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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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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?