Easy Mexican Rice
This Easy Mexican Rice recipe (also known as Spanish rice), is quick and easy. Ready-to-serve in 30-minutes and delicious! Now you can have restaurant-quality Mexican rice in your own kitchen in minutes!
A staple side dish at Mexican restaurants (and Tex-Mex restaurants) is the light and fluffy, red-hued rice which is often accented with tiny peas and carrots!
It has a red tint to it because of the tomato sauce and chile powder, but it does not have tomatoes! This is a perfect side dish for Sour Cream Enchilada Casserole!
Many of the powdered spanish rice / mexican rice mixes contain additives, preservatives, fillers and colorants, not to mention MSG. This homemade version features simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry!
Most often, if not always, you’ll find Mexican rice is often served with various types of frijoles – refried beans, black beans, Charro or Burracho beans.
Ingredients for Mexican rice
Mexican rice is actually plain long grain white rice that is infused with tomato sauce, a few seasonings and cooked in chicken broth. Here’s what you’ll need to make this tasty Mexican restaurant side dish!
- Long grain white rice-(you can use brown rice, but authentic mexican rice uses long grain white rice
- Oil-canola oil or vegetable oil, either one. I don’t recommend using olive oil because it makes the rice taste a little different than restaurant-quality Mexican rice.
- Tomato sauce– canned tomato sauce makes a perfect mexican rice or, if you don’t have that, make your own tomato sauce using equal parts of tomato paste and water
- Chicken stock or chicken broth– if you don’t have either, you can substitute with water and chicken bouillon or tomato bouillon with chicken flavor.
- Garlic powder
- Chili powder
- Vegetables – for a truly authentic Mexican rice, add a few thawed frozen green peas and diced carrots or red bell pepper right before you serve it
- Salt – to taste
Serve this easy Mexican dish as a side or as the base to a “rice bowl” with beans, chicken, beef, corn or avocado. This also makes a great side dish for tamales, enchiladas, fajitas or carnitas!
Here’s how to make it
In a large stockpot, heat oil on over medium heat and add dry rice. There’s no need to rinse the rice first; we’re gonna lightly brown it in a little oil over medium heat for a few minutes.
Stir and cook 5-8 minutes, or until you start to see it brown…see the little brown specks? You’ll smell it cooking, too…
Add chicken broth to the stockpot and STAND BACK! A lot of steam is created when you add liquid to hot oil.
Then, add in the tomato sauce and remaining ingredients; combine and bring to boil. Once it’s reached boiling point, reduce heat to simmer, cover and allow to steam for 20-25 minutes or until it’s nice and fluffy.
After it’s done, if you want, add in a few thawed frozen green peas and chopped carrots or red bell pepper.
Serve this easy Mexican dish as a side or as the base to a “rice bowl” with beans, Mexican chicken, beef, corn or avocado!
Recipe Tips
- After the long grain rice is slightly browned in the oil, add the broth and tomato sauce and STAND BACK – adding the liquid to hot oil creates A LOT OF STEAM
- Add salt to taste last
Make in advance and reheat
Mexican rice can be made in advance and stored in the fridge (covered) for up to three days. When reheating, you may need to add a little water or broth;reheat in the microwave or on the stove top.
Doubling the recipe? read on…
If you double the ingredients, you’ll want to brown the rice (in oil) in batches, because the skillet typically isn’t big enough to brown it all at once.
Just brown 1-2 cups of long grain rice at time, then add all the browned rice to the large stockpot or Dutch oven and continue the recipe, adjusting ingredient quantities accordingly.
It’s easy to have restaurant-quality Mexican rice at home on any day of the week! Enjoy this side dish with your favorite Mexican dish or Tex-Mex dish!
Related recipes
- Slow Cooker Adobo Chicken
- Restaurant-quality Refried Beans
- Tex-Mex Sour Cream Enchilada Sauce
- Red Enchilada Sauce
♥ If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a rating and comment ! I love to hear from you!
Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- 3 tablespoons oil vegetable or canola
- 1½ cups tomato sauce
- 2½ cups broth chicken or vegetable
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup frozen peas thawed (optional)
- ½ large carrot , or red bell pepper; chopped fine (optional)
- cilantro garnish; (optional)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large stockpot on medium heat, add oil and rice; cook until it begins to turn slightly brown (5-8 minutes)3 tablespoons oil, 2 cups long grain white rice
- Add broth and stand back – it creates A LOT OF STEAM; remaining ingredients; combine well; bring to boil1½ cups tomato sauce, 2½ cups broth, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Once mixture has reached boiling point; cover, reduce heat to simmer; simmer for 20-25 minutes; taste for salt and adjust accordinglysalt to taste
- Option: add green peas and chopped carrots or red bell pepper combine well; plate and serve; garnish with cilantro (optional)½ cup frozen peas, ½ large carrot, cilantro
Notes
- Do not rinse the rice first!
- There is no salt added to this recipe; feel free to add salt once the rice is done
- If doubling the recipe, brown the rice in two batches, then put all the browned rice in a big stockpot and cook
