Mexican Rice
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
<Restaurant-style Mexican rice made right at home! The best side dish for tacos, burritos, enchiladas + so much more. So good!
Featured Comment
This Mexican rice has been our go-to side dish again and again in our house. It’s been tested, perfected, and made at least a hundred times since 2014 when this recipe was first posted. HUNDREDS, I tell you.
why i love this recipe
- One pot meal. A true one pot meal, the rice soaks up all the flavors of the tomato-infused broth with cumin and chili powder for that extra kick of flavor. Not to mention, one pot means less dishes, less clean up!
- Clean out the fridge meal. This is a great recipe to throw in any lingering veggies that need to be used up ASAP.
- Pairs well with many dishes. Mexican rice can be served alongside so many dishes, pairing well with chicken, seafood, carne asada, enchiladas, tacos and burritos to name a few.
- Freezer-friendly. This recipe is very freezer-friendly and can be kept for 3 months, making it great for meal prep.
You can serve as is or alongside some tacos or enchiladas. Personally, I love it as a main dish, digging my way in with my favorite tortilla chips.
tips and tricks for success
- Rinse the rice prior to using. Using a fine mesh strainer, rinse the rice under cold water to remove any excess starch.
- Toast the rice. Toasting the rice beforehand will add a nutty richness to the rice. Watch out for burnt grains.
- Make it vegetarian. Vegetable broth can be used for the chicken broth.
- Gently fluff. Fluff the rice using a fork to gently separate the grains without breaking them, never stirring. Stirring will lead to mushy rice.
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Mexican Rice: Frequently Asked Questions
Tomato sauce, in the US, is tomato puree typically cooked down for a thick, smooth consistency with a relatively sweet flavor. Passata is simply uncooked tomato purée. You can use passata in place of tomato sauce, but it is not a completely equal substitute.
You can substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
You can omit the cilantro altogether or substitute parsley.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop or microwave, adding a splash of broth or water as needed.
Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup corn kernels
- ½ cup diced carrots
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in rice until toasted, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in tomato sauce and vegetable broth, and bring to a simmer, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in corn, carrots, peas, chili powder and cumin; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is cooked through, about 13-16 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
made this tonight and need to add twice the amount of chicken stock!
That’s a lot of stock to add in, but glad it worked out!
I tried this recipe and the rice was not cooked thoroughly. What might have gone wrong? Would appreciate ideas. I was thinking maybe there was not enough liquid…for basmati rice, typically, I do parts water to 1 part rice. This recipe says equal parts water (broth) and rice. Could it be that? I should have added more broth or water and cooked rice longer? Would appreciate guidance. Am a beginner cook and need feedback. Does basmatic usually require double liquid?
Shazam, I cannot answer what might have gone wrong as I was not in the kitchen with you. Did you follow the recipe exactly as written? And no, there is more than just equal parts broth and rice. There is also one 8-ounce can of tomato sauce. And basmati rice does not always require twice the liquid – it really depends on your preferences. I typically like to do 1 1/4:1 ratio. Hope that helps!
I just tried this recipe and it came out fantastic! Thank you! I normally don’t care for most jambalaya/spanish rice recipes that involve rice and tomato, but this was a home run. The only major difference was that I used fresh tomatos from our garden that were overripe instead of the can of sauce and roma tomatos, and boiled them down first in the stock. The wife was pleased!
This is bubbling on the stove top as I write this. I used brown basmati rice and the cooking time is significantly longer than written so I’ve been adding additional water as it cooks. I added some red pepper flakes to the oil, garlic and onions for some heat. I’m going to serve this with plenty of cilantro, black beans, and whole wheat flour tortillas.
Edited: yum! My family loved it.
What a delicious looking recipe! Did you use fresh, canned or frozen veggies?
Thanks!
I used a combination of all 3! It just really depends on what you have on hand.
Hello that dish looks lovely having a bbq on Saturday can this dish be eaten cold
I personally think it’s best served warm but it’s really based on personal preference.
Just made your mexican rice…delicious! Although I ended up taking the peas out, it was nice that they added colour but I found their taste/texture detracted from the rice. I think that next time I might use some finely diced green pepper instead. Thanks for the tasty and easy recipe!
Could this recipe be made ahead and frozen? Also, I would like to make it for a large party, would it work to quadruple the recipe at one time and make it in a large pot? Thanks
Unfortunately I have never tried freezing this so I cannot answer this with certainty. As for quadrupling the recipe, that should work out just fine but you may have to adjust cooking time as needed.
I made this for my family and they LOVED it!! It was amazing!!!
Hi, your recipes look amazing and I can’t wait to try them. I do however have a stupid question. I live in Australia so I am just wondering the can f tomato sauce, is that the usual tomato sauce you would have with burgers and chips? We don’t sell sauce in a can simian just trying to see what I should be using.
Not a stupid question at all! I’ve received similar questions from others overseas. Now in response to your question, you should not be using the tomato sauce for burgers and chips. Tomato passata would be your best bet.
Ok great, I can get that passata everywhere. Thank you 🙂
Just made this! So yummy. Better than a Mexican resturaunt says the hubs! I used a can of diced and fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies instead of tomato sauce and a little extra chicken stock.
Hi, thank you for your recipe. Can’t wait to try it but can I use extra long grain rice? Thank you.
Yes, that should be fine. Although you may have to adjust cooking time as needed.
Can we use tomato paste? I can’t figure out the sauce here.
http://portofood.com/img/p/2/8/4/284-home_default.jpg
It is best to use tomato sauce for this recipe. Tomato paste is not an appropriate substitute.
This was delicious!!! I made it with Colorado Burritos and it made an awesome side dish. BTW: Have you ever had a day in the kitchen when nothing is going right? I had no frozen peas (my bad as I almost always do) so to compensate I had a bag of mixed vegetables and picked out by hand the peas. Crazy!! Also, I ran out of chili powder so I got a crash course on how to make my own. I must have every spice ever invented/made so I saved the day by making my own. Hope everyone enjoys this as much as we did. I did pin this recipe as it is well worth it. Thanks Chung-Ah.
Pingback: Food! | carmen
this looks amazing! as a 17 year old, I can bake very well but I’m just starting to learn how to cook and this recipe is perfect for beginners! gonna make this for dinner tomorrow, and I cannot wait to taste it
Can I use cooked rice or just use rice straight from the bag?
I recommend using uncooked rice for this recipe.
I used at least triple the amount of liquid than the recipe says with a lid on, it also took over half an hour to cook.
In the end it was delicious but the basmati rice was not cooked at the time stated i would suggest cooking your own recipe again.
If the rice is quick or if you need to soak first you should state that on the recipe.
Pingback: The Lady Thing Here Are Some Authentic Mexican Cuisine Recipes - The Lady Thing
I love one dish meals. This is fabulous! Pinned & shared!
I love homemade mexican rice 🙂 it is so full of flavor! Saving this recipe!