19 Amazing Rice Recipes for Festive Dinners
on Oct 17, 2022, Updated Oct 17, 2024
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Everyone loves rice and these rice recipes range from easy and fast to show-stopping dishes. Perfect for Diwali, Dussehra and other Festive Dinners where you want to serve rice either as an accompaniment or as a main dish.
Rice has the ability to become an Instant Comfort Food or a fragrant bowl of something that you just want to inhale. No matter what the occasion or the amount of effort you want to put in, I’ve got something on this list for everyone. Serve these rice recipes with delicious paneer dishes, raitas or dals for meals that the entire family will love!
More Diwali Recipes? Check out my collection of 60+ Diwali Recipes and 35+ Diwali Snack Recipes for you to choose from
Paneer Makhani Biryani
This Paneer Biryani with Makhani gravy is a unique twist on a vegetarian biryani that combines my love for paneer makhani and biryani! It's got layers of paneer makhani, fragrant basmati rice, mint, coriander and fried onions and every bite is super tasty.
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Restaurant Style Veg Biryani
Insanely delicious veg biryani is a great alternative for vegetarians. This recipe is so good that even meat lovers will be impressed! It's the perfect family style meal. My tips and tricks will make sure you have the perfect vegetarian biryani every single time.
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Perfect Jeera Rice (Indian Cumin Rice)
This recipe for jeera rice (Indian steamed cumin rice) will never fail you! You don’t need a rice cooker or fancy equipment to make this. Just a few ingredients and a pot and you’ll have fluffy, flavorful jeera rice ready in under 10 minutes.
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Kabuli Chana Pulao
Kabuli Chana Pulao is a one pot recipe where spices, chickpeas and rice are cooked together till the rice is fluffy. It’s a delicious weeknight dinner that doesn’t take long to cook and tastes best when paired with raita.
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How to make Ghee Rice
Ghee Rice is a simple recipe that takes less than twenty minutes to make. Its flavorful, aromatic and a great way to elevate steamed rice if you want something extra on the table!
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How to cook Basmati Rice 3 ways
Learn how to cook Basmati Rice with my tried and tested methods. This is more like a guide to basmati rice where you can choose from three methods – stovetop, instant pot and traditional pressure cooker.
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Kavitha Aunty’s Rice Bath
Rice bath is a typical Karnataka rice dish that has south Indian flavours and the rice is cooked in a green masala with veggies. This is a one pot meal thats easy to put together and is bursting with flavours. Perfect for weeknight dinners!
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Coconut Rice
Watch the Recipe Video above. This easy coconut rice is a fantastic side to curries, roasted veggies and meats. In India, it’s even had for breakfast because it really fuels you up. Also a great way to use leftover rice! Its naturally vegan, gluten free and vegetarian.
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Easy Lemon Rice (Yellow Rice)
A really simple lemon rice recipe – it’s flavored with lime juice and zest so that the rice really packs a punch and is full of flavor. Made all in one pot from start to finish, this yellow rice is easy to put together and is excellent with raita on the side.
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Pressure Cooker Veg Pulao (Rice Pilaf)
This pressure cooker veg pulao recipe is fragrant, fluffy and perfect every single time! Making this in an instant pot or any other pressure cooker ensures that everything cooks fast. Cooked with whole spices and lots of vegetables, this is the perfect side dish. Watch Video ABOVE.
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Raw Mango Rice
Make the most of mango season with raw mango and turmeric rice. Use brown rice for a healthier alternative to Maavinakayi Chitranna/ Mangai sadham as it is locally called.
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Instant Pot Mexican Rice with Corn and Bell Peppers
This Instant Pot Mexican Rice is incredibly flavorful, spicy and super versatile. It can be used as a filling for quesadillas, tacos, burritos, enchiladas or as a side dish with grilled chicken or veggies. We added some corn and bell peppers to make this recipe more hearty!
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Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice is a super quick recipe that's delicious because of all the sweet and spicy flavours. Pair it with a spicy stir fry for a fantastic weekday meal.
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Veg Fried Rice
This 10-minute veg fried rice recipe is a lifesaver when you have only bits and bobs in the fridge. It's a fantastic fridge cleaning meal and a great way to use leftover rice too. Add a fried egg and you've got yourself a fast, easy-winner dinner!
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Burnt Garlic Mushroom Fried Rice
True mushroom lover food – this burnt garlic mushroom fried rice is ready in 15 minutes and packed with flavour!
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Curd Rice – Summer Special
This curd rice recipe is a must make during hot summer months. Creamy, tangy and so refreshing, curd rice will make summer lunches infinitely better. Easy, comfort food.
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Rainbow Rice
This kid-friendly recipe is simple stir-fry rice that has light flavours making it an amazing addition to your child's lunch box!
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Tahari
Tahari, a beloved rice dish in Uttar Pradesh, is a go-to for vegetarians. This one-pot wonder combines rice with winter veggies like potatoes, green peas, and cauliflower. It's a delightful, comforting dish, ideal for those days when you crave something easy yet satisfying!
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Chilli Garlic Fried Rice
The best way to turn leftover rice into something special. Key is the chilli garlic paste that's made from scratch – very low effort but it really adds smokiness and that distinct spicy, chilli flavour to the fried rice.
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Which of these rice recipes will you choose from?
