Easy Prawn Rice Recipe (One Pot)

This Cajun prawn rice recipe is ready in 25 minutes, made in one pan, and punches well above its weight on flavour. It’s made with spicy peppers, lime juice, Cajun seasoning & fresh herbs. Out of all the prawn and rice recipes out there, this is one I keep coming back to – and if you’re after something with a completely different flavour, my Simple Red Thai Prawn Curry is well worth a go.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Easy meal prep: Prawn rice stores well in the fridge and can be reheated easily, making it a great option to batch cook at the start of the week. The Easiest Oven Baked Fish Recipe is another great seafood option!
• Healthy & filling: Prawns are high in protein and low in calories, and this recipe packs in a serious amount of veg. Prawns and rice doesn’t feel like diet food at all which is always a plus!
• Great flavour: The chilli seeds are removed so the prawn rice bowl is more warming than fiery, but you can easily dial the Cajun seasoning up or down to suit. If you love bold flavours, make sure to try my Quick & Easy Boom Boom Shrimp as well.

Additional prawns can be used for recipes like Simple Red Thai Prawn Curry and Creamy Sweetcorn Orzo Pasta with Paprika Prawns.

Ingredients

• Prawns: You can use any size of prawn for this prawn rice. However, I prefer jumbo prawns, which are more noticeable and meatier than smaller options. Now if you have shrimp, you need to try this Creamy Shrimp Salad Sandwich instead!
• Mixed Peppers: A great way to boost the dish’s nutrients. Adding mixed peppers also adds a slight sweetness to the prawn rice recipe and I love using them in this Tender Pepper Steak Recipe as well.
• Red Chillies: They’re deseeded and blended into the stock, which gives a gentle even heat & a silkier sauce rather than biting into chunks of chilli. For more heat, swap in a scotch bonnet or a couple of bird’s eye chillies.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities. 

Variations/ Adaptations

• Vegan: Swap the prawns for pressed firm tofu or seitan, and use vegetable stock instead of fish stock. Press the tofu well first so it soaks up the Cajun seasoning. Crispy Soy Tofu, Aubergine & Rice is my fave vegan bowl!
• Lower-carb: Cauliflower rice works well here as the bold Cajun flavours carry it. It also cuts the calories significantly.
• Garlic prawn rice: Replace the Cajun seasoning with smoked paprika and a pinch of cumin, and add 3-4 minced garlic cloves at the same time. It gives you a completely different, more mellow flavour closer to a classic Garlic Prawns and rice recipe.

How to make prawn rice

1. Start by adding your oil and onion into a large non-stick frying pan over a low to medium heat. Season with salt and pepper and gently fry for 3 minutes. Next, add the peppers, courgette and green beans. Continue to fry for around 6 minutes (Image 1).
2. When the veg has softened and taken on some colour, add the Cajun seasoning, turmeric & garlic granules and stir (Image 2).

3. Then add the rice and stock (reserve 100ml for the next step). Stir and cover with a lid and set your timer according to the packet time (Image 3).

4. Blend the chillies (deseeded) & stock until smooth and pour into the pan and stir to combine. Add the prawns & a handful of parsley (Image 4).

5. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes with the prawns while the rice finishes cooking in the stock (Image 5).

6. Top with fresh parsley & a squeeze of lime juice. Dig in! (Image 6).

Here are some other tasty rice dishes for you to try: Creamy Coconut Rice with Loaded Greens, Cheesy Tomato Rice with Loaded Veg and Loaded Vegetable Paella.

What Makes This Prawn Rice Recipe Work

The two things that tend to go wrong with prawn recipes with rice are overcooked prawns and stodgy rice. Both are pretty easy to avoid. The prawns go in for the last five minutes only and finish cooking in the stock as the rice absorbs it, so they stay tender rather than turning rubbery.

Blending the chillies into the reserved stock rather than adding them whole is the other key step. It takes 30 seconds with a stick blender and it completely changes the texture. The heat distributes evenly and the sauce gets way smoother.

Serving Suggestions

A squeeze of lime and some fresh parsley on top is really all this prawn rice needs. For a bigger spread, warm flatbreads or a simple green salad on the side work well. And a spoonful of Greek yoghurt on top does a great job of cooling the heat if you’ve gone heavy on the chilli!

Try it with:

• Easy Flatbread Recipe (only 2 Ingredients!)
• Rocket Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
• Green Goddess Salad (Viral Tiktok Recipe)
• Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables
• Easy Din Tai Fung Cucumber Recipe 

Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions

Refrigerator: Store the prawn rice in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The flavours develop overnight so it reheats well the next day.

Freezer: Freeze in portions for up to 1 month. Defrost fully in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Reheat: Add a splash of water to loosen the rice, then microwave in 60-second bursts, stirring in between, until hot. Do not reheat prawns more than once.

Recipe FAQs

Try some other easy and tasty one pot dinners: One Pot Meatballs and Rice, The BEST Crispy Pan-fried Gnocchi & Nando’s Spicy Rice.