A sweet and fragrant rice pilaf, this Rosh Hashanah Sweet Basmati Rice with Carrots & Raisins is the perfect vegan side dish that works for any meal. This gorgeous rice tastes as amazing as it looks, so use it to dress up the table.
With just a few ingredients, you can make our festive and easy rice recipe --it's a traditional family favorite you can fall in love with.
Table of contents
Why You'll Love this Rosh Hashanah Recipe
- It's delicious! And it has the perfect balance of savory and sweet.
- It works with any savory mains.
- This rice is vegan and gluten-free.
- Simple everyday ingredients. Carrots, onions, raisins and rice. Very simple and easy-to-find ingredients infuse our carrot rice with wonderful warm flavors.
- We are sharing with you part of us of our family tradition of what makes us, who we are.
- Our mom came up with this Basmati Rice with Carrots & Raisins recipe to incorporate some sweetness into our Rosh Hashanah recipes to follow the tradition of starting the Jewish New Year with sweet foods.
- If you are familiar with Sephardic cooking it is mostly savory (except for dessert), so this one is special.
- Carrot and raisin rice is one of our favorite Rosh Hashana dishes, and we hope it becomes one of yours too. The funny thing is, as delicious as it is, she only made it during the Jewish holidays. Maybe that's what makes it so special :).
6 Simple Ingredients for Our Fragrant Rosh Hashanah Rice
- Medium Onion. A sweet onion or Vidalia onion will amp up the sweetness in this recipe nicely.
- Freshly Shredded Carrots. The bags of pre-shredded carrots will not add as much sweetness. You need about five whole carrots.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
- Salt.
- Raisins. Any kind you like will work. You could also use dried cranberries.
- White Rice. Basmati rice or Jasmine rice work great in this recipe.
- Toasted Slivered Almonds. Toasting them lightly in a skillet improves the flavor.
- Pomegranate Seeds. More sweetness, a little crunch, and beautiful color!
How to Make Sweet Basmati Rice for Rosh Hashanah
- Step 1: Sauté onions until translucent.
- Step 2: Add shredded carrots
- Step 3: Add water, salt, and raisins and bring to a boil.
- Step 4: Add rice
- Step 5: Cook until rice is done
- Step 6: Garnish with almonds and pomegranate seeds
Do you want more Rosh Hashanah Recipe Ideas? Be sure to check out an additional Fabulous Rosh Hashanah Recipes
More Rosh Hashanah Recipes?
Do you want more Rosh Hashanah Recipe Ideas? Be sure to check out an additional Fabulous Rosh Hashanah Recipes
Tips and Tricks
- If you can't eat almonds or don't eat nuts on Rosh Hashanah, you can replace them with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
- Toast the rice before you add the water it prepares the rice to absorb liquid.
- The onions and carrots can be made ahead and frozen. Defrost the day you want to make the rice.
- Make the whole recipe and freeze it. Rice freezes well. Once defrosted it just has to be reheated with a couple tablespoons of water.
- This recipe can be made 2 days ahead. This Rosh Hashanah Carrot Rice keeps fridge for 3- 4 days and can be easily reheated!
Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Keep your rice pilaf in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to a month.
- Reheat it with a little bit of water for two minutes in the microwave and add time as needed or reheat it in a skillet.
The Story That Inspired This Recipe
As much as we enjoy the holidays, we miss spending them with our parents. Throughout the years, they've come to the US to spend the holidays with us, but lately, they prefer a shorter trip to Israel to spend the holiday with our sister Rebeca.
We've talked many times about our childhood memories growing up in Barcelona. For us, some of my favorites happened around the table on Rosh Hashana, which we always spent with our aunt, uncle, and cousins. Our only family living in Barcelona.
Our mom used to cook the head of a lamb (unheard of here in America!) as part of our tradition. I remember how every year, our cousin Solly, the only boy in the family, used to grab pieces of meat dangling from the eye socket and chase Ruth and his sister Vanessa with them. Gross... and hilarious at the same time.
I also remember my dad trying to be all serious doing the prayers, while we all laughed hysterically.
And of course, our mom's wonderful food, especially this Rosh Hashanah Sweet Basmati Rice with Carrots & Raisins.
Hope you like it as much as I do!
Since we posted this recipe back in 2012 we've since received some comments that this recipe is very similar to Kabuli Pulao an Afghan recipe that is usually served with lamb. You can read the comments below. We can assure you that our mom did not have access to Afghan recipes and we remember eating this carrot and raisin basmati rice recipe before the internet ever existed ( are we dating ourselves here? :-)). So we find it fascinating that 2 cultures crossed without realizing it.
