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    Home » Recipes » Sides and salad recipes

    Spicy Moroccan rice

    Published: Jun 30, 2023 · Modified: May 3, 2025 by VJ · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    Spicy Moroccan rice is a delicious dish that combines the warmth of cinnamon and cumin with the tanginess of red peppers, tomatoes and onions. This tasty rice side is the perfect dish to serve alongside a main meal of chicken or lamb.

    A serving dish of spicy Moroccan rice with a large wooden spoon.
    Jump to:
    • Transform your leftover white rice
    • Why I think you'll love it
    • What you will need
    • What to do
    • Spicy Moroccan rice FAQ
    • Save for later
    • Related recipes
    • 📋The recipe

    Transform your leftover white rice

    Suppose you have an onion, a red pepper and a tomato in your vegetable drawer, plus a few everyday spices in your spice rack. If so, you can transform a bowl of leftover white rice into an amazing side dish that is packed with amazing flavours.

    I can practically guarantee that you will be making this spicy Moroccan rice over and over again.

    Not only does this Moroccan rice make a delicious side for your chicken or lamb main meal, but it also pairs beautifully with curry, such as this chicken tikka masala, beef madras or my favourite spicy ground beef curry.

    Why I think you'll love it

    I think you will love this spicy Moroccan rice as much as I do.

    • It only takes a few minutes to make - saving you time on a busy weeknight.
    • The spices give it an amazing flavour - but if you want to up the heat a little bit you can add chilli paste or cayenne pepper.
    • It freezes like a dream so you can keep it on hand easily.
    • You can use up your leftover white rice - making it economical too. I often have a cup or so of white rice leftover so what I do is pop it in a bag and freeze it. When I want to make this recipe I just grab a bag or two out of the freezer. Saves on both time and electricity!
    A dish of spicy Moroccan rice next to a bowl of lamb stew.

    What you will need

    Equipment

    All you will need is a large saute pan with a lid and a sharp knife and a chopping board for cutting up the vegetables.

    Ingredients

    This recipe will serve at least 4 to 6 people as a side dish.

    **You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this spicy Moroccan rice on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

    Ingredients for spicy Moroccan rice.

    Cooked white rice - for 4 people you will need approximately 3 cups of leftover cooked rice.

    Red pepper - seeded and membranes removed and finely diced.

    Red onion - peeled and finely diced. If you don't have a red onion you can use a white onion instead.

    Tomato - finely diced.

    Garlic - this should be peeled and finely diced. You can use fresh garlic cloves, or use ready-minced garlic from a jar.

    For the spices you will need:

    • Cumin
    • Paprika
    • Black pepper
    • Turmeric
    • Cinnamon

    Additional items you will need, but not shown in the image are salt and olive oil. The olive oil is used for softening the vegetables. Salt is optional and to your own taste. You may also find that if you have cooked the rice with salt you won't need to add any additional salt.

    You may also need some chopped fresh coriander or parsley for garnish, but this is optional.

    What to do

    Onions and red peppers softening in oil in a wok.

    Heat the olive oil in a wok or large frying pan then add the finely diced onions, garlic and red peppers and fry them over a low heat until they have softened. I always turn the heat down as low as possible, cover the pan with a lid and let the vegetables sweat until they are soft. This normally takes between 7 to 8 minutes. Stir occasionally so they do not burn.

    Spices and tomatoes stirred into onions and red peppers in a wok.

    Stir in the spices, then add the tomatoes and continue to cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have softened.

    Cooked rice stirred into the Moroccan spices in a wok.

    Add the cooked rice and stir until the rice is completely coated with the spice mixture. Continue to stir over a low heat until piping hot. Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste if necessary.

    A serving dish of spicy Moroccan rice garnished with chopped parsley.

    Transfer the rice to a serving dish, garnish with either chopped coriander or parsley and serve immediately.

    A white plate with a helping of spicy Moroccan rice topped with lamb stew.

    Here, I've served the spicy Moroccan rice topped with a helping of Moroccan lamb tagine.

    If you'd like to be notified of new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter? To say thank you, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.

