Meatless Pilaf with Dried Fruit
A meatless dish full of flavor and color! This dried-fruit pilaf is made without meat but using the same method - first sauté the vegetables, then add rice and water. Prep takes no more than 10 minutes; then you just wait for the rice to cook.
Updated : 26 January, 2026
Easy
About 20 min.
Ingredients
1 cup
Rice
2 cup
Water
1
Onion
0.5
Carrot
4
Dried apricots
4
Prunes
30 grams
Raisins
30 grams
Dried cherries
2 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
to taste
Dry spices
to taste
Paprika
to taste
Salt
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make pilaf with dried fruit? Prepare the ingredients. For pilaf I always use round, non-parboiled rice - I like the taste better. But you can use any rice; only the cooking time will change. The dried-fruit mix can also be any kind. Add or omit them to your taste. Choose dried fruit without pits. Besides the standard vegetables, you can also add pumpkin, apple, pear, or cherry plum.
Step 2
First, soak the dried fruit in room-temperature water. 10 minutes is enough - they’ll cook later together with the rice.
Step 3
Meanwhile, prep the vegetables. Peel the onion and cut it into large dice.
Step 4
Cut the peeled carrot into thin matchsticks. I first slice it into rounds and then cut those into strips.
Step 5
Drain the dried fruit, then dry it by spreading it on a paper towel and patting the top.
Step 6
Leave the raisins and cranberries as they are, and cut the prunes and dried apricots into thin strips.
Step 7
Heat a skillet or a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add vegetable oil for frying. Add the onion and carrot. Sauté, stirring, until lightly golden.
Step 8
Add the dried fruit to the vegetables. Immediately add pilaf seasoning - this helps the spices release their aroma. Fry everything together, stirring actively, for a couple of minutes.
Step 9
Rinse the rice well in several changes of water until the water runs clear - this removes excess starch and makes the rice fluffy. Spread the rice over the vegetables and dried fruit and level it out. Salt the dish, but do not stir.
Step 10
Very carefully pour in water in a 1:2 ratio (for 1 cup rice, 2 cups water). I usually pour in boiling water to shorten the cooking time.
Step 11
Cover with a lid and keep the heat low. Cook the pilaf until all the water is absorbed - usually 15-20 minutes, depending on the rice. Then turn off the heat and let it stand, covered, for 10 minutes. During this time, any remaining moisture will absorb fully and the rice will finish cooking.
Step 12
Only now stir the rice together with the other ingredients.
Step 13
Serve the meatless sweet pilaf with dried fruit. Enjoy your meal!
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