Other Carrot Recipes You May Enjoy
- The Best Moroccan Carrot Salad
- Coconut Ginger Carrot Soup
- Chili Roasted Carrots with Avocado-Cilantro Dressing
- Carrot and Parsnip Vegan Latkes
- Passover Coconut Ginger Carrot Rice
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
A Rosh Hashana Family Favorite: Sweet Basmati Rice with Carrots & Raisins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 cups
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Sweet and fragrant basmati rice with carrots and raisins. The perfect vegetarian side dish for any holiday meal. In our house this is a Rosh Hashanah Favorite. Vegan and Gluten Free.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 4 cups freshly shredded carrots ( about 5 medium carrots)
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 ½ cups water
- 2 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup raisins
- 2 cups white basmati rice you can also use jasmine rice
- Topping:
- 5 tablespoon toasted slivered almonds
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- In a 3 qt sauté pan for which you have a lid, heat oil and cook onions at medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add shredded carrots and continue cooking at medium-low heat for about 7 minutes
- Add water, salt, and raisins and bring to a boil
- Add rice and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Cover the pan and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Uncover the rice and quickly and gently fluff it up with a fork. Put the lid back on and let it sit, off the heat, for 10 minutes.
- Top with almonds and pomegranates before serving
Notes
- If you can't eat almonds or don't eat nuts on Rosh Hashanah, you can replace them with pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
- You may use pre-shredded carrots, but the color of the rice will be different.
- Onion carrot mixture can be made ahead and frozen. Defrost when you are ready to make the rice.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Sides
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Jewish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Calories: 155
- Sugar: 6.4 g
- Sodium: 23.5 mg
- Fat: 3.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.8 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Julie Hansen Intuitive
Looks delish. Shana tova!-Julie
mayihavethatrecipe
Thank you! Shana Tova to you too!
C.C.
How much tumeric did you use? About a teaspoon?
Vicky & Ruth
Hi, there is no turmeric in the rice. The color comes from the carrots. It is important that you shred your own carrots instead to buy them pre-shredded at the store. The color and flavor of the rice will be better. However if you would like to add turmeric, let us know how you like. We would add between 1/4 tsp and 1/2 tsp of turmeric. If you like a spiced rice, we would recommend this recipe:
https://mayihavethatrecipe.com/2015/08/21/sephardic-jeweled-rosh-hashanah-rice/
Rosa
The rice in the recipe you linked is beautiful!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you so much!
Vicky & Ruth
https://mayihavethatrecipe.com/2015/08/21/sephardic-jeweled-rosh-hashanah-rice/
Jenny @ BAKE
ooo I love the idea of adding all that yummy carrot to the rice! delicious!
sunidhi
Hi, This looks very yummy and mouth watering. definitely i will try and let u know. you have described it really good anyone can follow it . thanks for a wonderful recipe.
mayihavethatrecipe
Thank you. This makes great side dish, our guests love it!
Leslie
How many does this serve approx.? Thanks...looks so delicious and colorful.....
Vicky & Ruth
It serves approximately 6-8 people.
Staci S
Can I use sliced almonds instead of slivered??
Vicky & Ruth
Yes, you can use sliced almonds. Just watch them carefully when you are toasting them, so they don't burn.
leah
I know you said the carrots turn the rice yellow and I used 4 cups of carrots but my rice did not turn yellow its white . if i knew I would have put in a little tumeric.
Vicky & Ruth
So sorry your rice did not turn yellow. We made this recipe again this year for Rosh Hashanah and the rice turned yellow. Did you use freshly grated carrots? Because that makes a difference. Turmeric is a great addition to this recipe to add color and flavor. We hope you still enjoyed the recipe even though it did not turn yellow for you. 🙁
leah
thank you for responding. no i did not use freshly grated. I used the shredded from my supermarket. they shred it and put it in plastic containers themselves (it was not like a pkg of dole shredded carrots) would that have made the difference . why would fresh shredded turn it yellow and not shredded carrots sitting for a few days in a container. also I meant saffron not tumeric to add yellow color=is that better. thank you
Vicky & Ruth
Freshly shredded carrots are very juicy and their juice is what helps color the rice. Saffron will definitely give this rice a beautiful more intense color, I would try it.
leah
sorry one more quick question . approximately how many carrots would you say you would need to get 4 cups of shredded carrots. thanks so much
Vicky & Ruth
It will depend on the size of the carrots, but we think at least 10 medium/large size carrots. I would buy at least 12 carrots just to be safe.
leah
I made the rice again for succos and you are so right. the freshly shredded carrots make the rice yellow and I used craisins instead of raisins-the dish was a big hit and delicious and the red craisins looked so good with the yellow rice. thanks for a great recipe that will go into my favorite recipe book.
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you Leah, we are so glad we were able to be part of your holiday table.
