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Home Rice Recipes

Garlic Butter Rice with Kale

By:Nagi
Published:23 May '18Updated:13 Nov '20
218 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Say hello to your new favourite kale recipe – it’s time to think beyond a salad!!

There’s an enormous amount of kale hidden in amongst all that buttery, garlicky rice….  This is a terrific two-in-one side dish that will pair with almost anything and keeps for days!

Close up of Garlic Butter Rice with Kale recipe in a pot with a wooden spoon, fresh off the stove ready to be served.

A kale recipe that’s totally scoff-able

Kale is one of the nutritious plant foods in the world, and this Garlic Butter Kale Rice is a fantastic way to incorporate a LOT of kale into a dish that’s so tasty, even kale haters love it.

Really. This kale recipe is that good. Read some of the reviews from people who have tried it!

Actually, I hadn’t planned to share this recipe. I didn’t think it would be of interest to readers, but it turns out that it’s possible the most requested recipe ever! People spied this Garlic Butter Rice with Kale on the side of a Baked Chicken Breast that I shared a couple of months ago. I didn’t even mention it in the post, it was just leftovers I had in the fridge that I added to the plate just to take this photo:

Baked Chicken Breast with a side of Garlic Butter Rice with Kale on a white plate, ready to be eaten.

That single photo triggered so many messages via email, on Facebook and Instagram I could hardly believe it!

But you spoke, and I listened. Here it is. 🙂

Little trick to make kale even tastier!

It’s a real easy recipe. The one little trick I have to make this even better is that I marinate the kale before stirring it through the rice.

Just a drizzle of olive oil and tiny sprinkle of salt followed by a 30 second massage not only softens the kale, but also adds flavour.

This is the same technique I use in my Kale and Quinoa Salad which is almost like the salad version of this kale recipe. Marinating the kale truly makes all the difference when using raw kale.

Preparing kale for Garlic Butter Rice with Kale recipe

Serve this Kale Garlic Butter Rice as a side dish – it’s a great two-in one, being a carb plus greens. And it’s an excellent way to dramatically boost the amount of nutrition you take in – in a delicious way!

It will go with cuisines, even with Asian dishes! I’ve popped a few suggestions below.

– Nagi x


Try this Kale recipe with:

  • Any seared protein, such as Juicy Baked Chicken Breast, Honey Garlic Chicken, Baked Pork Chops,  Lemon Garlic Marinated Pork Chops (Just to offer a few suggestions!)
  • Garlic Prawns
  • Crispy Pan Fried Fish
  • Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce,

Garlic Butter Rice with Kale in a dark brown bowl with a silver spoon, ready to be eaten.

Why kale is good for you

Kale has gained it’s status as a super food for good reason – it’s one of the most nutritious plant foods in the world. Here are just some of the health benefits of kale:

  • exceptionally high amount of Vitamins A, C and K
  • high in antioxidants
  • help lower cholesterol which can reduce the risk of heart disease
  • it has cancer fighting substances
  • an excellent source of minerals that many people don’t get enough of, including calcium, potassium and magnesium

So this kale recipe is an excellent delicious way to get more nutrition into your diet!

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

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Close up of Garlic Butter Rice with Kale recipe in a pot with a wooden spoon, fresh off the stove ready to be served.

Garlic Butter Rice with Kale

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 35 mins
Sides
4.99 from 65 votes
Servings6 - 8 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. A ripper kale recipe - it's time to think beyond a salad! There's an enormous amount of kale hidden in amongst all that buttery, garlicky rice... Try this with spinach, chard or even grated carrots! 

Ingredients

Marinated Kale:

  • 7 cups kale sliced leaves , tightly packed (1cm / 2/5" slices) (Note 1)
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Garlic Butter Rice:

  • 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter
  • 3 - 4 large garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice (Note 2)
  • 2 1/4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable)

Finishing:

  • 1 - 2 tbsp (15 - 30g) butter
  • 1/3 cup chopped almonds (or other nuts / seeds of choice)

Instructions

  • Place kale in a large bowl. Drizzle over oil, sprinkle with a small pinch of salt and pepper. Scrunch with hands for 30 seconds, set aside while rice cooks.
  • Melt butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute until just starting to turn golden and is incredibly fragrant.
  • Add rice, stir for 10 seconds.
  • Add broth, stir, then cover.
  • Turn heat down to medium or medium low so the liquid is simmering very gently. Cook for 12 - 15 minutes until all liquid is absorbed (tilt pot to check).
  • Quickly toss all the kale on top of the rice, put the lid back on then remove from heat.
  • Rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Fluff rice with fork, stirring kale through.
  • Lastly, stir through extra butter and add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve and sprinkle over nuts (or stir nuts through rice).

Recipe Notes:

1. Remove kale leaves from the stem by grasping the thick base of the stem then running your hand up the stem to remove the leaves. Discard thick stalk. Scrunch up leaves tightly then slice. Use about 7 handfuls which is about 7 cups jam packed with chopped kale leaves. TYPE OF KALE: Tuscan or curly kale is fine to use. I use curly kale because it's the more common one here in Australia and it's cheaper.
2. This recipe will work great with any type of standard white rice (short, long and medium grain, basmati, jasmine, even sushi rice). It is not suited to: risotto or paella rice.
Brown rice: Follow recipe but use 2 1/2 cups liquid for tender, fluffy rice (or 2 3/4 cups for soft rice) and it will take around 45 minutes to cook on the stove (check at 35 minutes, then every 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed).
Quinoa: Rinse and cook per this recipe but use 2 cups quinoa, 2 cups broth, 2 cups water. Pop the kale into the pot about 10 minutes into the cook time when there's still a bit of liquid left so it wilts better (quinoa doesn't retain heat as well as rice so won't wilt properly during rest time).
3. Leftovers will keep well for 3 days in the fridge. If you freeze it, defrost then reheat in the microwave - the kale will be more wilted but still tasty!
4. Try this Kale recipe with: Juicy Baked Chicken Breast, Crispy Pan Fried Fish, Honey Garlic Chicken, Baked Pork Chops, Baked Fish with Lemon Cream Sauce, Garlic Prawns, Lemon Garlic Marinated Pork Chops.
5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 8 servings (1 heaped cup):
Keywords: garlic butter kale rice, kale recipe
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

LIFE OF DOZER

And the hits just keep on coming…..

