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The BEST, truly authentic Mexican rice is so easy to make, and a necessary side dish for all of your favorite Mexican recipes.
Having learned how to make this Mexican rice from locals in Puebla, Mexico, I can promise this recipe is the real deal! Don't miss my other popular Mexican recipes including Carne Asada Tacos, Esquites, and Chiles Relleño.
We never enjoy “Taco Tuesdays” without a side of this easy Mexican Rice that I learned to make while living in Puebla, Mexico during a college internship.
I was there with my husband, and we taught workshops to locals in the area that were interested in starting a small business. We met many amazing people while living there, including a chef who attended one of our workshops. I asked him if he'd teach me the right way to make a few authentic dishes, and he invited is into his home for a day.
We cooked up a storm, and I took detailed notes as we cooked this rice together, along with mole poblano, red and green salsas, and pozole.
Ingredients Needed:
- Long Grain White Rice: Washing the rice is crucial to remove the outer starch, allowing the rice to cook fluffy. If you'd like to use Brown Rice, increase liquid by ½ cup and cook for 40 minutes, following the same resting instructions.
- Oil: Canola or vegetable oil, for toasting the rice.
- Onion: a small piece, finely chopped.
- Garlic: one or two small cloves, minced.
- Tomato Sauce: I used this because it's fast and easy, but for a more authentic version, add 1-2 fresh tomatoes to a blender with the onion and garlic, and blend before adding to the rice.
- Tomato Bouillon: granules or cubes, found in the Mexican aisle or online. This adds color and flavor to the rice. If you can't find it, substitute chicken Bouillon.
- Water: Or use chicken broth, if you omit the Tomato Bouillon.
- Salt.
- Peas and Carrots: optional.
- Serrano peppers: It's optional to add 1-2 on top of the rice while it cooks, to add extra flavor (it wont make the rice “spicy”.
How to make Mexican Rice:
1. Wash and Toast the rice: Add rice to a fine mesh strainer and rinse it until the water runs clear. Sauté the rice in hot oil in a saucepan until golden brown.
2. Add remaining ingredients: Add tomato sauce, garlic, and diced onion to the pan. Stir in tomato bullion, salt, carrots, peas, and water.
3. Simmer: Bring it to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Pro Tips:
- Rinse the rice. Take an extra second to rinse your rice with water to remove the starch film on the surface that can cause the rice to clump together.
- Toast the rice. When you add the rice to the oil, toast it really well! This extra step takes a few minutes, but it adds really great flavor to the rice.
- The trick to get that great color and flavor: Tomato bullion cubes add great flavor, and they're what makes the rice turn that perfect orange color that you're looking for. It should be easy to find at your local grocery store. I buy mine at Walmart, in the Mexican food aisle. You could also buy them from Amazon. They look like this. If you can't find them, substitute chicken broth for the water in this recipe.
- Rest and Fluff. It's crucial to give the rice time to rest after cooking, before serving, and to only gently fluff it with a work (don't “stir” it). This will make the difference between wet, clumpy and mush rice, and fluffy rice.
- Instant Pot Mexican Rice: If you own an instant pot, I've adapted this recipe for Instant pot Mexican rice.
Serve Mexican Rice with:
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Authentic Mexican Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice, *
- 1/4 cup oil, (vegetable or canola oil)
- 1 teaspoon garlic, , minced
- 1/4 medium onion, , finely diced
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce, , or 2 pureed tomatoes*
- 2 teaspoons tomato bouillon , granulated, or cubes*
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 carrot, , diced
- 1/2 cup peas, (frozen or fresh)
- 3 cups water
- 1-3 whole serrano peppers, , optional
Instructions
- Rinse the rice in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once hot, add the rice and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the rice is lightly golden brown all over (about 10 minutes).
- Add tomato sauce, garlic, and diced onion to the pan. Stir. Add tomato bullion, salt, carrots, peas, and water (and serrano peppers, if using. They add a little flavor, but not spice.).
- Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes or until the water is completely absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe September 2011. Last updated May 2021.
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Process photos by Nikole of The Travel Palate.
I just made this recipe and it is EXCELLENT! We are heading to a Taco Bar-themed party and I made this rice AND the Tres Leches dessert. I look forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts!
Best Mexican rice! Everyone loves this rice. My kids request it more than any other recipe. Make it. 😉
I just tried this today, and it is spot on identical to the rice I had a at a restaurant yesterday. I am so excited and will keep this recipe for sure.
