This fluffy, turmeric basmati rice with peas is an easy side that’s perfect with curries or grilled meats and ready in under 30 minutes!
Turmeric Basmati Rice with Peas
This vibrant Turmeric Basmati Rice with Peas is one of those simple sides I love to make when we have Indian food for dinner. It elevates your everyday basmati rice and brings a little more color and flavor to the table. This recipe is inspired by the Indian-style rice I used to order with curries when I worked in NYC. I’ve
recreated a version at home that’s streamlined, pantry-friendly, and family- approved. You can serve it as a side dish with grilled meats, kabobs (like my Chicken Tikka), roasted vegetables, or as a base for a quick lunch bowl with protein on top. It’s naturally gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan.
Why You’ll Love This Turmeric Basmati Rice
I’ve been cooking rice since I was about 15. It’s hands down one of my favorite things to eat! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen me make rice in my stories a few times a week. It’s a staple in my kitchen, so when I share a rice recipe, you know it’s been tested and perfected. I tested this rice twice to get the flavor just right. Using bouillon—whether veggie, chicken, or Better Than Bouillon—takes it to the next level. Here’s why it works:
- Fluffy, fragrant basmati rice with a gorgeous golden color
- Great side dish for your favorite Indian cuisine
- Fast: Ready in under 30 minutes
- An easy anti-inflammatory side that goes with everything
- Dietary Restrictions: Weight Watchers-friendly, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and anti-inflammatory
If you make this healthy turmeric basmati rice recipe, I would love to see it. Tag me in your photos or videos on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. And be sure to join the Skinnytaste Community to see what everyone’s cooking!
Ingredients You Will Need
Here are the ingredients for this simple turmeric basmati rice with peas. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Olive Oil to saute the aromatics in, coconut oil, butter or any neutral oil works
- Aromatics: Onion and garlic is used here. Shallots would also be great.
- Turmeric makes the rice yellow and gives it a warm, earthy flavor.
- Basmati Rice is a fragrant, long-grain rice. Feel free to use any long-grain rice.
- Liquid: Cook the rice in water flavored with bouillon cubes. Use vegetable bouillon to keep it vegan and vegetarian.
- Frozen Peas for fiber and pops of green
- Bay Leaves for a subtle herbal note
- Salt and Black Pepper for seasoning
How to Make Turmeric Basmati Rice
Steam is the name of the game when cooking basmati rice. You need to use a pot with a tightly fitted lid and follow the directions. No peaking or stirring the rice unless instructed–you don’t want the steam to escape! See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.
- Saute the onion, garlic, and turmeric on medium heat in a heavy pot with a tight lid. If you don’t have a good lid, cover the pot with foil and then top it with the lid.
- Add the Remaining Ingredients: Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes. Next, add the water, bouillon, bay leaves, pepper, and salt. Taste the water to ensure it’s flavorful and salty enough.
- Cook the Rice: Bring the water to a boil on medium-high heat and stir once. As the water boils down and just barely skims the top of the rice, reduce the heat to low and cover for 15 minutes. The steam cooks the rice, so don’t remove the lid!
- Let It Sit: After 15 minutes, turn off the stove and leave it for 5 minutes before removing the lid. The steam will finish cooking the rice without burning the bottom. Then, you can fluff it with a fork.
Variations
- Cooking Liquid: Use vegetable broth instead of water and bouillon. Just be sure to adjust the salt to taste.
- Fat: Swap olive oil for butter for more flavor.
- Cooking Method: You can cook it on the stovetop, in a rice cooker, or in the Instant Pot. If making it in the Instant Pot, follow my instructions and ratio for Instant Pot Basmati Rice.
- Herbs: I like finishing it with fresh herbs like cilantro or mint for brightness, but it’s optional.
- Veggies: Add carrots with the peas. You can buy a bag of frozen peas and carrots or use fresh carrots chopped into small pieces.
Serving Suggestions
I love eating this yellow basmati rice with Indian-inspired curries or any grilled protein. Below are some ideas:
- Curries: Lentil Curry, Indian Shrimp Curry, Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk, Lamb Kheema, Chicken Tikka Masala
- Protein: Grilled Chicken, Chicken Tikka Kebab, Coconut Red Curry Shrimp Skewers
Storage
- Refrigerate the rice and peas for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- How to Reheat Rice: Place the rice in a microwave-safe bowl with an ice cube on top (or stir in a tablespoon of water) and cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap or a lid. Microwave it for 30 seconds to a minute until warm, and throw out the ice cube when done.
More Rice Dishes You Will Love
For more side dish recipes using rice, check out these six delicious rice recipes to inspire your next meal!
