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You are here: Home / Recipes / Main Course / Lemon Millet Rice Recipe with Asparagus

Lemon Millet Rice Recipe with Asparagus

Published on April 6, 2020. Last updated on August 17, 2020 by Gina Marie 22 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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This millet rice recipe is made with seasonal Spring asparagus and a delicious vegan lemon butter sauce, giving it a vibrant and delicious taste.

top angle of millet rice recipe in skillet covered with lemon butter sauce and spoon in pan

Is Millet Healthier Than Rice?

Millet packs much more nutrition than regular brown (or white) rice.

  • Millet is used like a grain but it is technically a seed. This makes it naturally gluten-free.
  • It is the most alkaline of all grains.
  • It has a lot more fiber than brown rice and has been used to help with sugar cravings.
  • Millet has an abundance of minerals like magnesium, potassium, zinc, and calcium.

Check out this awesome resource (Good Grains: What Is Millet) to learn more about the history and benefits of millet.

How To Eat Millet Rice?

  • As a hearty main dish for lunch or dinner.
  • Serve as a side dish with some Lemon Tofu!

Millet can be found in your local store in the bulk section or rice aisle, the intentional ethic store, or you can order it online here.

How To Make This Millet Rice Recipe:

*Please read detailed and printable recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.

Cooking Millet Rice & Making Lemon Sauce

  1. Simmer your millet rice for 20 minutes until liquid is fully absorbed.  (Photos 1 & 2)
  2. Next, add your seasonings and squeeze the fresh lemon juice into your melted vegan butter. Mix well until fully combined. (Photos 3 & 4)
step by step photos of cooking millet rice and lemon butter sauce

Cook Asparagus

  1. Snap off the woody edges (the part where the asparagus starts to turn white). You can also use a knife to cut the bottoms off. Both methods are shown below.  (Photo 1 & 2)
  2. Chop the rest of your asparagus into pieces and boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to ice-cold water to stop cooking and drain. (Photo 3 & 4)
step by step photos of cooking asparagus

Assemble Your Dish

  1. Add half your lemon garlic butter sauce to a heated pan. (Photo 1)
  2. Then add your white beans, tomatoes, millet, and asparagus to the pan and pour the remaining lemon garlic sauce over the pan. (Photo 2 & 3)
  3. Stir as if you are cooking stir fry for a few minutes until fully heated through. (Photo 4)
step by step photos of all millet rice stir fry with all ingredients

SUBSTITUTION, COOK, AND STORAGE TIPS:

  • Be sure to soak your millet. Soaking your millet helps release enzyme inhibitors and make it easier to digest and absorb nutrients.
  • Soaked grains like millet cook faster so DO NOT OVERCOOK or will end up with a porridge consistency.
  • If you don’t like asparagus, you can use broccoli instead.
  • Either White Northern Beans or Navy White Beans will work.
  • Storage.  This millet rice recipe DOES NOT FREEZE well. However, it will store it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. DO NOT store at room temperature.

HOW DOES THIS RECIPE HELP WITH VEGAN WEIGHT GAIN?

This millet rice recipe has 46 grams of “Curvy Carbohydrates” and 9 grams of plant-based protein per serving.

This meal is the perfect post-workout meal. After strength training, immediately consuming healthy complex carbs and protein is essential to help rebuild torn down muscles for growth. (Remember muscles equal curves).

HOW DOES THIS RECIPE HELP WITH VEGAN WEIGHT LOSS?

You could easily make this recipe apart of your vegan weight loss plan by:

  • Lower the portion serving from 4 to 6 servings.
  • Omit the butter and replace it with broth.
  • Omit the white beans and replace it with mushrooms or your favorite vegetable!
45 degree angle of millet rice recipe in skillet covered with lemon butter sauce and spoon in pan

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS RECIPE

I did try the millet recipe and it too was awesome and so quick and easy. I can’t wait to try your other recipes! – Kelly Macaulay

instagram photo of millet rice recipe from a reader

MORE LEMON INSPIRED RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

  • Lemon Tofu Sheet Pan Dinner
  • Vegan Lemon Cake
  • Cheesy Lemon Vegan Asparagus Recipe

WANT MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and TWITTER for the latest updates!

millet rice in cast iron skillet with veggies, lemon slices, and a spoon

Lemon Millet Rice Recipe with Asparagus

This millet rice recipe is made with seasonal Spring asparagus, a delicious vegan lemon butter sauce, buttery white beans, and tomatoes. A filling and healthy vegan dinner meal!  
5 from 13 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Plant Based, Vegan
Keyword: millet recipe, millet rice
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Soak Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 396kcal
Author: Gina Marie