Jill
Can't wait to try this with brown basmati rice! I just took a cookie sheet full of your Lemon Chia Seed Biscotti out of the oven and they look and smell wonderful!
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you so much for sharing with us and for making our recipes!
Sara
This looks yummy! Can I make this in advance and reheat? What s the best way to do that? (I don't leave a big enough flame on chag to cook rice from scratch.)
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Sarah,
Yes, you can prepare this in advance and reheat. Instead of adding the almonds right away, save them and mix them in when you're ready to serve. Hope this helps!
Be Sultani
I am not sure if you are aware of this, but rice topped with carrots and raisins is actually a classic in Afghnistan. My mother makes this during special occasion/holidays and not trying to be a rude inconsiderate asshole, but your mother actually made an "Afghan/persian recipe" unknowingly. Depending on the region you go to, variations do exist (on spices e.t.c) but carrots and raisains are always there.
I am sure your mother is a fantastic cook but this is not really an "invention" per se. For her it may be but she actually made food from a diffrent region. Again, if I come across as rude I apologize. My point was to show that your recipe is coincidentally an afghan recipe. This is often eaten with a meat sidedish (lamb/goat/beef) and always comes out good unless you burn the rice.
Again thanks for your time in reading this long paragraph. 🙂
Vicky & Ruth
Sorry for the delayed response. We actually didn't know this was an Afghan/Persian recipe. Thank you for letting us know.
Miriam
Yes!!! I recognized that too... it's called Kabuli, a traditional Afghan dish. Although I'm Jewish and not Afghan, I grew up eating this because my best friend is Afghan. I also alerted the author to the real name because I knew that she probably didn't realize it wasn't a new "invention" but rather a traditional dish of another culture. It may have been accidental but the corrected name and description should be included so the author won't be accused of cultural appropriation. Important to give credit where credit is due.
Adelman
Last minute question - Will this be good made the day before and re-heated the next day?? Are there certain things that should be left out while re-heating and then added right before serving, like the raisins??
Thank you!
Vicky & Ruth
Hi!
Yes, you can reheat it without a problem. Just leave the almond topping out and added it before serving. Let us know if you have any more questions 🙂
Adelman
Thank you so much!! Excited to try it!
Sheri
This looks delicious. Quick question, how would you recommend reheating the dish? Stove top? oven? microwave? Thanks!
Vicky & Ruth
We would either use the microwave or the oven.
Nancy Cohen
Can this be frozen?
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Nancy,
Yes, this dish can be frozen. The rice will not be as tasty when frozen, but it can be done. Another option is to cook the onions, carrots ahead of time and freeze them. Then the day you want to serve the rice defrost the carrot mixture and make the rice. We hope that helps.
Anna
Any chance you can double or triple this recipe? Have you tried?
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Anna, rice can be tricky when you double or triple the recipe. If you need a larger quantity we would recommend that you make 2 or 3 separate batches instead. It will come out much better that way.
Leslie
Can this be made a day ahead and reheated?
Vicky & Ruth
Yes, you can reheated or serve it at room temperature. Juts make sure you use a gentle heat when re-heating. However, it is always better when made fresh.
Vic
Nice but seems kind of bland Needs an herb, like chopped fresh sage, dash of freshly ground black/cayenne pepper.
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Vic,
Thank you for your comment. We are sorry you found this dish to be bland. We have been eating it since we were kids and always loved it. We always encourage our readers to experiment and make our recipes their own. If you try again adding herbs or anything else, please let us know!
leah
so not bland at all. so tasty the best rosh hashona dish
Vicky & Ruth
Thank you so much Leah. We also love this rice.
lauren margolin
For a large group, i'll need to double. Should I do that in one really large pan, or make the single recipe in two different pans.
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Lauren,
We recommend making the single recipe in two different pans. Hope you enjoy it!
Robin
I am planning to make this recipe for the holiday but a couple of guest do not like raisins. Do you have any substitute suggestions?
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Robin,
You can replace the raisins for dried cranberries or diced dried figs. You can also replace them for chopped dates, but just add the chopped dates to the rice, once is cooked and cooled.
Claire
Do you use American basmati or Indian basmati? The cooking instructions on the box is different for each. Thanks!
Vicky & Ruth
We use American Basmati. We usually find that the cooking instructions on the rice package use too much water and the rice tends to come out mushy. Try our rice / water ratio, and tell us what you think.
Leah Goldman
on the 9/4/13 recipe for this you called for two cups of water, when you left message about water rice ratio I checked and see that now it says 2 1/4 cups of water. did you change the ratio since 2013 and why
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Leah,
Thank you for your comment. We must have adjusted the water for this recipe after further testing. We know you have made this recipe, so if it worked for you with 2 cups of water, you can continue using that amount of water. Sometimes, people get different results depending on their stovetop.
