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This Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice is the perfect side dish for any Mexican meal. The rice has the rich flavor and slightly dry texture as the rice served in most Mexican restaurants.
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Restaurant Style Mexican Rice
If you’ve ever had that perfectly fluffy, slightly dry, and flavorful Mexican rice at a restaurant and wondered how to make it at home, I’ve got you covered! This recipe comes straight from a dear family friend from Mexico. She’s one of those incredible cooks who just knows how much of everything to add without measuring. So, after a bit of trial and error, I finally nailed down the perfect balance of flavors and textures—no guesswork needed!
The secret to getting that perfect texture at home? Frying the rice in oil before cooking it. Trust me, it makes all the difference! Now, anytime we make tacos, enchiladas, or burritos, this Mexican rice is a must-have on the side. It’s become a family favorite, and I can’t wait for you to try it too!
Mexican Rice Ingredients You’ll Need
- Fresh cilantro – Stirred in at the end for a pop of color and freshness.
- Long grain white rice – The best choice for achieving that dry, separate texture.
- Vegetable oil – Helps toast the rice for better flavor and texture.
- Minced garlic – Adds a rich, aromatic base.
- Kosher salt & cumin – Essential for that authentic taste.
- Chicken broth & tomato sauce – Infuses the rice with delicious flavor.
How to Make Mexican Rice
- Brown the rice. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the rice to the pan and stir constantly. Once the rice begins to lightly brown, add the minced garlic, kosher salt, and cumin. Continue to stir the rice until it looks golden brown.
- Add liquids. Pour the chicken broth and tomato sauce into the pan with the rice. Turn the heat up to medium high and bring the mixture to a full boil.
- Cover and simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed by the rice.
- Remove from heat and fluff the rice. Remove the pan from the stove then remove the lid from the pan. Using a fork, fluff the rice to separate the grains. Gently stir in the fresh chopped cilantro. This adds color to the rice as well as flavor.
Mexican Rice Tips and Tricks
- Fry the rice first! This step locks in flavor and ensures the grains stay separate.
- Don’t add the cilantro too soon. Stir it in at the end so it stays bright and fresh.
- Stick to the stovetop method. A rice cooker just won’t give you the same texture.
- Want some heat? Swap the tomato sauce for your favorite salsa.
- To rinse or not to rinse? I don’t rinse my rice, and it turns out perfect every time!
- For more information on how to make the perfect Mexican rice, see our post on Mastering Mexican Rice: Common Mistakes and Helpful Tips.
(See Below for Frequently Asked Questions, Reviews, and More Recipes Like This)
Restaurant Style Mexican Rice
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup long grain rice uncooked
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 14 ounces chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the rice and gently stir until rice begins to lightly brown.
- Add the garlic, salt, and cumin and stir the rice until it looks golden.
- Add the tomato sauce and chicken broth and turn the heat up to medium high.
- Bring the mix to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
- Stir in chopped cilantro.
Nutrition Information
Questions About Mexican Rice
Mexican rice is the perfect side to any Mexican dish like tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. We also like to pair it with our recipe for Cheater Refried Beans.
This rice is great as-is. We like to keep it simple and add as few ingredients as possible, but many people like to add more veggies to the mix. Some popular add ins are onions, red or green peppers, green peas, corn, diced carrots, diced tomatoes, green chiles, and lime juice. When adding in these vegetables, add them to the rice at the same time you add the liquids. They will cook along with the rice.
According to Mahatma rice, there are two distinct differences. The first is the main seasoning in each of the rice dishes. Spanish rice is seasoned with saffron which gives it a bright yellow color, as well as a sweeter flavor. On the other hand, Mexican rice is seasoned with cumin giving it a more reddish orange color, and a spicier flavor. The second noticeable difference is in the texture of the each rice. The texture of Spanish rice is more moist and clumps together. Mexican rice is more dry and fluffy.
Mexican Rice Recipe Reviews
My husband is very picky about his Mexican rice, and his love for this dish makes it a staple on the family menu plan. In addition to his five-star review, we’ve received many rave reviews from people who have made and loved this rice recipe.
“I’ve made this about five times now and I love it! The last two times I was out of tomato sauce so I substituted half a cup of Chipotle Lime Salsa (Aldi brand). Wow! This made it even better. I love how easy it is to make and how beautiful it looks and smells when the time is up and you lift the lid.” – Ed
“This is EXACTLY the rice I have been spending YEARS trying to figure out. Everything was absolutely perfect. Flavor, texture, color, all completely spot on! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! You really just upped my taco game!” – Elizabeth
“I am a Puerto Rican woman married to a hard core Mexican man. I’ve tried just about every recipe available for this rice and it never quite worked. I made this today and IT’S PERFECT!! This is the way my MIL makes it. It is as authentic as it can get! Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is the recipe I will make my family from now on.” – Patty
We are so happy to see this has become a family favorite for so many!
