15 Best Sauces To Serve With Rice

Rice is the epitome of a culinary staple. It's featured across an array of cuisines and has the ability to fit into just about any kind of dish, from curries and stir-fries to salads and stews. This grain has been a part of the human diet for thousands of years, prized for its hearty, versatile nature. There's no denying that plain rice is sometimes all you need to bulk out a dish, but there's also an easy way to spruce up a simple portion of fluffy white grains with the addition of a flavorful sauce. This can completely transform the taste of the rice, tying it in perfectly with the other elements of your meal.

Whether you're reaching for a simple store-bought condiment, or crafting your own sauce from scratch, there are endless options to consider as a rice pairing. Asian-inspired sauces are particularly fitting for fried rice dishes, whilst a rich, savory gravy is ideal if you're serving the rice with roasted meats. Or, to keep things fresh and vibrant, opt for a herb-forward sauce. So, if your go-to boiled rice has been getting a little samey, it might be time to inject a little excitement into your dinner, with one of these delicious, flavor-boosting additions.

To elevate plain rice with a dose of umami richness, try pairing it with a homemade mushroom sauce.This will add a new textural element to your dish and provide an extra boost of nutrients, creating a dinner that's both well-rounded and satisfying.

You can whip up a rich and savory steakhouse-style mushroom sauce in just 20 minutes. Start by slicing mushrooms, and sauteing them in butter until softened. Stir in a little flour, then deglaze the pan with some sherry. Pour in soy sauce and beef broth, simmering until the sauce has thickened. Then, it can be seasoned to taste and spooned right over the fluffy rice. If you prefer a creamier sauce, try stirring in some heavy cream or crème fraîche towards the end of cooking. And, for a deeper aromatic flavor, you can always saute finely diced onion or shallot before adding the mushrooms. Your saucy mushroom-infused rice will taste incredible alongside grilled chicken breast, pan-fried salmon, or even a medley of steamed green veggies like asparagus, broccoli, or green beans.

Add some sweetness and tang to your rice with the addition of BBQ sauce. This will take plain rice to a flavor-packed dish. It also makes the rice ideal for serving as a side dish with grilled meat or fish. Of course, you can absolutely use your favorite store-bought sauce here. But, making your own BBQ sauce from scratch is also a great option. And, it's far easier than you'd think, with a medley of pantry ingredients such as tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, and honey simmered together in a saucepan.

There's also the option to jazz up the BBQ rice even further by incorporating some extra aromatics. Try heating chopped garlic with butter in a saucepan before boiling the rice in the same pan. Then, once the rice has been cooked, toss it into a slightly larger pan with the BBQ sauce, stirring everything together until well coated. You could totally make things a little spicier here too if desired, by adding a dash of chili oil or sprinkling of cayenne pepper.

Amp up the spice level of your rice by giving it the gochujang chili paste treatment. This Korean condiment is a fermented paste made with red chili peppers, soybeans, and sticky rice, and it boasts a bold flavor with plenty of heat, umami richness, and a hint of sweetness. A simple dollop of this convenient store-bought paste to your rice, and you'll wonder why you hadn't tried this combo sooner. 

While you can just stir gochujang with cooked rice, you might like to combine it with some extra add-ins to enhance its flavor and create a sauce with a slightly looser consistency. Try stirring it with some soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, and a splash of water. This medley is perfect for pouring over fried rice during the cooking process. And, if you're pairing the grains with a protein such as chicken, beef, or tofu, you can use the same sauce to coat the pieces as you pan-fry them, as well.

When it comes to whipping up a batch of savory, chewy-crisp fried rice, soy sauce is your friend. This condiment is featured in countless fried rice recipes, and for good reason. It's the perfect add-in when you want to ensure the dish delivers on salty, savory flavor. Typically, the soy sauce is added to the pan or wok towards the end of cooking, with everything stirred together until the rice is lightly toasted. It'll also work great alongside a splash of sesame oil and oyster sauce. Alternatively, if you're using eggs in your recipe, you can beat them with a splash of soy sauce before you add them.

Soy sauce doesn't have to be reserved for fried rice dishes, either. It's a go-to for seasoning sushi rice, and you can certainly drizzle some over plain, boiled white or brown rice. This works especially well when combined with a pat of butter, which will melt and impart a wonderful creamy richness.

If you're a spice lover, sriracha is a fitting accompaniment to rice. Drizzling it over a portion is sure to turn up the heat, while also providing a hint of tang and aromatic goodness. If you want to go all out, you could even make your own sriracha from scratch, using fresh red jalapeño peppers and garlic. But, keep in mind that'll you'll need to factor in a fairly lengthy fermentation period before you can use the sauce. Thankfully, there are some excellent store-bought sauce options to choose from!

