Easy Homemade Mexican Rice
Fluffy and flavorful! Our Easy Homemade Mexican Rice is simple to make and is a delicious and authentic side for any Mexican meal or addition to your favorite burritos!
Next, try our Garlic Butter Rice!
It’s a new favorite rice recipe in our house! Our Easy Homemade Mexican Rice recipe adds classic Mexican flavors and spices and just the right amount of tomato to the fluffiest, perfectly cooked rice. We love it as a side dish or to add to some of our favorite burritos. It’s easier than you might think to make at home and once you do, you’ll be making it all of the time!
The Difference Between Mexican Rice and Spanish Rice
Often confused for one another, Mexican Rice and Spanish Rice are actually two very different dishes. They vary in texture, color, and ingredients. Mexican Rice is a much fluffier rice with a reddish orange color and is flavored with mostly cumin, while Spanish Rice has a stickier texture and yellow color because it is flavored with saffron. Mexican Rice is actually very similar to a rice pilaf and uses the same kind of cooking method, but with different flavors.
Ingredients Needed
- Long Grain White Rice – This is what we prefer, but a Jasmine or Basmati will also work. You need a rice that requires only 20 minutes to cook. Also, be sure to rinse your rice!
- Onion, Garlic, Jalapeño – These are the aromatics of your rice and the jalapeño is just enough to add to the flavor but not add a ton of heat.
- Olive oil – This is key for not only sautéing the aromatics, but also preventing sticking and clumping with the rice.
- Tomato Paste and Tomato/Tomato Sauce – This adds not only some color but also just the right amount of tomato flavor and acidity to the rice.
- Chicken Stock – This is the cooking liquid for the rice. We prefer chicken stock, but you can of course make this vegetarian and use a vegetable stock, too.
- Cumin – The key spice for an authentic Mexican Rice!
- Cayenne, Paprika, Chili Powder, Salt – Complimentary spices that add a ton of flavor.
- Lime Juice – Just enough to add a citric acidity to the rice that balances out all of the flavors.
- Fresh Cilantro – To garnish with and give a fresh herbal finish!
Easy to Make
Fresh Tomato Sauce
Now you can of course use any of your favorite tomato sauces for this Mexican rice recipe, but this is a great method to get the right amount of sauce that you need (without having to open a can or jar and have lots leftover) and have it be as fresh as possible! This is the method we use for our Fresh Tomato Marinara too, and while it might take a minute longer, the result is worth it! Slice a large Roma tomato in half, gently scoop the seeds out, and then grate the flesh of the tomato into a sauce, leaving the tomato skin, which (if grating gently) will act as a good barrier for your fingers from the grater.
Cook the Rice
Once you have all of your ingredients ready, then this Easy Homemade Mexican Rice comes together really simply!
- Sauté your aromatics and then add the tomato paste and give it a good mix.
- Add the other tablespoon of oil and then add your rinsed rice and stir to coat all of the rice. This additional oil is very important to not only building flavor but toasting the rice and coating it with oil will help prevent it from clumping.
- Add the spices and stir to coat and give a slight toast.
- Add the stock and lime juice to the pan and bring it to a boil.
- Lower the temp, cover and cook – and don’t open that lid until the time is up! Otherwise, you’ll let all of the heat and steam out which will affect the cook on the rice!
After another couple of minutes to let the rice rest covered and off of the heat, then it’s just a matter of fluffing up that beautifully seasoned and perfectly cooked rice with a fork and topping it with some fresh cilantro.
Easy Homemade Mexican Rice! SO fluffy. SO flavorful, and SO delicious.
Rice Making Tips
While it’s not completely necessary, it is a general good practice when cooking rice. It doesn’t take long and it removes the extra starch on the outside of the rice which ultimately helps prevent it from getting mushy or sticking and clumping. To rinse, add the rice to a strainer, run cold water over it, and gently move it with your hands. You’ll see the cloudy (starch-filled) water drain. 15-30 seconds of this is plenty, then let drain. It’s ok if it’s not completely dry before cooking.