I made this for my daughters work party! I never made Mexican Rice before but it was so delicious and very easy to make. Everyone loved it and I am new to the southwest US so I feel very proud that it was well received. I will keep this recipe forever.
Thank you
Ok, this the only Mexican rice I will ever make. Don’t even think about cooking it without the tomato or tomato/chicken bouillon. Love, love this recipe and I’ve made dozens of Mexican rice dishes before trying this. I did cut one Serrano in half lengthways and added it to pot. Yummmmm!
Agreed! This recipe is killer and I have tried many Mexican rice recipes over the years. It’s nice and flavorful without being “too much”. It tastes almost identical to several restaurants near me. I add just a little pinch of cumin to this recipe, but it’s absolute great on its own without it, too!
Greetings, Lauren. I was raised by a gringa (mother) and a Mexican father. My Abuela taught my mom how to cook for her son (lol) and we ate Mexican rice at dinner 3-7 nights/week.
This recipe looks good (and I’m sure it is), but the method is slightly different from my Abuela’s.
She first sauteed a whole clove of garlic in oil or lard until browned and removed it, and sauteed chopped onion and (fresh) tomato until all the liquid from the tomato was gone. (Also, chopped peppers (sweet or hot) sometimes)
Then the rice and salt were added and sauteed “until it felt gritty when stirring”, and the rice was browning at the edges.
Then water/broth was added, to double the level of the rice (by eye).
On high heat, the rice boiled, uncovered “until the water reaches the level of the rice”.
At that point the pot was turned down to low and covered, until the water absorbed.
For Arroz con Pollo, cut-up (usually bone-in) chicken was browned and added with the stock, a few threads of saffron soaked and added (with its soaking water) and peas were added toward the end.
We didn’t have peas in our rice unless it was arroz con pollo.
I hope that’s interesting, thanks for reading.
can the rice be kept warm in a crock pot?
You can keep it warm in a crock pot. Just set it to warm, stir in a tablespoon or two of water if needed, and keep the lid on so it doesn’t dry out.
Outstanding recipe. Everyone that was here loved it and wanted the recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Is the serrano pepper removed and discarded before serving?
Yes! The serrano peppers are just added whole for flavor while the rice cooks (they won’t make it spicy), so you should remove them before serving.
We would like to add this as a side dish for my daughter’s 30th birthday party with a taco bar and queso fountain. Suggestions for making this for a group of approximately 30? Two triple batches? And is it possible to make this ahead of time and reheat? Thank you for any input!
For about 30 people, you can plan on five batches since it serves around six per batch. You can make it a day ahead and reheat on the stove with a splash of broth to loosen it up.
Hi i made this ahead of time and it’s perfect! My go to Mexican rice recipe now, and my husband is Hispanic and very critical, he loved it! Thank you
What’s the best way to reheat please?
So glad he loved it! To reheat: stovetop is best add a splash of water or broth, cover, and heat over low until warm, stirring occasionally. Or microwave covered with a damp paper towel on top to keep it from drying out. Fluff with a fork before serving!
Thank you!
If you are 3X ing the recipe should you use bake in the oven method? Or simmer on the stove like recipe calls for and if so won’t it take longer than 20 minutes cooking time?
Stovetop still works if you’ve got a big pot, but yep, it’ll take longer. Closer to 30–35 minutes. Oven’s easier for a big batch if you don’t want to hover.
How do you make it in the oven?
After browning the rice on the stovetop (just like the recipe says), transfer everything to a baking dish including the tomato sauce, seasonings, veggies, and water. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350°F for about 30–35 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Let it rest 5 minutes, then fluff and serve.
How many cubes of tomato bouillon do we use?
use 1 cube of tomato bouillon for every teaspoon the recipe calls for — so you’d use 2 cubes total for this one
No bueno.
Bland, and gross.
I should have known when the only spice was salt.
I thought the same! And I doubled the recipe. I don’t want to add a bunch of salt, I already did part broths instead of the water.
Yes, I thought it was bland and needed more flavor. I ended up adding some salsa to it.
You’re entitled to your opinion, of course. I suspect you didn’t sautee the raw rice for long enough. But also, this is a side dish, so it doesn’t “need” to be very “spicy”, “bland” is fine when served with more flavorful mains.
Followed the recipe exactly with rave reviews.
Note: Prep Time and Cook Time? Add 50% if timing is important.
If you’re alone chopping onions, carrots, and peppers … add time.
And you REALLY need that 20 minute simmer at the end!