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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.
It’s so funny. I’ve had this recipe saved for almost a month and my husband and I are finally going to try it. But when I went to read your description and the backstory to this recipe and how it’s from a restaurant in Mesa, ofc of Main st. I was like, “is she talking about Mesa, Arizona, bc we live there?”😆
Turns out you are, I saved that restaurant in my maps, we’ll be checking it out. I will leave another review once we finally make the rice(the plan is TONIGHT!)
That’s awesome!! You will have to try Mangos! It’s seriously the best!
The rice is authentic and came out perfect! I did mince two garlic cloves and I added extra cumin. I also added fajita and ccajun seasoning. I only want the rice for dinner and no longer want my tacos!!
Woohoo…my job is done, lol!! Love that you added extra flavoring. I will have to try that!
Another 1/2 Mexican here! This rice came out…..Perfect! Great recipe, easy to follow. Honestly, I make tamales, enchiladas, even mole, no problem. But making rice….ugh! I’m more than sure my issue was the type of rice and the amount of tomato sauce and water. I used Jasmine white rice. Cooked it for 35-40 minutes, came out perfect! If I could post a picture I would!
Yay! Rice can be so tricky! So happy you liked this recipe! Thanks so much!
I have not tried this recipe but plan to in a couple days. Can I substitute the sauce with Picante sauce? I saw this in a different recipe…thanks!
I personally haven’t, but I am sure you could. Hope you like it!!
Do you wash your rice first? What kind of rice do you use? We use basmati regularly, would that work well?
You don’t need to & I use long grain enriched white rice. I haven’t tried basmati, so I couldn’t tell how that would turn out.
Use long-grain!! Basmati will not do it justice.
Can I use normal white rice instead of long grained? Would I have to do anything different with the recipe?
I wouldn’t, I have not tried, but you would have to look up the difference in cooking time between the two rices.
Delicious exactly as the recipe reads!
What is a serving size?
You can get about 8 (1c) servings
My daughter is going to college at Michigan Tech University, a very intense school. This upcoming year, her and her friends are are renting a house for their third year. My daughter asked me to give her a recipe book for their house as a gift and this recipe is one of her top favs.
That’s so awesome! I bet you are so proud! I love that she loves this rice!! Thank you for sharing that!
This is my go-to Spanish rice recipe!! Everyone always asks me for the recipe.
Thank you!! 🙂
Makes me so happy to hear!! Thank you so much!