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This authentic Mexican rice recipe is easy to make, made with simple ingredients, and way better than the rice you’ll find at a Mexican restaurant! It’s the perfect side dish for all your favorite Mexican recipes.
If I had to pick one side dish to serve at every meal, it would be this authentic Mexican rice! Made with easy-to-find ingredients and ready in 40 minutes, this rice is perfect alongside Mexican and Tex-Mex favorites like chicken enchiladas, chile rellenos, and carne asada.
Mexican rice is a staple in my Mexican family. As a kid, it was one of those dishes that was always on the dinner table alongside refried beans and the salsa of the day that my mom always made from scratch.
This recipe is exactly how my mom used to make it for me and my brothers and sisters, and I’m so excited to share it with the world!
Did You Know?
While arroz rojo, or Mexican rice, is the most popular type of rice in Mexican cuisine, there’s also a different variation called arroz verde which is green in color and made from roasted and blended poblano peppers and fresh herbs such as cilantro and parsley.
Ingredients in Mexican Rice
- Long grain white rice: The long grains of this rice give you that perfect fluffy and light texture that you want from Mexican rice. Just be sure to rinse the rice under water to remove any extra starch.
- Oil: Canola or your favorite vegetable oil for toasting the rice.
- Onion and garlic: For added savory flavor.
- Tomato: One diced Roma tomato is all you need.
- Tomato paste: This adds more tomato flavor as well as that beautiful orange-red color that is so distinct in Mexican rice. There are other variations that use tomato sauce or tomato bouillon instead. My mom always used tomato paste, so that’s what I’m using today.
- Broth: I like using vegetable or chicken broth instead of water for even more flavor. But if you don’t have broth in the pantry, water will work in a pinch.
- Peas: I like adding frozen peas at the end and fluffing them into the rice so they keep their beautiful vibrant color. You could also add frozen corn, carrots, or green beans for extra veggies.
- Salt: Added during the cooking process, and you can always add more once it’s done if you think it needs more.
How to Make Mexican Rice
Rinse and toast: Rinse the rice under running water until the water runs clear, then saute it in hot oil until the rice begins to brown lightly and gets toasted.
Add onion and tomato: Stir in the onion, tomato, garlic, and salt, and cook for 30 more seconds.
Add broth and tomato paste: Stir in the broth and tomato paste. Continue mixing until the tomato paste has completely dissolved.
Cook: Bring the rice to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Then uncover and let it sit for 5 minutes without touching it.
Add peas: Add the frozen peas and gently fluff them into the rice with a fork. The peas will thaw and warm up with the heat of the rice.
Recipe Tips
- Rinse. Make sure to rinse the rice under running water until the water runs clear. This helps remove any extra starch and helps get the rice beautifully separated and fluffy when cooked.
- Toast. Toasting and browning the rice in oil before simmering it in broth is what gives Mexican rice that savory melt-in-your-mouth flavor that you can’t get enough of!
- Fluff. Fluffing with a fork instead of stirring helps keep your rice nice and fluffy instead of mushy and clumpy.
- Need a foolproof method? If you have an Instant Pot, try my Instant Pot Mexican Rice recipe!
- Add a jalapeño to the pot for extra flavor! This doesn’t make the rice spicy, and is removed before serving. You could also use a serrano for a hint of spice instead.
- Make this a full one-pot meal and make Arroz con Pollo (Mexican chicken and rice)! It cooks all together and is such a crowd-pleaser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Spanish rice is typically yellow and gets its color from saffron, whereas Mexican rice is more orange and red and gets its color from tomatoes (either tomato sauce, tomato paste, or tomato bouillon). Spanish rice is also a bit firmer, whereas Mexican rice is softer and almost melts in your mouth.
Mushy rice is typically a result of absorbing too much water and overcooking. If your rice always turns out mushy, try adding a little less water or liquid next time.
1 cup of uncooked rice serves 3-6 people. When cooked, 1 cup of uncooked rice makes about 3 cups. One serving of cooked rice is about 1/2 cup as a side dish and 1 cup as a main dish.
Long-grain white rice is the best rice to use for Mexican rice. Basmati and Jasmine also work.
No, Mexican rice is not traditionally spicy. If you’d like to add some spice, you can add in some jalapeno or serrano peppers to give the dish some heat.
Storing and Reheating
This rice can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
To reheat, heat in the microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between each, until fully heated through.
What to Serve with Mexican Rice
Mexican rice pairs well with a variety of Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes. Here are some of my favorites:
Authentic Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ medium onion, finely diced
- 1 Roma tomato, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 3 ½ cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
Instructions
- Add rice to a fine mesh strainer or colander and rinse under running water until the water runs clear. Drain well.
- In a large saucepan or pot over low-medium heat, add the oil. When hot, add the rice and saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice begins to lightly brown.
- Add the onion, tomato, garlic and salt. Stir and saute for 30 seconds.
- Add the broth and tomato paste. Stir together to mix until the tomato paste has completely dissolved.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook for 20 minutes. Remove the saucepan or pot from the heat, uncover, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the thawed frozen peas and gently fluff them into the rice with a fork. Don't stir. Taste and season with more salt if necessary.
Video
Notes
- Instant Pot: If you have an Instant Pot, try my foolproof Instant Pot Mexican Rice recipe.
- Want to add some spice? Add in a chopped jalapeno or serrano pepper when you add in the onion.
