Persian Cranberry Rice Pilaf
Fragrant, slightly sweet, and delicious, Persian cranberry rice pilaf. This rice pilaf is perfect to serve as a side for Thanksgiving. It’s studded with dried cranberries and pistachio and super fragrant from sweet saffron. This saffron rice will be a hit all around!
Are cranberries the best or are cranberries the best? Yes. And yes.
Especially this cranberry rice pilaf studded with sweet cranberries, BECAUSE I ❤ UNIQUE THANKSGIVING SIDES. This beauty is loaded with cranberries and a handful or two (or three) of crunchy pistachios (or almonds or pecans) *squeals* and made extra yummy nummy with basmati rice, the kind where you can see each individual grain, fragrant with a big pinch of saffron, and flat out flavorful with just a teeny-tiny, itty-bitty, bit of spices – oh yes I did.
This is one of those special recipes that have me stealing bites as i’m packing away leftovers. Excuses. That’s what they are. Oh, just a bite because the container is too full to hold any more. Deliberately taking a small bite. Okay, one bite didn’t really do anything, i’ll have to take another one. And that snowballs into packing away at least a 1/4 of a cup of so. Nod and pretend like you know exactly what i’m talking about, will you? Shmanks.
The first time I had this cranberry rice pilaf it was at this adorable little Persian grill.
It came as a side on my plate of grilled koobideh kabobs and these cute little grilled nuggets of chicken that were marinated perfectly in the amazing mustard/turmeric/sumac flavor. So technically the cranberry rice pilaf was actually a sweet cherry rice pilaf. And technically they had slivered almonds on top rather than pistachios. But it was love at first bite. And I couldn’t help but quickly jot down the notes I tasted in the rice.
I was itching to attempt making it at home and when I finally did, one bite and I knew I hit the jackpot with this one. Anees said that it tasted just like the rice we had at the persian restaurant – if not better! Score. And since then we’ve made it at least a dozen times. And this recipe isn’t limited to just Thanksgiving, I’ve made it during summer time with my moms famous Jujeh kabob recipe too. The spices in the chicken complement the cranberry rice soooooo well.
If you’ve been in search of the perfect thanksgiving side that’s a little more flavorful than bland mashed potatoes and a boring old salad, this is the one for you! I’m so excited to share this with you guys I can hardly stand it. Let’s do this!
For starts, this dish can be served with grilled chicken, kabobs or any other kind of protein or it’s totally fine to serve has a main course too because, I could eat an entire bowl of this stuff.
But you guys. When I say simple, I really mean SIMPLE.
Let’s talk about the rice for Persian rice pilaf:
I cannot stress enough that the quality of the rice you use for this cranberry rice pilaf recipe is super duper important. If there is one thing you splurge on for this recipe, let it be the rice. RICE. Okay, I think I’ve made it pretty clear.
To prepare the rice, start by giving it a good rinse under cold, running water. Let the basmati rice soak for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours if you’ve got the time. This step is what helps each grain of rice get nice and tender yet remain completely mush-free. Allow a large pot of water to boil, once boiling, season with a palmful of salt + 2 tablespoons of vinegar. The vinegar helps each grain remain separate from each other. Drain the rice and add it to the boiling water. Boil the rice for 6-8 minutes or until the rice is just al dente. Drain the rice and rinse it with cold running water to stop it from cooking further. A lot less daunting then it looks, am I right?
The rest is a breeze, dahling.
The first bite of gorgeous and perfectly cooked basmati rice all mixed together with sautéed onions, spices, a little sugar, and cranberries. I fell completely in love with the combination of textures and flavors, and the likelihood that i’ll eat the whole pot in the next few days is very high. For reals.
Fresh comfort food. Cranberries in your rice rather than a goopy, gloppy, canned, and questionable cranberry jelly. WIN!
Like, hurry up and put this on your thanksgiving menu already! ❤
Persian Cranberry Rice Pilaf
Fragrant, slightly sweet, and delicious, Persian cranberry rice pilaf. This rice pilaf is perfect to serve as a side for Thanksgiving. It's studded with dried cranberries and pistachio and super fragrant from sweet saffron. This saffron rice will be a hit all around!
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 3 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee) or butter
- 1 cup onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sumac powder (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (or dried cherries)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron (soaked in 2 tablespoons hot water for 10 minutes)
- 1/3 cup roasted shelled pistachios (or slivered almonds or pecans)
Instructions
- Wash the basmati rice thoroughly and soak in water for 30 minutes. If you've got the time soak for up to 2 hours. The longer you soak, the more tender the rice.
- Heat the ghee or butter over medium heat in a 10-inch skillet. Add the onions and sauté them for 3 -4 minutes until they turn translucent. Add the turmeric, sumac powder, cranberries, and salt. Allow the cranberries to cook for 1 minute, then add the sugar, along with 2 tablespoons of water so the onions and cranberries can soak up the sugar. Allow to cook for 3 minutes or until the cranberries soak up all the liquid, turn off the stove and remove from heat.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil (see notes). Drain the rice and add to the boiling water and cook on medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until al dente. Drain the rice and rinse under cool running water to stop cooking; drain. Pour the tablespoon of olive oil into the base of the same pot. Add the rice and pour the saffron water over the rice evenly. Top with the cranberry mixture and the pistachios. Wrap the lid of the pot with a thin kitchen towel and cover the pot. This helps build steam to help cook the rice through. Cook the rice on high for 3 minutes, then turn the heat down to super-low and continue to cook for 10 more minutes. Turn off heat and let the rice sit for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
- I like to add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar once the water is boiling along with a palmful of salt before adding in the rice. Though this is completely optional, I find that it makes the rice fluffy and flavorful.
