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How to make Homemade Spanish Rice/Mexican Rice. whatever you call it, we’ve got the best and Easiest Spanish Rice Recipe you can find. It tastes like it came straight from the restaurant!
It’s our go-to side dish when serving Mexican food! Not only is it simple and takes under 10 minutes to prep, but it’s perfect served with our tacos and enchiladas!
Easy Mexican Rice
I LOVE Spanish Rice (aka MexicanRice)! As previously mentioned, I’m 1/2 Mexican. I love this family heritage so much, and am especially grateful that my family has taught me to make delicious Mexican food.
My mom has been making today’s Spanish Rice recipe for as long as I can remember and first showed me how to make it several years ago (along with empanadas, enchiladas and tacos). Now, we make it on a weekly basis because my kids are obsessed and it’s just so easy.
This recipe is actually the Spanish Rice recipe of a popular Mexican Restaurant in Mesa called Mango’s (down on Main). If you’ve ever been down there and liked their rice, then you’ll love this recipe. It really is simple, delicious and the perfect side to any Mexican dish!
How to Make spanish Rice
One of the main reasons we love this recipe (other than the fact that it’s simple), is because we always have the ingredients on hand. Here are the Spanish rice ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious side dish:
- long grain rice
- oil
- tomato sauce
- minced garlic
- chicken broth
- cumin
- garlic pepper + salt
Begin by browning the rice in the oil (we use about 1/8 but it depends on how much you like). Add the minced garlic and sauté for a minute before adding the tomato sauce, chicken broth (or water and bouillon cube) and spices.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Fluff up before serving.
FAQ + TIPS
How much rice per person? Plan on 1/4 cup uncooked rice per person. Once the rice is cooked it will end up being about 3/4 – 1 cup per person. If a recipe calls for 3 cups uncooked rice plan on it feeding about 12 people.
Which rice is best for Spanish Rice? We love to use long-grain white rice. It gets fluffy and does not get sticky like some of the short-grained rices.
Can Spanish rice be made with brown rice? Brown rice can definitely be used in place of white rice. Just add ⅓ c more water per cup of brown rice and let simmer longer- until the brown rice reaches your desired texture.
Can you use salsa instead of tomato sauce? Sure thing! Salsa can add more flavor and even a bit more spice to this mild rice recipe. It’s all about preference.
Which topping ingredients are best for this rice? You can add what you love most, but we often add chopped peppers, chopped cilantro, onions or even green onions.
Once all your spices and tomato sauce are added, stir and let it simmer for at least 30 minutes.
REHEATING, FREEZING + MORE RECIPES
How to reheat Spanish Rice/mexican rice? Be sure to store it properly in an air-tight container. It can last in the fridge for up to 5-6 days. To reheat, just microwave or reheat on the stove for a few minutes.
Can spanish rice be frozen? Yes, it can be frozen to be used at a future time. Simply place about 3 cups of cooked rice into ziplock freezer bags, label and place in the freezer for 4-6 months.
When you’re ready to use you can thaw the rice in the fridge or cook straight from the freezer. Using a microwave safe bowl microwave the rice on high stirring every 2 minutes until rice reaches your desired temperature.
Recipes that use Spanish Rice
Yes, we use it as a side for any Mexican dish, but we also like to use it recipes too, including:
- Burritos
- Rice bowls/Burrito Bowls
- Chimichangas
- Taco Salad
And best of all, is that it’s the best side for any Mexican meal!! Below are video and printable instructions to make the Mexican rice. We hope you can enjoy it with any Mexican dish you try.
For more Mexican rice recipes, check out:
what to serve with Spanish Rice?
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Red Cheese Enchiladas
- Beef Empanadas
- Green Chile Burros
- Baked Chicken Chimichanga
- Steak Fajitas
Spanish Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 1 cube chicken-flavored bouillon
- 4 cups water (or 4 cups chicken lower sodium chicken broth - and no bouillon)
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- dash garlic pepper
Topping
- chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat.
- Add rice and cook, stirring until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Combine bouillon and water in a microwave-safe container and microwave for 3 minutes.
- When rice is brown, add bouillon mixture, tomato sauce, salt, garlic, cumin and garlic pepper to the pan.
- Stir and cover the pan. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until all is cooked and there is no liquid left. Fluff before serving and top with cilantro if desired.
Hi,
Can I make this in a rice cooker?
The flavor was good but the recipe I printed a few days ago had 4 cups of liquid to 1 cup of rice. The rice was very overcooked and mushy. It was pretty unedible.
This turned out perfectly!! The only thing I did differently was to just stir the liquids into the toasted rice. It came to a simmer very quickly. I have two bad knees and getting a quart of hot liquid from the microwave to the stove seemed not such a good idea. Regarding the one reviewer who thought it was gummy and sticky. I have lived in Texas for 45 years. This is very typical of the rice served in the Mexican restaurants. I don’t believe I have ever had a pilaf type rice served to me. Plus, the dry texture invites you to pour queso over it!! It made enough that I was able to make up 10 burritos for the freezer and I still ended up with two quart bags to freeze as sides for other meals. Thank you!! This recipe is a keeper!!
This is an excellent recipe for Mexican rice. It is flavorful and delicious. Have made this several times, and it turns out consistently marvelous. Did puree a can of Rotel to add Instead of tomato sauce, and it was excellent as well. Thank you for sharing.
Sounds like a delicious and successful twist! I’m happy it turned out great.
Wanted some rice like my local Mexican restaurant. Didn’t have any tomato sauce on hand so I took a can of Rotel (Tomatoes & green chilies, mild) and ran it in the magic bullet till liquid. This recipe is so easy, definitely a new staple in our family dinner menu! Did I mention a side of rice at the restaurant near me is $5.65?! I made a whole pan for about that!
What a great substitution! I’m glad you liked it and -BONUS- you get more rice for less price!
Super easy recipe with a nice taste. However, I have a medium grain, organic rice that I buy in bulk that gets gummy really easily. My usual rice to water ratio for it is 1.5C minus 2T water, per cup of rinsed and well-drained rice (the rice has a lot of starch in it, so really needs to be rinsed), so I reduced the water by one cup, and it turned out well (with the tomato sauce, it was still one cup more of liquid than I usually use). I used a large stainless steel skillet with glass lid that I usually make my pilafs in. I think I will add onion, jalapeño, and cilantro next time, or use salsa, to give it a bit more zing. Happy with the recipe.
Thank you for sharing the adjustments made using the rice you had on hand. I’m sure that will be helpful to another reader.
The cook time is way too long here. This kind rice only needs about 15-20 min. Cooking for that long makes it overcooked and gummy. I used this recipe twice now and couldn’t figure out where I was going wrong. The flavor is great. Finally I looked at the cook time listed on the package of rice itself and realized this recipe definitely overcooks it.
Hi~ do you think I could substitute chicken-flavored bouillon with a vegetable or vegan bouillon and it’ll come out just as good? Thank you!!!
I have used vegetable broth to make it before and enjoyed how it turned out. I imagine that a chicken flavored or vegetable bouillon cube would also turn out well.
Easy and tasty. Can’t believe it turned out so good!!
I’m happy to hear you liked it so much!