This beef bouillon rice is an easy way to level up plain white rice. Few ingredients, big flavor. Good enough to eat on its own, but still lets your main dish shine when served as a side. Now that's a balance I love!

I cook a lot of rice, partly because I don’t tolerate gluten well, so you’ll find plenty of rice sides on my blog here.
After over 15 years of cooking rice, I’ve perfected a method that makes each grain soft and fluffy without turning mushy. The steps are straightforward enough that I’ve never felt the need for a rice cooker. Lord knows I don't need another gadget cluttering my counter.
You can use the most inexpensive regular long-grain white rice for this recipe, and you’ll still get a side you’ll want to add to your rotation.
Oh, and if you’re wondering whether I’ve got a chicken bouillon rice recipe, I sure do! I’ve got cumin-spiced rice and buttered basmati recipes as well.
Pre-cooking notes
Some helpful notes on the ingredients before you get cooking. If you're looking for ingredient quantities, those are down below in the recipe card.
- Good quality white rice is great, but generic store-brand, long-grain white rice is totally fine. I love basmati for this recipe. You can use other kinds of rice too, but you’ll need to adjust the soak and cook times depending on the type. For example, parboiled rice needs a longer soak and cook time. I’d avoid jasmine rice.
- I use green bell pepper because that’s what I usually have in my refrigerator, but any color bell pepper can be used. Different colors will give you slightly different tastes and sweetness levels, but I’ve tried the recipe with (almost) all kinds of bell peppers and the rice turned out great every time.
- If you're using beef base like Better Than Bouillon or granulated beef bouillon instead of a bouillon cube, make sure you're using only the amount the package says is needed for 1 cup of broth/stock for each cup of rice you're preparing.
- If you’re using regular white rice or basmati, do not change the water-to-rice ratio. It should always be 1.5 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice, no matter what the package says.
A visual guide for making beef bouillon rice
The initial steps of this recipe are pretty easy to follow, but the tricky part for most people is the steaming step and what comes after. It’s easy to mess up the rice if those steps aren’t done correctly. That’s where these process photos come in handy. For example, in the fifth photo, you can see exactly how much water should be left before moving on to steaming.
For the full recipe, including all the ingredients, amounts, and helpful notes, scroll down to the recipe card below.

In a saucepan, heat the oil/butter, add minced garlic and diced bell pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes to soften.

Next, add water, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Also add beef bouillon base, cube or granules. Stir well. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat.

Once boiling, add the soaked and drained rice. Stir gently, then cover the pan again. Cook for 4 to 7 minutes, or until most of the water has been absorbed.

When you see little bubbles and steam pockets forming on the surface and just a bit of water left around the edges, gently stir the rice once. Then cover again, turn the heat down to low, and let it steam for exactly 10 minutes.

Next, turn off the heat and take the saucepan off the stovetop. Keep the lid on and let the rice rest for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice gently with a fork. Finish with some chopped parsley or cilantro on top and serve warm.
Top tips
- The most important tip I can give you is to trust the process. Once the steaming starts, do not lift the lid at any point, not during steaming and not during resting. Wait until the full resting time is over. I’ve found that once steam escapes mid process, it’s nearly impossible to get the same results. There just won’t be enough liquid left inside for the rice to keep cooking as it should. Adding extra water at this point will mess with the final texture.
- If you’re using a gas cooktop, the lowest heat on an average-sized burner can still be too hot. The key is to keep the heat low and steady during steaming, so use the smallest burner you have.
Serving ideas
Anything you enjoy with plain white rice will pair great with this beef bouillon rice too. It tastes so much better but still lets your main dish be the star. I usually find myself serving it alongside baked or grilled fish, kebabs, grilled, fried, or baked chicken, meatloaf, pot roast, saucy meatballs, and beef stew.
If you try this recipe, and I really hope you do, please come back and leave a review and rating. I’d love to hear how the rice turned out.
Happy cooking – Nelo

Beef Bouillon Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) long grain white rice - I prefer basmati
- 1.5 tablespoons vegetable oil - or butter
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoons finely diced bell pepper - aka capsicum, any color (Note A)
- 1.5 cups (355 ml) water
- 1 small beef bouillon cube - or use granulated bouillon or beef base (Note B)
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- some chopped parsley or cilantro - optional, for garnishing
Instructions
- Rinse the rice under cold running water using a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Soak it in room temperature water for 30 minutes, then strain and set aside. You can skip soaking, but the rice grains won't cook up as long and fluffy.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil/butter over medium heat.
- Add the minced garlic and diced bell pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes to soften and to release the aroma.
- Next, add water, beef bouillon cube/base/granules, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir well. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, add the drained rice. Stir once gently, then cover the pan again. Cook for 4 to 7 minutes, or until most (but not all) of the water has been absorbed. Keep an eye on it, though, as sometimes it starts to foam up and boil over. If that happens, remove the lid for a few seconds to let some steam out, then cover it again.
- When you see little bubbles and steam pockets forming on the surface and just a bit of water left around the edges, gently stir the rice once. Then cover the pan again, turn the heat all the way down, and let it steam for exactly 10 minutes. Don’t lift the lid during this time or all that built-up steam will escape.
- After the steaming step, turn off the heat and take the pan off the stovetop. Keep the lid on and let the rice rest for 10 minutes. This resting time is important as it lets the rice finish cooking gently with the leftover heat, and the grains firm up and become fluffier instead of sticky and mushy.
- Fluff the rice gently with a fork. Finish with some chopped parsley or cilantro on top and serve warm.






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