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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 cups long grain rice
- 1/8 cup vegetable oil
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 6 stems cilantro (optional)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 4 cups water (or 4 cups chicken lower sodium chicken broth - and no bouillon)
- 1 cube chicken flavored bouillon
- dash cumin
- dash garlic pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in large frying pan on medium heat.
- Add rice and cook until golden brown.
- Add 1 chicken flavored bouillon cube to 4 cups water and microwave for 3 minutes.
- When rice is brown, add water, tomato sauce, salt, garlic, cumin and garlic pepper to pan.
- Stir and cover pan. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes or until all is cooked and there is no liquid left. Fluff before serving and ENJOY.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is tomato sauce the same as tomato paste? If not, what kind of tomato sauce do you use?
No they are not the same. Brand doesn’t matter in my experience.
Sky is right! Tomato sauce is runnier and paste is much thicker. You’ll want to stick with the sauce. And any brand should work.
This rice is good however I found it was lacking flavor. I followed recipe exactly. I made it again and added Sazon seasoning and then some lime juice at the end and perfection 🤌. I also added garlic powder to it
Thanks for sharing what you did and for giving the recipe a try!
this rice is amazing! i make it so often and it comes out great every single time❤️
This cooked up perfectly and everyone loved it. I’ll probably always use this method now! Thank you
Delicious
Hi,
What is the serving size for the nutrition facts?
Easy and great!!
I’m no novice and this is the worst rice I’ve ever made.
I used long-grain rice, unrinsed because that wasn’t in the instructions. I was exacting in my measurements and following of the instructions. I browned it like in the picture. I didn’t use cilantro because the recipe didn’t explain when to include it.
The recipe did not say to boil once combined in the skillet, so I did not do that. I suspect this was an issue because when I lifted the lid after 20 minutes, zero liquid had been absorbed. So I brought it all to a boil and left it on simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes.
What a disappointing heap of lost ingredients. The rice was mushy in the center, crunchy on the outsides and the tomato sauce was just sitting on top. I cooled it and tossed the entire thing.
I noticed the author only comments on praise and has not added anything to the FAQs about how to prevent the mushy rice that is described in so many reviews. This is a shame because some I’d love to love this recipe like others do. As is, this is a huge fail for me.
from a jay to a jay, you sound like a joyless person and would benefit from taking things less seriously and having a looser approach to cooking. peace.
To the Jay that responded on October 29, 2023 regarding the Jay that responded on October 26, 2023. I was thinking the same thing! “IF” he indeed followed the recipe, he would be as happy as the rest of us that actually knows how to follow a recipe!
Great recipe for those that can follow instructions properly. 😀
Hi Jay, I think the element missing is the “stock” (bouillon + water) being microwaved for 3 minutes. With that, as soon as you pour that liquid into the rice, its almost immediately boiling and just needs turned down. Shame you were disappointed, but hopefully this helps.
Hi Jay! Thanks for the feedback. We always appreciate hearing your experience and what you think. I’m sorry to hear the rice didn’t turn out well for you.
We typically don’t rinse the rice, because sauteeing it in the oil helps the grains to stay separate. You could certainly try rinsing beforehand though. If you microwave the water and bullion, that water gets to the boiling point and between that and the heat from the pan, it shouldn’t need much more boiling. Keeping a tight-fitting lid on will while simmering will help it cook. I also like to let my rice sit for a few minutes before fluffing too. As far as the cilantro goes, I typically use it as a garnish. You can certainly add it before cooking if you want that flavor more infused in the rice.
Hope some of these tips help if you ever decide to give the rice a try again.
This is how I make Spanish red rice besides I use onion in place of the garlic maybe a little garlic sometimes. When I was taught how to make this rice was once all the liquids get up to a boil (at this point I give it one last stir) you put the lid on tight (I always use aluminum foil to make a tighter seal between lid and pan) I time it for 25 – 30 minutes no peeking no stirring till done. When done take a fork to stir in any sauce on top of the rice and fluff it. I was taught stirring it during cooking will make it sticky.
To the Jay, I don’t know how you could down Luna for you not following the recipe. You screwed up the whole cooking process by not using the right technique. You’ve obviously never cooked rice before or even a bag of Lipton flavored noodles, you always bring it to a boil before a simmer then lid on. Rice is a little more trickier than noodles.
I love everything about rice and your Spanish Rice is at the top of my list!
I loved it WAY back in school but never tried to make it myself… until now! 😊
OMG!!! This is absolutely the best Spanish Rice I’ve ever tasted. I made it for a Spanish themed birthday party and everyone raved about it. I had over fifty people ask me for the recipe. I excitedly told them to go to Lil Luna’s website for the recipe and they would also find tons and tons of the best tasting recipes they’ve ever had! I look forward to my inbox every single day of your recipes! 💯💜