Love Mushrooms? This is going to be your new favorite – Easy, healthy & delicious Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf. A flavorful one-pot dish with just 5 ingredients. It is perfect to make on a weeknight and enjoy as a side or as a meal. Even better, make it on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot.
Brown Rice is cooked with onions, garlic, and lots of mushrooms. Topped with green onions…oh so delicious! This Mushroom Rice is a vegan and gluten-free dish.
This mushroom pilaf can be made with white or brown rice. If you love mushrooms, you will love this easy variation instead of plain rice.
It is the best mushroom and rice recipe. Perfect for entertaining or packing for a quick, easy lunch.
This Mushroom Rice can easily be made ahead and heated just before serving, similar to my cilantro lime brown rice and Spanish rice recipe.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this Mushroom Rice?
- It is vegan and gluten-free
- Easy to make
- It can be made with white rice or brown rice
- Includes healthy mushrooms and can add other veggies too!
- To make this cheesy, add parmesan or cheddar at the end after cooking
Ingredients
This recipe uses very basic ingredients. Slice the mushrooms, peel the garlic, and dice the onions.
Mushrooms: I used cremini mushrooms, but other varieties of mushrooms would work, too. Wash and dry the mushrooms with a paper towel or kitchen cloth. Then, slice them.
Rice: You can use brown rice (not the quick-cooking ones) – basmati, or jasmine. You can also use white rice in this recipe. Note the different cooking times for white rice. I don’t soak the rice. Just rinse them until the water runs clear. However, if you prefer, you can soak the rice in warm water for an hour. It helps to reduce the cooking time for rice.
Onions: I used yellow onions. Dice them finely.
Garlic: Peel and mince the garlic.
Olive oil: Needed to sauté the onions and mushrooms.
Broth: I used vegetable broth, but chicken broth would also work. I have used Better Than Bouillon base to make broth. It is just easier to keep at hand for all my cooking. If using it, you may want to skip adding salt.
Green onions: These are optional. Only for garnish. You can garnish with cilantro or parsley too.
How to make Mushroom Rice Pilaf?
Sauté Mushrooms & Keep Aside
This is an optional step. Sauté half of the mushrooms in a large saucepan and take them out to top the pilaf at the end. This gives a crunchy taste of the mushrooms.
Of course, you could also cook them all with the rice. But I like the sautéed crunchy mushrooms on the rice when serving.
Cook Mushroom Rice
To the same saucepan, we will then add some oil, sauté onions, garlic, and the rest of the mushrooms. The mushrooms will first release water, let the liquid dry, and brown the mushrooms.
Then add in the rice and broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 35-40 minutes until there is no residual liquid. Stir in between, starting at about 25 mins. (If using white rice, cook for 15 minutes)
I like to cook the mushrooms with the rice so the rice can absorb the mushrooms’ amazing flavors.
Instant Pot Method
Follow the same steps in the stovetop method. The amount of broth used is reduced when cooking in the instant pot, as less liquid is needed to cook in the closed pressure cooker.
Pressure cook for 22 minutes on high pressure (4 minutes for white rice). Then, release the pressure 10 minutes after the beep. Fluff the rice and enjoy!
This was so good; each grain was separate and perfectly cooked. We enjoyed it as our lunch, and the two of us finished it all. I like to sprinkle some lemon juice to give the pilaf a slightly tangy taste.
Pro-Tips
Mushrooms: Don’t slice the mushrooms too thin, as they might disintegrate when cooking with the rice.
Veggies: You can add green peas to this pilaf too. I like to use frozen peas and add them at the end when the rice is almost cooked. For the instant pot method, after the pressure cooking is done, add the peas, close the lid, and let the rice rest for 5 minutes.
Storage: You can store the mushroom rice in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Reheat the rice in the microwave.
What to serve with Mushroom Rice?
Mushroom rice is great on its own, but for a well-rounded meal, pair it with Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks, Baked Salmon, or Lemon Roasted Chicken.
I hope you enjoy this easy, healthy mushroom brown rice pilaf!
More Mushroom Recipes You’ll Love
Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil, divided
- 2 cloves Garlic , minced
- 1 cup Onions , diced
- 10 ounces Cremini Mushrooms , sliced, divided
- 1 cup Brown Rice , rinsed, can use white rice too
- Salt , to taste
For Instant Pot
- 1 1/4 cup Vegetable Broth
For stovetop
- 2 cups Vegetable Broth
To garnish (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Butter , (optional) skip butter to keep this vegan
- 1/4 cup Green onions , diced
Instructions
- Rinse brown rice and set aside.
For Instant Pot:
- Start the instant pot in Sauté mode and let it heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, half the mushrooms and sprinkle some salt. Cook them for about 4 minutes until they brown. Take out and keep them aside. We will add these in at the end.
- Now add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic and onions to the instant pot. Sauté for 2 mins. Add mushrooms and sauté for another 3-4 minutes until they brown.
- Add brown rice, vegetable broth, and salt. Stir and deglaze the pot. Press cancel and close the lid with the vent in the sealing position.
- Select Manual or Pressure cook mode for 22 mins at high pressure (or 4 minutes for white rice). When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
- Add back in the mushrooms kept aside. Add in the optional tbsp of butter and mix well. Top with green onions and enjoy!
For Stovetop in a pot:
- Heat oil in a medium-large pot or saucepan over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, half the mushrooms and sprinkle some salt. Cook them for about 4 minutes until they brown. Take out and keep them aside. We will add these in at the end.
- Now add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic and onions to the pot. Sauté for 2 mins. Add mushrooms and sauté for another 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally until they brown.
- Add brown rice, vegetable broth and salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 35-40 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir in between starting at about 25 mins. (Cook covered for 15 minutes for white rice)
- When rice is done, add back in the mushrooms kept aside. Add in the optional tablespoon of butter and mix well. Top with green onions and enjoy!
Notes
- I used cremini mushrooms, but regular white button mushrooms will work too.
- I made this pilaf with short-grain brown rice. Long-grain brown rice will work too. You can also use white rice in this recipe.
- White basmati or jasmine rice will also work, however reduce the cooking time depending on the rice you choose. I cook white rice for 4 minutes at high pressure with 10 minute natural pressure release in the instant pot.
- I have used Better Than Bouillon base to make broth. It is just easier to keep at hand for all my cooking. You may want to skip adding salt if using it.
- I like to sprinkle some lime juice just before enjoying mushroom pilaf in the bowl.
Made this tonight in our Ninja Foodie, it was delicious! Will make it again.
Hi Jean – So happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing your experience 🙂
Planned on making this for a dinner party. While prepping the ingredients I realized I was out of brown rice. So I substituted farro. Plus I used dried parsley and thyme. I followed the recipe and it turned out fantastic. So delicious! Great with roasted chicken.
Hi Jody – So happy to hear 🙂
To be clear, I will describe the recipe and share the link to THIS page on my blog. 🙂
EXCELLENT! Quick, easy, and delicious. I used short-grain rice as you suggested and cooked it stovetop. It was just what I was looking for. Thank you! I will share it on my blog next time I have a moment to post something.