Many recipes I have are first-time recipes, meaning all the components to the recipe are all made as part of the recipe. However, I have quite a few second-time recipes: recipes that can be made with leftovers. This ginger brown rice dish is one of my favorite second-time dishes that's perfect for leftover or extra cooked brown rice you have. It comes together quickly and can serve as a solid side or as a main (with the help of added eggs or beans). This recipe is also highly adaptable and can really be used with any grain.
Carrot Ginger Rice
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 2 medium portions 1x
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 Β½ cups shredded carrots, about 2-3 large carrots
- 1 Β½ cup cooked brown rice (about ΒΎ cup uncooked)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tamari (soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon honey (see note)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
- Unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted
- Scallion Greens, for serving
- 2 hardboiled eggs, for serving
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium low heat. Add in garlic and ginger, cooking until they both become fragrant-roughly two minutes. Stir in shredded carrots and cook for 1-2 more minutes.
- Whisk together soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and sesame seeds. Pour over carrot mixture and cook until heated through.
- Finally, stir in rice and cook for 3-4 minutes or until rice is warm.
- Serve with toasted coconut.
Notes
+ Over the years I've dropped the honey from this recipe but I chose to leave the recipe as I originally posted it. If you're looking to make this vegan or just don't want to use the honey, drop it from the recipe- it's perfectly fine without it.
Ginger Brown Rice
variations
As mentioned above, this ginger brown rice can be used with different ingredients and in different ways as the ginger/garlic/soy combo is good in many ways (and I recommend keeping all those items in your pantry to use throughout the week!)
Grains: If you're not working with any leftover grains, I recommend making this with millet or quinoa for the ease and quick cooking.
Carrots: As discussed in the comments, any root vegetable would work- it just might take some adjustment time on the cooking side. Shredded sweet potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, and even celeriac (you might want to mix this with another root- a bit heavy on the flavor).
Salad: Turn this dish into a salad (with any type of green!)
Explore Carrots
I find myself always pairing carrots with grains. The combination of the earthy/sweet carrots works well with most grains and can come together to form a wholesome meal. Plus, carrots work with minimal (or no) cooking- a big plus in my kitchen. Also, I recommend looking for different varieties of carrots- they all have different flavors. A few of my favorite easy carrot recipes:
Cumin Braised Carrots with Chickpeas
Pickled Carrot and Hummus Sandwich
Roasted Carrots with Couscous and Gremolata
+ Originally posted on April 6th, 2012. Last updated on March 6th, 2016.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I like ginger and I like carrots, so this rice IS for me! Yum!
Maria says
oh yum!
Courtneyraejones says
This is going on the menu for the week! Sounds fantastic. π Have a great weekend!
Colleen says
I think I started appreciating carrots last year when I got some really good ones at the farmers market. What a great use for them!
Jessica Zigenis says
I always love your recipes. I wasn't raised learning how to cook or eat naturally, but with your recipes, it seems attainable and delicious. Thank you for opening up a whole new world to me.
ps. I'm always pinning your scrumptious recipes on pinterest so I can easily access them later, but I know there's a lot of controversy about pinning right now, so please do let me know if you'd rather I not pin them. I would totally understand and would rather not offend you. Thanks. : )
naturallyella says
First off, thank you for such a sweet comment. It's hard to express through text how much it means to me! Second, pin away! Thanks for your comment, Jessica!
Traci says
I actually don't know--what's the controversy with pinning right now?
I agree this looks delicious--I'm pinning it too. :]
rvank says
Yum! What a recipe. And look at those carrots!
leaf (the indolent cook) says
Looks beautiful, and scrumptious. I like what you said here - "My cooking is continually leaning towards simple-what can I do that has the least amount of ingredients but still have a delicious taste." - that is pretty much the way I roll, too. π
Kankana says
I have started eating brown rice only very recently and this is definitely the dish I am making next π
Lauren Estes says
This might be a dumb question, but do you do anything special to freeze your grains? or do you just cook them and toss them in a ziploc or freezer container? Thanks!
naturallyella says
Nothing special- I usually under cook them just a bit if I know I will be re-cooking them in a dish but other than that, I just let them cool and toss them in the freezer!
Fresh and Foodie says
This looks really great. I'm not a huge fan of carrots, but when paired with ginger they become something really special.
I too make a batch of grains and beans over the weekend. Bookmarking this for one of those nights when I'm drawing a blank when it comes to dinner ideas.
KimSteinmetz says
I made this for Easter dinner--WOW! It was great! My whole family really loved it! I found this recipe for brown rice at the same time: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Perfect-Brown-Rice. I doubled the rice and froze half on your suggestion (just in a ziplock bag). It worked out perfectly. Thanks so much!
naturallyella says
So glad it worked- thank is exactly how I make my rice and it never fails!
