Mexican Rice
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Serving homemade Mexican for dinner and looking for a way to add some color to your plate? This Mexican rice is packed with flavor, easy to make, and the perfect complement for any Mexican dish.
If you’re a fan of homemade Mexican food, a good Mexican rice recipe is a must! Often referred to as Spanish rice or “arroz rojo,” this classic Mexican rice dish features long-grain rice simmered in a tomato-infused broth, seasoned with onions, garlic, cumin, and chili powder — lending it that iconic reddish-orange color. While my version might not be 100% traditional, my kids swear it’s just as delicious as the rice from our favorite local Mexican spot.
This Mexican rice is my go-to side for dishes like beef enchiladas, chicken enchiladas, beef tacos, chicken fajitas, and carne asada.
“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 Pepper, and Garlic: These aromatics add depth and a touch of heat. For a milder rice, remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño; if you want more heat, save the seeds and add them in at the end to taste. Pro Tip: Wash your hands right after handling jalapeños—and avoid touching your eyes!
- Tomato Paste: Adds a concentrated tomato flavor and rich color, essential for that signature Mexican rice taste.
- Rice: White long grain rice is preferred because it cooks up fluffier and less sticky than shorter grains, ensuring each grain remains distinct and absorbs the flavorful broth without becoming mushy.
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth: Used instead of water to cook the rice, it enriches the dish with more flavor.
- 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: Brings freshness and a bright note to finish the dish. Feel free to leave it out if you’re not a fan.
- Fresh Lime Juice: A splash brightens up all the flavors.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat, then add the minced jalapeño and onion. Cook until soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Cooking the aromatics first helps build a flavorful base—be patient here and let the onions soften fully to bring out their sweetness.
Step 2: Toast the rice and flavorings. Stir in the rice, tomato paste, and garlic, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often to toast the rice—it adds a deeper, nuttier flavor. In addition to deepening the flavor, the rice will get a light coating of the oil; this helps prevent clumping or gumminess in the cooked rice.
Step 3: Add the cooking liquid and seasoning. To the pan, add the salt, spices, and chicken broth.
Step 4: Cover and simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender. Avoid the temptation to lift the lid—trapped steam is essential for the rice to cook evenly. Stir in the peas, cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice for a pop of flavor and color.
Step 5: Fluff. When the ingredients are well-combined, fluff the rice with a fork. Fluffing keeps the grains separate and avoids mashing the rice. Serve the rice with lime wedges on the side and enjoy!
Video Tutorial
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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 the rice sit for a few moments to "dry out" and lose that wet, just-steamed texture. 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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Made this last night and it was a hit.
Didn’t have chili powder so I added paprika and I didn’t have the lime but still delish!! It’s a make again👍🏻
Y’all. This Mexican rice is THE BEST. Like better than restaurant best. I will say that we omitted the jalapeño and peas (I don’t like spicy and my husband doesn’t like peas.) It also took us a little longer than stated, but that always happens when you’re following a recipe. My husband said “That’s the best Spanish rice I’ve had.” And we live in South Texas so that’s saying something. This will definitely be on the menu again!
This Mexican Rice is absolutely delicious! The only thing that I did differently from your recipe is leaving out the cilantro. I am in the club of people that cilantro tastes like soap, but hey Ina Garten is in the club so I have great company! 🤣 Thank you for another tested and perfected recipe.
I read a scientific article that said liking or hating cilantro is genetic. One can’t “learn” to like cilantro – it’s definitely in our genetic code! Thankfully, I absolutely love the fresh, clean taste of cilantro but my son says it tastes like dirt to him.
I used to be in that club too, beginning in early childhood. Fast forward many years, and I married into a South Texas Mexican-American family. My mother in law used cilantro in many of her dishes and not wanting to risk being rude, I ate soap flavored food at many family meals until one day I realized the food didn’t taste like soap!
Upon reading a scientific article 20+ years ago, I realized that some people, including me, have a reaction to an enzyme present in both cilantro and ANTS, which would explain why I remember, as a young child, telling my mom that certain foods “taste like ants smell.” This sounded like total nonsense to my mom at the time. What I learned from said article, is that the soapy taste some of us experience is nature’s way of warning us that we shouldn’t eat certain “poisonous” foods (or ants). Upon repeated exposure, our brain learns that cilantro is not poisoning us and the soap flavor disappears. I’m living proof, though I thought I’d be eating soap flavored food the rest of my life in an attempt to be polite. Now, however, cilantro is my very favorite herb…by far!
Made this recipe to enjoy with your beef enchiladas. Used only a 1/2 of a jalapeño because that’s all I had. Kept rest of recipe the same. I was unsure if I should wash the rice beforehand but I decided not to & it turned out fine-but should I have washed it?!? 20mins was fine with the chicken broth as noted in your recipe.
Hi Tracy, No need to rinse the rice. 🙂
This rice turned out amazing! My mother in law is Dominican and has been making her mother’s rice recipe for 50+ years and it’s the best rice I’ve ever had. She has shown me several times how she makes it but when I make it it just never tastes the same. I think with this recipe I’ve gotten closer to it! It was so flavorful! Although it wasn’t my mother in laws rice it was still delicious and even she thought so! I will just follow this recipe from now on! Thank you for so many flavor filled recipes! Every one of your recipes that I’ve tried so far have come out fantastic and were loved by my family!
Loved it! Made it with your Beef Enchiladas and it was a perfect combination. Loved the peas in the recipe!
I made this to accompany the Beef Enchiladas recipe found on this site. The rice was excellent, and it was very easy to double the recipe. The combination of seasonings was just right for me. Next time I’ll leave the seeds in to make it a little spicier for my daughter. It also reheated well with a bit of water to prevent it from burning.
Hi Jenn, I love your site and recipes! I am planning on making this Mexican rice and was wondering if I could make it a day ahead of time and if yes, what would be the best way to reheat? One more question: I’m getting ready to renovate my kitchen and love your counter tops! Would you mind letting me know what kind of counter tops they are? Love the tile back splash as well. Did you use a grey-ish grout? Thank you so very much in advance!
Rebecca Peerless
Hi Rebecca, so glad you like the recipes! Yes, it’s fine to make this a day ahead and I’d just reheat it in the microwave. And my kitchen counters are Calacatta Gold Marble (That’s been honed). The tile backsplash is what I would call greige (a combination of gray and beige). Good luck with your kitchen renovation!
Thanks so much, Jenn! I sure appreciate you getting back with me!
This recipe is perfect! Just the right spiciness, rich flavor. I will make this again and again.
Another great keeper. Excellent with the Beef Enchiladas!