- Sumac is available in most middle eastern grocery stores in the spice aisle.
This pilaf sounds beyond amazing, I can’t wait to give this a try! And btw, that meal you described that inspired this dish sounds so good too! ; )
So I searched out this recipe since my sister-in-law’s family is persian and this is my favorite dish they make. The berries they use are actually barberries, only found in Iran. You can order them on Amazon.
I tried this pilaf but also added thinly sliced of green and rec pepper, onion and mushrooms. On top I added sliced almonds, pistachios, more cranberries, little pumpkin seeds, and pine nuts. The dish looked very festive and all my friends loved it.
I’m making this tonight for Christmas dinner. Thank you– such beautiful photos too
Delicious cranberry polo (seresh polo), im preparing right now with chicken joresht
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It’s so difficult for me to get the rice to be the right texture up top, while getting the delicious, crunchy part stuck to the bottom. But this is SOOOOO good!
This sounds absolutely delicious. Do you think it would still taste good without the sugar. I’m not too keen on the sugar. I am Armenian and have used sumac fairly regularly and it’s always nice to find new recipes that use it.
Sure, you can skip it if you’d like!
caame out good.Thank you for sharing!
Found all the ingredients at HEB here in Texas. Recipe was easy to make and delicious!!!
This was a 5 star. The only problem was with the cooking it on hi for 3 mins and then on low for 10 mins. There is no liquid in it by now, and if I cooked it like that, it would really stick. I just turned it off, covered it and it was done anyway. Good recipe, delicious and made enough to put in the freezer.
It’s supposed to stick! That’s called tahdig and it’s the best part ?
I have been looking for a recipe like this for years. It was utterly delicious! I used basmati brown rice and served it with grilled chicken in a honey soy marinade and naan. Will definitely make it again. Thx!!
Thank you, thank you for a Persian rice recipe that was successful for me! (ah, tahdig!) One note, in the description you mention adding 2T of vinegar + salt to the rice’s boiling water but that tip didn’t make it into the recipe directions. I suspect this is the Magic Secret to a successful Persian rice & perhaps you could add it to the printable recipe? Thanks again for your thoughtful & well-written recipes, so happy I stumbled upon your website!
Thank you for your feedback! I went ahead and added it to the notes section 🙂
Hi, thank you for this recipe! It came out great and my family loved it. I added a little more sumac and salt than the recipe called for. I’ve added the pic on your Pinterest. Thanks for the vinegar tip. Made my rice fluffy!
I’m glad you enjoyed the tip and the rice, Nammi! 🙂
Waiting for the result of my rice. I an nervous about it,
Thankyou for this lovely recipe. I have made this before, but now it is much more professional by following your tips on cooking rice with vinegar, draining, running cold water etc. I am making it again today and everyone loves it. Looking forward to more recipes from you.
So glad to hear you found the tips helpful, Tasneem 🙂
This looks amazing and is exactly the recipe I was looking for! I’m pretty sure the “little Persian Grill” you mention is a restaurant on Westheimer I used to go to when I lived in Houston. My friend and I called it the “Persian Food Trough” because they brought out so. much. food. I was talking with a friend about that today, discovered this recipe on your blog, and then saw you’re from Houston! I miss that restaurant so much (and especially this rice!) I can’t wait to try this recipe!
We made this when I lived in Tehran 1977 but put it in layers .
Great with Oersian Chicken or Aubergines
Thank you
Paul
Very good. I modified to make this in the Instant Pot. 1:2 rice to water ratio and cooked on high in IP for 5 minutes. Then I took the rice out, mixed it with the other ingredients, added oil, butter, and saffron to bottom of an Instant Pot, and added the rice back in. I cooked on saute mode for 12 min in order to get the crispy bottom rice (tahdig). I also cut down the sugar to 1/4 cup and next time would cut it out completely. It’s not necessary. Excellent!
You have no idea how excited I am to have found your recipe! I lived in Houston for awhile for work.
I loved going to Kasra’s. I even brought the rice to my sister as carry on luggage by plane one time because we loved it so much.
I haven’t been to Houston for ~10 years and still think of that rice. I’ll try your recipe in the near future (as soon as I find the ingredients!)
This is fabulous. I’d never had this kind of slightly sweet rice before. And the rice grains!! I’d never done so much to rice to cook it. Absolutely separated and yet not in any way mushy. This makes A LOT of rice. I’d almost want to double the onion/ cranberry part but without any more sugar. And, we all snuck a taste of the onion/ cranberry mixture just after it was cooked. It’s like a chutney, and it’s fabulous, and I’m going to make a separate triple batch and store it to serve over roast pork.
What kind of pot should I use? Is stainless steel ok? Because I don’t own a dutch oven.
Can’t wait to make this
I tried this dish it turned out to be too good thank you for the recepie
Do you think the onion and cranberry mixture can be prepped the day before?
Better than the pilaf in our local Persian Restaurant.
Hi Marzia, I have made this rice already a couple of times and I just can’t get enough of it. It is so delicious. I add both roasted slivered almonds and pistachios. All my guests love it when I make this rice for them and everybody is asking me to please share this recipe with them. Thank you very much for this great recipe.
I only have Jasmine rice. Can this be made with Jasmine?
Better than the albaloo polo our favorite Persian restaurant makes, and this way I control the quantity of cherries in the dish rather than rely on the kitchen to sprinkle on whatever they have available at any given time. Theirs was delicious but not consistent. With your recipe, I get perfect results every time. Thanks so much!!