Lemon Butter Orzo
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Lemon butter orzo is a simple side dish that’s deliciously buttery with fresh lemon flavor. In less than 15 minutes you can have a rice-like pasta side that goes well with nearly any main course.
I love cooking with orzo because it gives you the cozy, spoonable feel of rice with all the comfort of pasta. This lemon butter orzo is one of those simple recipes that feels special every time I make it — light, buttery, and bright enough to go with just about anything.
I cook the orzo until it’s perfectly tender, then finish it with butter and plenty of fresh lemon so every bite is rich but balanced. It’s the kind of side dish that quietly steals attention on the plate and often ends up being the first thing to disappear. I make it often, whether it’s alongside a simple weeknight dinner or part of a more relaxed, linger-at-the-table kind of meal.
For even more orzo, try my lemon chicken orzo soup!
Variations to try
We love the recipe exactly as written. But it’s also delicious with these variations:
- Instead of butter, use olive oil.
- Swap the parsley for some minced basil.
- Saute a little garlic in the pot before you add the orzo and stock.
Store and reheat
How long does cooked orzo last? Cooked orzo will keep well for 3-5 days if kept in a sealed container in your fridge.
What is the best way to reheat orzo? Add about a tablespoon of water to the orzo, then reheat it in a microwave or gently over low heat on the stovetop. The pieces will stick together, so you’ll need to use a spoon to gently separate them.
Can cooked orzo be frozen? Yes! Cooked orzo, like other pasta, freezes well. Make sure it’s completely cool then freeze it in freezer-safe containers.
What to serve with lemon butter orzo
Lemon butter orzo is a versatile side dish that goes well with so many different mains. Here are a few that we love to serve with it:
Lemon Butter Orzo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup orzo
- 1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
- ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh is best!)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Add the stock, orzo, salt, and pepper to a small pot over high heat and bring it to a boil.1 cup orzo, 1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock, ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and cook the orzo for 10-12 minutes, until the pasta is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, butter, and parsley.2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon minced parsley
Equipment Used
Video
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
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Anyone ever serve this chilled as a salad?
We haven’t, but it’s a great idea. I imagine that some veggies tossed in, like a pasta salad, would be tasty.
Yes , make it with tomatoes and asparagus
This was super tasty! Also, I just wanted to say thank you for having the measurements in the instructions. I’ve never seen that before and it was incredibly helpful!!
Do NOT follow this recipe. Orzo burns badly. Use a different recipe or put more broth and put temp to low!!!!
Medium heat is what works perfectly for us – but every element is a bit different. If your stovetop is more powerful, reducing the heat to low is a great idea.
Very delicious, made the recipe as is. My orzo ended up being way thicker than I expected, not rice-like at all but very mushy. I imagine that it was due to my stove, as I literally didn’t didn’t change a thing from the recipe? Anyways, the flavour was great, regardless! My kid didn’t eat it, but more for me. Thank you.
This burned really badly. And if you use veggie stock it’s a really unpleasant color. I even tried cooking it on low instead of medium.
Delicious!!! And easy, definitely a great weeknight side dish. If we’re having something lemon intensive like chicken piccata, I omit the lemon juice and add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of parmesan instead.
Don’t be afraid to try this recipe. You won’t be disappointed! Easy and simple
Two tablespoons is entirely too much lemon. The sourness is overwhelming. It smelled pretty good up until that point, though.
This was so easy and tasted fabulous. I added some lemon zest at the end. Also, I used a sauté pan and it came out perfect in 9 minutes. 5 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️😊
Delicious. Only thing I’d change is to use more liquid to initially boil the orzo, then drain it before adding the lemon/parsley mix. Even though I had the orzo on simmer, a lot was left glued to the bottom of the pot and it took some scraping to get it clean. The actual orzo recipe on the package called for a lot more liquid – the way one would boil pasta – and then drain it. Use it the day of, because it doesn’t keep well. It clumps together in a sticky mass when stored in the fridge.
So easy and delicious.
Don’t get my 3 stars wrong, this was very good. However, I think you need more than 1 1/2 cups of stock. Luckily I made 4 cups as my Chicken Francese required 1 cup so I had some to add to the orzo. And my medium [gas] burner was on low as I always do. I also added some parmesan at the end.
So simple and delicious!
The first time I made it, I didn’t have enough Orzo, so I make it with 1/2 Orzo, 1/2 basmati rice, since that’s what I had on hand. Added a bit more broth, and reduced the lemon a bit, and added garlic. Turned out great and everyone loved it!
I loved it. I added spinach and garlic! Yum!
This was lovely. Made it as a light lunch. Quick, easy, taste great. Thank you!
Exactly what I needed to go with my roasted broccoli and hoisin and honey glazed salmon! Everything finished at the same time……..last 10 minutes of roasting broccoli my orzo was steaming and the salmon was cooking. The only problem I had was the orzo stuck to the bottom of my pan……….any solution to this?
Every element is a little different. It sounds like turning yours down just a touch would help. 🙂