Rice Vs Orzo in Avgolemono Soup

[nadellii]

I’m curious—do you prefer rice or orzo in your avgolemono soup?

My family is totally divided on this one. Some of us love the silky texture that rice brings, especially when it softens and thickens the soup just enough. Others argue that orzo gives it a smoother, more elegant feel, almost like a Greek version of chicken noodle soup. I’ve even heard a few people swear by using both!

We always make avgolemono for holidays, Sunday dinners, or when someone’s feeling under the weather, so this debate comes up a lot. I’d love to hear how other families do it. Is it strictly rice? Only orzo? Or do you switch it up depending on the occasion?

And does the choice of pasta change how you whisk in the egg-lemon mixture? It does for me, so I would like to pick one and stick with it.

 

[k_tsoukalas]

What a great question—I’ve had this same debate in my own kitchen! Personally, I lean toward rice for avgolemono. It gives the soup a cozy, comforting thickness that feels especially healing when someone’s sick or when it’s cold outside. But I totally get the appeal of orzo—it makes the soup feel lighter and a bit more refined, like something you’d serve to guests. I’ve tried both, and even mixed them once when I was low on ingredients, and honestly, it wasn’t bad!

As for whisking in the avgolemono, I’ve found rice absorbs the mixture more gently, while orzo makes me more cautious to temper it slowly to avoid curdling. That might be why I reach for rice more often—it’s forgiving. But now I’m tempted to try a side-by-side batch next holiday and let the family vote!