into the casserole dish — no need to sauté first.
- Frozen veggies. Instead of chopping veggies for this recipe, we use onion powder and frozen peas.
- Spice Mix. Not a short-cut per-se, but when I make this recipe, I’ll typically make 5 or 6 more “packets” of the seasoning blend. Since all the spices are out and I’m measuring anyways, it takes just a few extra minutes. Measure out the spices, put them in labeled individual snack-size bags, and store those packets with your spices. Next time you’re craving the Best Curry Rice – you’ll have all the spices ready to go.
How To Make Curry Rice
Below are our top tips for success in making this Curry Rice.
- Generously grease the baking dish. To keep rice from sticking to the pan, give it a really generous spray with cooking spray and don’t leave out the butter!
- Don’t rush the process. The bake time is long on this dish, but it’s all pretty hands-off. Don’t try to rush the process; you may end up with unevenly cooked or mushy rice.
- Rice needs to rest. Just like cooking rice in a pot on the stovetop, it needs time to stand and steam. This keeps it from getting mushy. This recipe is no different — allow time for the rice to rest and become fully tender. And, if you’re making Curry Chicken and Rice (more on this below), this is the perfect time to warm through the chicken.
Curry Rice FAQs
1Is eating rice and curry healthy?
This curry rice is loaded with anti-inflammatory spices and good-for-you vegetables. The ingredients in this dish boasts many potential health benefits and is certainly a great addition to a healthful diet.
2What is curry served with?
We love this dish best with a cooling cucumber sauce, naan, and a hot rotisserie chicken — delish!
3What is curry sauce made of?
We use a blend of spices, ginger, and garlic to make the flavor base for this rice.
4Do I have to add the butter?
We are relying on the moisture and fat from the butter. You can substitute coconut oil or ghee.
5How do I store Curry Rice?
We like to add all the leftovers to a big freezer bag and store it in the fridge — so easy to scoop out and serve during the week! Here are the best ways to reheat leftover rice.
What Is Curry Served With?
(How To Make This Side Dish Into A Main Course Meal)
- Serve with a protein: our favorite thing to serve with this rice is a hot seasoned rotisserie chicken or grilled curry chicken right off the grill — so good! If you have leftover chicken that isn’t hot, throw it on top of the rice right out of the oven, cover the entire pan with foil, and this will give the rice the opportunity to heat through while the rice is resting! Other tasty options: salmon, eggs (over easy — delish!), or a thinly sliced grilled flank steak. (Or make a Curry Fried Rice by adding in some scrambled eggs!)
- And add a sauce: we literally can’t make this rice without making a cooling cucumber sauce (the recipe for this sauce is in the notes section of the recipe card) on the side — the two are a match made in heaven! Especially if you are hesitant about spice, the cucumber sauce cools the curry rice really well.
- Scoop with some bread. We love roti or naan served with this rice. No need to use a fork — use the bread to scoop up the rice, chicken, and cooling sauce into one delectable bite!
More Curry Recipes To Love
Curry Rice
This Curry Rice is going to blow you away! Not only is it packed to the brim with flavor and texture, it’s also the easiest rice to make! Throw everything (uncooked rice included) into a casserole dish and bake to fluffy perfection — no mushy rice here!
Curry Rice
This Curry Rice is going to blow you away! Not only is it packed to the brim with flavor and texture, it’s also the easiest rice to make! Throw everything (uncooked rice included) into a casserole dish and bake to fluffy perfection — no mushy rice here!
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups (310g) uncooked basmati rice (Note 1)
- 2-1/2 cups (575g) chicken stock/broth (Note 2)
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry powder (Note 3)
- 1 teaspoon each ground cumin, ground coriander, onion powder, garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon each: paprika, chili powder
- Fine sea salt & pepper
- 2 teaspoons each: minced garlic, ginger paste (Note 4)
- 2 cups (230g) grated carrots (Note 5)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups (250g) frozen peas
- Optional, but recommended: 1/2 cup sliced toasted almonds, 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro, cooling cucumber sauce (Note 6)
Recipe Notes
Note 2: Chicken Stock: The stock is very important to flavor — use a full bodied (not low sodium) stock. We love Swanson’s stock best.
Note 3: Curry Powder: This is where you’ll get some heat, so use a curry powder you know you enjoy and can handle the heat of (we use McCormick). If you aren’t sure, add less but know that you will be missing out on some flavor!
Note 4: Ginger & Garlic: To keep things quick, use refrigerated minced garlic and refrigerated ginger paste. OR use fresh ginger and garlic; simply grate (with a microplane) ginger root and individual garlic cloves into the dish — no other preparation necessary.
Note 5: Carrots: This is about 2 medium-large carrots. Peel then grate on large holes of grater. Avoid packaged pre-shredded carrots; they are hard, dry, and far less flavorful. When you grate your own carrots you’ll notice how much more moisture the carrots have which is a must for the recipe to properly work.
Note 6: Serving Suggestions: We couldn’t love this sauce more with this rice — the two are the perfect pairing and a lot of the ingredients overlap from the rice to this sauce. It takes just a few minutes to prepare and is so good! (Plus a nice cooling element to some of the heat of this rice):
Cooling Cucumber Sauce: Add the following ingredients to a medium-sized bowl: 1 cup plain, full-fat Greek yogurt (we love Greek Gods®), 1 cup finely chopped English or Persian cucumber, 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions, and 1/2 teaspoon each: cumin, coriander, and fine sea salt. Stir until combined and then refrigerate. Stir before adding to the cooked curry rice.
Note 7: Make this side dish into a main course: Serve with a cooked protein of choice (we love a hot rotisserie chicken or over-easy/over-medium eggs) topped with lots of the cucumber cooling sauce and some Naan.
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.7g | Protein: 4.9g | Fat: 6.9g | Cholesterol: 17.5mg | Sodium: 175.2mg | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 4.6g
We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.
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