It’s important with a rice recipe like this to use a stock that is either at room temperature or warmed. Otherwise, taking a stock right out of the fridge and adding it to your pan will mean that it’ll take a lot longer to bring it all to a boil. You can easily warm your fridge cold stock by either warming it on the stove or popping it in the microwave.
This is one of the most important tips to making well cooked rice. Stirring it, will activate the starch in the rice which will result in a mushy rice. Keep the rice stirring to risotto!
During the cooking time and during the rest, keep that lid on! Resist the urge because lifting that lid will let all of the (important) steam escape.
Want more heat? Add a little more jalapeño and its seeds or up that chili powder. Want it a little smokier and sweeter? Add a bit more smoked paprika. You can adjust the flavors to your tastes, just be sure to keep that cumin as it is a key spice for an authentic Mexican Rice.
It’s a delicious side to round out any of your Mexican-inspired meals! Or to add some grains to your favorite burritos!
Serve It With
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- 15 Minute Shrimp Poblano Tacos!
- Sweet Sriracha Chicken Tacos
- Mexican Street Corn Chicken Tacos
- Turkey Taco Cups
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Baked Flautas de Pollo
- Mexican Corn Ribs
- Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Tacos
Easy Homemade Mexican Rice, a soon to be Mexican-inspired staple in your household!
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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Easy Homemade Mexican Rice
Equipment
- Deep skillet with lid
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 cup white onion diced, approximately 1/2 medium onion
- 2 gloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon jalapeno diced, approximately 1/2 whole small jalapeño
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice rinsed, 292 g
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 fresh tomato sauce or 1 lg roma tomato
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 3 cups warm chicken stock or vegetable
- fresh cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Create Tomato Sauce: Slice tomato in half and use a small spoon to scoop out seeds. Flesh side into the grate, gently grate the tomato on the smallest grate.
- Sauté aromatics: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat in a deep skillet, cast iron skillet, or pot. Add garlic, onion, and jalapeño and sauté for 60-90 seconds.
- Add Rice: Add the tomato paste and mix and then add the other tablespoon of oil and add rinsed rice and stir to coat in oil and paste. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
- Add Spices: Add cumin, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, and kosher salt and mix well.
- Add Sauce and Stock: Add the tomato sauce and then slowly add the warmed stock and lime juice (be sure that the stock is at least room temperature otherwise it will take longer to bring to a boil). Turn heat up to high until the stock comes to a boil.
- Cover and Cook: Turn heat down to a very gentle simmer (low/medium-low) and cover with lid and let cook for 15 minutes. Do not open the lid!
- Rest: After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and let sit another 3 minutes covered.
- Fluff and Garnish: Remove lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.
- Serve and Enjoy!
This was delicious! I ate it with some fish with a drizzle of lime juice, It was perfect! 10/10
I love to hear it, Ramona! Thanks so much for sharing!
This turned out to be so delicious and beautifully flavored. The tomato padte, seasonings & chicken stock gave it an amazing taste.
So great to hear, Molly! Thanks so much for sharing!
I made this to add to my burrito filling. The rice was so flavorful I could eat it on its own. Loved how easy it was to make too. Thank you!
It makes a great burrito filling! So great to hear, thanks so much for sharing!
My rice came out perfect. The cumin, onion, garlic, and jalapeno gave it such a nice flavor.
Love to hear it, Katie!
This rice was perfect! It was my first time making it and I was surprised by how easy it was! Thank you so much.
Thank YOU!
This rice was SO good! My kid couldn’t get enough and neither could I. I can’t wait to make this again!
I made this Mexcian rice earlier this evening, which turned out delicious. It’s the perfect addition to our grilled meats and beans. I need to make it again soon! So good!
So glad you enjoyed it, Yu! Thanks so much for sharing and leaving a review!
This is such a great rice recipe, it is flavorful and the rice really is fluffy!
So glad you enjoyed it, Amy! Thanks for sharing!