This is the inflatable cone I got after I shared the photo of Dozer looking extremely unhappy with the plastic cone, thanks to the suggestion of readers. He is definitely more comfortable…… and providing much amusement to everyone who sees him!!!

That pattern…. why? Why??!!! 😂 It looks like a pool floatie!!

Dozer the golden retriever looking very unhappy with an inflatable cone.

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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!

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218 Comments

  1. Vicky says

    January 24, 2021 at 5:57 am

    This has become a staple side dish in our house, perfect rice every time and very tasty.

    Reply
  2. Carol says

    January 3, 2021 at 1:21 am

    This was just delicious! I love kale and needed to kick up the rice I was going to serve and happened on this recipe. So glad I found it!!

    Reply
  3. KH says

    December 23, 2020 at 9:20 pm

    5 stars
    Made this tonight, so delicious!

    Reply
  4. Vicky says

    December 18, 2020 at 4:09 am

    Could any extras be frozen? If so how would u reheat?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 18, 2020 at 11:49 am

      Hi Vicky, I haven’t tried freezing this as Kale would go a bit mushy upon thawing – N x

      Reply
  5. Maria says

    December 4, 2020 at 2:49 pm

    5 stars
    This is delicious and goes so well with your baked chicken. We use spinach instead of kale and it’s phenomenal. Thank you!

    Reply
  6. Sachiko says

    November 25, 2020 at 11:28 am

    5 stars
    Made it so many times, in pan, rice cooker, and Instant pot, etc , it’s just super easy and yummy. Thank you for sharing!!

    Reply
    • Ariel says

      December 15, 2020 at 9:06 pm

      How do you cook this in an instapot? I’d love to make it in mine! 😊

      Reply
  7. Gwen says

    November 23, 2020 at 1:22 am

    5 stars
    Fantastic, what a beautiful side dish. Thank-you for sharing!

    Reply
  8. Jamie sherman says

    November 18, 2020 at 3:32 pm

    5 stars
    Wow. My new favorite side dish. I went for seconds and the entire pan was empty. My husband said “oh I thought you already had seconds. Did I eat the entire thing.” Uhhh yeah you did other than the measly spoonful I got! Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply
  9. victoria kingsman says

    November 12, 2020 at 1:01 am

    5 stars
    excelent! we enjoyed it on its own a a main dish:)

    Reply
  10. Sarah says

    November 10, 2020 at 10:41 am

    This was fantastic and so simple, thank you for providing. I used Walnuts and they complimented the rice and kale perfectly.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 11, 2020 at 12:34 pm

      Sounds great Sarah! N x

      Reply
  11. April says

    September 24, 2020 at 1:14 am

    5 stars
    This recipe exactly as written is flawless. I crave this rice dish and have made it 4 times in as many weeks. So good. I didn’t love kale until now. Delicious. Cheers.

    Reply
  12. Patricia MORAN says

    September 14, 2020 at 3:09 am

    Hi Nagi, this was a really nice recipe for kale thank you for your lovely recipes.
    Regards
    Patricia

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 14, 2020 at 6:37 am

      You’re so welcome! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback 🙂 N x

      Reply
  13. Susan says

    September 4, 2020 at 12:59 pm

    Hi, what type of rice do you use? I’ve made this 3x using Calrose rice, and the rice always comes out a bit hard. Keep making because the flavors are so yummy. Any tips appreciated. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 4, 2020 at 3:34 pm

      Hi Susan, sorry you’re having issues – I generally use a medium grain rice. Calrose is a different type and requires more water (as it’s stickier) Try lowering the temp, adding 1/4 cup more water and cooking a couple of minutes longer ❤️ N x

      Reply
      • Susan says

        September 5, 2020 at 4:59 am

        Thank you for the tip! I have been using your recipes weekly, and each one is a major hit! Love everything about your site!

        Reply
  14. Alex says

    August 10, 2020 at 12:05 pm

    Dear Nagi!
    What a fortunate crossing I had when I came upon your site!
    Even though it is hotter than Hades where I live right now, I was in the mood for a nice comfort dish using some mince and I found your Salisbury Steak w/Mushroom gravy. It then lead me to look at your other recipes and read your delightful musings about life and Dozer! What a cutie!
    It did not take me long to sign up for your newsletter and what an amazing surprize to receive your 3 e-books! I expected perhas a few recipes but I was absolutely joyful receiving such a generous gift! I have reviewed all of the recipes and my mouth was watering just looking at and previewing them! Thank you, Nagi…I can hardly wait to get after so many of them!
    You are definitely a very talented lady – in all ways and we are so lucky to share in your generous gifts.
    Hugs – from a distance! – to you and Dozer!
    Please take very good care and wishes for healthy and happy days ahead!

    Reply
  15. Fanny Lam says

    August 10, 2020 at 10:09 am

    5 stars
    nobody in my family likes kale but they do now with this easy and delicious garlic butter kale rice. OMG…. so good.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 10, 2020 at 10:11 am

      You’ve totally converted them Fanny!! N x

      Reply
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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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