Summer Rice Side Dish Recipes

19 summer side dishes with ricePin
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Summer Rice Side Dish Recipes are the perfect way to bring fresh, seasonal flavors to your dinner table during the warmer months. These versatile dishes pair beautifully with grilled meats or stand alone as light, satisfying meals.

You can easily transform pantry staples into vibrant feasts by adding garden-fresh vegetables and zesty dressings. These ideas ensure your seasonal cooking remains effortless and delicious for every outdoor gathering or quiet family meal.

easy summer Side Dishes with ricePin

Cheesy Zucchini Risotto

This creamy dish highlights the bounty of summer squash and makes for an impressive yet cozy dinner. I chose it because it balances indulgence with fresh garden produce, making it a hit for casual weekend feasts.

Cheesy Zucchini Risotto
This Cheesy Zucchini Risotto is a creamy, summery dish that’s perfect for cozy dinners or impressing friends at a casual gathering. Try it for a weeknight meal or a relaxed weekend feast—you’ll love how easy and delicious it is!
Check out this recipe
Cheesy Zucchini Risotto RecipePin

Easy Summer Rice Salad

This veggie-packed option is one of the best summer rice recipes for those who need a portable meal for picnics or beach trips. It is loaded with vibrant colors and Mediterranean flavors that stay fresh even after a few hours in a cooler.

Easy Summer Rice Salad
Easy Mediterranean summer rice salad recipe! This veggie packed rice salad is filled with vibrant colors and flavors and is perfect to take on-the-go!
Check out this recipe
Easy Summer Rice SaladPin

Greek Brown Rice Salad

Brown rice adds a nutty depth to this dish, which features roasted cherry tomatoes and tangy feta cheese. It’s a fantastic choice for anyone seeking healthy summer side dishes for dinner that provide plenty of fiber and crunch.

Greek Brown Rice Salad
Brown rice is given a Greek twist with roasted cherry tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, creamy feta and kalamata olives.
Check out this recipe
Greek Brown Rice SaladPin

Italian Rice Salad (Insalata Di Riso)

This refreshing classic uses short-grain rice and a light dressing to create a colorful medley of herbs and vegetables. It is highly customizable, allowing you to add seafood or cold cuts depending on your guests’ preferences.

Italian Rice Salad (Insalata Di Riso)
Easy Italian Rice Salad is a refreshing and colorful dish made with tender short-grain rice mixed with various fresh vegetables, herbs, a light dressing, and optional meat or meat seafood.
Check out this recipe
Easy Italian Rice Salad 14 scaled 1Pin

Crispy Rice Salad

This recipe is all about texture, offering a delightful mix of sweet, spicy, and tangy notes in every bite. The zesty dressing ties the crunchy elements together, making it a standout choice for adventurous eaters who enjoy rice salads.

Crispy Rice Salad
Enjoy this crispy rice salad with zesty dressing, fresh veggies and herbs, the perfect combination of sweet, spicy, tangy, and crunchy.
Check out this recipe
Crispy Rice SaladPin

Crispy Rice Salad (with Tahini)

Loaded with golden grains and a creamy tahini dressing, this version is bold and anything but boring. Serve it when you want to surprise your family with a modern, earthy twist on traditional grain bowls.

Crispy Rice Salad
Crispy Rice Salad loaded with crunchy golden rice, fresh veggies, and creamy tahini dressing. Fresh, bold, and anything but boring!
Check out this recipe
Crispy Rice SaladPin

Black Bean and Rice Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing

The zingy lime dressing provides a sharp contrast to the earthy beans, making it ideal for a hot summer picnic. It’s a reliable crowd-pleaser that works perfectly as a zesty accompaniment to grilled corn or chicken.

Black Bean and Rice Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing
This spicy black bean and rice salad is perfect for summer picnic.
Check out this recipe
Black Bean and Rice Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing Pin

Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad

Combining fresh avocado and sweet corn, this dish is the ultimate partner for any backyard BBQ. It’s one of those healthy easy summer side dishes that you can whip up in minutes without spending much time at the stove.

Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad
This black bean salad recipe has corn and fresh avocado for the ultimate summer salad! It’s the perfect pairing with any BBQ dish, and it’s great for potlucks.
Check out this recipe
Black Bean Corn Avocado SaladPin

Mediterranean Bean & Rice Salad

This gluten-free and vegetarian option proves that simple ingredients can lead to exceptionally big flavors. It is a great staple for meal prepping during the week since the taste only improves as the ingredients marinate.

Mediterranean Bean & Rice Salad
This Mediterranean Bean Rice Salad uses simple ingredients to create big flavours! Gluten Free + Vegetarian
Check out this recipe
Mediterranean Bean & Rice SaladPin

Zucchini, Rice and Cheese Gratin

Inspired by the culinary legends, this updated classic is much simpler to prepare for a modern kitchen. It’s the perfect comfort food for a late August evening when the air starts to cool down slightly and you want something warm yet seasonal.

