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This Mexican rice recipe gets its savory tomato flavor from tomato paste and chicken broth, with garlic, spices, and a little jalapeño for heat.
If you’re a fan of homemade Mexican food, a good Mexican rice recipe is a must. Often called Spanish rice or arroz rojo, it’s made by simmering long-grain rice in a tomato-infused broth with onion, garlic, cumin, and chili powder, giving it that characteristic reddish-orange color. My version may not be 100% traditional, but my kids swear it’s just as delicious as the rice from our favorite local Mexican spot.
“Hubby said, ‘do not change a thing!’ So excited that this can be frozen and ready in an instant. Just perfect for Cinco de Mayo—or any day!”
What You’ll Need To Make Mexican Rice
- Onion, jalapeño, and garlic: Build a flavorful base for the rice. For a milder dish, remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño; for more heat, add some of the seeds back in to taste.
- Tomato Paste: Adds a concentrated tomato flavor and rich color, essential for that signature Mexican rice taste.
- Rice: White long-grain rice works best here because it cooks up fluffy, with grains that stay nicely separate.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: Gives the rice more flavor than water alone. You can substitute vegetable broth to make the dish vegetarian.
- Chili Powder and Cumin: These spices are key for adding the warm, smoky notes characteristic of Mexican cuisine.
- Frozen Peas: Add a pop of sweetness and color.
- Cilantro and lime: Brings freshness and a bright note to finish the dish. Feel free to leave the cilantro out if you’re not a fan.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Mexican Rice
Cook the aromatics: Heat the olive oil in a large pot, then add the onion and jalapeño. Cook until softened. Be patient here and let the onions soften fully to bring out their sweetness.
Toast the rice: Add the rice, tomato paste, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the rice is lightly toasted and well coated. This brings out the rice’s nutty flavor while deepening the flavor of the tomato paste.
Add the broth and seasonings: Stir in the chicken broth, salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer: Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Keep the lid on while it cooks so the steam stays trapped in the pot. Stir in the peas, cilantro, and lime juice.
Fluff and serve: Fluff the rice gently with a fork, then let it sit briefly before serving. This gives the grains a chance to firm up and lose that wet, just-steamed texture. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Freezing Instructions
Make ahead: Mexican rice is great for making ahead. Prepare it up to 3 days in advance, let it cool quickly, and refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Storage: Leftover rice will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, add a splash of water or broth and warm gently on the stovetop, covered, or in the microwave until steaming hot throughout.
Freezing: The rice can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let it cool completely, then transfer it to airtight, freezer-safe containers or resealable bags. I like to flatten the bags so they take up less room in the freezer. There’s no need to thaw before reheating in the microwave; just add a tablespoon or two of water, cover, and heat until steaming hot.
Video Tutorial
Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 large jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1½ cups white long grain rice
- 3⅓ cups low-sodium chicken broth (see note)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ cup frozen peas, defrosted
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, from 1 lime
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and jalapeño and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat up to medium and add the tomato paste, garlic and rice; cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin; turn the heat up and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- Add the peas, cilantro and lime juice and fluff the rice with a fork to mix. Let it rest for a few minutes so the grains can firm up and any excess moisture can evaporate. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and lime if necessary.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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What to Serve with Mexican Rice
Mexican rice goes with just about any Tex-Mex dinner. I love serving it alongside beef enchiladas, chicken fajitas, or carne asada. It’s also a natural with ground beef tacos, especially with some guacamole on the side. For a simple meatless meal, pair it with black beans, sliced avocado, and your favorite salsa.
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I’ve made this a couple of times and it turns out perfect every time.
For one vegetarian friend, I switched chicken broth for vegetable broth. Still delicious! Such a great and versatile dish. I took it to a cook out, and was pleased that it was all eaten up, with requests for the recipe. Love it when I don’t have leftovers to come home!
Question: when the recipe calls for chopped cilantro, do you chop the stems too or just the leaves?
I try to stick to just the leaves, but it’s perfectly fine if you get some of the tender stems in there too.
I felt that the rice was very underwhelming. Not enough flavor. I’d probably double the spices next time.
This was the first time I had tried making a specialty rice dish and it was so good. Great flavour, and a great accompaniment to a Cinco De Mayo dinner. Everyone loved it.
Fabulous!! Only made one change.
Replaced the jalapeño with one 1.5″ green seranno pepper. I added it whole to onions as they sautéed. No cuts or holes made in the pepper. Just added it whole and then removed it before I fluffed the rice to add the peas and cilantro. Perfect zing without much heat, which some here don’t care for. This was a really great alternative suggestion from my green grocer in San Diego. Too easy!
I made the whole recipe … for two people tonight. Half of the leftover rice went straight into the freezer. No more TJ’s bags of frozen seasoned rice!!
Awesome recipe! Thank you!!!
My whole family loved this!!! We couldn’t stop eating it!!
Very easy to make!! No adjustments needed.
Thanks again for another wonderful recipe!!
Hi Jenn,
I am eager to try this recipe and would like to know what brand of long grain white rice you use? Also, do you rinse your rice before adding it to the oil, or skip the rinsing part?
Hi Carolyn, I don’t have a go-to brand of long grain rice, and don’t think you can really go wrong with whatever you buy. And, no, you don’t need to rinse the rice. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks Jenn, I made it for dinner today and it was another winner! Everyone loved it. There was not even one little grain of rice left behind on the plates.
Looking forward to making this recipe along with two more of your Mexican recipes. Question…I have such success with baking rice, both white and brown in oven. Would this recipe be successful if I follow all steps up to cooking for 20 minutes on stove top and do the final cooking in oven in my usual covered baking dish? My usual , successful method always uses boiling water/broth over rice, seal or cover and bake. Thank you for assisting.
Hi Jennie, I can’t say for sure without having tried it myself, but as long as you do those first several steps on the stove and then transfer it to the oven, it’s worth a try. Please LMK how it comes out if you try that method!
Chef Jenn,
Have made your Mexican Rice a dozen times! Like other cooks mention, finally a great Mexican Rice recipe!
My husband says it’s magical inside beef and chicken tacos! Thank you!
Chef Jenn,
Have made your Mexican Rice a dozen times! Like other cooks mention, finally a great Mexican Rice recipe!
My husband says it’s so so tasty inside beef and chicken tacos! Thank you!