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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.
Delicious every time
I wanted to love this, I suppose because it got such rave ratings. Having grown up on authentic Spanish rice, however, this was very blah by comparison. I even tried it using salsa as a substitute for the tomato sauce, and extra seasoning such as a pinch of cayenne pepper. It was simply lackluster for me. Perhaps I was raised on a localized version.
That’s what I thought
When do you add the cilantro?
You can add it with the other ingredients if you like, but I typically just like to garnish with cilantro after it is cooked.
Oh-my- God! Just made this rice. Added 4 oz of spicy salsa, to to the 8 oz tomatoe sauce, but still just totaling 4 C fluid. Used two bouillon cubes. Used about 1 tsp of cumin. And the other recommended spices. This was delicious. My man said,
“we should keep this recipe”, which means I really like this, and mind you, I have been making his grandma’s Spanish rice for him for years. This is my new Spanish rice favorite. So fluffy and delicious. Thank you! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Can this be done in the oven?
I have never tried to cook this rice in the oven. But we also have a recipe to cook this in the crockpot. https://lilluna.com/crockpot-spanish-rice/
I’ve made this so many times, its amazing! Do you think I can make it in the rice cooker?
Just amazing! Simple, and I’m glad I read the comments on using a little less water etc 😉 Thank you , I will be making it again tonight.
Mexican rice was a staple in my family. After I got married I used to make it often. After losing my husband and mom within 2 months of each other I pretty much stopped cooking. It has been almost 20 years since I made Mexican rice so I looked for a recipe and came across this one. It came out just like I used to make it! I am so glad I found this website and look forward to trying out so many of the recipes. And by the way, my last name is Luna from my dad’s side of the family.
I’ve made a lot of different Spanish Rice and this, by far, is the best, in my opinion. Soo easy and soo delicious. It also reminds me of the Spanish rice I used to eat when I was younger.
Oh, one more really important tip … You absolutely SHOULD count the 8oz of Tomato Sauce as part of the liquid!!! Pour it into your measuring cup, then add water. IOW, you want 4 cups of total liquid (assuming that the rice package you’re using says you use a 2/1 ratio of water … as I said elsewhere, the rice package directions should be your guide, not a hard and fast 2/1 rule). People getting mushy rice or rice that takes forever … It’s likely you didn’t do it as I just mentioned.
What type of frying pan do you put in microwave?
Thanks for the tip read your message after I got mushy rice.lol I will try the recipe again it was easy to make.