Zucchini, Rice and Cheese Gratin
An updated version of the Julia Child classic that makes it easier than ever.
Check out this recipe
Zucchini, Rice and Cheese GratinPin

Stuffed Zucchini With Rice

When your garden is overflowing with squash, these garlic parmesan boats offer a delicious way to use the harvest. The crunchy panko topping provides a satisfying texture that both kids and adults will enjoy.

Stuffed Zucchini With Rice
When you have a lot of zucchini during the summer, make Garlic Parmesan Stuffed Zucchini with rice and a crunchy panko topping for dinner.
Check out this recipe
Stuffed Zucchini With RicePin

Coconut Rice Stuffed Peppers

Featuring mango and green curry paste, these peppers bring a vibrant, aromatic tropical flair to your dinner table. They are a fantastic vegetarian main or side for those who love bold, international flavors and colorful presentations.

Coconut Rice Stuffed Peppers
These coconut rice-stuffed peppers are such a vibrant summer meal! Mango, herbs, and green curry paste make the filling aromatic and fresh.
Check out this recipe
Coconut Rice Stuffed PeppersPin

Spinach, Feta & Rice Casserole

This one-pan wonder tastes just like spanakopita but requires half the effort to assemble. Serve it with a dollop of sour cream to enhance the creaminess of the feta and spinach mixture.

Spinach, Feta & Rice Casserole
This one-pan recipe is the casserole version of spanakopita! It’s hearty enough to enjoy as a vegetarian lunch or dinner, yet versatile enough to serve alongside just about any protein. To make it extra creamy, top each serving with a dollop of sour cream.
Check out this recipe
Spinach, Feta & Rice CasserolePin

Easy Healthy One Pot Spinach Rice

Busy families will love this 30-minute meal that is packed with essential proteins and vitamins. It is a great example of how summer rice side dishes can be both nutritious and incredibly fast to prepare during a hectic week.

Easy Healthy One Pot Spinach Rice
Healthy spinach rice loaded with proteins, fibers and vitamins. It is a one pot meal that takes about 30 min to prepare. Ideal for busy times.
Check out this recipe
Spinach rice bowlPin

Crispy Rice Cakes

This clever recipe is the best way to breathe new life into leftover rice sitting in your refrigerator. These cakes are golden and crunchy, serving as a fun finger food for your next outdoor gathering or as a unique snack.

Crispy Rice Cakes
You have a tupperware with leftover rice- or maybe a carton or two of takeout rice sitting in your refrigerator. Well, I have a solution for you! You can turn your hard old rice into the most delicious crispy rice cakes!
Check out this recipe
Crispy Rice Cakes Pin

Vegetable Biryani Rice

Seasoned with curry and tossed with roasted vegetables, this Indian-inspired dish is a fragrant masterpiece. It works beautifully as a standalone vegetarian meal or as a side for grilled lamb and yogurt dip.

Vegetable Biryani Rice
Curry-seasoned basmati rice is mixed with crispy, roasted vegetables to create Vegetable Biryani. This Indian inspired vegetarian side dish is so incredibly good!
Check out this recipe
vegetable biryani 5Pin

Curried Rice Salad with Ginger Curry Dressing

The turmeric in this recipe gives the rice a beautiful golden hue that looks stunning on any serving platter. It is a top choice for those looking for tangy and aromatic options to serve at a high-end garden party.

Curried Rice Salad with Ginger Curry Dressing
Want tasty rice salads for summer? This easy curried rice salad is the BEST. Turmeric gives the tangy ginger curry dressing its distinctive golden hue.
Check out this recipe
Curried Rice Salad with Ginger Curry DressingPin

Easy Curry Rice Salad

This satisfying side dish pairs with almost any protein, from grilled chicken to baked fish. I love it because it’s incredibly simple to assemble while still offering a complex and satisfying flavor profile.

Easy Curry Rice Salad
One of my favorite side dishes! The flavor and combination of ingredients of this rice salad are so satisfying, it goes with so many main dishes, and it could not be easier to make.
Check out this recipe
Easy Curry Rice SaladPin

Corn Rice

With only five ingredients, this recipe focuses on the natural sweetness of fresh summer corn. It is a decadent yet easy spin on a traditional side that highlights the very best produce of the season.

Corn Rice
All you need is 5 ingredients to create this savory and decadent Corn Rice recipe. It’s a fresh spin on a favorite side dish!
Check out this recipe
Corn RicePin
summer Side Dishes with ricePin

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the talented recipe developers and bloggers whose creativity and kitchen expertise made this collection possible.

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