Leah Goldman
Im surprised you didnt post the change so people would know. I think it could use the extra 1/4 cup of water.
Vicky & Ruth
It is hard to reach everyone with changes.
Leah Goldman
im sure it must be hard but just email everyone the change like you email them the recipes and they will get it. thank you very much.
Dylan Wittman
This looks delicious. Thanks for sharing
Miriam
Yes, I love this dish... I believe it's name is "Kabuli" and it's traditionally an Afghan dish. My best friend is Afghan so I grew up eating this at her home. Lol, so it's definitely not anyone's new "invention"!! What a great idea to add it to a Rosh Hashanah dinner though 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Miriam, our mom is not familiar in Afghani cuisine, so it is very interesting that she came out with a similar dish. We will let her know. Thank you for letting us know.
Shab
This recipe caught my eye. I am from Afghanistan and rice with carrots and raisins is one of our staples. We cook it usually in a meat broth (using lots of browned onion). We use cardamom and cumin to spice up the rice. Anyway, it is just wonderful to see how small this big world really is.
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Shab, thank you for your comment. The world is small... we will have to tell her about the Afghani rice you are mentioning. The addition of Cardamom and cumin sound wonderful in this dish.
Amira Foods
Wow! this is a simple and great recipe.
Patty Mitter
Have you tried serving this cold? Looking for a make-ahead recipe. thanks!
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Patty, we usually serve this rice at room temperature, so it can be made ahead.
Mimi
Can this rice recipe be prepared a day ahead and reheated?
Vicky & Ruth
Yes! Absolutely. You can also serve the rice at room temperature, just take it out of the fridge 2-3 hours before your meal.
Ellen
I made this recipe tonight, the colors were so vibrant, I should’ve taken a picture...but instead we just gobbled it up. It will be part of our holiday table from now on!
Vicky & Ruth
LOL. Thank you so much! We are so happy you enjoyed it!
Amina
This is an afghan dish called "qabli palao"
Vicky & Ruth
Cool cultural cross over, thank you for sharing!
Fatana Olomi
Omg! I’m afghan and we make this rice with lamb! We call it Kabuli Palow or palou. I’m so excited seeing others make similar things.
Mayim
This is Afghan qabuli
MT
Could I substitute rice for couscous?
Vicky & Ruth
Yes, you may substitute the rice for couscous, you would have to adjust the amount of water, just check the couscous packaging instructions.
Stacey
This was fantastic! I made half the recipe and used some chicken brother with the water. Totally forgot to put the almonds on top but it came out perfect. Will definitely be making it again!
Vicky & Ruth
We are so glad you enjoyed it!
kathy
this is delicious and so easy. I used fresh grated carrots and dried cranberries. My family really enjoyed this dish.
Vicky and Ruth
Fantastic! We love it when you enjoy our recipes!
Dorie
I think this would be a great dish for one of my Dutch oven gatherings. I'm from Wisconsin and have a friend from Morocco who made lambs head complete with brains and eyeballs. I ate some brains but passed on the eyeballs, lol.
Vicky and Ruth
LOL, good idea, I have a feeling, they are kind of slimy 🙂
Gillian
Delicious, vegetable-filled, fun for Rosh Hashanah, and we enjoyed the leftovers for days (with roast chicken; with an egg on top for breakfast). Beautiful results and pretty easy to make. Will definitely make this again!
Tanya Cohen
Question - how would you adjust for brown basmati rice? Or, would jasmine rice work in this dish? Thanks!
Vicky and Ruth
Jasmine rice works for this recipe. Regarding brown rice,it tends to get mushy, so I would probably cook it separately, they way you normally do and then mix in the carrots,onions, raisins etc.
Katrin
My favourite rice recipe ever. Thank you for sharing
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you so much! It's one of our favorites too!
Audrea Danskin
Yours is yellow. Did you add turmeric?
Vicky and Ruth
No the freshly shredded carrots give the rice its color.
Hannah Azizollah
I have made this recipe a number of times. My mum used to make the Afghan recipe sometimes with meat cooked in the rice and I found this recipe on line searching for a one pot quick method. It is fantastic! So much easier! I like to add cinnamon and some dried barberries....from Iranian shops, they are small slightly sour berries. Brown basmati works for me, takes a bit longer.White rice more luxurious but less healthy!! Thanks for saving me time and washing up!!
Vicky and Ruth
We are so happy that you found us too! We want to try barberries, if we find it. Thank you for taking the time to leave us a commnent.
Zoë L
I made this tonight for Rosh Hashana dinner and it was a HIT! So easy to make and yet so unique and delicious. Four of us had large servings and we still have plenty leftover. Easy to follow recipe - one of my favorite recipes to follow and make! Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Vicky and Ruth
So happy to hear that everyone loved this side dish!