Curried Rice Salad with Orange

A flavorful Curried Rice Salad with crunchy pistachios, sweet currants, and an orange-curry dressing! It's a delicious side dish for picnics, potlucks, or even take-along lunches. Plus it's basically done in the time it takes the rice to cook! (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.)

This bright and flavorful Curried Rice Salad is made with crunchy pistachios, chewy currants, and a delightful curry-orange dressing.

There are so many delicious flavors and textures in one dish!

Plus it's easy to make and only requires 9 simple ingredients. (It's basically done in the time it takes your rice to cook!)

It's a tasty dish to make ahead for picnics, potlucks, take-along lunches, etc.

Ingredients for Curried Rice Salad

For this recipe you will toss together in a medium bowl:

• Brown rice: I use long grain rice such as jasmine or basmati, and I purchase organic when possible. (But you can also use white rice if desired!)
• Green onion (scallion): These add some mild onion flavor to the dish. For a stronger flavor, try finely diced red onion.
• Fresh cilantro: Or substitute fresh parsley if you don't care for cilantro.
• Currants: I use Zante currants which I find in the bulk bins at our local food co-op. But if they're not available in your area, you can substitute raisins.
• Pistachios (shelled): These add great texture and crunch to the salad.
• Fresh orange juice: You will need about one-third cup freshly squeezed orange juice for this recipe, which is about one orange. You can also include the optional orange zest in the dressing for bolder orange flavor.
• Curry powder: This is a mixture of warm spices that often includes things like ground turmeric, cumin, coriander, black pepper, ginger, etc. Curry powder can range in spiciness depending on how much cayenne pepper (or other chili peppers) are included. Most often I use the "Simply Organic" brand which is mild to moderate heat.
• Pure maple syrup: This is a great natural sweetener and helps balance the dressing. Feel free to use more or less to your taste.
• Rice vinegar: I use Marukan brand organic unseasoned vinegar. (Seasoned rice vinegar contains added sugar and salt.) You can also add fine grain salt and black pepper to taste if you'd like.

Oil option: I prepare this recipe oil-free, however you can add a teaspoon or up to a tablespoon of good quality extra-virgin olive oil to the dressing if you wish.

Customizing

Pistachio substitute: Stir in pecans, cashews, or slivered almonds to the rice mixture instead.

Currants & cilantro: These can be also replaced with parsley and raisins, depending on your taste and what's available.

Other additions: A reader added roasted cauliflower to this salad which is a really great idea! You can also add garbanzo beans (or other white bean) for added plant-based protein and fiber.

Grains: I'm guessing this recipe would work very well with other grains! Simply swap out the rice for farro, quinoa, kamut, wheat berry, etc.

Serving

When to serve: You can serve this dish immediately warm/room temperature, or refrigerate for at least an hour to let flavors mellow and combine further.

Garnish: Top your bowl with more fresh herbs, lemon juice, lime juice, or fresh mint if desired.

Storing

If saving for later: Feel free to make it a few hours or up to a day in advance. Sometimes I like to squeeze a little extra fresh orange juice on top right before serving to brighten it up.

Tip: After a couple days of sitting in the fridge, I find the rice starts to dry out a little. So it's usually best enjoyed within 1-2 days.

For more inspiration, also browse all side dish recipes or gluten-free recipes.

Curried Rice Salad with Orange

A flavorful brown rice salad with crunchy pistachios, sweet currants, and an orange-curry dressing! A tasty side dish for picnics & potlucks, or take-along lunches.

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Comment

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Author: Kaitlin - The Garden Grazer

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Indian-Inspired, Oil-Free, Vegan

Servings: 5 (1-cup servings)

US CustomaryMetric

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain brown rice (jasmine or basmati)
• 3 green onions
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup currants (or raisins)
• 1/3 cup pistachios, shelled

For the orange-curry dressing:

• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar, unseasoned
• 1/2 tsp. orange zest (optional)
• 1/4 tsp. salt

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Instructions

• Rinse and cook rice according to package instructions.*
• Meanwhile, make the dressing: Add all dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Slice green onions and roughly chop cilantro, large stems removed. Place in a medium/large mixing bowl. Add currants and pistachios.
• When rice is cooked, add to bowl. Pour dressing over top and stir well.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate for at least an hour to let flavors mellow and further combine.

Notes

*Cooking rice: I combine 1 cup rice with 1 ¾ cup water. Then bring to light boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 35-40 minutes.

Curry powder: The curry flavor is strong so feel free to decrease if desired. Most often I use "Simply Organic" brand.

Yield: Recipe makes about 5 cups salad.

Storing: Feel free to prepare it up to a day ahead of time. (Sometimes I'll squeeze extra fresh orange juice on top right before serving to brighten it up.) After a couple days of sitting, the rice starts to dry out, so it's best enjoyed within 1-2 days.

Originally published April 2018. Updated May 2023.

Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)

Nutrition Facts

Curried Rice Salad with Orange

Amount per Serving

Calories

256

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

5

g

8

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Potassium

 

368

mg

11

%

Carbohydrates

 

49

g

16

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

15

g

17

%

Protein

 

6

g

12

%

Vitamin A

 

220

IU

4

%

Vitamin C

 

11

mg

13

%

Calcium

 

50

mg

5

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Sodium: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.

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If you are enjoying this Curried Brown Rice Salad recipe with orange curry dressing, also feel free to check out:

• Curried Chickpea Salad
• Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
• Vegan Butter Chickpeas
• Coconut Curry Vegetable Soup

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