24 recipes using rice — Groundnut soup, kelewele, jollof — vibrant and richly spiced West African cooking.
These 24 ghanaian rice recipes are ready in about 67 minutes on average, with 340–620 kcal per serving, and 29% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
Ghanaian cuisine — Groundnut soup, kelewele, jollof — vibrant and richly spiced West African cooking — brings its own distinctive techniques and seasonings to every ingredient it touches. When Ghanaian cooks work with rice, they reach for its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, boiling, grilling and steaming.
The everyday grain for half the planet — a neutral base that soaks up the flavours around it, from pilafs to fried rice. In this collection it's most often cooked with fine sea salt, onion, garlic, scallions, tomato paste and curry powder. The dishes here span ghanaian classics ready in as little as 35 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Reader favourite: Ghanaian Jollof Rice (Smoky Tomato Rice with Long-Grain) is the highest-rated dish in this collection at 4.9★ from 1,380 ratings.
Tender rice and black-eyed peas cooked together with dried sorghum leaves for a deep reddish-brown colour, served with stew, egg and wele — Ghana's most iconic street food.
The Ghanaian side of West Africa's 'jollof wars' — rice cooked over high flame until the bottom chars slightly for that coveted smoky 'party jollof' flavour, served with fried chicken.
A Ghanaian rice and beans dish with a dramatic reddish color from dried sorghum leaves — an Accra breakfast staple served with an elaborate array of accompaniments.
Soft, sticky Ghanaian rice balls served with palm nut soup or groundnut soup — a Northern Ghanaian staple.
Ghanaian rice and black-eyed peas cooked with sorghum leaves for a distinctive deep colour — a Accra street food staple.
Ghana's iconic burgundy rice-and-beans tinted with sorghum leaves, served with stew, shito, gari, and fried plantain.
The Ghanaian side of West Africa's most famous food rivalry — long-grain rice slow-simmered in smoky tomato sauce until a prized caramelised crust forms on the bottom.
Ghanaian Market Lemon Herb Rice Bowl brings ghanaian flavor to a practical rice bowl built with chicken thighs, tomato stew, ginger, peanuts and smoked fish, and a fresh scallions finish.
Ghanaian Village Smoky Tomato Soup brings ghanaian flavor to a practical soup built with mushrooms, tomato stew, ginger, peanuts and smoked fish, and a fresh scallions finish.
Ghanaian Garden Sesame Lime Skillet brings ghanaian flavor to a practical skillet dinner built with cauliflower, tomato stew, ginger, peanuts and smoked fish, and a fresh scallions finish.
Ghanaian Harbor Charred Pepper Noodles brings ghanaian flavor to a practical noodle dish built with rice noodles, tomato stew, ginger, peanuts and smoked fish, and a fresh scallions finish.
Ghanaian Mountain Green Herb Salad brings ghanaian flavor to a practical salad built with grilled chicken, tomato stew, ginger, peanuts and smoked fish, and a fresh scallions finish.
Ghanaian Homestyle Smoky Tomato Traybake brings ghanaian flavor to a practical traybake built with sweet potatoes, tomato stew, ginger, peanuts and smoked fish, and a fresh scallions finish.
Ghanaian Street Sesame Lime Fritters brings ghanaian flavor to a practical fritters built with salted fish, tomato stew, ginger, peanuts and smoked fish, and a fresh scallions finish.
Ghanaian Golden Charred Pepper Breakfast Plate brings ghanaian flavor to a practical breakfast plate built with beans, tomato stew, ginger, peanuts and smoked fish, and a fresh scallions finish.
Long-grain rice simmered in a smoky tomato and pepper sauce until each grain absorbs deep, spicy flavor, Ghana's most iconic rice dish.
Rice and black-eyed peas cooked together with dried sorghum leaves for a distinctive reddish-brown color, served with an array of sides.
Stir-fried rice with mixed vegetables, served with a smoky shito sauce and juicy grilled chicken, a popular modern Ghanaian party dish.
Smoky, tomato-based Ghanaian jollof rice topped with grilled chicken and a fresh mint garnish.
Smoky Ghanaian jollof rice simmered with warm curry spice and finished with plump, quickly seared shrimp.
Bell peppers stuffed with smoky jollof-spiced rice and ground beef, baked and finished with fresh mint.
A grilled beef burger coated in Ghanaian suya spice, topped with a bright ginger-orange cabbage slaw.
A creamy Ghanaian coconut rice pudding warmed with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, sweetened with condensed milk.
A festive Ghanaian holiday plate of smoky party jollof rice, grilled chicken and a bright green herb sauce.
Choose by use: long-grain (basmati, jasmine) for fluffy, separate grains; short-grain for risotto and sushi where stickiness is wanted. Aged basmati cooks longer and fluffier.
Rinse until the water runs clear to wash off surface starch and prevent clumping. The absorption method — a fixed water ratio, lid on, then a 10-minute steam off the heat — gives reliable results.
A gluten-free carbohydrate staple; brown and wild varieties keep the bran for extra fibre, B vitamins and minerals.
Most of these 24 Ghanaian rice recipes are ready in around 67 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Ghanaian Suya-Spiced Burger with Ginger-Orange Slaw, takes about 35 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 100 minutes.
Across this collection they range from about 340 to 620 kcal per serving, averaging 463 kcal — Ghanaian Omo Tuo (Rice Balls) is the lightest option at 340 kcal.
Waakye — Ghanaian Rice and Beans is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 80 minutes. 29% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
In these recipes, rice is most often paired with fine sea salt, onion, garlic, scallions, tomato paste and curry powder. Ghanaian kitchens also lean on its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends.
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