Ingredients

Millet

  • 1 cup dry millet note 1
  • 2 cups vegetable broth (or water)

Vegan Lemon Butter Sauce

  • ½ cup vegan butter
  • 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ -1 teaspoon sea salt

Asparagus

  • 1 pound fresh asparagus note 2
  • 2 cups water
  • 2-4 cups water, additional optional; please read instructions
  • ice cubes optional; please read instructions

Other Ingredients

  • 3 small Roma tomatoes (or any type of tomatoes you like)
  • 1 16 ounce can white nothern beans, drained note 3
  • handful chopped parsley optional; for garnish
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Cook Your Millet

  • Soak your millet for an hour or overnight. Drain and rinse. 
  • Bring 2 cups of vegetable broth (or water) to a boil in a large pot. Once the broth starts to boil, add your rinsed and soaked millet to pot and lower to a simmer
  • Cooked covered for about 20 minutes until grain absorbs the most of the broth and water.
  • Once done, remove from heat and allow millet to sit covered for about 10 minutes to allow millet to fully absorb the liquid. 
  • After millet sits, fluff it with a fork and set aside. 

Vegan Lemon Butter Sauce

  • Grab your vegan butter and melt in microwave or in a small sauce pan over low heat.
  • Transfer melt butter into a small bowl and add lemon juice, garlic powder, and sea salt. Mix together until fully combined and set aside. 

Cook Your Asparagus

  • Grab your fresh asparagus and rinse well. 
  • Then bend to snap off the the woody end of the asparagus  or cut those off. (Please refer to video below or photos above for demonstration).
  • After snapping off the woody ends, cut the rest of your asparagus into small pieces. (Please refer to video below or photos above for demonstration).
  • Grab a large pot or skillet and bring 2 cups of water to a boil over high heat. 
  • Grab a large bowl and fill with COLD water adding a few ice cubes. (This is optional step for if you desire to stop you asparagus from loosing too much of it’s green color from being boiled.)
  • Add chopped asparagus to your pot and boil for about 2 to 3 minutes just enough to get tender. 
  • Then immediately turn off heat and transfer you asparagus to the cold ice water. This stops the asparagus from overcooking, keeping it’s bright green color. (You can skip this step if you like and simply remove you asparagus from boiled water and drain on a paper towel in a separate bowl.)

Putting It All Together

  • Rinse and chop your tomatoes leaving them on your cutting board.
  • Next open your can beans, drain in a colander, and rinse the liquid off it was packed in. 
  • Grab a large skillet over medium high heat. 
  • Add (in this order) half lemon garlic sauce, beans, tomatoes, millet and lastly asparagus.  
  • Next pour the rest of the lemon garlic sauce over the ingredients and kinda toss and stir in your skillet until sauce fully covers all of the ingredients for about 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, garnish with chopped parsley (optional),  and serve immediately. This dish can be kept in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. It DOES NOT freeze well.

Video

Notes

  1. MILLET. Remember to SOAK YOUR MILLET to make for easier digestion and better absorption of nutrients. If you can’t find millet, use quinoa instead!  
  2. ASPARAGUS. If you really hate asparagus you can substitute with broccoli or your favorite vegetable 
  3. BEANS. I highly recommend white Northern Beans for it’s nutty texture but this recipe will work with any bean. Chickpeas pairs well with millet! If beans aren’t your thing you may omit it from this recipe.
 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Lemon Millet Rice Recipe with Asparagus
Amount Per Serving (1.5 cups)
Calories 396 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Sodium 376mg16%
Potassium 457mg13%
Carbohydrates 46g15%
Fiber 7g29%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 9g18%
Vitamin A 2574IU51%
Vitamin C 17mg21%
Calcium 40mg4%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Be sure to PIN IT on Pinterest, leave a comment below, rate it, and mention @_VeganWithCurves using #veganwithcurves hashtag on Instagram so I can see it!

Update Notes: This post was originally published on April 19, 2018, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, tips, and a video April 5, 2019.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my full affiliate disclaimer HERE.

© VEGAN WITH CURVES. UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE, ALL IMAGES, RECIPES, & CONTENT ARE COPYRIGHT PROTECTED AND REGISTERED WITH THE U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE. MY IMAGES AND WRITTEN CONTENT ARE NOT TO BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION. WHEN SHARING A RECIPE LINK BACK HERE TO THE ORIGINAL RECIPE. WHEN SHARING CONTENT FROM AN ARTICLE LINK BACK HERE TO THE ORIGINAL BLOG POST. READ FULL COPYRIGHT DISCLOSURE.