To create a spicy sriracha-infused fried rice, start with a base of pan-fried aromatics, such as garlic, ginger, and chopped green onions. Once these have softened up, add some veggies of your choice. Mushrooms, green beans, and carrots would all make excellent choices. Once these have been sauteed, stir in the rice, cooking until it starts to crisp up. Then comes sriracha, which you can absolutely pair with other sauces like soy sauce, oyster sauce, or even a splash of sesame oil if desired. Now, your rice will be infused with heaps of moreish savory warmth. Top it off with a fried egg for the ultimate hearty, Asian-inspired dinner.

There are few things as comforting as a steaming jug of rich, savory gravy. And, this beloved dinner table staple isn't just for pouring over roasted meats. It also does an excellent job of enhancing plain rice. There are many different forms of this brothy delight, so feel free to customize this pairing as you see fit. We guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised!

For a classic chicken gravy, first melt butter in a saucepan, whisk in flour, and slowly pour the chicken stock. Once the gravy is nice and thick, stir in some Worcestershire sauce, heavy cream, and seasonings of your choice, such as onion powder, garlic powder, or dried herbs. This will taste fantastic spooned directly over a portion of fluffy rice, perhaps alongside some roasted veggies and your choice of protein, such as chicken or pork.

If a creamier country gravy is more your style, this makes for an equally great option. This starts in the same way as traditional gravy, with a roux of butter and flour. But, instead of stock, we add milk, for a richer finish, with onion powder, salt, and black pepper enhancing the savory depth. This creamy sauce creates an irresistibly velvety coating for the rice, making it feel extra hearty and indulgent.

Yes, this creamy favorite is great for sandwiches, but mayonnaise can also be a rather transformative addition to rice. Mayo adds some much-needed moisture to the grains, plus a hint of salty, savory flavor. And, it pairs brilliantly with a whole host of other ingredients.

Mayonnaise is ideal for drizzling atop a variety of homemade rice bowls, whether they're featuring spicy seared salmon, chunks of marinated chicken, or a medley of roasted vegetables. A classic way to combine mayo and rice is with canned tuna. Try mixing drained fish with some soy sauce, sriracha, and a generous dollop of mayo until nice and creamy. This mixture can then be spooned atop a bed of cooked sticky rice with some fresh, crunchy veggies, to build a mouth-watering, deconstructed sushi-style bowl. 

The slightly richer, egg yolk-based Kewpie mayo tastes especially great with rice. There are also plenty of flavored options to consider, such as garlic, lime, or chipotle mayo, so feel free to experiment according to preference.

If you're looking to give your rice a bit of a kick, without making it blow-your-head-off spicy, sweet chili sauce is a great option. This will add the perfect balance of sweetness, warmth, and tang, keeping things light and aromatic. 

Sweet chili sauce is a particularly excellent addition to fried rice, and it does a great job of contrasting the umami depth of other popular ingredients like soy sauce and onions. You can either mix the sauce into the rice along with any other condiments of your choice or simply drizzle it atop the plated rice before serving. It will taste delicious alongside a squeeze of fresh lime juice, or a scattering of toasted sesame seeds.

Again, sweet chili sauce is readily available at most grocery stores, but if you fancy making your own, check out this easy sweet chili sauce recipe. Featuring flavorful sambal oelek chili paste, plus fresh garlic and ginger, it hits all the right flavor notes and comes together in just 20 minutes.

Oyster sauce has a beautifully unique taste, offering sweetness, umami, and brininess, without being overly fishy. It frequently appears in fried rice recipes, where it's often paired with soy sauce. Just stir the oyster sauce into the rice during cooking, perhaps with some chopped green onions, peas, and an egg, to create a flavor-packed medley that can be served alone or as a well-rounded side dish.

If preferred, you can simply add a dollop of oyster sauce to the water while the rice is cooking in a saucepan or rice cooker, perhaps with a pinch of sugar and glug of sesame oil. Another fuss-free approach is to stir some of the sauce through the freshly cooked rice. To tie the flavors of your dish together seamlessly, try serving the rice with proteins that have been coated with an oyster sauce-based marinade. Ingredients like garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and rice vinegar would all fit into that sweet and briny base.

Ketchup on rice? Absolutely! If you're skeptical about this combination, we urge you to give it a try, because your mind might just be blown. Drizzling the sauce over plain rice is a perfectly acceptable way to enjoy this duo, but once again, incorporating it into a fried rice dish is a more common approach. In fact, in Japan, ketchup-infused rice is a standard component of the popular omurice dish. This is essentially an omelette that's been draped atop a bed of fried rice, and often features other proteins such as chicken, shrimp, or tofu. To make the rice element, you'll simply saute diced onions and your proteins in the pan first, then add cooked rice, ketchup, and splash of soy sauce, stirring everything together over the heat until well-coated.

An equally tasty way to combine ketchup and rice is in a hamburger-style rice bowl. Just top your cooked rice with sauteed ground beef, onions, some fresh, crisp lettuce, juicy tomato slices, and shredded cheese. Then, drizzle over a generous helping of ketchup, perhaps followed by a squeeze of mustard or burger sauce.