Kelsey says
This is LITERALLY a version of our staple weeknight meal. Rice. Veg. Oil. Herbs. This is totally advanced placement though, I like the toasted coconut. Your pictures get more and more beautiful with each post, friend. π
Ruby says
Thanks for the recipe! I made just it for lunch, just halfed all the ingredients. I used black forbidden rice instead since I had some leftover in the fridge, and I threw some grilled ahi tuna in at the same time as the rice, since I had some of that leftover in the fridge too!
Delicious!
Christina says
I made this today for the first time, and I am happy with the results. I had been looking for a new way to eat brown rice, and this recipe caught my attention. Next time I make it I want to try adding some chopped up bits of McIntosh apple, as I have found that to go very well with carrots.
Fork and Whisk says
HI Erin, I made this recipe tonight for dinner. So delicious! I added baby bok choy and topped it with poached wild salmon. Thank you for sharing the recipe and helping me use up some of my over-abundance of carrots. This will definitely be a go-to recipe for my family.
Amy says
I just tried this recipe and I love it! Colorful, tasty, simple, and I always have those ingredients around. I used apple cider vinegar instead of the rice wine vinegar and omitted the sesame seeds. Definitely will be a staple here, thank you!
Dorothy says
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for the wonderful recipes. This was
outstanding! I used a harvest grains blend instead of the rice. I will
have to remember not to to so much multi-tasking while toasting coconut,
however. It was a little burned, but still a quite delicious topping!
Marilyn Lauzon says
This recipe is really good!!! Thanks!
athursto says
Omg omg finally made this one. SO GOOD!
Carol says
I will definitely try this. Had not thought of freezing rice ready to use, do you defrost it before frying?
elalderson says
Usually- I'll pull a couple cups out to keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
Jenna says
I found this post and recipe last fall and have to say: we have made it so many times I've lost track! All three of us love it, especially the toddler. Sometimes I increase the amount of carrots, just because it's always nice to get more vegetables in our diet, especially when they're so tasty. And a couple of times I've added cooked, shelled edamame beans (I can find them frozen) in the third step. I've fried some of the leftovers with a beaten egg on occasion. Thanks for a great recipe!
Ale says
Hello,
I just wanted to know how many servings do you get from the recipe. Thank you. It sounds delicious π
erin says
It serves 1 large portion or 2 side portions!
Ellen says
Tasty, tasty! I love when rice vinegar and ginger get together. I'm not a huge tofu eater, but I think it'd be good in this dish.
Joanie says
Hi Erin!
I was wondering if this would be good if I replace the carrots with another root vegetable (like beets, parsnips or sweet potatoes).
Thank you!
erin says
Hi Joanie, Sorry for the slow reply- this comment got buried! I think yes, it would be! I'm loving the idea of beets or parsnips (you could probably use sweet potatoes but might want a longer cooking time.)
Cassie says
This looks absolutely incredible Ella! I love carrots, and I think the ginger would add a perfect spice to it!
Tori says
Yummy! This sounds like the perfect Springtime side dish!
Fox Kitchen says
I will definitely try this out this week!
Jennifer says
Has anyone made this with a protein source other than eggs? I was wondering what type of bean would be best or if you had any other experiences? Thank you! I can't wait to try it.
erin says
Hi Jennifer- If not eggs, I usually make this with chickpeas that have been lightly toasted (for a little warmth). Hope that helps!
Pure Ella says
This looks so delicious!! AND I LOVE the new look!! It's gorgeous Erin!! xox
Jesse | the domestic says
Saving this one! Looks so comforting and delicious.
Fox Kitchen says
This tasted really good, I recreated the recipe on my blog π
Daphne says
Made this planning to have some left over for tomorrow... It was so good I ate all of it in minutes!! Thanks for this DELICIOUS recipe. Will make again (and again)
Alexandra says
Omg, I just made this. It is absolutely AMAZING!!!
Alexandra says
OMG, this is hands down the best dish EVER!! I made it last week and both my husband and I were amazed at the amount of flavour packed in such a "simple" dish!! I know and cook with all the ingredients, but for some reason putting them together in this way creates the most amazing dish. I would be happy to eat this and only this for the rest of my life :0). Thank you very much for this recipe. Have been looking around your site (love it!) and will be making more recipes soon, can't wait to try them out!
★★★★★
Alexandra says
Oeps, guess I liked it so much I felt the need to post the same comment twice ;0) (although the second was much more elaborate)..
Teresa says
What a wonderful recipe!!! I made this fabulous dish this evening with a few modifications ....I omitted the coconut flakes, scallions & eggs. I drizzled some fig balsamic vinegar on top along with a few drops of some hot sauce. Delicious!! Next time, I'll add some crispy baked tofu. Many thanks for this recipe!!!
Hannah says
After being offered my dream job today, I am celebrating with your delicious recipe and a glass of bubbles. I am feeling grateful and full on yummy goodness! Thank you!
Amanda says
This was excellent as a side to ginger beef (without egg)! Thanks!
Diane says
I loved it! Goes great with citrus ginger salmon!
★★★★★