Thanksgiving Rice
Bring a delicious but unexpected side dish to your table by making this Thanksgiving Rice packed with veggies, dried fruit, nuts and herbs. Bonus: it can be made vegetarian and is naturally gluten-free.
“Made this for Thanksgiving this year. Absolutely delicious. So easy to bake in the oven. Was perfect at 50 minutes.”
—Cindy
Thanksgiving Rice Pilaf Deserves A Spot Next To The Stuffing
Since we have a small group for Thanksgiving each year, we keep the menu simple. A giant feast would just mean way too many leftovers, and we really hate wasting food.
But here on the blog, we get to dream big. We test recipes like it’s Thanksgiving every day in November and imagine tables loaded with cozy side dishes.
That’s where this Thanksgiving Rice recipe comes in. It’s hearty, seasonal, and delicious whether it’s warm, hot, or even room temperature. Perfect if you’re bringing a dish to share. You can also make it a little early and keep it warm in a crockpot on low for up to an hour.
This Thanksgiving rice recipe is made using the classic pilaf technique I learned in culinary school – sautéing aromatics (shallots, carrots, mushrooms) in butter on the stovetop, adding the rice, liquid and other ingredients and bringing to a boil, then covering the pot and transferring to the oven to complete the cooking process.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Rice For Thanksgiving
- It’s a showstopper side dish that doesn’t steal the spotlight. Festive enough for the holiday table, but still plays nice with turkey and gravy.
- Naturally gluten free and easy to make vegetarian. Great for accommodating different dietary needs without making a separate dish.
- The mix of textures keeps every bite interesting. Chewy wild rice, tender veggies, crunchy walnuts, and juicy bites of pear.
- It reheats like a dream. Make it ahead and warm it up when the kitchen chaos calms down.
- Sweet and savory live in perfect harmony. Dried cranberries and apple juice meet earthy mushrooms and herbs. Yes, please.

Thanksgiving Wild Rice Pilaf Ingredients
A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.
- rice – we will be using a combination of brown rice and wild rice in this pilaf.
- carrots – these add great aromatic flavor and color to this Thanksgiving rice dish.
- shallots – we seem to always have these on hand for Thanksgiving, and they add a nice mild onion-like note to the rice.
- mushrooms – you don’t need anything fancy, just a box of classic button mushrooms will work. Creminis (baby bellas) are also great.
- pear – we love the subtle sweetness of the pear that balances all of the savory flavors.
- dried cranberries – dried cherries or even golden raisins are good subs.
- walnuts – these are stirred in at the end to add a bit of crunchy texture.
- broth – we like chicken broth, but you can use vegetable broth to keep this a vegetarian dish. If you need to keep the dish gluten-free, be sure to read broth labels and choose a gluten-free broth.
- apple juice – this again adds a subtle sweetness to this rice for Thanksgiving, and more autumn flavor!
- herbs – thyme, rosemary, parsley and a bay leaf will provide the herby notes for this recipe.
- butter – you will need unsalted butter to saute the aromatic vegetables and rice before adding the liquid.
- salt and pepper – always!
How To Make Thanksgiving Rice
1. SIMMER. In a medium saucepot, bring the broth and apple juice to a simmer over medium heat.
2. SAUTE. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the carrots and shallots and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Toss in the mushrooms and cook until they’re nice and browned.
3. TOAST. Stir in both types of rice and toast them for a minute – this brings out a nutty flavor.
4. MIX. Add the thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, diced pear, cranberries, salt, pepper, and that warm broth-juice mixture. Bring everything to a boil over medium-high heat.
5. BAKE. Once boiling, cover and transfer the pot to a preheated oven. Bake until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the rice is tender.
6. REST. Let it rest (lid off) for 5 minutes. Fish out the herb sprigs and bay leaf.
7. FINISH. Stir in the walnuts and parsley, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Easy Wild Rice Pilaf Home Chef Tips
- The liquid for this rice for Thanksgiving is a combination of chicken broth and apple juice, for a sweet-savory combo. Apple cider works great, too, or, you can use 100% broth. Up to you!
- The pears in this Thanksgiving wild rice almost “melt” into the pilaf, infusing the dish with a sweet fall flavor. If you’d prefer firmer chunks of pear, feel free to stir them in at the end of the cooking time instead (when you stir in the walnuts and parsley).
- Substitute based on ingredients you have on hand, and what your family likes best.
- If you can’t find shallots, 1/2 cup of minced white onion will work perfectly.
- Don’t like mushrooms? Just leave them out!
- Want to use an apple instead of a pear? Go for it!
- You can use pretty much whatever nut you want. Instead of walnuts, feel free to use pecans or almonds. Or, omit the nuts altogether.

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How To Store Thanksgiving Wild Rice
If you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and place them in the fridge uncovered for a few hours until they are fully chilled, then cover them with the lid and keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Can You Freeze Wild Rice Pilaf?
Yes. For best results, let the Thanksgiving rice dish cool completely, transfer to an airtight container, and freeze for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of broth to restore moisture.

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Thanksgiving Rice Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup apple juice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 2 shallots minced
- 8 ounces button mushrooms sliced
- 1 ¼ cups brown rice
- ¾ cup wild rice
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 pear cored and diced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In medium saucepot, heat broth and juice over medium heat until simmering.
- Meanwhile, heat butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots and shallots and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms; cook 7 to 8 minutes or until mushrooms are browned, stirring occasionally.
- Add brown rice and wild rice; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, pear, cranberries, salt, pepper and broth mixture.
- Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, then cover and transfer to oven. Bake 50 minutes or until most liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
- Remove from oven; remove lid and let stand 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf and herb sprigs. Stir in walnuts and parsley and serve warm or at room temperature.

Have you tried this using a rice cooker? I am looking for recipes that use sprouted brown rice ( yours can) . I could probably do the wild rice separately , but would have to figure out, Obviously, you want the rice to absorb teh stock/juice mixture.
Nice to find someone from Detroit blogging about food.
Hi Terry! I haven’t tried this with a rice cooker, but it sounds like it might work. Please let me know if you do try it, and how it turns out. Have a great Thanksgiving.
Have you made this in advance and reheated? Would it microwave to that?
Hi Adrienne – I haven’t tried that, but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. If I were going to do this, I might err on the side of undercooking the rice the first time by 5 minutes or so, then microwaving to reheat until fully hot and cooked through.
I made your Thanksgiving Rice this year 2022, and it was the best rice ever! So happy because for my whole life I’ve always been disappointed with the rice dishes we’ve made until now. I I’ll be making this recipe from now on every year! Thank you so much!
I’m so glad to hear the Thanksgiving Rice was a hit, Renea. Thanks for stopping by!
Do you think this dish would be possible in a crock pot? I love being able to bring a dish that doesn’t need to be reheated in the oven after travel!
Hi Jillian – Unfortunately, I have never tested this in a crock pot, and wild rice is kind of a fickle beast (it takes a long time to cook). My suggestion would be to make the dish as is, and then transfer it to a crockpot on low or warm setting for transport. Happy Thanksgiving!
This pilaf sounds wonderful. Unfortunately my Thanksgiving table is smaller than yours – just two of us. The rest of our family is 530 miles away (my husband’s kids and grandkids). If I have my way, we’ll stay home this year, because we just got back from a visit, and will definitely go for Christmas. I’m not sure if we’ll plan anything special for Thanksgiving this year, but if we do, this pilaf would definitely be on the menu. I don’t mind leftovers at all.
Thank you so much, Susan. Sounds like staying home for Thanksgiving this year might be the right move for you. Just relax and enjoy 🙂