Simple, bright, and flavorful
This Easy Cilantro-Lime Brown Rice is a simple, bright, and flavorful recipe you'll use again and again. A brightness definitely comes through from the lime juice and zest while the lemony cilantro flavor is also still prominent. This combination along with the mildly nutty flavor of a nice & fluffy pre-cooked brown rice is a perfect match!
For enhanced depth of flavor & to take this recipe on a little adventure, consider adding the optional chopped peanuts, too. Whoa, do the peanuts ever take this recipe over the top! So delicious! 😋
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Prep your ingredients
Begin by prepping your ingredients. Be sure you have pre-cooked your brown rice. Then, you'll just need to zest and juice your limes and chop your cilantro (leaves and more delicate stems only). If using, you can chop your peanuts at this point as well.
- brown rice, pre-cooked*
- chopped cilantro
- lime juice
- lime zest
- salt (optional)
- chopped peanuts (optional)
*Consider using this Simple Oven-Baked Brown Rice recipe to prepare your rice. It's an easy almost set-it-and-forget-it technique to get perfectly cooked, nice & fluffy brown rice every time.
Add the lime juice and zest
Simply place your pre-cooked & warm brown rice in a medium bowl. Then, add the lime zest and drizzle in the lime juice. If using, add the (optional) sea salt at this point as well.
Add the chopped cilantro
Next, add the chopped cilantro and stir all of the ingredients together to combine.
If you're adding the chopped peanuts, you could stir them in at this point as well OR simply garnish the dish (or each serving) with a sprinkling of peanuts on top. You could also garnish with extra lime wedges and/or cilantro leaves if you choose.
Then, you're ready to serve this bright and flavorful Simple Cilantro-Lime Brown Rice. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
A small portion of the population has a strong dislike of cilantro. To some, it tastes like soap! This is due to a genetic variation that allows those people to "strongly perceive the soapy-flavored aldehydes in cilantro leaves."
Though the lime juice does add significant brightness and some moisture to this dish, much of the lime flavor in this recipe comes from the essential oils released from the lime zest.
📖 Recipe
Easy Cilantro-Lime Brown Rice
Equipment
- medium bowl
- Citrus zester
- Manual citrus juicer
Ingredients
- 3 cups Simple Oven-Baked Brown Rice, pre-cooked (baked as in linked recipe or prepared as desired)
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime zest (zest of about 1-2 limes depending on size)
- ⅛ cup fresh lime juice (juice of about 1-2 limes depending on size)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (leaves and more delicate stems only)
Optional
- ½ tsp sea salt (or to taste)
- ¼ cup chopped peanuts (for garnish or to increase depth of flavor)
- 1 lime, sliced into wedges (for garnish)
- additional fresh cilantro leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
- Prep your ingredients, including pre-cooking the brown rice, zesting and juicing your lime(s), and chopping your cilantro. You can chop your peanuts at this point too, if using.
- Place 3 cups of warm, pre-cooked brown rice in a medium bowl.
- Drizzle the lime juice over the rice and add the lime zest, chopped cilantro, & salt (if using). If using chopped peanuts: you could stir them in at this point as well OR simply garnish the finished dish with some chopped peanuts just prior to serving.
- Stir the ingredients together to combine well and serve as desired.
- Optional: Garnish with lime wedges, cilantro leaves, and/or chopped peanuts.
- Enjoy!