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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.
This Mexican rice recipe came from a close family friend from Mexico, and I have used it for years. She gave me the list of ingredients she uses and her cooking method. Unfortunately, she is one of those amazing cooks that naturally knows how much of each ingredient to use, but doesn’t use actual measurements and her Mexican rice was always made in bulk. I got to work with what I had and tested it until it was the perfect flavor and texture. This recipe is now measured in amounts perfect for the size of one family. If we are making any kind of Mexican food, this rice is a must as a side dish. It has become a favorite of everyone that tries it.
Restaurant Style Mexican Rice
Imagine your first bite of rice at your favorite Mexican restaurant. What is it that makes it taste so good? The rice is fluffy and a little dry. You taste the tang of tomato combined with the spicy, earthy flavors of cumin. The lightness of the rice perfectly complements the creamy refried beans next to it on the plate.
This Mexican Rice recipe delivers the same slightly dry texture, just like the rice served in Mexican restaurants. It’s not wet, clumpy, or sticky, which can often be the case with some homemade versions. The key to achieving the perfect texture and rich flavor is to fry the rice in oil before cooking it. Don’t skip this step!
Mexican Rice Ingredients
This authentic Mexican rice recipe uses long grain rice. Long grain rice is ideal for this recipe because it is a firmer, drier rice. The rice grains stay separate when cooked and don’t clump together. After the rice is browned in a little oil, the rice cooks in a combination of chicken broth and tomato sauce giving the rice a delicious flavor. The additional ingredients I use to season the rice are garlic, kosher salt, cumin, and cilantro.
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 vs Spanish Rice
Have you wondered what the difference is between Mexican rice and Spanish rice? The terms are used interchangeably by most people and on many recipes. Most Spanish rice and Mexican rice recipes have the same basic ingredients – rice, a tomato based sauce, garlic, and chicken broth.
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 Tips
The secret to a delicious Mexican rice is all in the way you cook it. Here are a few tips and tricks to get it right every time:
- Mexican rice needs to be fried in oil and browned BEFORE you add the chicken broth and tomato sauce. As a result, the rice really absorbs the flavors, yet has the perfect, tender consistency.
- Mix in the chopped cilantro after cooking. If you add it before, the cilantro gets brown in color and wilted. When you toss it in after, it stays bright and fresh.
- Use this stove top method. I have tried different methods in my rice cooker, but it just doesn’t turn out the same.
- For a spicier taste, your favorite medium or hot salsa can replace the tomato sauce.
- Long grain white rice is the best rice to use for this dish. The jury is out on whether the rice should be rinsed prior to cooking. You will get a wide range of opinions on this topic. I do not rinse the rice. My dear friend from Mexico did not rinse the rice when she made it. It turns out beautifully for me every time I make it.
- For more information on how to make the perfect Mexican rice, see our post on Mastering Mexican Rice: Common Mistakes and Helpful Tips.
Mexican Rice and Beans
What about the beans? Mexican rice and beans are a match made in heaven! This recipe goes hand in hand with our easy to make Cheater Refried Beans. These beans are easy to make and taste just like the creamy, chip-dippable beans served in Mexican restaurants.
Popular Additions
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.
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.
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. You can read them all in the comments below, however here are few of our favorites:
“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!
Restaurant Style Mexican Rice
Video
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, then stir in chopped cilantro.
Hello! I live in Singapore but from San Diego, CA so my husband and I know goooooood mexican food. I made burritos tonight using your rice recipe and they turned out absolutely amazing! My husband said he used to date a Mexican girl and my rice was better than hers, so thank you!! Singapore has a ton of amazing cuisines, but sadly Mexican is not one of them, but now we can have delicious burritos whenever we want. Woot woot!!!
WooHoo!!! Score! Very flattered that this rice turned out better than his old girlfriends 😉 haha! So glad you will be able to have your Mexican food in Singapore! Thanks for the nice comment!
I live in Japan and Mexican food is pretty much non-existing, even in Tokyo. You can get some odd ground meat tacos, but no burritos, refried beans, or Mexican rice. So, I am looking forward to trying this recipe. Do you know an authentic recipe for “refried” beans? 😀
Also, is the chicken broth necessary? Of course it adds more flavor, but is it authentic , like cumin?
Thanks!!!
You could just do water, but I like it better with the chicken broth. As far as being authentic, either way would work.
