Mexican Rice with garlic, onion, and lots of tomato flavor is a colorful and tasty side dish you can serve with any Mexican dish. This one-pot recipe couldn’t be simpler and offers so much more to a meal than white rice. The use of both tomato sauce and Caldo de Tomate gives the rice a balance of sweetness and acidity that will remind you of your favorite Mexican restaurant.
This rice is the perfect side dish to your favorite Mexican meal! Serve it with tacos, quesadillas, and enchiladas, or use it as a base for burrito bowls with shredded chicken, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream. You’ll also love pairing this with black beans to round out a meal or feed a crowd. For more Mexican food recipes, try my birria tacos, nachos, or steak tacos.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Rice – long-grain white rice has a great, fluffy texture when cooked and absorbs the flavors of the tomato and spices well.
Tomato sauce – you can use store-bought or homemade tomato sauce for this recipe.
Caldo de Tomate – also known as tomato bullion, the Caldo de Tomate will intensify the tomato flavor as well as add color to this arroz rojo. This ingredient makes the recipe taste like authentic Mexican rice from a restaurant and adds more flavor than tomato paste.
Spices – the best Mexican rice recipe is one packed with flavor! I like to use a combination of minced garlic, cumin, salt, and cilantro to spice up this recipe, and the fresh cilantro adds a pop of color too.
How to Make Mexican Rice
1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the rice, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden and toasted, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Stir the onion, water, and tomato sauce into the rice.
3. Add the Caldo de Tomate and spices. Bring the rice to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cook the rice, covered, for about 20 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes, covered.
4. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving. Top with extra cilantro for more flavor and color if desired.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Toast the rice in the oil for extra flavor. Before adding any other ingredients, toast the long grain rice in the heated oil for 2-3 minutes. Toasting it until golden brown enhances the flavor of the white rice, adding a delicious savory dimension to the dish. If you are in the habit of rinsing rice before cooking it, skip that step for this recipe.
- Prevent burning. After bringing the rice to a boil, reduce the heat to low, just enough to maintain a simmer. Using a lower heat will prevent the rice from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Avoid stirring the rice as it cooks. Rice is the fluffiest when it is cooked undisturbed. Stirring may make the rice too sticky or break the grains. Only stir it before it comes to a boil, and fluff it after it’s cooked.
- Let the rice stand for a few minutes after cooking. The rice will finish absorbing any remaining liquid, including steam, after it is removed from the heat. Be sure to let it sit covered for about 5 minutes to keep steaming.
- Garnish with cilantro. If desired, garnish the rice with cilantro for a pop of color and additional herby flavor. Alternatively, you can top the rice with another freshly chopped herb of your choice or sliced scallions.
- Add some heat. If you like added spice, add ½ teaspoon of chili powder or ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper along with the other spices.
- Swap the water for broth. To add a deeper layer of flavor, swap the water for chicken broth, chicken stock, or vegetable stock. Use low-sodium or unsalted broth or stock to keep the rice from being too salty with the other added seasonings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat the rice in the microwave in 30-second intervals until warm.
Serve leftovers with sauteed vegetables, chicken, and instant pot black beans or refried beans for a quick meal. Add to a tortilla with beans or scrambled eggs for an easy burrito. Homemade Mexican rice can also be used in many recipes that call for cooked white or brown rice, such as air fryer stuffed peppers.
This is a great side dish to serve with carne asada, chicken enchiladas, mulitas, Mexican pizza, chicken fajitas, or your favorite Mexican food. Or serve with your favorite protein, like slow cooker carnitas with chips and queso dip on the side.
If desired, you can add ½ cup diced carrot and ½ cup frozen green peas, or a frozen medley, to your rice. Add the vegetables when adding the water and remaining ingredients. Dice the carrots into small pieces so they get nice and tender during the cooking process. You can also add 1 cup of fresh or canned diced tomatoes (drained) along with the rice for added tomato texture and color.
If you want to make this recipe in a rice cooker, start by cooking the rice in the vegetable oil for 2-3 minutes or until golden before transferring it to the rice cooker and adding the remaining ingredients. Cook according to the instructions for your rice cooker for 1 cup of rice. If your rice cooker recommends a different rice-to-water ratio than in the recipe, reduce the amount of water as directed.
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If you’ve tried this Mexican rice recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup dry long-grain white rice (195 g)
- 1 small onion diced (195 g) (about 1½ cups)
- 2 cups water (480 mL)
- ½ cup tomato sauce (150 ml)
- 2 teaspoons Caldo de Tomate (tomato bouillon)
- 1½ teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the rice, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden and toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the onion, water, tomato sauce, Caldo de Tomate, garlic, cumin, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook, undisturbed, until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and garnish with cilantro, if desired.
Notes
- Toast the rice in the oil for extra flavor. Before adding any other ingredients, toast the long grain rice in the heated oil for 2-3 minutes. Toasting it until golden brown enhances the flavor of the white rice, adding a delicious savory dimension to the dish. If you are in the habit of rinsing rice before cooking it, skip that step for this recipe.
- Prevent burning. After bringing the rice to a boil, reduce the heat to low, just enough to maintain a simmer. Using a lower heat will prevent the rice from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Avoid stirring the rice as it cooks. Rice is the fluffiest when it is cooked undisturbed. Stirring may make the rice too sticky or break the grains. Only stir it before it comes to a boil, and fluff it after it’s cooked.
- Let the rice stand for a few minutes after cooking. The rice will finish absorbing any remaining liquid, including steam, after it is removed from the heat. Be sure to let it sit covered for about 5 minutes to keep steaming.
- Garnish with cilantro. If desired, garnish the rice with cilantro for a pop of color and additional herby flavor. Alternatively, you can top the rice with another freshly chopped herb of your choice or sliced scallions.
- Add some heat. If you like added spice, add ½ teaspoon of chili powder or ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper along with the other spices.
- Swap the water for broth. To add a deeper layer of flavor, swap the water for chicken broth, chicken stock, or vegetable stock. Use low-sodium or unsalted broth or stock to keep the rice from being too salty with the other added seasonings.
