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This Creamy Golden Rice with Spiced Chickpeas is the best bowl of (healthy) comfort food. Kind of like soup, similar to a stew, but creamier with more rice. Turmeric infused golden rice made creamy with coconut milk and made “soupy” with a bit more broth than usual. Top each bowl of souper golden rice with spiced, extra crispy chickpeas, and a dollop of creamy yogurt. The perfect bowl of warming comfort food that’s also healthy and quickly made on the stove in less than an hour. Just be sure to serve with a side of fresh naan for a bowl of (easily made vegan) comfort food.

overhead photo of Creamy Golden Rice with Spiced Chickpeas

Starting the week off on a healthy, but still cozy, note with this Indian..ish inspired recipe. Somehow it’s already the second week of February and I know many of you have spring on your minds. Here in Colorado, it’s still very much winter, and very, very much comfort food kind of weather.

That said, we’re coming off a weekend of enjoying way too much ski resort food, meaning lots of french fries and cocktails, after watching my younger brother, Red, compete (and win!!!) at the Dew Tour on Saturday. I will share more details and photos in Sunday’s Favorites post, but I will say that it was such a special weekend and everyone soaked up the time together. I know I’ve said it before, but being able to watch both Malachi and Red achieve their goals, and do it together, makes me the happiest, proudest sister.

Anyway, a fun weekend spent snowboarding and eating with family means that colorful recipes full of food with all things good for us are very much needed today.

Enter this “souper” creamy golden rice. This is the ultimate bowl of healthy comfort food that’s truly just as delicious as a bowl of cheesy pasta. That’s saying a lot coming from the girl who loves both cheese and pasta more than most.

It. Is. SO GOOD. Creamy, herby, perfectly spiced, and topped with addictingly delicious crispy chickpeas…and served with naan. Of course.

photo of Spiced Chickpeas

The inspiration.

Growing up my mom would make what she called “souper rice”. Basically, it was cream of chicken soup plus a whole lot of rice. So much rice that you really couldn’t call it soup anymore…enter “souper rice”.  To this day she still recalls it as one of her favorite childhood comfort foods.

I drew inspiration from mom’s souper rice and created a more Indian inspired version, made with coconut milk for extra creaminess. It’s not quite the same as mom’s canned soup version (thankfully), but it’s just as delicious. Different, but delicious.

Creamy Golden Rice cooking in pot

Here is how you make this creamy golden rice.

First up, the rice. GOLDEN RICE, I’m all about some golden rice. It’s simple. Just melt a little butter, add in some turmeric, crushed red pepper, canned coconut milk (preferably full fat for extra creaminess), and water. Once boiling, stir in the rice, then add plenty of greens, cover and let the rice steam until cooked.

For the greens, you can really use whatever greens you love most. My top choices are kale, spinach, or chard. The greens steam with the rice, so you don’t even have to worry about cooking them. It’s so easy.

While the rice is cooking, you should make the chickpeas, and trust me, you do NEED the chickpeas. They add not only heartiness but a nice crunch and plenty of good flavor to this creamy rice. They’re salty, savory, and just a little hard to stop eating. Kind of like a healthier chip with crispy shallots, nutty coconut, and toasty sesame seeds too.

overhead close up photo of Creamy Golden Rice with Spiced Chickpeas and spoon in bowl

 

The secret to souper golden rice?

Once the rice is cooked, stir in a splash more broth to make the rice on the soupy side. As you are stirring, smells of turmeric, coconut, and butter will quickly hit your nose.

It’s wonderful.

Remove the rice from the heat, and simply top with a dollop of yogurt, those spiced crispy chickpeas, and plenty of fresh mint or cilantro. At this point, you should eat immediately. This dish is meant to be on the soupy side, meaning there should still be broth around the rice. The rice will soak up the broth if it sits too long. So enjoy it right away, it will be just perfect.

So much flavor. Extra creamy. A touch crunchy. So delicious.

overhead photo of Creamy Golden Rice with Spiced Chickpeas with spoon in bowl

How are the leftovers?

The leftovers are just as good, but a little different. Even though this is best right off the stove, the leftovers are still so delicious. The rice becomes more like risotto and when heated up, makes for the perfect lunch the next day. Love a dish that you can enjoy for dinner one night and lunch the following day!

If you’d like to make this a little heartier, try adding a fried or soft boiled egg. Or serve alongside last week’s lemon garlic chicken. That would be so good.