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Instant Pot Rice
- House Special Fried Rice
- Latin Yellow Rice
- Homemade Rice Pilaf
- Black Beans and Rice
Turmeric Basmati Rice
Equipment
- medium heavy pot
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoon olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 large veggie bouillon cubes, or chicken bouillon (such as knorrs or maggi) or 4 teaspoons Better than Bouillon
- 2 dry bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium heavy pot with a tight fitting lid, heat oil on medium heat and saute onions, garlic and turmeric for about 2 minutes, until tender.
- Add the rice and stir, saute 2 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Add the water, peas, bouillon cubes, bay leaves, black pepper, and taste for salt, it should be flavorful and salty enough like a soup, adjust as needed.
- Let the water boil on a medium-high heat stirring once at this point. As the water boils down and just barely skims the top of the rice, reduce heat to very low and cover 15 minutes.
- The steam will cook the rice so do not open the lid. After 15 minutes, shut the flame off and let it sit at least 5 more minutes without touching the lid. The steam will finish cooking the rice without burning the bottom. Then fluff with a fork and enjoy.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
- Don’t touch until it’s done. Let it sit 5 minutes after cooking, then fluff the rice with a fork. Don’t stir it while it’s cooking, it will smash the rice.
- Don’t open the lid until it’s finished and has rested 5 minutes. The steam is what will finish cooking the rice, if you lift the lid you will lose the steam.
- You will need a heavy pot with a tight fitted lid to make rice. This is a must, if any steam escapes your rice will be under cooked.
- If you don’t have a tight fitted lid, you can place a sheet of foil over the pot, then top with the lid to prevent steam from escaping.
- Don’t cover the rice until most of the liquid has been absorbed and is just
skimming the top or it will come out too wet. - This recipe can easily be halved.
Best rice I’ve ever tasted & SO easy!
Awesome recipe which brought a ton of flavor to our curry! It tasted like a restaurant.
Great!! The perfect method to make basmati rice. The flavours and taste were great.
I made this in my rice cooker, as suggested by someone else. Started off with sauteing everything, rinsed my rice, put the rice and water in, then the sauteed stuff, added chicken boullion cubes, bay leaves, etc and cooked on white/sushi setting. Did not add peas, because I hate peas. It was incredible! Made to accompany the Chicken Tikka Kabobs, an absolute must!
This was really good. I made it with the chicken tikka kebabs and will halve the rice recipe next time. It makes a ton of rice.
One of my guests asked why I was putting foil under the lid of my pan. Lol! This recipe was absolutely perfect! I followed the directions to the letter and wound up with perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned rice. I served it with the Chicken Tikka Kabobs. Amazing!
Can I substitute jasmine rice?
This was delicious. I used the Instant Pot to saute and then cook the rice (3 min high, sit for15 minutes). So easy!
I made this in the rice cooker and this is the first time I used the rice cooker to make “seasoned” rice. It was perfection, better than a restaurant. I still used a skillet with olive oil to saute the onions and garlic, and add the turmeric. Once that sauted maybe 5 mins or so, I added that mixture to my rice / water mixture in the rice cooker. I had powdered bouillon so that also went directly into the rice cooker along with the bay leaf, salt and pepper. After the rice was done in the cooker, I added the peas, which I had defrosted slightly in the microwave. It cooked perfectly and was delicious. We ate this with the Chicken Tikka kebabs. Will definitely make this again!
Possibly the best rice I’ve ever made at home! I loved it! I made the recipe with brown basmati rice. I followed the recipe method for cooking the rice but made sure it was cooking for approximately what my package instructions recommended. It does make a lot so I think I might try to do a half of the recipe for me next time.
Made half a recipe, and the method worked like a charm. I cooked the peas on their own as I don’t like them overcooked, and my husband loves peas and would want more of them! This would be good with lots of dishes as it has subtle flavor.
How would I make this with brown basmati rice please? It sounds wonderful!
Gina, Do you use a special extra long grain authentic basmati rice and if so, will you share the brand?
I honestly use what I can find. I know there’s a lot of options on amazon, if anyone knows of an extra long basmati rice, please share!
Easy and flavorful. Gina taught me how to make perfect rice. So bright and yummy.
I made this with the chicken tikka kebab. The chicken was outstanding, I thought the rice had too much liquid as it came out more mushy than I would have expected for basmati. Any suggestions?
Sounds like you didn’t let the liquid simmer until it was just skimming the top of the rice before you covered the pot.
What if you use bone broth instead of water to up the protein? Do you still need bouillon?
Made this tonight with the air fryer blackened salmon bites and it was delicious!!! 10/10 Will be on rotation moving forward.
YAY
Any way to do this in the Instant Pot?
Yes, follow my Instant Pot rice recipe, with these spices and seasoning.