Simple Brown Rice Salad with Pesto Dressing
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This Brown Rice Salad is crammed with crunchy veggies, tasty herbs and crisply toasted nuts. Drizzled in a punchy pesto dressing it’s packed with flavour but is very easy to whip up on a moment’s notice. A crowd pleasing dish perfect for bringing to BBQs, picnics and potlucks.
This is the kind of simple salad which is an absolute standby for any barbecue or picnic or even just weekend meal prep. It’s so easy and I’m hoping that most of these ingredients are already in your fridge so that if you are suddenly called upon to bring something to a large gathering you can bust this out with nary a stressful thought. If not, there’s plenty of substitutions you can swap in too.
This rice salad can be played around with to your heart’s content, depending on what ingredients you have in your fridge and barely needs me to structure it with a recipe but sometimes when inspiration fails you a little nudge in the right direction is needed.
The salad ingredients here are of the simplest variety. There is basic salad drawer stuff here like celery, bell pepper, red onion, cucumber and cherry tomatoes. I have included flaked almonds for crunch but any nuts or seeds will do and I have used parsley and dill but again, if you have basil and coriander then go for it. However, the dill does work especially well and I think is a completely under used herb.
You can afford to cheat a bit with the pesto vinaigrette. I will often have a jar of homemade pesto knocking around my fridge but if all you have is Tesco own brand then use that – no judgment, after all you are making a salad and that is what should be celebrated, not that you have been given a slight helping hand with the dressing. Any type of pesto will do – green or red or coriander, whatever you have to hand.
The great thing about this simple brown rice salad is that it will pretty much go with anything else that’s on the table and it keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days so can be prepared ahead of time. I am always thankful to have this rice salad recipe in my back pocket during summer and hope you will be too.
Why You’ll Love This Brown Rice Salad
- Good punchy flavour – nothing bland going on here.
- Quick and easy to make.
- Fridge and larder staple ingredients (hopefully no trip to the shop is needed).
- Serves a crowd.
- Great to make-ahead and keeps well in the fridge with no wilting.
- Naturally gluten-free.
Ingredients Needed
Brown rice. The economic way is to cook up a batch of wholegrain rice fresh for the salad. The cheat’s way is to use microwave rice which you can heat for a couple of minutes in the microwave. Whatever you have time for. You can use long grain brown rice (my personal choice) or brown basmati.
Pesto. The other main ingredient in this salad which we use for the dressing to give us all our flavour. I have used all kinds of pesto for this recipe and will most often use classic green pesto – choose your favourite supermarket version. However, I have also used my Homemade Feta Pistachio Mint Pesto and believe me, if you have the time to make this one then you will adore it.
Red onion. I don’t appreciate raw onion in a salad as I find the flavour a bit abrasive. However, here we spend a moment more just pickling the onion in lemon juice, sugar and salt whilst we are prepping the rest of our vegetables and it makes so much difference. It takes the sharpness away without much effort at all.
Salad vegetables. I suggest using our fridge drawer staples. Cucumber, orange or red or yellow pepper, cherry tomatoes and celery. I love celery but unfortunately my children don’t so when I’m making it for our family I have to leave it out. Feel free to do the same if you are not a celery lover. You could swap for fennel if you prefer.
Fresh herbs. Here’s where we are levelling up even more flavour. Parsley and dill are my go-to here. However, you can use basil or coriander as well or instead of. Basically a fresh leafy herb.
Almonds. These can absolutely be omitted if you need something nut free. However, if you can include then do as they give a great toasty crunch. You could swap for pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds to keep the crunch in.
Extra virgin olive oil. If you are dressing the salad straight away then EVOO is what you’ll likely have in the cupboard and it’s a great choice. If you are making the dressing ahead of time and chilling then swap for avocado oil as it keeps a liquid state in the fridge.
Dijon mustard. This gives piquancy to the dressing so it’s not too rich.
Lemon juice. We are using for both the dressing and for pickling our red onion. It balances the flavour of the onion but also adds acidity to the pesto dressing so it doesn’t taste too rich.
Sugar. We are just using a small pinch for pickling our red onion. You don’t need to – the lemon juice and salt is enough if you prefer.
Salt and pepper. The quantities I’ve given in the recipe are a guide. You should definitely try the salad before serving to see if you want to add a little extra seasoning. I use kosher salt which is quite gentle but at the end I might also finish with a sprinkling of flaked sea salt.
How to Make Brown Rice Salad
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions then cool.
Mix the pesto dressing. You’ll make the pesto into a proper vinaigrette which will balance out the flavours so the whole dish isn’t too rich.
Mix the dressing with the brown rice.
Pickle the diced red onions in lemon juice, salt and sugar and toast the almonds.
Dice the vegetables and finely chop the herbs.
Assemble the salad.
Tips & Troubleshooting
How To Cool Rice Safely
Rice is a great crowd pleaser but we need to make sure to adhere to food safety as rice should not be left out at room temperature indefinitely:
- Cool the rice quickly by tipping into a shallow baking tray, once cooked and drained, and spreading into an even layer. After 10 minutes the rice will be warm and ready to be dressed.
- Store the rice salad in the fridge immediately after making.
- If transporting then pack in ice to keep cold.
- Serve immediately and only keep out at room temperature for 1- 2 hours at most.
Dress the brown rice when it’s warm with the dressing alone so the rice has a chance to absorb the pesto flavours for 10 minutes whilst you are preparing the salad vegetables.
Build the texture into your salad. I deliberately choose crunchy salad vegetables to add body to the rice salad. The generous handfuls of herbs will add softness to the texture and the almonds (or seeds if you are choosing to use) will add a crisper crunch.