    Spicy Moroccan rice FAQ

    What are some variations for this rice?

    You make like to vary the rice by stirring in some frozen peas, or a handful of pomegranate seeds for additional colour and flavour.
    For extra texture, why not stir in one or two tablespoons of flaked almonds?

    Can I add more heat?

    Absolutely - if you prefer more heat, fry a finely chopped chilli with the onions, or add a touch of cayenne pepper with the spices.

    Can I use freshly cooked rice instead of leftover rice?

    Yes, of course. One cup of raw basmati rice will yield 3 cups of cooked rice. Cook the rice as you would normally, or you can follow my easy instructions on how to cook rice in the microwave. If you are cooking the rice fresh you should allow it to cool before using it in this recipe.

    Can I freeze this rice?

    Yes - it freezes well. Just transfer the cooled rice to a suitable container and you can freeze it for up to 4 months.
    A word of warning though. If you have made this Moroccan rice with leftover rice that has previously been frozen (and defrosted) then I wouldn't freeze it again.

    Can I make it in advance?

    You can make this spicy rice ahead of time, and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat it either on the stove or in the microwave.

    Save for later

    If you would like to make this spicy Moroccan rice yourself, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.

    Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

    Related recipes

    If you enjoyed this spicy rice recipe, perhaps you'd like to try some of my other rice side dishes:

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    📋The recipe

    A serving dish of spicy Moroccan rice with a large wooden spoon.

    Spicy Moroccan rice

    Spicy Moroccan rice is a delicious dish that combines the warmth of cinnamon and cumin with the tanginess of red peppers, tomatoes and onions. This tasty rice side is the perfect dish to serve alongside a main meal of chicken or lamb.
    Recipe by: Veronica
    Side Dish
    Moroccan-inspired
    Calories 227
    Prep 10 minutes minutes
    Cook 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 - 6 people as a side dish
    Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
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    5 from 1 vote

    (Click the stars to rate this recipe)

    Equipment

    • Frying Pan
    • Sharp Knife
    • Chopping Board

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups cooked white rice (can use leftover rice) or 1 cup raw rice cooked in 2 cups water.
    • 1 small red pepper (capsicum/bell pepper) finely diced
    • 1 small red onion (finely diced) or white onion
    • 1 mediium tomato finely diced
    • 2 - 3 cloves garlic (finely minced) or use ready-minced from a jar.
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • Salt to taste
    • 1 -2 tablespoons olive oil for softening the vegetables
    • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley or coriander for garnish (optional)

    Instructions

    • Heat the olive oil in a wok or large frying pan then add the finely diced onions, garlic and red peppers and fry them over a low heat until they have softened. Stir occasionally so they do not burn.
      1 small red pepper (capsicum/bell pepper), 1 small red onion (finely diced), 2 - 3 cloves garlic (finely minced), 1 -2 tablespoons olive oil
    • Stir in the spices, then add the tomatoes and continue to cook for a further 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have softened.
      1 mediium tomato, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon sweet paprika, ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • Add the cooked rice and stir until the rice is completely coated with the spice mixture. Continue to stir over a low heat until piping hot.
      3 cups cooked white rice (can use leftover rice)
    • Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste if necessary.
      Salt to taste
    • Transfer the rice to a serving dish, garnish with either chopped coriander or parsley and serve immediately.
      1 tablespoon chopped parsley or coriander

    Notes

    You make like to vary the rice by stirring in some frozen peas, or a handful of pomegranate seeds for additional colour and flavour.
    For extra texture, why not stir in one or two tablespoons of flaked almonds?
    If you would like to cook fresh rice for this dish, one cup of raw basmati rice equals 3 cups of cooked rice.

    Nutrition

    Calories - 227kcal | Carbohydrates - 43.4g | Protein - 4.3g | Fat - 4.1g | Saturated Fat - 0.6g | Sodium - 6mg | Potassium - 234mg | Fiber - 2.1g | Sugar - 3.2g | Calcium - 32mg | Iron - 1mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

    Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
    All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
    Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I'd love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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    About VJ

    Before I started my food blog I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, mostly made from scratch, using everyday pantry ingredients.

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