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    🏠Home » Recipes » Mexican Recipes

    Easy Mexican Rice

    Apr 1, 2022 · Modified: Oct 26, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 15 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.58 from 14 votes

    Mexican rice is the perfect side dish to complete your homemade Mexican dinner. Restaurant-quality rice is easy and quick to make yourself. Taco Tuesday just got so much better.

    Mexican rice on a fork

    Jump To:
    • 👨‍🍳How to make this recipe
    • 🍚Ingredients
    • ❓FAQs
    • 🇲🇽Mexican Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe

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    Introduction

    Time to make some restaurant-quality rice at home with this easy Mexican rice recipe. This flavorful rice is the perfect side dish not only for Taco Tuesday, but for burritos, enchiladas, or (my personal favorite) taco chips and cheese.

    Over the years, we have tried various commercial package versions of Mexican or Spanish rice. All were tasteless, pasty, and never a good experience.

    Restaurant-quality Mexican rice needs three things. Many restaurant versions lack at least one of these areas — many in 2 or even all three. A few will get it all right.

    • Texture - not sticky—each grain of rice needs to stand out and not stick together.
    • Tenderness - soft but not mushy.
    • Tastiness - it needs a great taste.

    This recipe has a couple of features of note. First, it is a bit "dry" with less liquid than is commonly used to cook rice. That keeps the texture correct—not sticky or mushy. Second, by using your favorite salsa, you save a lot of time and work getting all those flavors and tastes added to the rice with almost no work.

    👨‍🍳How to make this recipe

    1. Brown the uncooked rice over medium-high heat in a large skillet.
    2. Cook until nicely toasted. No need to rinse the rice before browning. If using fresh garlic, add it at the last minute of browning.
    3. Add the salsa, broth, and other seasonings. Also, if using the additions, add them at the same time.
    4. Bring to a boil and then decrease to a simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 20 minutes until the rice is tender.
    5. Remove from heat and let set for a few minutes, then fluff with a fork.

    🍚Ingredients

    • Long Grain White Rice - If using other rice, adjust the time accordingly.
    • Salsa - Use a salsa you like. It will be providing a lot of the taste and replaces tomato sauce or diced tomatoes, onion, chili powder, and green chiles.
    • Spices - Some cumin and crushed garlic. Garlic powder could be used instead of fresh garlic cloves. Also, no taco seasoning is needed, thanks to the salsa.
    • Broth - Chicken or vegetable stock or broth. You may use bouillon cubes in water, or just water will work with only a slight decrease in flavor.
    • Optional Additions - Jalapeno, peas, or carrots.

    ❓FAQs

    What is the difference between Spanish Rice and Mexican Rice?

    Many people will use the two terms interchangeably, but there are not quite the same.

    The two use the same spice and ingredients, except that the Spanish recipe will usually have firmer rice and frequently saffron giving it more of a yellow color.

    I don't usually have saffron, and you probably don't either. If you want firmer rice, brown it a bit more. I call mine Mexican rice but call it what you want.

    Mexican rice is also known as red rice or Arroz Rojo.

    How to serve Mexican rice?

    Serve on a plate with your main dish and some refried beans with a sprinkle of cheese and chopped cilantro.

    You may also use Mexican rice as part of burritos, burrito bowls, or other dishes.

    How to store leftover Mexican Rice?

    Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

    You may freeze the rice for 3-4 months airtight in a container or ziplock bag, then thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. I do find frozen rice does lose some texture.

    How to reheat leftover Mexican rice?

    Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop for a few minutes.

    🇲🇽Mexican Recipes

    Spicy Taco Meat

    Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

    Chicken Quesadillas

    Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole in 60 Minutes

    Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Mexican Recipes, Side Dish Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    long grain rice with Mexican seasoning

    Long grain rice is preferred. Some people like to rinse the rice.

    adding uncooked rice to hot oil in a skillet

    Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat until hot. Add 1 cup of long-grain rice.

    browning rice in skillet

    Toast until nicely brown, about 8-9 minutes. In the last minute of toasting, add 1-2 cloves of crushed garlic if using fresh garlic.

    pouring salsa into browned rice

    Add 1 cup of your favorite salsa and 1 cup of chicken broth. Add ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder if not using fresh, and ½ teaspoon salt. You may add optional jalapeno, peas, or carrots at this point. Bring to a boil, then decrease to low heat and cover. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until tender.

    cooked Mexican rice on a wooden spoon

    Remove from heat, let sit for a few minutes, then fluff. Cover until serving.

    cooked Mexican rice on a white plate
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    📝Recipe

    Mexican rice on a fork

    Easy Mexican Rice

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Mexican rice is the perfect side dish to complete your homemade Mexican dinner. So easy and quick to make, you will never buy a package again. Taco Tuesday just got so much better.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.58 from 14 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 4

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 2 tablespoons oil
    • 1 cup long grain rice - rinse optional
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1-2 cloves crushed garlic - or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 cup salsa
    • 1 cup chicken broth

    Optional ingredients - add with broth

    • 1 jalapeno - diced
    • ⅓ cup peas - frozen or fresh
    • 1 carrot - small, diced
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    Instructions

    • Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat until hot. Add 1 cup of long-grain rice.
      adding uncooked rice to hot oil in a skillet
    • Toast until nicely brown, about 8-9 minutes. In the last minute of toasting, add 1-2 cloves of crushed garlic if using fresh garlic.
      browning rice in skillet
    • Add 1 cup of your favorite salsa and 1 cup of chicken broth. Add ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder if not using fresh, and ½ teaspoon salt. You may add optional jalapeno, peas, or carrots at this point. Bring to a boil, then decrease to low heat and cover. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until tender.
      pouring salsa into browned rice
    • Remove from heat, let sit for a few minutes, then fluff. Cover until serving.
      cooked Mexican rice on a wooden spoon
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. This recipe adjusts up or down in size easily.
    2. You can use different rice and adjust the cooking time. Always simmer until tender.
    3. Rinsing the rice is felt by some to prevent the sticking of rice. To me, the browning takes care of that.
    4. Add the optional jalapeno, peas, and carrot if you want.
    5. Good refrigerated for 3-4 days, but I do not like to freeze rice, but it may be frozen for 3-4 months but may lose some texture.
    6. The serving size is ½ cup.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Nutrition Facts
    Easy Mexican Rice
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 261 Calories from Fat 72
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 8g12%
    Saturated Fat 1g5%
    Sodium 769mg32%
    Potassium 289mg8%
    Carbohydrates 42g14%
    Fiber 2g8%
    Sugar 3g3%
    Protein 6g12%
    Vitamin A 312IU6%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 32mg3%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Side Dish
    Cuisine : Mexican

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Editor's Note: Originally Published August 10, 2014. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

    Lilly at 7 ½ months
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    1. sandika

      June 20, 2022 at 12:40 am

      what is the purpose of u browning rice before cooking ? can u give me some advice please

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        June 20, 2022 at 8:06 am

        Welcome to the blog.

        The browning does two things. First, it will firm up the surface of the rice and make it less sticky, and each gain is more distinct... so better texture. Second, the browning is a Maillard reaction and will add flavor. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/abbreviations-salts-and-oven-temperature/#the-maillard-reaction

        Skip it if you want but the rice will be mushier...

        Dan

    2. kazy

      May 21, 2021 at 2:44 pm

      I only have short grain Indian rice which requires 2 1/2 cups of liquid for every 1 cup. Does that mean I should use 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth?
      Thank you,
      kazy

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        May 21, 2021 at 2:56 pm

        Hi Kazy,
        Most standard rice needs 1 cup rice to 2 cups of water or liquid. So yours needs a bit more liquid or a little less rice.

        In this recipe, the salsa plus the broth make up the 2 cups of liquid for the standard 1 cup of rice. For yours, I would increase the liquid, probably the broth, by 1/2 cup to make a total of 1 cup salsa + 1 1/2 cup broth = 2 1/2 cups to 1 cup of your rice.

        Dan

    3. Lauren

      July 23, 2020 at 6:21 pm

      5 stars
      I enjoyed this recipe a lot. Was impressed by the amount of flavor using only a few ingredients. Only change was I had to add 1/2 cup more liquid at the end (water). Otherwise prepared as written.

      Reply
    4. Gamefacelouie

      May 06, 2020 at 1:37 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent straight forward recipe, made as per instructions with carrots, peas, jalapenos and added lime juice and chili powder. I'm getting rid of my other Mexican rice recipes. Next time I'll sub with black beans and corn instead of peas and carrots.

      Reply
    5. FVQOH

      January 19, 2019 at 12:26 pm

      Great recipe, very easy to make. Made this because the kiddo wanted Mexican Rice. It was a hit and she wanted more, so this is a keeper in this house. Misread the recipe and accidentally used 1 tsp of cumin instead of 1/2 tsp; it turned out fine. Also used more cloves of garlic because we love garlic. Left out the jalapeño since it is too spicy for the kiddo. Made this in a stainless steel pan, and roasted the rice with coconut oil because it prevents that sticky film that covers and gets stuck on the pan whenever I cook with olive oil on high heat.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        January 19, 2019 at 2:55 pm

        Welcome to the blog.
        Thanks for the comment and how it worked for you.
        Dan

    6. Robert Hudson

      August 16, 2017 at 10:15 pm

      turned out awful

      Reply
    7. Correen

      August 09, 2017 at 9:10 am

      Love this recipe, it's on speed-dial. 😊 Made again last night with addition of black beans & sweet corn. Thank you!

      Reply
      • DrDan

        August 10, 2017 at 11:01 pm

        Hi Correen,
        I have done it with the beans and corn and it is great. I thought nobody saw this recipe.
        Thanks for the note.
        Dan

    8. Bonnie Tyler

      August 26, 2014 at 12:16 pm

      5 stars
      The taste of this dish was wonderful, but it needed an increase of liquid in order to cook the rice all the way through. So next time I will use a cup and a quarter of liquid. This is a keeper. Thanks.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        August 26, 2014 at 7:50 pm

        I kept it a little dry to prevent sticking but a little more liquid wouldn't hurt.
        Thanks for the comment and rating
        Dan

    9. Chris

      August 16, 2014 at 10:01 pm

      Similar to what I do, except I used Pace Picante sauce and no cumin. Great minds think alike! (I've never posted mine, now I don't have to, ha ha).

      Reply
      • DrDan

        August 26, 2014 at 7:48 pm

        Come on Chris, post it. I see all your sides and things you do, I want to copy everything
        Dan
        Note to readers: Check out Chris's blog Nibble Me This

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