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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
Video
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you use a pot vs a frying pan?
Yes, you can use a pot. A wide pan makes it easier to brown the rice evenly, but a pot will still work.
This is my go to spanish rice recipe. It comes out perfect every time!
Perfect every time is the best compliment. Thanks for sharing!
👍👍👍😊❤️
What would you suggest for swapping out the chicken bullion? We have a food allergy that doesn’t allow us to use it.
Instead of using a chicken bouillon cube and 4 cups water, you can use 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth mixed with 2 cups water.
Tex_Mex winner! I made a few tweeks: rinsed the rice, used avocado oil and 2 tbsp butter to cook rice first. Instead of tomato sauce, I used mild salsa (1:1) that we had open already + approx 2 tbsp ketchup. Then, pressure cooked 4 minutes with 10 min NR. The rice can out perfectly soft to our taste, not mushy and my toddler devoured it. Thank you for the inspiration!
I love hearing that and those tweaks sound fantastic, especially the salsa swap. So happy it turned out perfectly and that your toddler devoured it, that’s the best compliment.
Always comes out way too mushy, recipe calls for too much liquid. Also how come the instructions say to set the heat to medium initially, but then never again mentions raising the heat to bring the liquid to a simmer and then lower it once you put the lid on? Are you supposed to cook the rice at medium heat for the entire 30-40 minutes?! I don’t understand how this recipe is so highly rated and the first result on google. Poorly written recipe instructions.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Simmering food is known to be done over the “low-medium low” setting. So you will want to brown the rice over medium heat, add the other ingredients, cover the pan and then simmer over low-medium low heat.
First time, a few adaptations and it is delicious! Thanks.
I’m so happy to hear that! I would love to hear what your adaptations were.
Just let it sit and steam if the rice is still a little hard after the cooking time is over, that’s what I do. I find the liquid to rice ratio fine. One thing I do is to make sure I ppir the hot chicken stock in the hot pan when the rice is done being browned, because it boils the rice for a few minutes. Then I add the rest of the ingredients and simmer with the lid on. 8 also cook it with cilantro, that gives it an excellent flavor.
Love these tips! Cilantro adds great flavor too. Thanks for sharing what works for you!
Just okay. Next time I will use more tomato sauce and less chicken broth mixture, add onion powder and up the amount of spices