Lebanese Rice with Vermicelli

As I grew in the Middle East, Lebanese rice was always a staple side dish in our home. We made and still make it to serve with almost anything! This simple rice dish is made with just 3 ingredients: rice, vermicelli pasta, and olive oil. Top with toasted almonds and pine nuts and this rice will complement any Middle Eastern dish that you make.

A stovetop and Instant Pot methods are included.

So many Arabic dishes are made with rice, it’s a pantry staple that everyone stocks up on as most families cook with rice almost every single day of the week. Whilst a dish like Mujadara which is rice with lentils and caramelized onions makes a meal, this simple vermicelli rice is an everyday kind of rice that’s served as a side dish.

What is Lebanese Rice?

Vermicelli rice or Lebanese rice is cooked and enjoyed all over the Middle East. It’s very popular in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt so we can also call it Middle Eastern rice. In Arabic, it’s called “Roz bil Shireya”.

Broken vermicelli noodles are toasted in olive oil until golden brown, then rice is added with salt and water and everything is cooked together to get fluffy beautiful vermicelli rice.

To jazz things up a little, sometimes we top the Lebanese rice with toasted nuts; blanched almonds, and pinenuts that were lightly fried in neutral oil. And a garnish of freshly chopped parsley leaves.

How to Make the Best Lebanese Rice?

What you’ll need:

• 2 cups of long-medium grain rice.
• 1 cup of broken vermicelli.
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
• 1 teaspoon of salt (or more, depending on your preference).

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

You MUST wash the rice really well

You probably already rinse your rice before cooking, but rinsing the rice quickly in a colander is not enough. What you really have to do is properly wash the rice under running water until the water runs CLEAR to get rid of the starch. That’s the secret to getting fluffy separated rice that is not sticky at all.

So rinse the rice really well, and then soak it in cold water for 15 minutes before using it. Do this every time you cook rice and you’ll get perfect fluffy rice every time!

Toast the Vermicelli Noodles

1. Start with heating the olive oil on medium heat in a pot, when the oil is hot (but not smoking!) add the Vermicelli pasta and keep stirring it with a heat-resistant spatula or a wooden spoon until they’re golden brown.

You can find Vermicelli nests or broken noodles at most grocery stores in the “World Foods” aisle and in most Middle Eastern shops. You can also buy them online here. They are typically used to make vermicelli rice and vermicelli desserts in Middle Eastern cuisine.

1. To the toasted Vermicelli, add the rinsed, soaked, and drained rice, salt, and cover with water. You want the water to cover the rice by 1/2 inch or 1cm.
2. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat down to the lowest setting possible, cover with the lid and set your timer to “10 minutes”.

1. After 10 minutes, remove the pot from heat but don’t remove the lid. Leave the pot undisturbed for 10 minutes.
2. Remove the lid, and fluff the vermicelli rice with a fork.

Toast the Nuts

Toasted nuts are not essential, but they add a lot of richness, crunch, and flavor to the Lebanese rice. We usually add toasted nuts to rice on special occasions, and here’s how I toast them:

• Heat neutral oil (such as corn or sunflower oil) in a frying pan on medium heat, and add your nut to the hot oil.
• I recommend that you fry/toast pine nuts separately from almonds, as they take less time to brown.
• Remove the nuts from the pan onto a shallow plate before they get too dark, as the nuts will continue to cook in the plate from the heat of the oil.

Either garnish the Lebanese rice with nuts in a platter, or even in the pot. Or serve them on a small plate, so each family member or guest can add some nuts to their individual plates.

Make It in the Instant Pot

Lebanese rice can also be cooked in the Instant Pot. I won’t say that the method is easier than the stovetop, I think it’s the same (and IT IS EASY), but it’s great for those that love their pressure cookers.

Before you start make sure that you wash the rice very well (as explained above) but you don’t need to soak it.

• Press on the SAUTE button, and add the olive oil.
• When the oil is hot (but not smoking!), add the Vermicelli pasta and keep stirring it with a heat-resistant spatula or a wooden spoon until they’re golden brown.
• Add the rice, season with salt and cover with water so that it covers the rice by 1/2 inch.
• Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 4 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, allow the steam to be naturally released for 10 minutes then release the rest of the steam.
• Remove the lid and fluff the Lebanese rice with a fork before serving.

More Tips

• The key to this perfectly fluffy Lebanese rice is to wash the rice VERY well. You need to get rid of the starch as much as possible.
• This is a basic vegan version of this Lebanese rice, but feel free to cook this with stock or broth for extra flavor. Or add your favorite seasonings such as cumin, cinnamon, bay leaf.
• Serve this vermicelli rice with chicken shawarma, lamb kofta balls, Middle Eastern green beans, Bamya okra stew, and Molokhia.
• This vermicelli rice also goes so well with Indian and other authentic dishes, such as butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, coconut chicken curry, lentil dahl, kidney bean curry, and cajun shrimp.

Recommended Tools

• If making the Instant Pot version, then check out my Instant Pot. This is the one that I own and love!
• This is the cast-iron casserole pot that I use all the time.
• Heat resistant spatula. This is the one that I use to scramble the eggs and fry the rice.

More Delicious Rice Recipes

• Mujadara (Middle Eastern lentils and rice)
• Turmeric rice
• Mushroom rice
• Instant Pot fried rice
• Instant Pot fajita rice