Mexican Rice
The most delicious Mexican Rice you will ever try. Crafted with a perfect blend of spices, and simplified to keep things eazy peazy, this will be your go to side for Taco Tuesday, or anytime you eat Mexican food.
This rice is the perfect complement to tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and more.
Mexican rice cooked to perfection with bold flavors! There are many reasons I love this recipe for Mexican rice! Here are just a few:
- Delicious flavor: When it comes to a rice side dish, this Mexican rice is bursting with flavor! We are talking the perfect combo of spices and seasonings. And it can be customized to make it mild or spicy, to suit your taste buds.
- Versatility: This rice is not a one horse show. Mexican rice can be enjoyed as a side dish, a main course, and with a wide variety of foods. It’s a great way to add some variety to and keep dinners interesting. Seriously, add some Chicken Carnitas to it to make a nice bowl, or serve it as a side to Easy Pork Enchiladas.
- Nutritious: Mexican rice is a great source of carbs, especially when made from high-quality grains and when you add healthy ingredients like vegetables etc., making it a nutritious side dish or meal option.
- Easy to make: With this simple recipe, Mexican rice is easy to make! It can be prepped ahead, and it’s a great choice for busy weeknights when you need a quick and easy meal option. Pair it with Shredded Pork Mole Tacos or Grilled Fish Tacos for a great meal.
What You Need to Make Mexican Rice
This Mexican Rice recipe is eazy peazy to make, and the ingredients are all easy to find. They add so much flavor, and are amazing, here is what you need:
- Tomatoes
- White onion
- Jalapeño
- Long grain white rice
- Canola oil
- Minced garlic
- Low-sodium chicken broth
- Tomato paste
- Table salt
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Lime
How to Make Mexican Rice
Making this Mexican Rice is a little different from your traditional recipe, but it is super easy to make, and the process works. Trust me! So here is what you need to do:
Step One: Prep Everything
There are a few little steps to prepping everything. Pre-heat the oven, process your tomatoes and onions to make the cooking liquid, chop your jalapenos etc.
- Preheat Oven: Adjust oven rack to middle position and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Process Tomatoes: Place tomatoes and onions in a food processor, and process until smooth and fully pureed, about 15 seconds. Measure out 2 cups of the liquid, and set aside. Discard excess or use in another recipe.
- Prep Jalapenos: Clean jalapenos, and remove the ribs and seeds to achieve desired heat. Mince the remaining flesh, and set aside.
Step Two: Rinse and Toast the Rice
This is a crucial steps to developing amazing flavor for this rice. Do not skip these steps, it makes a massive difference in the end results. I tested it without rinsing the rice–clumpy. I tested it without toasting the rice–lacked flavor! Just do it all.
- Rinse Rice: Rinse rice by placing it in a large fine-mesh strainer and rinsing under cold running water until water runs clear, about 1 1/2 minutes. Shake to remove excess water.
- Toast Rice: Over medium-high heat, warm oil in heavy-bottomed, oven safe, 12-inch Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid. Warm for 1 to 2 minutes. Drop 3 or 4 grains rice in oil; if grains sizzle, oil is ready. Add rice and fry 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until rice is light golden and translucent.
Step Three: Add Everything In
Once your rice is golden and toasted, you add in the stuff that builds flavor, and gets your rice ready to bake.
- Add Garlic and Jalapeños: Once rice is golden, reduce heat to medium, add in the minced garlic and seeded minced jalapeños; cook 1 ½ minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
- Add in Liquid: Stir in the 2 cups of pureed tomatoes and onions, chicken broth, tomato paste, and salt
- Bring to a Boil: Turn heat up to medium-high and bring the whole mixture to a boil.
Step Four: Bake the Rice
Once your rice is boiling, it is time to put it in the oven.
- Transfer to Oven: Once boiling, cover the dutch oven and transfer to the pre-heated oven.
- Bake: Bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring well after 15 minutes.
Step Five: Garnish and Serve
Once the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is tender, it is time to stir in the cilantro and any additional jalapeño with seeds to get the amount of heat you want.
Serve immediately, with lime wedges.
Serve With
This recipe is so perfect for XYZ and I love pairing it with:
Tips and Tricks
Making this recipe is Eazy Peazy. But with a few tips and tricks, you are going to get the best ever Mexican Rice:
- Rinse the rice. This is something that takes only a few minutes to do and taking those extra seconds makes a huge difference in how this rice turns out. Rinsing helps remove the excess starch from the rice, and your rice won’t clump together. It will be better! Trust me.
- Toast the rice. Again, this is just one simple steps that makes a major difference. When you toast the rice, the flavor gets super enhanced. Toast it really well, get that golden grain!
- Choose great tomatoes: The way you get great flavor and color in your Mexican rice is with the tomatoes you choose. Smell them. Touch them. And pick ripe, fragrant tomatoes for the best results.
- Rest and Fluff. After you bake the rice, give it a little time to rest, and then fluff it gently with a fork before you serve it. Do not stir it, fluff it. This will give you amazing rice instead of clumpy, mushy rice.
Make Ahead and Storage
How to make this recipe ahead of time:
Make according to directions, store in an air tight container in the fridge. Reheat by adding a little liquid to a pan and steaming until warm.
This recipe freezes well, but you will lose some of the integrity and texture of the rice when reheating.
Other Great Recipes:
- BBQ Chicken Burritos
- Tinga
- 30 Minute Ground Beef Tacos
- Tacos Al Pastor
- Zesty White Chicken Enchiladas
- Roasted Veggie Enchiladas
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Mexican Rice
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 2 ripe tomatoes about 12 ounces, cored and quartered
- 1 medium white onion peeled, trimmed of root end,and quartered
- 3 jalapeño chiles medium, seeded and minced (plus more for desired heat)
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 cups chicken broth low-sodium
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
- ½ cup cilantro leaves minced fresh
- 1 lime cut into wedges for serving
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place tomatoes and onions in a food processor, and process until smooth and fully pureed, about 15 seconds. Measure out 2 cups of the liquid, and set aside. (If you have more than 2 cups, reserve for another recipe or discard).
- Clean jalapenos, and remove the ribs and seeds to achieve desired heat. Mince the remaining flesh, and set aside.
- Rinse rice by placing it in a large fine-mesh strainer and rinsing under cold running water until water runs clear, about 1 1/2 minutes. Then shake to remove excess water.
- Over medium-high heat, warm oil in heavy-bottomed, oven safe, 12-inch Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid. Warm for 1 to 2 minutes. Drop 3 or 4 grains rice in oil; if grains sizzle, oil is ready.
- Add rice and fry 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until rice is light golden and translucent.
- Once rice is golden, reduce heat to medium, add in the minced garlic and seeded minced jalapeños; cook 1 ½ minutes, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
- Stir in the 2 cups of pureed tomatoes and onions, chicken broth, tomato paste, and salt
- Turn heat up to medium-high and bring the whole mixture to a boil.
- Once boiling, cover the dutch oven and transfer to the pre-heated oven.
- Bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring well after 15 minutes.
- When tender, stir in cilantro and additional jalapeño with seeds to taste (for heat). Serve immediately, with lime wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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