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Home Rice Side Dishes

Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad

By:Nagi
Published:16 Sep '20Updated:12 Feb '21
91 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

This Brown Rice Salad looks way too healthy to taste as good as it does! The fresh dill and coriander/cilantro with the bright lemon dressing totally makes it. The perfectly cooked, nutty brown rice helps. Everything else is customisable.

You didn’t really think I’d share a rather dull (but life essential) post for how to cook brown rice without following it up with an extremely delicious way to use it, did you??

Bowl of Brown Rice Salad with halloumi, ready to be eaten

Brown Rice Salad

This is a Brown Rice Salad that aspires to be everything you expect a rice salad to be (healthy, filling, fresh) and everything you don’t expect it to be (can’t-stop-eating-it-good).

It’s also a rice salad that will surprise those of you who grew up not realising such a thing existed. (Pretty sure that would be anyone with Asian parents 🙋🏻‍♀️).

It is very, very good. It’s fresh, juicy, bright, and really makes the most of the addictive nutty, slightly chewy texture of brown rice though it can be made with any type of cooked rice, or other grains for that matter (farro, pearl barley, tiny or giant couscous).

Close up of Brown Rice Salad ready to be served

Ingredients in Brown Rice Salad

Here’s what I put into this brown rice salad – though you’ll see an extensive list of customisation suggestions below!

Ingredients in Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad

  • Brown rice – only perfectly cooked brown rice allowed in these parts! No mushiness permitted 😉. Alternatives: any rice – normal or fancy (white, jasmine, basmati, wild etc), quinoa, and anything rice-like shaped such as farro, pearl barley, couscous;
  • Cucumber & tomato – the freshness and juiciness;
  • Red onion – welcome sharp bite. Alternatives: green onion, Eschallots/French shallots;
  • Dill and coriander – one of the best fresh herb combinations for salads, in my humble opinion. I use it regularly – such as in this Pearl Couscous Salad and JP’s Iceberg Lettuce Salad; and
  • Rocket / Arugula – I really like adding a bit of green fluffage into any starch based salad. For interest, extra freshness and to add a different textural element. Alternatives: any sliceable leafy greens – baby or normal spinach, kale (marinate it to make it softer), cabbage).

Customise the vegetables with any raw or cooked vegetables you want (diced and sautéed in a little oil perhaps with some garlic, or roasted – try Roasted Eggplant. It’s amazing!).

Optional Extras

You’ll see in the video and photos that I’ve also included black olives which I consider an optional extra for this Mediterranean themed version of this rice salad. I don’t always include it – the above ingredients are my base version.

It’s also shown topped with crispy golden slices of halloumi which is a seriously delicious and on theme way to elevate this to show-off status (or, you know, just a really good meal for yourself😂).


Lemon Dressing Ingredients

And here’s what goes into the lemon dressing: lemon juice, garlic, mustard (for thickening), extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

Ingredients in Lemon Dressing for Brown Rice Salad

How to make this Brown Rice Salad

I always feel like I’m teaching you how to suck eggs when I show the process photos for a salad! 😂 But I do think it’s a useful one-pager to show how this comes together. For all those times you don’t have 90 seconds to watch the recipe video!

How to make Brown Rice Salad

Overhead photo of Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad showing ingredients

Elevate it to meal status

I know I said the crispy golden halloumi is optional, but everytime I see a photo of it, I want to take it back and make it part of the base recipe!

The only reason why I won’t is because I like that this salad is interesting and fresh enough to be a side salad OR a meal.

Also, even if you don’t happen to have a block of halloumi in your fridge waiting to pan fry to golden perfection, there’s plenty of other ways to elevate it to meal status:

  • Crumble of feta
  • Sprinkle of parmesan
  • Dollop of yogurt
  • Nuts – try flaked almonds (toasted), or walnuts, pepitas, sunflowers, cashews, pistachios, pine nuts
  • Can of tuna, salmon or other fish
  • Sliced poached chicken (super juicy even fridge cold if you use this method)
  • Any other cooked protein that takes your fancy

Drizzling lemon dressing over Brown Rice Salad

What to serve with this Brown Rice Salad

This is a wonderful two-in-one side salad for meals (ie starch + veg in one dish) but interesting and colourful enough to stand on its own as a light meal or as part of a lunch spread. Here are a few suggestions:

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Enjoy! – Nagi x

PS Ah, I just remembered! A few years ago, I also shared a Cowboy Rice Salad. Fun name. Delicious to eat!


Watch how to make it

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Brown Rice Salad in a bowl, ready to be eaten

Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Side Dish, Side Salad
Mediterranean, Western
5 from 24 votes
Servings8
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. This Brown Rice Salad looks way too healthy to taste as good as it does! The fresh dill and coriander/cilantro with the bright lemon dressing totally makes it. The perfectly cooked, nutty brown rice helps. Everything else is customisable.
Serves 6 to 8 as a side, 4 as a meal. Keeps for 3 days. Exellent work lunch option, and serving for lunch with friends.

Ingredients

Salad (Note 1):

  • 3 cups cooked brown rice , cooled but not cold
  • 2 tomatoes , diced
  • 2 cucumbers , diced (or 1 long English/continental cucumber)
  • 1/2 red onion , chopped (sub 2 stems green onion)
  • 40g/ 4 cups tightly packed baby rocket/arugula , roughly chopped (or baby spinach)
  • 1/3 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , roughly chopped (Note 2)
  • 1/3 cup fresh dill leaves , roughly chopped (Note 2)

Lemon Dressing:

  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic cloves , minced using garlic press
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (Note 3)
  • 3/4 tsp salt , kosher/cooking salt (1/2 tsp table salt)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Optional extras (pictured):

  • 1/2 cup black olive slices
  • 200g/7oz halloumi , sliced then pan fried in a little olive oil until golden and crispy
  • Other topping options: feta, parmesan, nuts (Note 4)

Instructions

  • Place Dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine.
  • Place Salad ingredients in a big bowl. Drizzle over Dressing, toss well.
  • Transfer to serving bowl. If using Halloumi, pile on top.
  • Serve!

