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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.
The ingredients are simple but the dish is absolutely spectacular!! I doubled the recipe and used 5 cups of water instead of 6. I wouldn’t use anymore because the rice would be too soggy for my liking. This fluffed up very nicely. Also I found Goya brand canned tomato sauce that had garlic, onions, and cilantro blended in. This is a keeper! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
You are so welcome! I am so glad you liked it! I will have to try that tomato sauce, sounds good!
I’m 35 I’ve got a half white half mex hubby who loves Mexican food over anything so I decided last year I need to learn to make Spanish rice. I tried so many recipes and it always came out funky somehow. Then I came across your recipe, I’ve used it a dozen times and it has yet to fail me. Thank you so much it’s a simple delicious recipe.
I love hearing that!! Thank you so much! We will never use any other recipe 🙂
Just made this and it was awesome! Just like restaurant rice for sure. I halved it since it was just 2 of and I added some rotel for an extra kick but it was pretty great on its own too! Hubby agrees. And super easy to make. So glad I found this!
I am glad you found it, too! Happy you both like it! Thank you!
This turned out great!! I didn’t have garlic pepper so I used black pepper but it tasted great! Thanks for posting this!
You are so welcome! I am so glad you liked it!! Thank you!
Your recipes look delich! Sounds like you enJOY your life very much and have alit of fun cooking. I will take advantage of it. Thank you so much!
I do 🙂 Love cooking! Thanks so much for stopping by!
This is my go to rice recipe from now on. I used chicken broth instead of water but I burned it slightly on the bottom because I forgot to set my timer(we like crunchy rice bits). We had it with leftover refried bean dip that I made the day before. So yummy. My usually picky daughter at the majority of it. Thank you for sharing.
I’m glad it is! Thank you for letting me know!
Hi,
My son loves mexican rice!! This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to make fresh for my family. Question, how would I make this low sodium, low sodium chicken broth, water, etc? And, do you think this would taste ok, low sodium?
Thanks!!
Chris Henning
Yes, it should taste ok. I would use the low sodium broth, to help with that. Your son will love this rice. My kids devour it! Good luck!
If I had known Spanish Rice was THIS EASY, I would never have bought one of those packaged Spanish Rices. I make tacos and most everything from scratch! I hated the packaged rice so much, that we just didn’t have rice! Period!!! I will make this every time now! Can you share your refried beans recipe? I love a real bean and cheese burrito, and I can’t find anyplace in North Platte, NE to get a good one! It is the lard I am sure, but is there some other trick? I just looked up another recipe, and that one suggested getting the lard from a Mexican grocer, so I will try that! The last thing is the TORTILLAS. There is an art to that! Any suggestions?
So, glad you thought so!! We love this rice!! It goes with everything 🙂 Here is a link for the beans & yes, lard is the trick 🙂 https://lilluna.com/creamy-refried-beans/ & here is a link for homemade tortillas…https://lilluna.com/easy-homemade-flour-tortillas/
Thank you! I saved both recipes and want to try them soon. Do you have a recipe for fresh pinto beans for re-fried beans?
Oh, I’m so sorry, I do not 🙁 Have you tried pinterest?
Hello! I made this for our Christmas Eve dinner with tamales. I’m half Mexican (mom from Mexico, dad from Wyoming). I was looking for another recipe on your website and found this one. It’s almost exactly like my mom’s. She doesn’t use chicken broth. I made it to according to your recipe and it was delicious! My husband and sons loved it! Thank you for sharing.
Woohoo! Thank you so much! We love it with so many recipes!
I make this Spanish rice all the time and it really is the best! I often don’t have cilantro on hand but it is great without – I just add some dried parsley instead.
Yes, it’s great without. We don’t usually add it. Thank you!