The Greeks can get pretty fancy with a simple rice dish! This delicious lemony Greek rice and chickpeas uses just rice, chickpeas and a few other pantry ingredients to make a delicious lunch or side. Made in the pressure cooker or on the stove top, this is ready in under 30 minutes.

Why you’ll love Greek rice and chickpeas

If you’re a fan of risotto, you’ll probably like this. You could say it’s like a Greek risotto or a rice pilaf. A simple one made with just a few ingredients. If you have a pressure cooker, it’s ready in about 10 minutes. If not, just make it on the stove top in not much more time than this.

You absolutely could eat this beautiful Mediterranean rice with chickpeas by itself, perhaps squeezed with extra lemon and a sprinkle of feta cheese. All you need is a bowl of this and you have a simple but delicious, hearty and healthy vegetarian lunch.

Personally, my favourite way to eat it is as a side dish – with something simple like roast chicken, steak, meatballs or fish. But it also makes pretty good lunch leftovers – either hot or cold.

Ingredients

It’s quite possible that you have almost everything you need in the cupboard already to make this delicious and very easy Greek lemon rice.

Things you may have already:

• olive oil, salt and pepper
• dried oregano
• rice
• chicken or veggie stock (choose veggie of course if you want to keep the dish vegetarian or even vegan)
• onion and garlic

Things you might have to buy:

• a couple of lemons (both the zest and the juice)
• a can of chickpeas

Optional – but recommended – toppings:

• fresh dill (or use another garnish: see this list of best dill substitutes for ideas)
• feta cheese

What kind of rice to use

Actually, the kind of rice you use for this recipe isn’t as important as you might think.

Usually (but not always), I use a risotto rice. Or arborio rice. These types will get you a creamy result, a bit like an actual risotto.

But to be honest I’ve used all kinds of rice to make this… successfully!

Only got plain white rice? No problem!

Pro tip: Don’t wash the rice first. You don’t want to wash away the starch as that’s what will make the dish nice and creamy.

How to make it in an electric pressure cooker

It couldn’t be easier to make this if you happen to have an Instant pot or electric pressure cooker. Can you believe you can make it in just 10 minutes?

Here’s what you do.

• Soften red onions with garlic in a generous amount of olive oil (don’t be shy).

• Add most of the other ingredients (rice, stock, herbs, lemon, chickpeas, salt, pepper).

• Pressure cook on high for 6 minutes followed by a quick release of the pressure.

• Scatter over more lemon juice and fresh dill. Sprinkle over some feta cheese too if you like.

There might be a little excess liquid when it’s just cooked. As it stands, however, the liquid will be absorbed. Leftovers will absorb even more of the liquid. The amount of liquid doesn’t really matter, however. Either way is delicious.

Can you make it on the stove top?

Yes! If you don’t happen to have a pressure cooker, you can still make this very quickly and easily in about 15 minutes.

The process for making it is pretty much the same. The cook time is slightly longer, but the dish ends up being ready at about the same time because you aren’t waiting for the pressure cooker to come to pressure.

You don’t have to babysit it while it’s cooking too much, either. Just stir a couple of times during the cooking time and add a splash more water if it needs it.

How to serve Greek rice

This yummy lemony rice makes an excellent easy side dish! It goes especially well with:

• these easy baked chicken thighs. You can throw them in your oven or even air fryer before you start cooking your rice so that they’re ready at the same time. Prefer to stick with a Greek theme? How about this chicken kabob recipe (souvlaki!), marinated lamb chops (use this Greek lamb marinade recipe) or Greek marinated chicken? (wings, thighs, whatever you like)

• Greek rice also goes well with dishes with a sauce. It’s delicious served with this Mediterranean chicken with yogurt sauce.

• impossible quiche or zucchini slice! Again, just make the rice while they’re in the oven.

• Greek spinach and feta filo pie. This is especially great if you want to keep your meal vegetarian.

• a yummy protein like spinach feta stuffed chicken, easy panko chicken or Greek baked fish.

• this incredibly delicious Greek baked eggplant with tomato and feta. You seriously won’t believe how yummy it is.

• all kinds of warm or cold leftovers. Just whatever you have!

However… I do sometimes happily eat this rice on its own. It’s particulary delicious scattered with a bit of fresh dill and feta cheese. Maybe you could even add a serving of delicious Greek tsatziki sauce on the side. Mmm!

What to do with the leftovers

This dish also makes great lunch leftovers. Warm through again in the microwave, or take to work and eat cold.

Alternatively, you could turn your leftovers into a real treat. Have you ever made arancini balls? Leftover Mediterranean rice with chickpeas would make incredible arancini. Just stuff cubes of feta cheese in the middle of small balls of leftover rice, then roll in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs and fry! Serve with marinara sauce. Yum.

Variations

If you like, add some frozen or fresh spinach as well as or even instead of the chickpeas. Spinach rice is also very tasty and a common lunch food in Greece.

Add some mushrooms or leeks with the onions. Vary the dried herbs. You don’t have to use dill if you don’t like it or can’t find it. In fact I wrote a whole post on the best dill substitutes, if you’d like to take a look!

This is delicious as a vegan (just skip the feta) or vegetarian rice dish. But if you like you can add meat. Just saute some chicken pieces with the onions for a few minutes before cooking as normal.

More easy Mediterranean side dishes

• I’ve made these 2-minute olive oil toasts more times than I can count when I need a SUPER easy side. Give them a try – you’ll be hooked!

• Make a dish of this yummy baked feta with tomatoes, peppers and olives and serve it with some roast chicken, steak or fish. Mmmm.

• These Greek potatoes are legendary. Seriously, you have to try them.

• This is our very favourite baked eggplant with tomatoes and feta. Make it the day before, then just reheat and serve with meatballs. Incredible.

• Many of these 15 easy Greek appetizers can be served as side dishes. Check them out!

Like main dish rice dishes, too? Check out these quick air fried Mediterranean stuffed peppers, or this delicious baked risotto with chicken and chorizo (So easy, and no constant stirring of the pot!).