Recipe Notes:

1. Salad veg - customisable with other raw or cooked veg (sautéed in a little oil, garlic, salt & pepper, or roasted).
2. Fresh herbs - this is one of my favourite fresh herb combinations for salads, they go together brilliantly and it really makes this salad something special. But if you don't have them / have an aversion to coriander/cilantro, try one of these:
  • parsley or chives and dill
  • chives and parsley
  • just coriander/cilantro or dill (double up)
  • 2 1/2 tsp oregano (add to dressing - will taste like a Greek Salad!)
  • 2 tsp dried mixed herbs, or other dried herbs of choice
3. Dijon mustard - sub yellow mustard, or omit. Makes the dressing a wee bit thicker which is great for fine-grain type salads because it helps coat better.
4. Nut option suggestions - flaked almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, cashews, sunflower seeds, pepitas. I feel like peanuts would be odd, but someone may prove me wrong.
5. Storage - keeps for 3 days, though the tomato does looks perky juiciness the next day. I also like to either hold back some dressing to give it a fresh drizzle just before serving, or even a squeeze of fresh lemon and drizzle of olive oil will do the trick.
Most importantly though, SERVE AT ROOM TEMP. Cold rice is hard and not pleasant. If need be, give it 3 x 10 second zaps in the microwave to take the chill out of it.
LEFTOVER HALOUMI- pro tip: refrigerate cooked halloumi, then chop it into small batons and reheat in microwave. Toss through salad. So good!
6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 servings. Excellent veg+starch side dish for meals.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 179cal (9%)Carbohydrates: 21g (7%)Protein: 3g (6%)Fat: 10g (15%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Sodium: 226mg (10%)Potassium: 248mg (7%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 355IU (7%)Vitamin C: 10mg (12%)Calcium: 22mg (2%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: brown rice recipe, brown rice salad, rice salad, rice side dish
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Life of Dozer

This guy really, REALLY doesn’t like cucumber…..

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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91 Comments

  1. Colette says

    February 16, 2021 at 9:35 am

    5 stars
    Thank you Nagi, I always struggled cooking brown rice. I like it but it never turned out and then I would have to buy those microwave pots from the supermarket that were always dry. I used your method and made the brown rice salad. Tasted delicious!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 17, 2021 at 12:44 pm

      Wahoo, you’re converted now!! N x

      Reply
  2. Ina says

    February 12, 2021 at 7:43 am

    5 stars
    Thank you -love this salad! So versatile – try adding fresh capsicum or replace fresh coriander with fresh Italian parsley!!!

    Reply
  3. Jerri Chessecake says

    January 12, 2021 at 6:32 am

    5 stars
    Thanks for another great salad recipe.Every week i seem To make a whole meal with several of your recipe and it always delicious

    Reply
  4. Danette says

    December 18, 2020 at 8:07 pm

    5 stars
    My 14 yr old made this salad for an easy Friday night meal, we all loved it. The ingredients go so well together. We added BBQ chicken and Parmesan and it was delicious, it will be a regular meal for us, thanks Nagi.

    Reply
  5. Ev says

    November 23, 2020 at 12:33 pm

    5 stars
    Another winner Nagi and it kept really well in the fridge. The video of Dozer saying no to the cucumber is hysterical, I know how he feels!

    Reply
  6. Sarah says

    November 8, 2020 at 7:17 pm

    Made this a couple of weeks ago and my partner keeps taking about it – he said he could happily
    live on salads like that! The halloumi with it was perfect. We’re attempting to go more Mediterranean with our meals and this was a delicious start.

    Reply
  7. Marie says

    October 31, 2020 at 12:21 pm

    Not sure about the halloumi cheese. Could tofu be substituted? Or what else?
    Love your recipes Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 2, 2020 at 8:09 pm

      You could definitely use tofu! N x

      Reply
  8. Stacey Weedon says

    October 19, 2020 at 8:04 pm

    I made this with black rice and added some roasted eggplant and diced raw capsicum. (Of course with olives and halloumi). It was so yummy. With the black rice it looked so impressive. A great meat-free Monday dinner.

    Reply
  9. Radek says

    October 18, 2020 at 8:02 pm

    5 stars
    3 cups of cooked rice would be how much of uncooked?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 19, 2020 at 10:44 am

      Hi Radek, 1 cup equals just under 3 cups of cooked rice – N x

      Reply
  10. Misha says

    October 15, 2020 at 8:42 am

    Omg so delish!!made it today with pan fried salmon and turned out beautifully!thanks for sharing your gorgeous recipes and pictures and video of your beautiful dog 🥰

    Reply
  11. Sue R says

    October 9, 2020 at 10:53 am

    5 stars
    This was awesome and I really don’t like rice salads which I’ve only ever had with white rice. I made mine with one of those packets of pre-cooked brown rice/wild rice blends you just microwave for a minute or 2 then added the rest plus chopped walnuts and the black olives. Wow Yummm! Pinned to my favourites. Thanks Nagi.

    Reply
  12. Lauren says

    October 7, 2020 at 2:42 pm

    5 stars
    “Not a dull bite in it” was my husband’s feedback. Really loved it with the olives and I have to agree the dill/coriander combo is stunning. Thanks Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 8, 2020 at 9:26 am

      I’m so happy you enjoyed it Lauren!! Thanks so much for the feedback 🙂 N x

      Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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