Easy, homemade Mexican Rice Recipe is the perfect side dish whenever you’re making Mexican food. So delicious & just like your favorite Mexican restaurant!
I absolutely love Mexican food. Whether I’m making tacos, enchiladas, or burritos I always make this Mexican rice recipe to go along with the meal. It’s also delicious as a side dish with grilled chicken or steak and turns out perfectly every time. It’s tender, flavorful, and never sticky. I’m even working on a way to make this recipe using Cauliflower Rice for a low-carb version!
Growing up, Mexican food wasn’t actually that common in our household. I think because my Mom grew up in Europe it wasn’t really something that she was accustomed to making. But as I’ve gotten older, it’s now one of my favorites. I usually make Mexican food at least once a week, and I always make Mexican rice as a side dish.
For this Mexican rice recipe, I wanted to make it really easy, totally family friendly, and 100% delicious. It’s not too spicy, and there are no onions (because I know a lot of kids and adults who aren’t big fans). There’s very little prep work that you actually have to do, so you can make the rest of your meal while the rice simmers. Best of all – the whole thing is made in one pan so that there’s less to clean up.
This recipe will definitely feed a crowd, so feel free to half it if you need. The cooking times will be about the same and you can simply half all of the ingredients.
First, get out a large skillet with high sides and a lid. You can also use a dutch oven if you prefer. Add the oil to the pan and heat over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, add in the rice. Stir it gently as it starts to brown. After about 8-10 minutes, it will start to look golden.
Then add in the tomato sauce, vegetable stock, garlic, cumin, salt & pepper. Give it a stir, then close the lid and let the mixture gently simmer.
After about 20 minutes the rice will be cooked and have absorbed all the liquid.
I then like to garnish mine with a little cilantro and lime juice for more flavor.
This best Mexican rice recipe is infinitely customizable. Sometimes I like to turn it into a meal by adding veggies & meat. I’ll throw in 1 cup of corn, 1 cup peas, and a few chopped carrots as the rice simmers. Then after the rice done cooking, I’ll stir in some cooked ground beef or chopped chicken breasts at the end. You can also substitute white rice for long-grain brown rice for a healthier option. And if you really love onion, feel free to add 1 medium onion that’s finely chopped when you brown the rice.
This Mexican rice is so easy to make and is the perfect side dish for any of your favorite Mexican dishes. After trying this easy Mexican rice recipe, you’ll never go back to the instant variety!
Easy, homemade Mexican Rice Recipe is the perfect side dish whenever you're making Mexican food. So delicious & just like your favorite Mexican restaurant!
Add the rice and gently stir for about 8-10 minutes until the rice starts to brown and looks golden in color.
Add the tomato sauce, vegetable stock, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper to the skillet. Give the mixture a stir.
Cover and bring to a simmer for 15-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed.
Different types of rice will need slightly different amounts of liquid to cook. Some require 2 cups of liquid for 1 cup of rice and some require 1.5 cups of liquid for 1 cup of rice. If your bag of rice calls for 2 cups of water for 1 cup of rice, then add 4 cups of vegetable stock instead of 3 cups.
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that! I wouldn’t give up on it just yet though, you can certainly modify it if you’d like.
Awesome! Thanks so much, Ruben.
Receipe looks great but could you please tell me by tomato sauce you mean tomato puree or actually sauce . I m just wondering tomato sauce will make it too sweet. So little confused about it. Please clarify.
Sauce, some might call it puree. Some people use tomato paste but end up having to add additional liquid to help the cooking process. Using tomato sauce does not add sweetness especially with the other ingredients used.