Authentic Mexican Rice Recipe – (Spanish Rice) The perfect side dish to pair with your favorite enchiladas, tacos, tamales, burritos and more! Pair this Mexican rice with my Authentic Mexican Refried Beans, view the recipe linked here. They are absolutely delicious together!
Tools to have on hand:
- Large Skillet with Lid – You’ll need a somewhat deep large skillet with lid to cook your Mexican rice in.
- Mixing Spoon – To stir your rice.
- Cutting Board + Knife – To prepare onion for the rice.
- Measuring Cups + Spoons – To properly measure your ingredients.
My Mexican Rice recipe is so flavorful and super easy to make. We make it almost every single week! I love to pair this side dish with refried beans, a sprinkle of cotija cheese and fresh chopped cilantro. You really get that feeling like your eating at your favorite Mexican restaurant.
Not only is this rice great served as a side dish, it is also amazing stuffed in a burrito! We recently served ours topped with grilled chicken, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole for a super easy satisfying dinner. I will link a few more of my favorite main courses and side dishes to serve with this rice for you below.
This recipe serves about 4-6 people. If you are cooking for a crowd, simply double the recipe. To store the rice, place completely cooled rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Ingredients you need to make Mexican Rice:
- Long Grain Rice – I used long grain white rice, but you can use any white rice you prefer such as jasmine, basmati, etc.
- Onion – Yellow, white or sweet onions work great in this recipe.
- Chicken Broth – You’ll need one and a half cups chicken broth. You can also use vegetable broth in this recipe.
- Tomato Sauce – A small eight ounce can or one cup.
- Canola Oil – This is used to lightly brown the rice prior to cooking. You can also use olive, avocado or vegetable oil.
- Salt – I always use sea salt, but you can use any salt you prefer.
- Cumin – Adds a great flavor to the rice.
How to make my Authentic Mexican Rice at home from scratch:
Add olive oil and diced onions to a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook about 2-3 minutes until the onions are just tender.
Add rice to the onions and cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally to lightly brown rice.
Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and bring to a low simmer. Stir to make sure ingredients are well incorporated.
Cover, and cook for about 20 minutes or until rice is tender but not mush. Check on the rice about halfway through and give a light stir to make sure the bottom is not sticking.
Remove rice from heat and serve. Enjoy!
Notes: If the rice is still slightly hard near the end of the cooking time, add about 2-3 tablespoons of chicken broth or water, cover and cook another few minutes.
Here are some of my favorite Mexican main courses to serve with this rice:
- Baked Chicken Flautas – Shredded chicken rolled in flour tortillas baked to crispy perfection. These flautas make for a perfect appetizer, party food, lunch or dinner!
- Pollo Asada Tacos – Delicious authentic Mexican style marinated chicken tacos grilled to perfection on the barbecue and topped off with avocado salsa verde, onion, cilantro and radishes.
- Chicken Taquitos – Crispy homemade chicken taquitos are the perfect main course or appetizer. Shredded chicken wrapped tightly in corn tortillas then baked or fried to golden perfection. Serve with guacamole, salsa or sour cream!
- Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Enchiladas – Slow cooker shredded salsa chicken wrapped in king size tortillas with jack and cheddar cheese topped with homemade enchilada sauce.
If you enjoyed this recipe, here are a few more of my favorite Mexican Side Dish Recipes:
- Authentic Mexican Refried Beans – These beans are the ones you hope to get on your plate when eating real Mexican food. They go great as a side dish or in a burrito, and more!
- Jalapeño Corn Cake – Creamy and slightly sweet corn cake recipe spiced up with jalapeno.
- Grilled Mexican Corn – Also known as “Mexican Street Corn” or “Elote”. This grilled corn is perfect for your upcoming summer BBQ’s! First the corn is grilled and then basted in a delicious creamy lime sauce sprinkled with fresh cilantro and chili powder.
Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice uncooked
- 1 small white onion diced
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cumin
Instructions
- Add olive oil and diced onions to a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook about 2-3 minutes until the onions are just tender.
- Add rice to the onions and cook for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally to lightly brown rice.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and bring to a low simmer. Stir to make sure ingredients are well incorporated.
- Cover, and cook for about 20 minutes or until rice is tender but not mush. Check on the rice about halfway through and give a light stir to make sure the bottom is not sticking.
- Remove rice from heat and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- If the rice is still slightly hard near the end of the cooking time, add about 2-3 tablespoons of chicken broth or water, cover and cook another few minutes.
- You can also use olive, avocado or vegetable oil.
Does this use regular rice or instant rice?
Hi Cheyenne, I used regular long grain white rice. 🙂