Mexican rice is the anchor of many excellent Mexican spreads, and having recently posted our recipe for Chiles Rellenos, I’m back with the perfect Mexican rice to go alongside.
I’m a big believer in the accoutrements that come with food—the sides, the sauces, the extras, the add-ons, the toppings—the trappings that make the dish a MEAL.
I recently was out with friends at a Mexican restaurant, and when we realized that the tacos were NOT served with rice and beans, we very nearly walked out. Save yourself this terrible existential struggle by learning how to make Mexican rice at home!
A Recipe Straight from a Mexican Grandma
My college roommate is half Mexican and half German, and when her German mom joined the family, her dad’s mom immediately went about teaching her the key recipes to keep her son fed and happy. This easy Mexican Rice recipe is one of them.
It’s all about toasting the rice to be as golden brown as you can stand to wait for in oil—the toastier the better—and then loading it up with tomato sauce and spices.
I’ve made this recipe so many times I’ve memorized it, and the cooking times are spot on. I’ve never made a bad pan of it (i.e., no burning rice!).
My family loves it and it has really been a game changer for our Chiles Rellenos and carnitas spreads!
Mexican Rice Recipe Instructions
First, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a deep skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the rice and stir constantly until the rice begins to turn golden brown. The toastier your rice, the tastier it will be (information gleaned from my friend, via her grandma of course).
Next, add the chicken stock.
The mixture will bubble up, and should be followed immediately by the tomato paste or tomato sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, and salt.
Bring to a boil, stirring the tomato paste to dissolve it if using, and cover with a tight-fitting lid.
Immediately turn the heat down to low and set a timer for 20 minutes.
During or when the rice is done cooking, you may want to check moisture levels. If you smell a hint of a burnt scent, your heat is too high! In this scenario, if the rice is cooked, remove from the heat. If it’s not cooked, lower the heat, and add water ½ cup at a time to continue the cooking process. If it’s too wet, leave the lid slightly ajar or off the pan entirely.
When the rice is done, fluff it with a fork and serve alongside our chiles rellenos, carnitas, or any other Mexican spread!
Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2½ cups uncooked long grain white rice (450g)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock, or water + 1 bouillon cube (710 ml)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste or 1 cup plain tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- First, heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a deep skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the rice and stir constantly until the rice begins to turn golden brown. The toastier your rice, the tastier it will be (information gleaned from my friend, via her grandma of course).
- Next, add the chicken stock. The mixture will bubble up, and should be followed immediately by the tomato paste or tomato sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, and salt.
- Bring to a boil, stirring the tomato paste to dissolve it if using, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Immediately turn the heat down to low and set a timer for 20 minutes.
- During or when the rice is done cooking, you may want to check moisture levels. If you smell a hint of a burnt scent, your heat is too high! In this scenario, if the rice is cooked, remove from the heat. If it’s not cooked, lower the heat, and add water ½ cup at a time to continue the cooking process. If it’s too wet, leave the lid slightly ajar or off the pan entirely.
- When the rice is done, fluff it with a fork and serve!
nutrition facts
I am Swedish-German American who loves to cook Mexican dishes. So where do I go for a Mexican rice recipe? Why, to a Chinese-American blog of course! Gotta love it, America!
PS: The rice was delicious, thanks Kaitlyn for sharing
PSS: I also love to cook Chinese and use WOL recipes all the time. You folks are rocks stars of the kitchen!!!
Hahahah love it, Jim! Thank you so much for the kind comment :)
I made this but i used fresh garlic and onions when I sauted the rice, and kept the sides as per recipe. I also added fresh diced tomatoes and some salsa! Very yum
Sounds great, Teresa! Glad you found some inspiration in our recipe :)
Definitely a five. It’s my go to Mexican rice recipe and is easier to put together than others ones out there. Came out perfectly with each grain flavorful and separate.
Thank you, Jane!
I forgot to rate the recipe
Thank you Louise! :)
I made your recipe and my rice came out very good. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thanks, Louise!
I’m giving it 5 stars because it is delicious but for some reason I can’t get the rice to fully cook?! It has the hard little bits inside. I am reducing the recipe to 4 servings because I haven’t got my kids fully on board with NOT white rice lol this last time I kept adding more broth and keeping it on low for an additional 15 minutes and it still wasn’t fully cooked! Hoping for some guidance because I’d love for this to come out just right! I am using a large skillet with lid and an electric stove. I’m new to electric stove so I could be not using the right heat settings?
Ayudame por favor! Gracias!
Hi Ashlee, sorry I missed your comment back in April!! It may well be the electric range. I must admit I hate electric stoves as it’s a very fine line between hot enough and burnt to a crisp. One thought is to make sure you’re using cold or room temp chicken stock. It shouldn’t be warm as you want the rice to take adequate time to come up to temperature.
It could help to experiment with browning the rice more or less to see if that gives a different result.
Also the flatter and wider the skillet the better. I also find that this doesn’t work as well if the lid has one of those little steam holes.
I hope that helps you!
Ashlee, I agree with you about the crunchy rice. There may be an error with this recipe because 3 cups of liquid is not enough for 2 1/2 cups of rice. Rice usually cooks at a 2/1 water/rice ratio. It comes out much better if you adjust the water to rice ratio.
I’ve been trying different recipes to recreate rice I’ve had at Mexican restaurants and this is it. Loved it. I used jasmine rice and the final product was great. Thank you!
Awesome! Thanks, Cathy! :)
Look forward to trying the recipes.
Thanks, Mary! We are too :)