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??
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).
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!
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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;
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Cucumber & tomato – the freshness and juiciness;
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Red onion – welcome sharp bite. Alternatives: green onion, Eschallots/French shallots;
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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
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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. Adding some pan-kissed cheese is a seriously delicious way to elevate this salad to show-off status (not unlike a French Warm Goat’s Cheese Salad) or, you know, just treat 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.
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!
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:
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Crumble of feta
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Sprinkle of parmesan
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Dollop of yogurt
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Nuts – try flaked almonds (toasted), or walnuts, pepitas, sunflowers, cashews, pistachios, pine nuts
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Can of tuna, salmon or other fish
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Sliced poached chicken (super juicy even fridge cold if you use this method)
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Any other cooked protein that takes your fancy
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:
Mains for warm summer nights
Quick meals
Salads for sharing – lunch with friends
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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Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad
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:
- 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
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
This guy really, REALLY doesn’t like cucumber…..
Oh Nagi, I made a huge mistake. “3 cups of cooked brown rice”, so I cooked 3 cups of brown rice. Now I’ll be eating brown rice for a week!
I love this recipe, It has become a regular on my menu. Super easy and delicious!
Delicious salad that is a burst of flavor and color. Served with grilled salmon. Found the dressing a bit too acidic/sharp – added 1 tsp of honey.
Making this for the second time. Added extra chopped herbs (parsley, dill, cilantro) because I had them in the fridge. Added some chickpeas as well for protein. Delicious!
Getting back from vacation and all the holiday foods I was looking for something hardy and fresh. This was perfect and came together quickly. My 2 and 5 year old both loved it (without the onion). The halloumi was necessary for the full meal feeling.
The only change I made was using Kalamata olives and cooking my rice in veggie stock for some extra flavor. May have been even better leftover after the flavors marinated, hard to decide!
I love this salad. It’s on constant rotation for lunch/dinner in my household!
To extend the shelf life of the salad, I scoop out the cucumbers seeds before dicing and add halved cherry tomatoes rather than diced whole ones. I also add chilli haloumi, kalamata olives and sunflower seeds for some extra texture/flavour.
Yum! Made this to go as a side with Lamb Gozlemes, cooked potatoes as well in case the family didn’t like the salad. Not needed – so delicious, will definitely become a regular.
That’s great Katrina!! I am happy they liked it! N x
This salad was amazing! I was looking for a healthy and easy recipe and found this gem. I topped it with halloumi, which was my first time trying it, and it was the perfect salty top for this!
Great tip Jeanne! N x
Made this topped with pine nuts. I used wild rice and a chimichurri sauce as dressing, as I had portions of both in the freezer. This will make an awesome take to work lunch. YUMMO!!
Wow I made this simply to eat healthy, not because I thought it was going to be really tasty! I am soooooo pleasantly surprised of how good it was and I feel really satisfied. Made it with halloumi and roasted bell peppers.
Healthy can still taste good!! N x
You learn sth new every day 😉
Made this today, delicious. Secret is as you said use warm rice NOT cold! Love your recipes my go to recipe site. Thank you.
This salad is so delicious! 🤤 I made it as a side for roast chicken and it was a hit with the whole family. I added in some fresh Italian parsley and toasted pine nuts, along with red capsicum and black olives. My teenager daughter has claimed the leftovers for her school lunch today 😋
Smart kid calling dibs on a yummy healthy lunch! N x
I have been cooking so many of your recipes lately and every one is a winner. The Mediterranean brown rice salad was so delicious! Added baked eggplant, olives and toasted pepitas! So yummy! Thank you Nagi!
I am so glad you enjoyed it Karen! N x
Love the grilled eggplant in the salad!
This dressing is amazing!
This rice salad is wonderful. We had it with butter-basted salmon for an amazing dinner.
The only change was to use shallot instead of red onion.
Thanks, Nagi!
Loved this fast dinner! So easy for me as I always have these ingredients on hand. Great hit with family as well as very healthy with the whole grains and fresh veggies. Your recipes do not disappoint Nagi! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Being an Asian brought up on white rice I’ve had difficulty adjusting to the “roughness” of brown rice. This recipe embraces the texture of brown rice making the transition deliciously easy peasy.
I love the simplicity and step by step instructions, even my husband could follow this. I cooked the Brazillian Stew and everyone loved the flavours. Thank you for giving me such a fresh approach to cooking again. 🙂
Will definitely try this but just to share, I had a delicious lunch in one of the greek restaurant in sunshine coast. They’ve got food with Mediterranean origins and flovours.