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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!

Restaurant-Style Spanish Rice (aka Mexican Rice) on plate

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 - browned rice

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.

Making Mexican Rice - rice, broth, tomato sauce and seasonings in a skilletOnce 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:

Mexican Rice Recipe on plate

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?

4.99 from 5807 votes

Spanish Rice Recipe

Restaurant-Style Spanish Rice (aka Mexican Rice), that is easy to make and tastes like it came straight from the restaurant, and is the best side dish to any Mexican entree.
Servings: 8
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 45 minutes

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.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 90kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 447mg, Potassium: 108mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 173IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

About Kristyn

Kristyn Merkley is a published cookbook author, wife, mom of six, and major food enthusiast! For the past 15 years, she has been sharing foolproof, family-friendly recipes—each one tested in her kitchen—that anyone can master. As a seasoned recipe creator, she loves making cooking simple, stress-free, and totally doable for everyone!

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4.99 from 5807 votes (4,816 ratings without comment)

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2,424 Comments

  1. Adam says:

    I read a comment about the water disappearing to quickly, so I started on medium low heat until simmer, then turned it down as far as I could, and less and the flame would be gone, with a glass enclosed sealed tight lid, and still the water disappeared in about 15 minutes. Added 2 more cups of water and gone around 25 minutes.

    1. Lil' Luna Team says:

      Hmmm… you have me perplexed. Once you added more water and cooked for another 25 minutes, did you feel like the rice texture was good? Two more cups of water seem like a lot to need to add without the rice becoming mushy expiecailly when steam is not escaping through a loose lid. I wonder if the type of rice used played a factor, pan type, removing the lid to stir too often, or maybe elevation?

  2. Cynthia says:

    5 stars
    This recipe makes the most delicious rice. It’s now my only choice for Spanish rice.

    1. Lil' Luna Team says:

      It’s one of my most popular recipes, and for good reason! I’m happy to hear that you love the recipe too.

  3. Courtney Gibson says:

    I have tried this recipe 6 times already and I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong it’s so frustrating! Half the rice is still hard by the time all the liquid is gone AND I’ve even added more water. Am I just cooking it too fast?? HELLLPPPP

    1. Lil' Luna Team says:

      Oh no, how frustrating! Kudos to you for continuing to try master the recipe and I hope the following info helps:
      Half-cooked rice with no liquid could mean the heat is too high, causing liquid to evaporate and steam to escape too quickly.
      To fix this, always reduce the heat to low once simmering, use a very tight-fitting lid (use foil if needed), and avoid stirring while it cooks. Finally, let the rice rest off the heat for 5-10 minutes with the lid on to ensure even cooking.

  4. Melissa Richard says:

    Maybe I’m just used to restaurant style mexican rice. I didnt like this at all. It was bland(I even added extra salt) and had too much of a tomato flavor. Her recipes are always so good! I had high hopes for this one.

    1. Lil' Luna Team says:

      I’m happy to hear you normally enjoy my recipes, but I’m sorry to hear this one wasn’t your cup of tea. Thanks for giving it a try though, and hopefully the next recipe is a winner for you!

    2. Monica says:

      I agree it was very bland. So I added some things to mine. I had fun with it.

  5. Katherine says:

    Looks yummy. I am going to make this tonight. Thank you for the recipe.

    1. Lil' Luna Team says:

      I hope it turns out well and that you love it as much as we do!

  6. Mj says:

    5 stars
    So easy to make and turned out amazing!!

    1. Lil' Luna Team says:

      Awesome! I enjoy hearing when recipes are successful and loved.

  7. Luis says:

    5 stars
    I could never get my grandmas rice recipe down. This is almost 100 percent spot on. So simple I can do it. Thank you so much!

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