- Optional vegetables: I used frozen peas, but you can also use frozen corn, or a frozen pea, corn and green bean mix.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello Isabel my name is Glen this Sunday I will be trying to make Spanish rice again my rice bag says one cup of rice to 1 and 1/2 cups water I’m using a half a cup of rice so I’m guessing I’m going to use 3/4 cup of water or do I follow your recipe and use a half a cup of rice to 1 cup water anyway thank you for putting it out there for those of us who don’t want to starve you take care and God bless
Hi Glen! If you’re using 1/2 cup of rice for this recipe I’d recommend using 1 cup of water.
This was SO GOOD
I served this last night for six people and I loved it!!! I got a lot of compliments on it and it tasted great. There wasn’t any left. Thanks!
This recipe was exactly what I was looking for. A basic recipe that I could make using staples from my pantry that I could dress up or serve as a workhorse side dish to many different Mexican style meals. I agree that using tomato paste is the way to go as fully ripe, garden tomatoes are often not available and grocery store tomatoes just don’t have much flavor. They’re bred for shipping, not flavor. The paste gives much more consistent results and is a definite time saver. Just made this dish, tonight. Rice was fluffy, not chewy or mushy. Came out perfect. Thanks again.
This is exactly how my family has always made it, so I’m so happy and flattered that you loved it! Thanks so much for the kind words!
Its ok, but not traditional. The Mexicans dont use tomato paste, they make a tomato sauce and saute onions with rice.
Por favor si no tienes nada bueno saliendo de tu boca quedate callado , si savez mejor porque estabas buscando recetas?
Exactly! ❤️
If you knew based on the ingredients list that it wasn’t the traditional way, why did you make it?
I live in South Texas and have been married to two Mexican women. Over my 70 some years I have eaten so many variations of “traditional Mexican dishes” that I have concluded there is NO set way to make any Mexican recipe.
They are all made to suit individual tastes and can vary greatly according to the food supplies on hand. My first Mexican wife made a dish with beans and fideo that she insisted had to be served in a small bowl with the fideo on one side and the beans on the other. She said it was traditional. I have never seen or heard about the way of serving that since. Now days people make some mixture of fideo and some meat and call it Fideo Loco. It’s Trad South Texas.
Isabel’s recipe is as good as it gets. Most of the time I will add ground beef to her recipe for a one pot meal.
Thank you so much, Herb! I’m so glad you like it. I love your addition of ground beef – I’m going to have to try that!
Estaba buscando una receta similar a la de mi mami pero con menos trabajo, porque para que mentir no tengo ganas de sacar la licuadora jaja y tu receta salió muy rica! No dejes que la gente te desilusione <3
Hello Isabel,
I’m so excited to make your rice recipe. I’ve just started looking through your recipes and I’m going to use two of them so far for a party for my granddaughter’s first birthday. My daughter-in-law is Mexican and wants beef tacos as well. Do you have a recipe for this? Went to a Mexican market and I purchased their seasoned meat and it was tough and would like a super yummy recipe that will wow everybody. I will be using your pork recipe😋 any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I’ll be doing most of the cooking because my daughter-in-law does not cook 😂 oh, for the rice for a crowd do I just double, triple, quadruple or are there adjustments when I make multiple batches? Thank you in advance🥰 Leslie
Hi Leslie! For a crowd, I’d recommend doubling or tripling this recipe. You can find measurements using the toggle tool under the recipe title. Here’s a link to Isabel’s recipe for ground beef tacos: https://www.isabeleats.com/easy-ground-beef-tacos/ Hope you enjoy!
I made this rice for my step sons 18th birthday we had family & friends over. I did a taco bar with 3 different meats, this rice and a few other sides. I had some jalapeno and cilantro left over from making guacamole so I added it to the rice and I substituted 2 c. of chicken stock for 2 c. of water. It was really easy and so yummy.
I love that you added cilantro, that sounds so good! 🙂 Thanks, Laura. I’m so happy you liked it!
I made this with rice cauliflower today and it was amazing! I changed a couple of things since I thought it might not absorb all the liquid. I used about 4 cups of cauliflower rice, 3/4 a can of tomato sauce and 1 cup of water (adding up to about 2 cups of liquid) then doubled everything else. It wasn’t so good! Thanks!
That’s great to hear! I’m going to have to try it with cauli rice and make that into a recipe. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Love this recipe been trying to find one for this kind of rice I added a few vegetables to it it was amazing thank you for sharing your recipe
I made this! Really easy and good. I simplified the ingredients and added 3 tablespoons of salsa instead of onion and tomato paste and garlic. I experimented with the ingredients I had available. I added some Tyson diced up fajita meat and topped with queso dip. My son gets this when we go to a Mexican restaurant and I tried to copy the best I could. He is a picky eater and likes this. I’m making it right now so he can take for his lunch for the week. Thanks so much!
I will try it the other way when I get to the grocery store. 😀
I love that you’re using what you have on hand. That’s what cooking is all about! Your way sounds delicious – I’m going to have to try it like that next time!
I used this recipe today and It was absolutely perfect ! Do you know how long I’ve been searching for an authentic Mexican rice recipe ? Well … it’s a while and this was absolutely wonderful! Thank you for bringing authentic Mexican food recipes I can trust ! Was great to meet you at Everything Food Conference this year too!!;)
Ahh, Krysten! Thank you! It was great meeting you too 🙂 And I’m so happy the rice turned out great!
Was looking for a Mexican recipe for rice while traveling in Mexico. This was good but it needed more flavor.
Actually, this recipe is basic enough to add your own flair. I believe since rice isn’t the “star” of my specific meal, but a side, I don’t want it to overpower what the true entree is. However, sometimes I will skip the fresh tomato and use a quality jarred salsa, drain the juice into a measuring cup (to use toward the water requirement) and measure the salsa veggies to use those tomatoes and add flavor and spark to this recipe.