Filed Under: Main Course

Previous Post: « Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cake
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Janet T

    October 4, 2020 at 9:21 pm

    5 stars
    This is a hit! Very rich flavor and satisfying! Medical restrictions only allow black eyed peas for legumes so I substituted them for the Northern beans which worked great!. I also used a butter/olive oil spread and still had a wonderful buttery taste. And I added 2 tablespoons of preserved lemon, diced. It really complimented the ingredients. We will be making this regularly!!!

    Reply
    • Gina Marie

      October 5, 2020 at 8:11 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. Allison

    November 11, 2019 at 8:13 pm

    5 stars
    My husband and I are in love with this recipe. It works well in the instant pot too!

    Reply
    • Gina Marie

      November 11, 2019 at 9:49 pm

      Awesome! And that’s good to know it works in an instant pot I will be sure to add that to the recipe! Thank you for the feedback!

      Reply
  3. Jo

    April 8, 2019 at 1:13 am

    5 stars
    Can I have the whole skillet please?! So so yum, the flavors are perfect spring time flavors and I love how healthy but completely delicious this millet rice looks!

    Reply
  4. Daniela

    April 7, 2019 at 10:12 pm

    Yum! This post really inspired me to play with millet more! And you in process shots are awesome :). Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Saima

    April 6, 2019 at 11:03 pm

    5 stars
    Never made millet rice but the recipe looks amazing! So colourful and vibrant that I was lingering over the pictures for the longest time!

    Reply
  6. Anne Lawton

    April 5, 2019 at 5:05 pm

    5 stars
    I love using millet in place of rice and this recipe is just perfect with asparagus and that vegan lemon butter sauce is amazing!

    Reply
  7. Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer

    April 5, 2019 at 2:01 pm

    5 stars
    Huh, I never thought to try millet as a substitute for rice! This really looks scrumptious and not too hard to make! I could see how this could easily be adapted to use other veggies too! Great job!

    Reply
  8. Denise

    April 4, 2019 at 1:18 pm

    5 stars
    What an amazing recipe! This could be perfect for Easter dinner! Thank you for sharing it.

    Reply
  9. Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen

    April 4, 2019 at 10:40 am

    5 stars
    Millet is such a great substitute for rice! This looks like such a fresh and flavorful dish, perfect for Spring!

    Reply
    • Gina Marie

      April 7, 2019 at 4:05 am

      Thank you Carrie!

      Reply
  10. Dan from Platter Talk

    April 3, 2019 at 10:34 am

    5 stars
    Confession time; I may have heard of millet rice but I can’t say that I was familiar with its uses or nutritional profile. What a gorgeous and healthy celebration of spring you have created with this bright and flavorful recipe! Very nicely done!

    Reply
    • Gina Marie

      April 3, 2019 at 8:16 pm

      Thank you Dan!

      Reply
  11. Tammy

    April 3, 2019 at 9:36 am

    5 stars
    This looks so good! What a hearty and wholesome dish to make. The lemon butter sauce is fabulous!

    Reply
    • Gina Marie

      April 3, 2019 at 8:15 pm

      Thank you! The lemon butter sauce really makes this dish!

      Reply
  12. Jessica {Cooking my Dreams}

    April 2, 2019 at 10:31 am

    5 stars
    I never tried millet but recently I’ve been trying different grains and millet will certainly be next! It’s asparagus season so I always look for more recipes to use them as much as possible as this recipe looks delicious! šŸ™‚

    Reply
    • Gina Marie

      April 3, 2019 at 8:14 pm

      Thank you Jessica! Once you try it it will become one of your favs!

      Reply
  13. Gloria | Homemade & Yummy

    April 1, 2019 at 4:52 pm

    5 stars
    What a great alternative to rice. Hearty and delicious. I think the asparagus pairs well. I could make a meal of this all on it’s own. Love trying different grains.

    Reply
    • Gina Marie

      April 2, 2019 at 2:17 am

      The asparagus really makes this dish! Thanks Gloria!

      Reply
  14. Katie

    April 1, 2019 at 3:23 pm

    5 stars
    I love this recipe!!! I included it in a roundup of April produce, if you’d like to check it out & share it! šŸ™‚ I love your blog!!
    https://sweetvegtable.com/april-produce-16-fresh-vegetarian-recipes/
    Thanks, Katie

    Reply
    • Gina Marie

      April 2, 2019 at 2:16 am

      Thank you so much!!

      Reply

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