Vegan Seasoned Zucchini Rice
Simple, flavorful, and bursting with color, this Vegan Seasoned Zucchini Rice is the perfect addition to your dinner plate. Made with basic long grain rice, mixed with a number of spices, and finished off with a whole zucchini, this seasoned rice recipe packs in the flavor and nutritional value.
One of the side dishes I love making in a pinch is long grain rice. I always have the ingredients on hand, plus I can whip it up in under 30 minutes. Some days I am so industrious that I make a pot of it while I am cooking breakfast to make one less dish at dinnertime.
The functionality and stretch I can get with a pot of rice is something I never take for granted so as the season changes I thought it might be time to make some changes to my go-to pot of long grain rice.
By cooking the rice in vegetable broth, adding a few spices, and finishing the dish off with fresh grated zucchini, I have elevated my simple side to a sensational summer side dish.
Why We Love This Seasoned Zucchini Rice
Making a hearty and filling side dish that everyone enjoys can often be a struggle. Thankfully this seasoned zucchini rice recipe is one everyone loves because it’s:
- Vegan. With all of the ingredients being plant-based, this filling side is also a vegan dish everyone can enjoy.
- Ready in 35 minutes. With simple steps and mostly hands off time, you can whip up a pot of this seasoned rice in about 35 minutes.
- Versatile. You can pair this zucchini rice with a number of different main dishes.
Vegan Changes to Seasoned Rice
Making this zucchini rice recipe a vegan side involved two intentionally plant-based ingredients.
- Vegetable broth– Cooking the rice with a ratio of water to vegetable broth gives it a stronger flavor.
- Plant-based butter– When adding the spices I also like to add a Tablespoon of vegan butter for additional flavor.
How to Make Vegan Seasoned Zucchini Rice
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Liquids– A blend of water and vegetable broth help cook the long grain rice.
- Long grain rice– No special blend, just your basic white rice.
- Spice blend– A mixture of dried basil, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, salt, and pepper season the rice.
- Vegan butter– A tablespoon of your favorite plant-based butter gives a boost of flavor to the rice.
- Zucchini– A small to medium sized zucchini grated over a cheese grater is added at the end.
Step-by-Step Directions for Seasoned Zucchini Rice
- Boil liquids: In a small saucepan, bring water and vegetable broth to a boil.
- Add rice: Once boiling, add long grain rice and return to boil.
- Season: Stir in basil, onion powder, garlic powder, dried parsley, salt, black pepper, and plant-based butter.
- Cook seasoned rice: Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes.
- Fluff time: After 15 minutes, remove from heat but leave the lid on the pan for 5 minutes.
- Add zucchini: When the 5 minutes is up, stir in shredded zucchini and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
When you are ready to whip up a pot of this delicious seasoned zucchini rice, here are a few different kitchen tools you might find helpful.
- Grater– A simple cheese grater will get the right sized pieces of zucchini into the pot.
- Saucepan– One with a lid is perfect to making a pot of rice.
- Measuring spoons– Great for all of the spices you are adding into the rice.
Serving Suggestions
There are a number of different dishes you can serve up with this zucchini seasoned rice recipe.
Vegan Sides: Sheet pan roasted vegetables, air fryer shishito peppers, oven baked sweet potatoes, microwave corn, vegan green bean casserole, and twice baked sweet potatoes.
Non-Vegan Dishes: Air fryer chicken parm, dry rubbed slow cooker ribs, Italian marinated chicken thighs, Greek marinated chicken thighs, or juicy oven baked chicken.
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Seasoned Zucchini Rice
This is a great make ahead recipe that you can whip up on a meal prep day and eat throughout the week. I also think it freezes and re-heats well so here are my tips for storing, freezing, and re-heating your vegan zucchini rice.
- Storing– Allow the rice to cool before storing in a refrigerator safe container for up to 5 days.
- Freezing– Place in a freezer safe container and keep up to 3 months in the freezer. I like to portion out 2 cup servings using Souper Cubes and then only pull out a 2 cup serving as needed.
- Thawing from frozen– Remove from the freezer the night before you plan to use and allow to thaw in the fridge overnight before re-heating.
- Reheating– Reheat in the microwave on 30 second intervals until desired level of doneness. Alternatively you can reheat on the stove but you will want to splash a little broth or water in the pan with the rice to prevent drying out.
Zucchini Recipes to Make Next
Looking for more ways to use those zucchini plants this summer? Here are a few recipes I like to make with zucchini each summer.
If you tried this seasoned zucchini rice recipe please let me know in the comments below!
You can also share a picture of it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy so I can see all of your life after dairy adventures!
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Seasoned Zucchini Rice
Vegan seasoned zucchini rice is a hearty and flavorful rice recipe boosted with a serving of fresh zucchini. Ready in under 30 minutes, this dairy-free side dish is sure to add a boost of color and flavor to your dinner plate.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup Water
- 1 cup Vegetable Broth
- 1 cup Rice (long grain)
- ½ teaspoon Dried Basil
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Dried Parsley
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon Vegan Butter
- 1 cup Shredded Zucchini
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water and 1 cup vegetable broth to a boil.
- Once boiling, add 1 cup long grain rice and return to boil.
- Stir in ½ teaspoon Dried Basil, ½ teaspoon Onion Powder, ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder, ½ teaspoon Dried Parsley, ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Pepper, and 1 Tablespoon plant-based butter.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove from heat but leave the lid on the pan for 5 minutes.
- When the 5 minutes is up, stir in 1 cup of shredded zucchini and let sit for about 5 minutes.
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