Copycat Recipe · Updated August 16, 2026
Texas Roadhouse
Seasoned Rice Recipe
Two broths, a knob of butter and one step almost every copycat recipe skips. Twenty-five minutes from pantry to the side dish people order steaks around.
25 min
Total time
6
Serves
~230 cal
Per serving
Short answer: toast the rice in butter first, then use two broths
Long-grain white rice toasted in butter for 3 to 4 minutes, then simmered in 1 cup beef broth and 2 cups chicken broth with soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder and parsley. The toasting step is what most copycat recipes leave out, and the two-broth split is what stops it tasting like plain rice pilaf.
Seasoned rice is one of the quieter items on the Texas Roadhouse side list, and one of the most requested to recreate. It is not complicated food. What makes it distinctive is two decisions that are easy to miss: the rice is toasted in butter before any liquid touches it, and the cooking liquid is a blend of beef and chicken broth rather than one or the other.
Get those two things right and the rest is a normal covered simmer. Get them wrong and you end up with perfectly pleasant seasoned rice that tastes nothing like the restaurant. Everything below, including the batch table and the mistakes section, exists to keep you on the right side of that line.
Jump to RecipeIngredients (and Why Each One Is There)
Serves 6 as a side. Everything here is a standard pantry item.
| Amount | Ingredient | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1½ cups | Long-grain white rice, uncooked | Long-grain stays separate and fluffy. Short-grain or arborio release starch and turn it sticky, which is the wrong texture entirely. |
| 3 tbsp | Butter | Used to toast the rice before liquid goes in. This is the step most copycat recipes skip and it is what builds the nutty base flavour. |
| 1 cup | Beef broth | The savoury backbone and the source of the light brown colour. Do not substitute water here. |
| 2 cups | Chicken broth | Softens the beef broth so it tastes rounded rather than heavy. The two-broth split is the whole trick. |
| 1 tbsp | Soy sauce | Adds depth and deepens the colour. Low-sodium is safer since both broths already carry salt. |
| 1 tsp | Onion powder | Powder, not fresh onion. Fresh releases water and changes the liquid ratio. |
| ½ tsp | Garlic powder | Background savouriness. Easy to overdo, so stay at half a teaspoon. |
| ½ tsp | Dried parsley | Mostly for the flecks of green the restaurant version has. Fresh parsley works, stirred in at the end. |
| ¼ tsp | Black pepper | Finishes it. Add salt only after tasting, since broth and soy sauce usually cover it. |
The two highlighted rows are the ones that matter most: the butter for toasting, and the beef broth that gives the dish its colour and backbone.
How to Make It
Five steps, 25 minutes. Step 2 is the one that matters.
1
Melt the butter
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let it foam and settle, but do not let it brown before the rice goes in.
2
Toast the riceDo not skip
Add the dry rice and stir constantly for 3 to 4 minutes until the grains turn slightly translucent at the edges and smell nutty. This is the step that separates this from plain seasoned rice. Do not rush it.
3
Add liquids and seasoning
Pour in the beef broth, chicken broth and soy sauce, then stir in the onion powder, garlic powder, parsley and pepper. Scrape the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks.
4
Bring to a boil, then drop the heat
Bring it to a full boil, then reduce to the lowest simmer, cover, and leave it alone for 18 to 20 minutes. Do not lift the lid to check, the trapped steam is doing the cooking.
5
Rest, then fluff
Take it off the heat and let it sit covered for 5 more minutes. Then fluff with a fork, never a spoon. Taste and add salt only if it needs it.
Batch Sizes
The broth ratio stays 1 part beef to 2 parts chicken at every size.
| Serves | Rice | Beef broth | Chicken broth | Butter | Soy sauce |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-3 people | ¾ cup | ½ cup | 1 cup | 1½ tbsp | 1½ tsp |
| 5-6 people (this recipe) | 1½ cups | 1 cup | 2 cups | 3 tbsp | 1 tbsp |
| 10-12 people | 3 cups | 2 cups | 4 cups | 6 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
Total liquid is always double the rice by volume. If you scale beyond 3 cups of rice, use a wide pan rather than a deep pot so the grains cook evenly.
Six Mistakes That Ruin It
Every one of these is recoverable if you know about it in advance.
Skipping the toasting step
The single most common mistake. Dumping rice straight into broth gives you seasoned rice, not this rice. Those 3 minutes in butter are where the flavour comes from.
Using the wrong rice
Instant rice, jasmine and basmati all behave differently and absorb liquid at different rates. Plain long-grain white is what matches the restaurant texture.
Lifting the lid mid-simmer
Every peek releases steam and adds cook time unevenly. Set a timer for 18 minutes and walk away from the pan.
Salting before tasting
Two broths plus soy sauce carry a lot of sodium already. Salt at the end, after the rest, or it comes out too salty to fix.
Fluffing too early
The 5-minute covered rest lets residual moisture redistribute. Fluff straight off the heat and the bottom stays wet while the top dries out.
Stirring during the simmer
Stirring releases starch and makes it gluey. Once the lid is on, the pan should not be touched until the timer goes.
Storing and Reheating
| Method | Keeps for | How to bring it back |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerated, airtight | 4-5 days | Add 1 tbsp broth or water per cup of rice, cover, microwave in 45-second bursts, stirring between. |
| Frozen, portioned | Up to 3 months | Freeze flat in bags. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat as above. Do not microwave from frozen in one block. |
| Stovetop reheat | Same day | Low heat, covered pan, splash of broth. Slower than the microwave but the texture comes back closer to fresh. |
One food-safety note: cooked rice should not sit at room temperature for more than an hour or two. Cool it quickly, spread on a tray if you made a big batch, and refrigerate promptly.