Just made your recipe have been trying many to find the right one!!! Oh my gosh you are awesome it turned out amazing. I followed all the beginning directions and then once it was all in the skillet I dumped into my rice cooker and hit start. It came out so delicious just like the restaurants. Thank you!!!
Thanks Amanda! I’m so glad you liked it! This is one of our most popular recipes because it turns out great every time.
Tried this in the crockpot. Cut down the broth to 3 1/4 cups, but it was too mushy. Will try 2 1/2 cups of broth next time. Here is what I did for my Arroz con pollo. Browned the rice, then dumped everything into the microwave and gave it a good stir. Added in 4 skinless chicken breasts and pushed them into the mixture. Cooked on low for approximately 5 hours, came out really good, just the rice was a bit mushy.
Can you please specify what size can tomato sauce in the above recipe? 8 oz? 12 oz? 16 oz?
It’s 1/2 cup, not a can. So you could use 1/2 of an 8 oz. can.
Delicious !!! I can’t say that enough. I also made your refried beans recipe and they were perfect. Thanks for sharing the recipe
Second time is the charm I hope! The first time I used brown rice and followed the recipe to the “T.” However, it came out mostly hard with a few mushy pieces of rice…rather odd! I could not figure out what the problem was.
This time, I am using long grain white rice. Timer has 19 minutes to go on setting “1” on my electric stove top. Smells so good…praying it will taste the same!
Brown rice takes MUCH MUCH MUCH longer to cook. You would definitely have to alter the recipe if using brown rice. So sorry it didn’t turn out!
Wow! Made this as a side with dinner tonight and it was perfect- just like our favorite Mexican restaurant! Thank you for sharing!
I tried this recipe today and it turned out GREAT! I’m definitely sticking to this for our “Taco Tuesday’s”. Fresh cilantro gives that bright flavor and instead of original tomato sauce, I kicked it up with Mexican tomato sauce which is spicy. Yummo!
Thanks Again
So glad you liked it! Thank you for the comment!
Love this recipe! But I have a big family and I need to make a bigger batch. Shud I just double or triple up on all the ingredients?!
Yes, I’ve doubled it a bunch and it turns out great!
This is THE BEST rice recipe ever, since discovering this recipe i make it all the time … comes out PERFECT every single time … I do not vary from the recipe whatsoever … Thanks so much for this TERRIFIC recipe ….. 🙂
Paul, thank you for the feedback – we’re so glad you like it!
This is THEEE best Mexican rice recipe I have ever made. Love this so much – can’t wait to make more!
So glad you liked it! It is BY FAR our favorite too!!!
I love your recipe. Thank you for posting, I now know how to make Mexican-style rice. Loved it!
I made this 4 times already, super simple and delish.
🙂
PS: I didn’t have tomato sauce handy but I do have spaghetti sauce so I used about 2-3 Tbs. And it worked just fine!!
🙂
Hello! I used your recipe a few months ago, and it was loved in my house! Now I’m making it again tonight because I’ve got lots of fresh tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro!
Thank you for this simple recipe. My mom (who is Mexican) totally approved. ; ) Thanks to you, my first attempt at making this sort of rice was a success!
What a compliment! Thank you so much for sharing your success with us!
Made this tonight, and it was SCRUMPTIOUS! We also do not like the wet style rice. This is a keeper for sure! Thanks! Making more for the freezer tomorrow!
So glad you liked it! This is definitely one of our favorites!
is cumin the ground kind? or regualr? can you email me
We do use ground cumin. Thank you for asking!
This Mexican rice recipe is fantastic! My 21 year old son requests it every other day.
We love to hear feedback on our recipes. We are so glad you and your son like it! Thank you!
I modified this recipe enough to use instant rice and it was wonderful! Made this and the “cheater beans” to go with homemade taquitos for church supper. Both recipes were a big hit! I liked that they were delicious and oh so easy! These are now my “go to” recipes when fixing Mexican food. Thanks so much!
Deanne can you post your recipe using instant rice. Please or email it to me. rcjromero@gmail.com
Thanks! Corinne
This is amazing! I like it even more than getting it at a restaurant. I added some chili powder and cayenne because we like it a little spicy. I also tried it with half the oil and it still worked out great. Thanks!
So glad you like it! We like it better than restaurant rice too 😉