Cook orzo in the rice cooker for delicious and fluffy pasta, in the push of a button! This rice cooker hack is great when you want to quick orzo quickly to add to soups, salads, or dinner recipes.
After making your rice cooker orzo, you can transform your orzo into a delicious and creamy side dish. Drizzle with lemon juice and a sprinkle of parmesan for a next-level side to serve with your favorite protein.
This rice cooker orzo recipe is easy, hands off, no stir, and makes absolutely perfect and tender orzo! A fast and easy way to cook your tiny pasta. This recipe is simple, tasty, and the rice cooker does all the work for you.
Orzo is one of my favorite past shapes! I love it in salads, soups, risottos, pilafs, by itself, you name it and I will probably love it. I’ve always cooked orzo on the stovetop in the past… but I had my rice cooker out on the counter yesterday and decided to give my orzo a try.
I love trying out new ways to use the rice cooker aside from just plain old rice. A few months back I tried Lentils in the Rice Cooker and was hoping that the orzo would turned out just as good! Spoiler alert: it is.
This Rice Cooker Orzo Recipe Is:
- Foolproof
- Simple
- Consistent
- Perfect Every Time
- Light
- Tender
- Plant-based, Gluten Free, and SO Good!
Pre-Cook Your Orzo Before Adding to Soups
Whenever I make soup with orzo, I cook the pasta separately from the soup broth. If you add dried or cooked orzo directly to a hot soup, you run the risk of having the dried orzo soak up all the broth and overcook the noodles (turning it soup into a mushy mess). I’ve found that cooking the orzo separately in a rice cooker, then serving the broth over the noodles in a bowl works best. I allow the soup to cool, then add the cooked pasta after. That way you’ll have perfectly cooked orzo that holds it shape and a delicious brothy soup.
This will definitely be my go-to cooking method for orzo from now on! Just follow the 2:1 water to pasta ratio, and add a little seasoning if you want – its a perfect candidate if you want to double the recipe for weekly meal prep. I’d like to experiment with adding other herbs, veggies, or garlic in the future while cooking. But for now, here is the basic recipe.
One of the BEST Pantry Staple Pasta Recipes
This easy rice cooker orzo is a fantastic pantry-staple side dish! It uses all ingredients you would have in your dry pantry or cupboards – most of which you probably have on hand. Keeping a well-stocked pantry makes it easy to come up with delicious and healthy meals using a few staples you can rotate. I made a list of my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples that always keep stocked. And you can check out all my favorite pantry staple ingredients in my Amazon shop here. By stocking up on healthy whole ingredients you can cook delicious recipes without a trip to the store!
What’s In This Rice Cooker Orzo?
- Orzo Pasta – I absolutely love this fun orzo pasta shape, it goes great with this bright and fresh salad. I used regular orzo for this pasta, but if you are looking for a gluten free version, you can find one here online!
- Water or Low Sodium Vegetable Stock – I like to use this low sodium vegetable stock for my recipes because it has great flavor… without all the salt. I always use low sodium or no-salt-added broth or stock to start, and then I can add salt or other spices later if needed.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s inexpensive & I like to keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry. For the quality of oil you get, it’s an excellent value.
- Lemon & Parsley – for serving after, optional but delicious.
How Do I Make Orzo in the Rice Cooker?
- Add the orzo, water, and olive oil to the rice cooker, and set it on High (or ‘Quick Cook’ setting which mine has) for 18 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, check on the orzo. All the water should be absorbed – if not, cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork, dress with lemon juice and chopped parsley (optional!) and enjoy.
What’s The Best Rice Cooker to Buy?
We have this super basic Hamilton Beach rice cooker that has lasted us years and years, so I have to say I’ve been very happy with it! It gets weekly use, and is great for cooking rice, lentils, and quinoa in the rice cooker. But I’d love to upgrade to this Zojirushi model eventually, it’s THE Cadillac of rice cookers. Our extended family has it, and it is one fantastic rice cooker. And it has a great feature which keeps the rice warm on the counter, so you can enjoy it all day.
Use This Rice Cooker Orzo In These Delicious Hearty Recipes:
Avgolemono Soup with Orzo Recipe (Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)
Lemon Orzo Salad Recipe (Vegetarian, High Fiber, Vegan)
Orzo Soup with Spinach and Lemon Recipe (Vegetarian)
Greek Orzo Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette Recipe
Tomato Soup with Noodles Recipe (Vegetarian, Dairy Free)
Get the Same Ingredients I Use for My Easy Orzo in the Rice Cooker
As always, if you make this vegetarian rice cooker orzo recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Orzo in the Rice Cooker
Equipment
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 lemon juiced, optional
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped, optional
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Add the orzo, water, and olive oil to the rice cooker, and set it on High (or ‘Quick Cook’ setting which mine has) for 18 minutes - and start the rice cooker.
- After 18 minutes, check on the orzo. All the water should be absorbed - if not, cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork, dress with lemon juice, parmesan, & chopped parsley (optional!) and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Save Money on Fresh Groceries & Pantry Staples!
I get all the fresh produce for my recipes from my garden and from Misfits Market - they sell produce & pantry staples (even wine!) at a super discounted price. We get Misfit Market boxes every month and love picking out our favorite seasonal produce for delivery. You can get $10 off your first $30 box by clicking here! Give Misfits Market a look if you haven’t tried it yet, I highly recommend it!Nutrition
Or tag me @theherbeevore in your photo on Instagram and I'll feature you in my stories!
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Very light fluffy and delish