What to Pair with Mexican Rice
Oh, the delicious possibilities are endless! This Mexican Rice tastes so good with any burrito, taco, chimichanga, enchilada, quesadilla, taquito, or flauta you can think of. Here are a few of our favorite Mexican recipes to get the wheels turning. Try one of these or add it to your own favorite Mexican dish.
I hope this Mexican Rice recipe becomes a staple in your home like it has in mine. It’s easy to make, full of flavor, and the perfect side dish for all your favorite Mexican meals. Give it a try and let me know in the comments how it turns out!
Can you add cheese to this?
do you rinse the starch off the rice before cooking?
No, but you are welcome to if you prefer it that way.
I made this recipe tonight. It was so easy and awesome!!! Very close to my favorite Mexican restaurant. Better than any packaged rice you buy at the store. Other than the cumin I had everything on hand. Used the dried cilantro and it tasted really good. This is definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing.
Great recipe! Turned out tasty and fluffy! I didn’t have any tomatoe sauce so I used Bloody Mary mix!
This was awesome! Even without the cilantro (I didn’t have any), it was a hit! Yummy!
Wonderful! I forgot cilantro at the store subbed in basil and parsley. Loved it!
Excellent recipe! I made this the other night and it turned out fantastic. Thanks!
I just tried this recipe tonight and it was GREAT!! It’s just what I have been looking for. We had this with fajitas and it was better than at a Mexican restaurant. I have put this into my recipe book and will most definitely be making it for every mexican meal! Thank you!
Can I blend tomatoes for my tomato sauce? Having people over for dinner tonight, making fajitas. Was looking for a simple easy recipe for Mexican rice.
I don’t see why not? Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
This recipe looked so delicious. I decided to make it tonight and it smelled sooo bad. I could not eat it. Also, there was not enough liquid and the rice didn’t fully cook. Not sure why though, followed the instructions exactly. :/
Oh no, I have no idea what went wrong! We make this all the time and it always turns out great! Sorry Alex.
Could it be that your garlic burned?
try switching the tomato sauce for the Mexican hot tomato sauce and only use a 1/4 cup of it . while the rice is browning put the HOT TOMATO sauce and half of a onion. brown the rice. when it comes to add chicken broth. that’s where you get all the flavor. trust me i’m 100% Mexicana from San Diego I grew up cooking from 7 of my tias and nana cooking constantly. I post my recipes on pintrest all the time I make dinners for my Caucasian husband because he LOVES Mexican food. I make it most of the time because w live in florida. there is close to none authentic Mexican restaurants. love your recipes ladies!! keep up the Great work!!
Thank you so much for your advice! I will DEFINITELY be doing that next time I make this! What is the link to your Pinterest page? I would love to try your recipes!
its Ashley slager. I don’t have a blog up. im not that special lol but for the larger batches of rice use the 1/4 cup for smaller use 1 tablespoon. i eye ball it only because it is spicy. you can get it at Wal-Mart in the Hispanic isle. Its called “Conchita tomato sauce salsa de tomate” 🙂
I am going to be making this tonight. Could I stir in some canned veggies like peas and carrots? The last few times I went to a Mexican restaurant there were peas and/or carrots in it. And if so when would be the ideal time to stir them in? Thank you for a simple and delicious recipe!
You could definitely try it! I am sure it wouldn’t hurt. If it were ME, I wouldn’t do canned. I would do frozen, saute them separately and stir them in at the end…
Ok so i followed this recipe’s instructions fairly well except that I used a rice cooker – that’s right! And it turned out amazing! I still dry toasted the rice in the hot rice cooker and mixed in oil to let it heat, then garlic and dry herbs, then liquid and cilantro and set it – 20 minutes later I had Mexican rice that guests were raving about. It was almost a letdown when I explained that I used a rice cooker, but I’m very proud of it too! Thank you so much!
Awesome. I love my rice cooker. I’m going to try this way today.
I have been using this recipe for many years and take it to Mexican themed parties. I took it to a party recently and it was a hit and my friends thought our Mexican friend had made it. Best compliment ever. I have never tried adding cilantro. I will have to try that. 🙂
This may be a sulu question but is it tomato sauce or paste? Can’t wait to make this
Made this for dinner along with cilantro-lime shrimp. AMAZING!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
My kids love Mexican restaurants rice. I tired you recipe the other night and they say it beats all of their former favorites.
Thanks!!!
In your recipe when you say heat the oil on medium heat and add the rice.. do you mean cooked or uncooked rice? I would love to make this tonight!
uncooked rice, it cooks later
This reminds me of Jollof rice. Its a West African rice. Looks very similar.
Thanks.
Is this able to be made the day before a dinner party and reheated?
I don’t see why not. I have reheated it for leftovers the next day and it was great!
I made this the other night with enchiladas. I’ve been wanting to make mexican rice for a long time but never have. So glad I found your recipe first, it was everything I was looking for. I did fry some onion in a bit of oil first before adding the rice, added a touch of taco seasoning instead of salt, and added a few chopped baby tomatoes 🙂
It was beyond perfect. Thank you!
Simple, healthy and tasty recipe. Can use tomato puree instead of tomato sauce?
I haven’t tried that but I don’t see why not?