Dice the vegetables into even sized pieces. I like to chop them as small as I can which makes the salad a joy to eat.
You can serve the salad straightway or allow to chill before serving. When the rice chills it firms up a little more so has a nuttier texture. Both ways it tastes great.
Season properly. My guidance in the recipe is for the bare minimum of seasoning. If your salad is tasting a little bland before you put it to the table, it’s amazing what a couple of grinds of the salt and pepper mill can do to bring it to life.
FAQs
If you are serving as part of a BBQ or picnic then I recommend keeping the rice salad at room temperature for between 1-2 hours maximum to adhere to food safety practices.
Rice salad can be kept covered and chilled for up to 3 days.
If the brown rice is overcooked then the salad will be mushy. Cook the rice as per the packet instructions and cool quickly in an even layer rather then leaving it warm in a colander.
Rice salad is at its best within three days of preparation. However, if you are feeling it’s a little dry after day one then you can refresh with an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before serving.
Brown Rice Salad Variations
The main variations I make on this salad is either swapping around the salad vegetables to what I have in my fridge and/or adding a protein to turn it into a really substantial meal.
Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad. Adding feta or halloumi works so well here. Mix in some olives too to add lovely saltiness.
Brown Rice and Chickpea Salad. Adding in a couple of handfuls of chickpeas makes this into a protein-rich salad and an excellent vegetarian lunch.
Brown Rice Chicken Salad. This is my most used variation on the recipe and how I eat the salad for leftovers. I will use poached and shredded chicken and just mix it into the salad.
Brown Rice Salad with Roasted Vegetables. Give the salad vegetables here a skip and turn to these Perfectly Roasted Vegetables. Just toss them into the salad instead for a real top tier rice salad.
How To Serve Brown Rice Salad
This Rice Salad is a great meal prep recipe to keep in the fridge for easy lunches or packed lunches (avoid the almonds if it’s going to school). However, it comes into it own at the following:
- Summer BBQs
- Picnic spreads
- It’s delicious with grilled chicken, halloumi, salmon or lamb skewers.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Feta Pesto with Pistachio & Mint is beautifully bright, fresh and creamy. Wonderful in pasta but also delicious drizzled over grilled meat or in this salad dressing.
Coronation Chicken Salad is incredibly versatile and a naturally gluten-free crowd pleaser. Curried, roasted and shredded chicken thighs are dressed with a fragrant yoghurt and mayonnaise dressing and dried apricots.
English Mint Potato Salad is a light and healthy potato salad. It is dairy-free and ideal for picnics or outdoors eating as it doesn’t have any mayo so there is no risk of spoiling in the hot sun.
This French Grated Carrot Salad is an extremely simple and classic salad of julienned carrots and finely chopped parsley dressed in a white wine vinaigrette. It is best made with the sweetest garden carrots.
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Simple Brown Rice Salad with Pesto Dressing
Ingredients
- 175 g uncooked brown rice - or 500g cooked brown rice
- ½ red onion
- ½ lemon
- Pinch white sugar
- Pinch salt
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 bell pepper (orange / red / yellow)
- ½ cucumber
- 150 g cherry tomatoes
- 40 g flaked almonds
- 2 large handfuls fresh parsley
- 1 medium handful fresh dill dill
Pesto Dressing
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ lemon - 15-20g juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 80 g pesto
- 50 g extra virgin olive oil - 50g
Instructions
- Cook the brown rice according to the packet instructions (20-25 minutes).
- Whilst the rice is cooking toast the almonds by tipping the almonds in a saucepan so they are in a very shallow even layer. Heat on a low-medium heat for 1-2 minutes, tossing occasionally, until just turning golden. Remove the almonds from the pan to cool in a small bowl.
- Prepare the pesto dressing by whisking the Dijon and lemon juice along with some salt and pepper in a small bowl until emulsified and thickened.
- Whisk in the pesto then drizzle in the olive oil whisking all the time until the dressing has come together. Allow to sit and the flavours to mingle whilst you are waiting for the rice to finish cooking.
- Drain the rice once cooked then tip out onto a shallow baking tray to cool whilst you are chopping the rest of the salad ingredients.
- Prepare the red onion by peeling and dicing very small then covering in a small bowl with the juice of half the lemon and a pinch of sugar and salt for 10 minutes.
- Once the rice has been cooling for 10 minutes then tip into a large mixing bowl and toss with the pesto dressing. Allow the rice to absorb the dressing whilst you prepare the rest of the vegetables.
- Dice the celery, pepper and quarter the cherry tomatoes. Then de-seed the cucumber by halving lengthways and scooping out the seeds with a teaspoon. Dice the remaining cucumber. Then finely chop the parsley leaves and dill.
- Drain the red onion from its pickling mixture then mix with the dressed rice, along with the rest of the salad ingredients (save some flaked almonds to top the salad upon serving) and toss together well.
- Cover and store the salad in the fridge until needed.
- When ready to serve transfer to a large salad bowl and sprinkle over the flaked almonds.
Notes
- Serves 4 as a lunch or several people as part of a buffet table.
- Rice should not be left out at room temperature for longer than 1-2 hours at the maximum. Make sure to keep chilled during transportation (if you are taking to a picnic or BBQ).
- Dress the brown rice when it’s warm with the dressing alone so the rice has a chance to absorb the pesto flavours for 10 minutes whilst you are preparing the salad vegetables.
- You can use your favourite salad vegetables but to keep the right texture, make sure they are lovely and crunchy.
- Almonds can be swapped for pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
- You can serve the salad straightway or allow to chill before serving. When the rice chills it firms up a little more so has a nuttier texture. Both ways it tastes great.
- Taste for seasoning before serving.
- Storing. Keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