It's a favorite for slathering over chicken or whisking into a tangy vinaigrette, but honey mustard sauce is also a game-changer when it comes to whipping up rice-based dishes. The sweet and tangy profile really brings the grains to life, transforming them into a flavorful base that can be served with an array of savory goodies.

To build a hearty honey mustard sausage rice bowl, start by sauteing diced Italian sausages and onions until nicely browned. Throw in some minced garlic, along with a good glug of your favorite honey mustard sauce (store-bought or homemade will both work great). Once everything has been well coated, add the cooked rice, with some add-ins if desired, and continue cooking until the rice crisps up and turns golden. This method will also work brilliantly with diced chicken breast or thighs in place of the sausage. 

Honey mustard will also fit effortlessly into a wild rice salad. Try mixing the sauce with a splash of white vinegar, orange juice, and olive oil to create a looser dressing. This can then be tossed with cooked and cooled wild rice and your choice of salad veggies, such as crunchy diced cucumbers, juicy cherry tomatoes, or even fruits like apples or grapes.

This creamy, nutty concoction is often used as a dipping sauce in Southeast Asian cuisine, balancing the most irresistible combination of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors. And, you guessed it, it also makes for a rather epic accompaniment to rice. The texture of satay is similar to a thick curry sauce, so it effortlessly coats every kernel with a glorious layer of silky, peanut-infused deliciousness.

If you can't find ready-made satay sauce at the store, don't fret, because it's easy to whip up from scratch. You'll need creamy peanut butter, fresh lime juice, soy sauce, garlic powder, honey, and red pepper flakes. Then, it's a simple case of adding everything to a bowl and stirring the ingredients together. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a splash of water to thin it out.

A fantastic way to use satay is to incorporate it into a crispy rice salad. Step one is to mix some leftover cooked rice with soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili oil, before spreading it out on a baking sheet and crisping it up in the oven for about 25 minutes. Then, toss your rice with the satay sauce and some tasty add-ins, such as shredded chicken, edamame beans, sliced bell peppers, and fresh herbs like cilantro and mint. Chopped peanuts are also great for adding crunch, while green onions are ideal way to introduce more aromatics.

Another sauce that's incredibly popular in Asian cuisine and that goes well with rice is teriyaki. This sauce boasts a bold, tangy taste, being similar in consistency to oyster sauce, but a little on the sweeter side. Despite this, it also offers a good dose of umami flavor, so it makes for a well-balanced choice. You can grab a handy store-bought bottle of teriyaki, or make your own by combining soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic powder, and ginger, heating the ingredients with a cornstarch slurry to thicken everything up.

Teriyaki sauce can be incorporated into a whole host of rice dishes. Think rice bowls with crispy skin-on salmon or succulent chicken, or vibrant veggie stir-fries. To create a flavor-packed, teriyaki-spiked fried rice dish, first saute minced garlic in sesame oil, before adding a medley of colorful veggies and some cubed firm tofu. Throw in cooked rice, along with the teriyaki sauce. After a few minutes of cooking, the sauce should take on a moreish caramelized taste that will enhance the entire dish.

Chimichurri and rice are a match made in heaven. This herb-loaded sauce is full of vibrant, zesty flavors, and it's sure to take your rice to a whole new level of deliciousness. For the best results, we recommend using a homemade chimichurri here. For this, you'll simply mix red wine vinegar with lemon juice, minced shallot and garlic, fresh parsley, oregano, cilantro, and chives, plus some red pepper flakes. Whisk in a splash of olive oil, season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste, and leave the flavors to blend for 20 minutes or so.

This sauce can absolutely be used alone, stirred through a batch of plain, cooked rice to give it a spicy, herbaceous flavor boost. But, rice and chimichurri will also taste great alongside a tomato-based sauce. A Mexican-inspired technique is to saute diced onions, simmer these with some canned tomatoes and a selection of warming spices like chili powder and paprika, before stirring in the rice and chimichurri sauce.

Pesto is a go-to for pasta, but it also shines in rice dishes, and it's easy to see why. It boasts a delightfully rich, herbaceous taste, giving anything it touches a mouth-watering Mediterranean feel. For the freshest and most flavorful result, homemade pesto is always the best option. This can be made in mere minutes, by blitzing together garlic, pine nuts, lemon juice, fresh basil, olive oil, salt, and capers in a food processor. 

The prepared pesto can now be spooned generously over your cooked rice and stirred well to coat it evenly. This combo will taste incredible with proteins like chicken, shrimp, or bacon, and green veggies like peas, green beans, or broccoli. Some fresh cherry tomatoes or roasted red peppers would go down a treat, too. Another option is to add a dollop of pesto to the water when cooking rice, to infuse it with herby, garlicky goodness as it simmers.