What to Serve It With
The pairings that work at the restaurant, with current menu prices.
| Pair with | Menu price | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Grilled BBQ Chicken | $16.99 | The classic pairing on the menu. The rice soaks up the BBQ glaze. |
| Grilled Salmon | $21.99 | Light protein, so the savoury rice carries the plate. |
| Herb Crusted Chicken | $16.99 | Both are subtle, so they complement rather than compete. |
| Steak Kabob | $14.49 | The intended base. Kabobs are served over rice at the restaurant. |
| Grilled Shrimp | $21.99 | Buttery shrimp and buttery rice work together. |
See the full menu with prices for the rest of the sides and mains.
Recipe Card
Copycat Texas Roadhouse Seasoned Rice
A copycat of the seasoned rice served as a side at Texas Roadhouse. Long-grain rice toasted in butter, then simmered in beef and chicken broth with soy sauce and parsley.
Prep
5 min
Cook
20 min
Total
25 min
Serves
6 servings
Side DishAmerican
Scale
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Melt the butter
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let it foam and settle, but do not let it brown before the rice goes in.
- 2
Toast the rice
Add the dry rice and stir constantly for 3 to 4 minutes until the grains turn slightly translucent at the edges and smell nutty. This is the step that separates this from plain seasoned rice. Do not rush it.
- 3
Add liquids and seasoning
Pour in the beef broth, chicken broth and soy sauce, then stir in the onion powder, garlic powder, parsley and pepper. Scrape the bottom of the pan so nothing sticks.
- 4
Bring to a boil, then drop the heat
Bring it to a full boil, then reduce to the lowest simmer, cover, and leave it alone for 18 to 20 minutes. Do not lift the lid to check, the trapped steam is doing the cooking.
- 5
Rest, then fluff
Take it off the heat and let it sit covered for 5 more minutes. Then fluff with a fork, never a spoon. Taste and add salt only if it needs it.
Notes
- Toasting the dry rice in butter for a full 3 to 4 minutes is the step that separates this from ordinary seasoned rice. Do not skip it.
- Keep the beef-to-chicken broth ratio at 1:2 at any batch size. Total liquid is always double the rice by volume.
- Do not lift the lid or stir during the simmer. Trapped steam is doing the cooking and stirring releases starch.
- Salt only after the rest. Two broths plus soy sauce already carry a lot of sodium.
Nutrition
Per 1 serving (about 3/4 cup)
230
Calories
5g
Protein
40g
Carbs
6g
Fat
480mg
Sodium
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed and will vary with brands, substitutions and portion size.
Seasoned Rice: Common Questions
What is in Texas Roadhouse seasoned rice?
The restaurant has never published its recipe, but the flavour profile is consistently identified as long-grain white rice toasted in butter and simmered in a mix of beef and chicken broth, seasoned with soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley and black pepper. The combination of two different broths is what gives it the savoury depth and light brown colour that plain seasoned rice does not have.
Why does my copycat rice not taste like the restaurant version?
Almost always because the rice was not toasted in butter first. Adding raw rice straight to broth produces perfectly good seasoned rice, but it misses the nutty base that defines this dish. Toast the dry grains in butter for a full 3 to 4 minutes until they smell nutty before any liquid goes in. The second most common cause is using only one type of broth instead of the beef and chicken combination.
What kind of rice does Texas Roadhouse use?
Standard long-grain white rice. It cooks up separate and fluffy rather than sticky. Avoid short-grain, arborio or sushi rice, which release starch and turn creamy, and avoid instant rice, which absorbs liquid far faster and will be mushy by the time the seasoning has developed. Jasmine and basmati work in a pinch but bring their own aroma that changes the result.
Can you make Texas Roadhouse rice in a rice cooker?
Yes, with one adjustment. Toast the rice in butter in a separate pan first, then transfer everything to the rice cooker with the broths and seasonings and run a normal white rice cycle. Skipping the stovetop toasting step and putting everything in cold defeats the point of the recipe. Let it rest on warm for 5 minutes after the cycle ends before fluffing.
How long does seasoned rice keep?
Four to five days refrigerated in an airtight container, and up to three months frozen. Reheat with a tablespoon of broth or water per cup of rice, covered, either in the microwave in 45-second bursts or in a covered pan over low heat. Cooked rice dries out fast, so the added liquid is not optional if you want the original texture back.
Is Texas Roadhouse seasoned rice vegetarian?
The restaurant version is not, because it is made with beef and chicken broth. This copycat is easy to convert: swap both broths for a good vegetable broth and add half a teaspoon of mushroom powder or a splash of extra soy sauce to replace the savoury depth. The toasting step matters even more in the vegetarian version, since it is doing more of the flavour work.
How many calories are in Texas Roadhouse seasoned rice?
A standard side portion runs roughly 220 to 250 calories, which makes it one of the lighter sides on the menu compared with loaded mashed potatoes or Aussie-style loaded options. This homemade version comes in around 230 calories per serving at six servings per batch. Full calorie counts for every menu item are on our nutrition page.
Build the Whole Steakhouse Dinner at Home
The rice is one side. The rolls, the butter and the steak seasoning are the rest of it.