And that’s it. The simplest, healthy bowl of winter comfort food. Hope you all enjoy!!

overhead photo of Creamy Golden Rice with Spiced Chickpeas and hands on bowl

If you make this creamy golden rice with spiced chickpeas, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Souper Creamy Golden Rice with Spiced Chickpeas

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1080 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

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Instructions

  • 1. To make the rice. Melt the butter, turmeric, and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium pot over high heat. Add the rice and toss to coat. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of broth, the coconut milk, and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Add the greens on top of the rice, but do not stir. Place the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook ten minutes on low and then turn the heat off completely. Let the rice sit, covered, for another 10 minutes.
    2. Meanwhile, make the chickpeas. Heat a large, high sided skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, chickpeas, garlic, shallots, ginger, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the chickpeas are crisped all over, about 8-10 minutes. Add the coconut flakes and sesame seeds, tossing to combine. Cook 2 minutes, until toasted, remove from the heat.
    3. When the rice is cooked, switch the heat onto low, add additional broth 1/2 cup at a time until the rice is creamy, but with just a touch of liquid. Taste, adding salt as needed.
    4. To serve, divide the rice among bowls and spoon the chickpeas overtop. Serve with naan, yogurt, and fresh mint or cilantro. Enjoy!
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Comments

    1. Hey Becky,
      Awesome, I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed and thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan

      Reply

  2. 5 stars
    Sooooo delicious! Such a heart, yummy meal. I am the only vegetarian in my family, and they usually don’t love my veggie recipes, but this got RAVE reviews. Perfect winter meal ?

    Reply

  3. Hi quick question! If I were to double this meal, is there anything I need to keep in mind for cook times or amounts? It’s so good, I’ve made it several times!

    Reply

    1. Hey Eliza,
      I would just make sure you have a large enough pot to double the recipe and then you will also need to double your cooking time for the rice. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  4. Hello! I love this recipe, and am now (in real time!) making it for a second time. I’ve encountered issues with the cooking time because it takes me significantly longer to cook the rice. Perhaps it is the equipment I am using (Staub Cast Iron Everything Pan with cover- which I was inspired to by from your IG Stories), or the fact that I am using coconut cream, or the rice (long grain brown rice)? I follow the recipe exactly and the rice takes upwards of an hour to cook, covered, and I’ve increased the heat with the cover on. Any tips? In any case, I love all your recipes and have both of your cookbooks plus the lovely Etsy linen apron (gifted from my sister- who also gave me your cookbooks). Thanks Tieghan!

    Reply

    1. Hey Claire,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, so sorry about the rice! It is definitely the type of rice you are using, brown rice takes much longer to cook. I would recommend using jasmine or basmati. I hope this helps! xTieghan

      Reply

  5. 5 stars
    Wowwwww this is delicious!!! I made this last night and, boy, did it satisfy. Great Indian fusion dish that feels like comfort, a warm hug.

    I modified it slightly to use ingredients that I had on hand since I made it impulsively at 8pm and didn’t want to rush to the grocer: I used collard greens from the garden for the rice instead of kale/spinach, I upped the chickpeas to 2 cans (and glad I did bc YUM) and used 1/2 large white onion (thinly sliced), I didn’t have any coconut flakes so I used a spoonful of coconut oil to at least impart the flavor and I added a sprinkle of almond powder to the chickpeas since my Indian friends taught me to use nuts when making dishes.

    I didn’t have yogurt or Naan, so I added an Indian veggie masala patty and mango ginger chutney (both from Trader Joe’s)- I was really hungry last night ?. I can imagine that with the yogurt and Naan this would only be better, which is hard to imagine because it was already fantastic.

    10/10 would recommend. Even my carnivore of a husband approved of this veg dish!

    Reply

  7. 5 stars
    I’ve made this several times. My friends still rave about it. Highly recommend. I love persian rice dishes, but most of them are so time consuming to make. This is such a nice quick alternative.

    Reply

  8. I really love the look of this recipe and am keen to try it. Just wondering if it would work with cooked rice from a rice cooker if I then added it to the pan with the butter etc? ( novice cook here who always has too much left over cooked rice so would love to make it in to something yummy like this?

    Reply

    1. Hey there,
      Sure, that would work here! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  9. 5 stars
    So amazing. I doubled the chickpeas though. My friend and I got together for dinner and made this together and I was so easy and delicious!

    Reply

  10. I made this last night. I enjoyed it but found it to be a bit bland. My ground ginger was very old so wondering if that was part of the problem. Might add some other spices next time. But overall loved the textures and that it was comforting but healthy.

    Reply

  11. Hi! Would love to know the spice level on this? ( wanting to make for the kids as well) also, how do you feel it would taste if I added chicken? Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hey Darlene,
      This is not a spicy dish, and I think chicken would be great to add here! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  13. 5 stars
    Thank you for sharing another delicious recipe! I cooked this meal two weeks in a row because I wasn’t ready to part with its flavours.

    Reply

    1. Hey Treacy,
      Can you tell me a little more? Was there anything you adjusted? Did you change the cooking method? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan

      Reply