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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Loved this. Will make again!
Great recipe! We served with the Street-Stle Shrimp Tacos and our guests raved about the dinner. Don’t skip the peas!
This was a big hit at my dinner table. I have served it twice, and both times, everyone liked it. I made it in my rice cooker the second time
Any tips for making this in a rice cooker?
Hi Marybeth, I don’t have experience using a rice cooker, but I think that would work. You’d probably need to saute the jalapeño and onions on the stove top first as the recipe directs. Also, I’m not sure if the amount of liquid would differ at all with a rice cooker, so just make certain to check the manufacturer’s instructions. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Hi Marybeth! I just tried this tonight in my rice cooker, and it turned out great. I have an Aroma brand 12-cup rice cooker with sauté then simmer feature. I followed the stove top directions by cooking the onion, etc. in the rice cooker pot on sauté, then when it was time to add the liquid broth and spices, I just started the white rice cooking cycle. I will say that the cooking time was longer than when I make plain white rice, but it was so fluffy and delicious!
This rice dish has become a regular for me! So tasty and so easy! Quite often I use the spice flavours to mix up a wee rub and cook up either prawns or chicken as an addition.
I honestly have never had an ‘off’ recipe with you Jenn, and I really appreciate how I can save my recipes on your site. So helpful! Thanks so much!
I made this last night to go with the Peruvian chicken. Never having made Mexican rice except for out of the box I was not sure what to expect, and quite honestly was worried that it would lack flavor, but it was delicious!! My picky 2 year old took one bite and said “mmmmmm”. Subsequently proceeded to eat a larger portion than me! I followed the recipe to a T and it turned out perfect! Will definitely make this again 🙂
This rice is fantastic. I did not use peas (not a fan).
This is the best Mexican rice ever – Great with beef enchiladas. I can also see adding some sautéed chopped Portuguese chorizos and some garlic shrimp to make a MacGuyver paella.
My rice turned out mushy but it was still delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
I reduced the liquid to match what the rice package said (3 cups) but I had to cook it way longer and it was quite mushy. The flavor was excellent though. Not sure where I went wrong on the liquid/cooking.
Hi Donna, Sorry you had a problem with this! Why did you cook the rice for extra time? Was it because there was excess water or because the rice was still too firm after 20 minutes?