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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.
A nice basic recipe. I like to throw a bag of mixed vegetables in at the end. Adds another element of flavor and it’s a way to get my kids to eat the vegetables without complaining.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Cooked this in instant pot and turned out excellent. I’ll definatly do this again.
I would like go cook this in my instant pot as well. Did you just add all the Ingredients to the pot? If so, how long did you cook it for?
I would also like to cook in the Instant Pot. Did you use the rice setting? Did you still rinse and brown the rice? Stir everything before sealing? Thanks!
I followed the recipe but my rice fell apart. It still tasted good but any idea what went wrong?
This recipe isn’t meant to clump up, it is supposed to be a drier rice.
MY GAWD! 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!!!
Also, the beans were effing phenomenal as well. You really just upped my taco game 😉
I have enjoyed many different rice recipes but this one is amazing! I sometimes add 1/2 cup carrots with garlic.
This recipe is very similar to mine. I also love the drier type of restaurant Mexican rice where each grain is separate and not sticky. I use a skillet rather than a saucepan because the deeper the rice is in the pan, the moister/stickier it remains and the less evenly it cooks. Instead of simmering the rice on the stove top, I cover the skillet tightly and place it on the middle rack in a 325 degree oven and bake for 21-22 minutes. Remove cover and fluff. Perfect every time. I use the same cooking method when I make fried rice since I don’t like sticky fried rice.
Love your website!
It’s delicious
Can this be made the night before? I need to bring it for a lunch the next day, would have to heat it up in a crockpot. How long and at what temp should I use, Thanks for your help.
Yes, absolutely! You can make it and put it in a airtight container until the next day. We haven’t reheated it in the Crock Pot before. Usually just microwaving it works great. If you did do the Crock pot, I would just do it on low and heat it for 2 hours maybe and then once it is heated, keep on on “warm”. Just be sure to stir it every once in a while to get even heating. Hope this helps!
We LOVE this rice! I’ve been making this recipe probably 2 years or so now and it is a hit every time. Not long ago I made it for a large group and tripled the recipe. Everyone loved it and I had to send the link to 4 other moms!!!
Hi Meagan- So happy to hear you have enjoyed this recipe for so long! Thank you for spreading the word for us! We love it when others share our recipes with their friends. Thanks for the 5-stars!
This recipe is awesome! I doubled the recipe and added 1 tsp of taco seasoning for the perfect dish for our family gathering. This is the first Mexican rice recipe I’ve made that didn’t turn out sticky or clumpy, even though I made it about an hour ahead of dinner and put it on warm in the crockpot. I had leftovers (a small bowl) the next day and it was STILL PERFECT. This recipe is a definite KEEPER
If we don’t have chicken broth can we use water in replace of the chicken broth and how much of the chicken broth did you use so we can use the same amount of water?
the cans are 14.5 oz, you can use water but it won’t have as much flavor. Be sure to season it up with a little salt if you need to. Hope this helps!
Hi there! Before I get to my question, this recipe is a family favorite. We make it as a regular side dish with tacos. I completely have it memorized. Thank you for having a great easy recipe.
After skimming through the comments, I see that this recipe can be doubled (Pot luck). Super easy! However, is the cooking time double as well or would it still be 25 minutes?
It should still be 25 minutes!
Ive been searching for a recipe like this. I am needing to make this rice for about 300… what do you think is the most batches I can make at once? Also, any ideas to cut down time on the day of the event? I have a outdoor large griddle, a warming drawer, and a roaster oven… Im thinking a combinations of these will give me the best results.
You may be interested in this recipe on our website: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/cook-rice-crowd-easy-oven-method/
In the post you will see a “Mexican or Spanish Rice” variation. This would be a much easier method for the amount of rice you are making and less expensive, and you could still stir in some chopped cilantro once it’s cooked for extra flavor. Good luck!
You are a genius! You have no idea how hard it is to please my food critic husband. He has worked in the food industry for many years and is very picky. He will eat whatever I serve him, but isn’t always happy about it.
Tonight I made Mexican shredded beef and decided to make your Mexican rice and refried beans recipes to go along with it. . My husband actually said they were both delicious and he went for seconds. Amazing!
Thank you so much!
How much chicken broth do you use?
14 oz!
Really want to try this rice but on a slimming world diet. I’m wondering can I use the fry light spray oil instead?
Thanks.
We haven’t done it that way before, so I can’t speak to how it would affect the flavor or texture of the dish. Sorry!
Hi do we not need to wash the rice before hand ? It wasn’t specified in the recipe x
You should wash the rice!
Oh I absolutely LOVE this rice. I have made this several times and each time it turns out delicious. I do add a pinch or so of cayenne pepper just for a bit of heat. Thank you for showing how easy it is to make this delightful plate of yummyness. I’ve also taken left over taco meat, added to the rice for a main dish. Wonderful.
So glad you love it! It’s my favorite rice too.
Just made this tonight. It is great!!!!
I love this recipe! So easy to make and I almost always have the ingredients so it makes for a yummy quick side to throw together!
Thanks Suzanne, so glad you like it!
Rice has always been my weak point…this rice was soooo… easy and it is by far the best Mexican rice I have tasted. The only additional ingredient I added was about a quarter cup of kennel corn.
Thanks so much
So glad you liked this recipe! Great idea adding corn. Many of our favorite Mexican restaurants add corn, peas, or even carrot. Corn is my favorite addition though 😉
I’m so glad I found this recipe! I made it tonight and it was perfect! Where have you been all my life?!! Thank you😃
Haha! I’m so glad you found us! Thank you for your comment!
Can I use Basmati or Jasmine rice for this recipe?
FINALLY!!! An actual perfect Mexican rice!!! Perfection! I will never look for another Mex rice recipe again! Omg… I should hide the rest before anyone comes downstairs… 😂 This rice is incredible!!! The best I’ve ever made. This is go-to for life! Thanks so much!
Hi Amy! So glad you liked this recipe so much! It hands-down our favorite too! Thanks so much for the kind words and the 5-stars 😀
BEST RICE EVER!
Thank you! 😀
will microwave rice have the same reuslts
Like precooked rice or rice that is microwavable?
Wow a perfect side dish, love that it is Mexican!