Restaurant-style stovetop Mexican rice is the perfect side dish for taco night at home! This easy one-pot Mexican rice recipe only takes a couple of minutes of prep work and you’ll have an easy side dish on the table in no time.
If you’ve ever been to a Mexican restaurant and marveled at their perfectly fluffy and flavorful Mexican rice, this recipe is better! This easy rice recipe is perfectly simple and only includes a handful of ingredients, most of them pantry staples.
Table of Contents
The Ultimate Taco Night Side Dish
Mexican food is on regular rotation in our house and just like my salsa verde, guacamole, and instant pot refried beans, stovetop Mexican rice is a must make! Take the guess work out of your side dishes and make this rice recipe any night of the week.
My recipe for Mexican rice is just so, so good. It’s flavorful and never, ever mushy! Garnishing the rice with some chopped cilantro, radish, and lime adds the perfect pop of freshness and acidity.
We’re also big on bowls in our house and this Mexican rice is the perfect base for chicken, steak, or pork burrito bowls! Once you master this recipe, you’ll have a flavorful rice side dish at your fingertips any time you want.
Helpful Cooking Tools
Recipe Ingredients
full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Long Grain White Rice
- White Onion
- Jalapeño
- Spices
- Tomato Sauce
- Chicken or Vegetable Broth
- Tomato Bouillon
An Overview of the Cooking Process
- Rinse the rice. This is a crucial step! Long grain rice is coated in lots of starch and so rinsing it in cold water before cooking it keeps the rice fluffy as it cooks, instead of sticky. Make sure to let it drain properly before cooking it!
- Saute the onion and jalapeño. Aromatics like onion and jalapeño are a great way to impart flavor in your rice. Make sure they’re nice and soft before moving on to the next step so that they really melt into the rice.
- Stir in the spices. The cumin, oregano, chile powder, and garlic powder add tons of flavor, but sautéing them for a minute really wake up the flavors. Once they become really fragrant, it’s time to add the rice and tomato broth in!
- Cook the rice. The rice cooking process happens in two stages–on the heat and off the heat. First, you simmer the rice covered for 20 minutes on very low heat. Then, you remove it from the heat and let it sit for another 10 minutes without removing the lid. This allows the rice to absorb all the liquid so that it’s nice and fluffy and not mushy. Then, just add the cilantro and lime and fluff it with a fork!
Storing and Reheating Stovetop Mexican Rice
This recipe is perfect for meal prep! It’s easy to store, freeze, and reheat for future use.
- Refrigerate: Let the rice cool to room temperature and then transfer it to an airtight container, or several small containers for meal prep, and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: Let the rice cool to room temperature. Spread the rice on a baking sheet lined with parchment and freeze for 1 hour. Transfer to a gallon ziplock bag and store for up to three months. When it’s time to defrost, transfer the bag to the fridge and let it thaw overnight.
When it comes to reheating Mexican rice, there are two methods:
- Microwave: Portion some of the rice into a microwave safe bowl or dish and cover with a wet paper towel. Microwave for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
- Stovetop: Transfer rice to a nonstick skillet and drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of water or broth and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice is warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
This easy & authentic Mexican rice is the perfect side dish for so many dinners! Here are some of my favorite recipes to serve alongside this flavorful rice:
Easy Pollo Asado
Beef Chile Colorado
Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
Carne Asada Street Tacos
Mojo Chicken Legs
Mexican Picadillo
More Mexican Side Dishes to Try
This post contains affiliate links from which I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links allow me to keep providing great recipes for free and I never recommend products that I don’t love and personally own.
Easy & Authentic Stovetop Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup (8 oz) plain tomato sauce
- 1 cube tomato bouillon (optional)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 lime, juiced
Instructions
- Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Let the rice drain for 5 minutes.
- In a pot, dutch oven, or braiser, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and jalapeno for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
- Add the rice, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and oregano and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often until the rice is toasted. Add the broth, tomato sauce, bouillon, bay leaf, and salt and stir well. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
- After the 20 minutes, turn off the heat, leave the rice covered and let it rest for another 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, add chopped cilantro, and season with lime juice.
Nutrition
You might also like...
-
Appetizers The Best 5-Ingredient Guacamole
-
Soups & Stews Albondigas Soup
-
Sides Fresh Corn Salsa
Rate & Review This Recipe
I followed this recipe exactly and the rice was undercooked. I don’t know if if needs more water or if it was the lifting lid and stirring half way through, which I thought you normally are not supposed to do with rice. This was my first time making mexican rice. I will have to find another recipe to try.
Hi! Because this recipe has tomato sauce and veggies in it, it is best to stir part way through so that the rice doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pot. Also, the shape of your pot matters as well–hope that helps for next time!