Greek Slow Cooker Rice

Greek Slow Cooker Rice has delicious flavors from red bell pepper, Feta, and Kalamata olives, and this is a perfect easy side dish of rice with Greek flavors. Or see notes below for a low-carb cauliflower rice casserole with similar flavors.

PIN Greek Slow Cooker Rice to try it later!

I first made this delicious Greek Slow Cooker Rice with Jake a few years ago, and at the time I remarked about how good this was, even if it wasn’t that photogenic. Now I think the new version made in the Crock-Pot Casserole Crock Slow Cooker (affiliate link) is actually quite pretty, but a large oval slow cooker would work for this recipe too!

I’m a real convert to slow cooker rice; have you tried it? Cooking the rice in the slow cooker means you don’t have to watch it much, and if you want a summer side dish for something cooked on the grill, you can make this without heating up the house.

I think this slow cooker rice with Greek ingredients also makes a nice vegetarian main dish with all the flavors going on here. I loved this when I first made it with Jake, and loved it even more when I made it in the Casserole Crock to get these greatly-improved photos.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• rice, preferably Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice (affiliate link)
• onion
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• Greek Seasoning (affiliate link)
• Dried Oregano (affiliate link), preferably Greek Oregano (affiliate link)
• canned chicken broth (affiliate link) or vegetable broth
• red bell pepper
• green bell pepper
• sliced Kalamata olives
• Feta cheese
• green onion
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

What gives this slow cooker rice the Greek flavors?

This slow cooker rice recipe is loaded with Greek flavors from Greek Seasoning, dried Greek oregano, red and green bell pepper, Kalamata olives, lemon, and of course plenty of tasty Feta cheese!

Want a Low-Carb dish with similar flavors?

Of course rice isn’t low in carbs, but try my Greek Cauliflower Rice Bake if you’d like a low-carb version of this that cooks in the oven.

How to Make Greek Slow Cooker Rice:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Heat olive oil and saute the rice until it’s nicely browned.
2. Add rice to the slow cooker.
3. Add a little more oil and saute the onions until they’re starting to barely brown, about 4-5 minutes. Then add the garlic, Greek Seasoning (affiliate link), and Oregano and cook a couple of minutes more.
4. Deglaze the pan with 2 cans chicken or vegetable broth and enough water to make 4 cups.
5. Add the broth/onion mixture to the slow cooker, stir, and cook on high about 1 1/2 hours (or until the rice is partly softened but not done.)
6. While rice cooks chops the red and green pepper and green onion, slice the olives, and crumble the Feta.
7. When rice has cooked until it’s partly softened, stir in the peppers and cook about 15 minutes.
8. Then add the olives and crumbled Feta and cook another 15 minutes, or until rice is done.
9. When the rice is done to your liking, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
10. Sprinkle the rice with the rest of the crumbled Feta and sliced green onions and serve!

More Slow Cooker Side Dish Ideas:

• CrockPot Sweet Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Rice Casserole with Green Chiles and Cheese
• Slow Cooker Butternut Squash

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: 8 servings

Greek Slow Cooker Rice

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

This Greek Slow Cooker Rice with Red Bell Pepper, Feta, and Kalamata Olives is a perfect side dish when you want something that can cook mostly unattended.

Ingredients

• 1 T + 1 tsp. olive oil
• 2 cups Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice
• 1 onion, chopped small
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 tsp. Greek Seasoning
• 1 tsp. dried oregano (preferably Greek oregano)
• two 14 oz. cans chicken or vegetable stock plus enough water to make 4 cups
• 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 3/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives (see notes)
• 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese (see notes)
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion (or more)
• 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy frying pan, add Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice and saute until the rice is nicely browned (watch it carefully.)  Put the browned rice into the slow cooker.
2. Add the other teaspoon of oil and the onions and cook until they start to brown, about 4-5 minutes.  Then add the garlic, Greek seasoning, and dried oregano and cook a couple minutes more.
3. Add the stock/water mixture and scrape the pan to remove any browned bits; then add the onion/stock mixture to the slow cooker with the rice.  Cook on high for 1 1/2 hours.
4. While the rice cooks finely chop the bell peppers, slice green onions, and crumble the Feta.
5. After 1 1/2 hours (or when the rice is fairly softened, but not completely done) add the bell peppers and cook 15 minutes more.
6. Then add the Feta and sliced olives to the slow cooker and cook another 15 minutes.
7. Check to be sure the rice is as cooked as you’d like it, then stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste.
8. Top with additional crumbled Feta and green onions as desired and serve hot.

Notes

I used my Crock-Pot Casserole Crock Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe. You can use regular black olives if you prefer. You can use 1/2 cup more crumbled Feta for sprinkling on top if desired.

Recipe adapted from Greek Rice in Crock-Pot 365 Year-Round Recipes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 368Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 669mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 28g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Rice isn’t low in carbs, but this rice with added vegetables, olives, and cheese would be lower in carbs than most rice dishes. Greek Cauliflower Rice Bake is a similar low-carb side dish that cooks in the oven. Ben’s Original Converted Rice (affiliate link) is actually the most low-glycemic type of rice you can buy, making this Greek Slow Cooker Rice a great dish for low-glycemic diets or Phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet, and this recipe is also gluten-free and can be vegetarian if you use vegetable stock. 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes or Side Dishes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Greek Slow Cooker Rice was first posted March 2013 and was updated with greatly improved photos June 2016. The recipe was last updated with new information in 2023.

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