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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.
Do you have to microwave the chicken broth? Or is that just if you’re using water and a bullion cube?
I like to microwave the water and bouillon cube first to help it dissolve. If I use chicken broth instead of the water and bouillon, I warm it up a bit so it does not drop the temperature of the pan.
I used this recipe tonight. Super simple and cooks up perfectly. I didn’t have tomato sauce, but I did have tomato paste so I used about a tbls and a half. I just let it cook a minute or two before before adding my water. We all enjoyed it with our enchiladas. This will be my go to recipe. Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing what you did and I’m happy to hear everyone enjoyed it with your enchiladas!
Even my husband liked it.
Thanks Kristyn for an amazing rice! I’m not usually a person to eat Spanish rice but this was soooo good!!! My hubby and I will really enjoy all the rest. Thanks again 🙂
It makes me happy to hear it won you over!
simply perfect and so tasty!
I love how simple it is as well. It can pair with many different dishes and you can easily add extra flavor into the rice too. I’m glad you liked it.
The 2x recipe does not double the chicken broth and I almost missed it!!
The ingredients listed (water and chicken boullion) will double using the 2x button. However, because the note about using chicken broth instead of water is just a side tip it will not double automatically. I’m glad you caught it.
Looks amazing
I hope you love it when you try it!
Can I use jasmine rice?
Long grain white rice works best for this recipe and gives you the best texture. You can use jasmine rice if that’s what you have, just keep in mind it cooks a bit faster and can be softer, so you may want to watch the liquid and check it a little earlier.
This is exactly the way my sister in law taught me to make it in 1957. That was 68 years ago and haven’t had even one complaint, but hundreds of compliments and requests for recipe
1957 and still going strong is the ultimate stamp of approval. I love that it’s brought you hundreds of compliments over the years.
4.5 cups liquid for 2 cups of rice is way too much. Should be closer to 1:1 ratio for liquid to rice. This recipe makes extremely mushy rice. The high ratings are all from bots.
Jenna, our ratings all come from real readers who have tried the recipe, and we truly appreciate every review. Also, a 2 to 1 liquid to rice ratio is actually pretty standard for many types of rice.
Ummmm i am not a bot most rice is a 2:1 ratio sometimes it’s 1.5:1 Etc every type of rice is a little bit different. This is a pretty standard rice recipe the reason my it calls for more liquid is because the tomato sauce is not quite as liquidy as the water. There’s other people on here that were able to figure it out including myself so maybe you just don’t know how to cook and no need to be so rude
I love this recipe! The only thing that I would change (I simmered mine for 15 minutes, not 30 -40 minutes.) It was mushy. I think next time I make it, I will only simmer it for 10 minutes. Other than this, it is wonderful!
So glad you love it and thanks for sharing what worked for you!
Rice was sooo mushy. I don’t recommend this recipe