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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.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Turned out so delicious and we will make this often
Oh, I am so glad to hear that! Thank you for trying it & for letting me know!
such a sensationally recipe for me, really appriciate some great stuff i tried this so many times and its the best recipe because i can add stuff from my thoughts too 🙂 happy women’s day btw
Thank you!! Yes, it’s a great one to add your own likings 🙂
Look yummy! One of my favorite Spanish Rice, nice to see your recipe, easy to follow, will cook this for family this weekend. Thanks you!
You are welcome! I hope your family likes it, as much as we do!
Delicious and incredibly easy! Going to be cooking this a lot, tastes just like home (new mexico). Thank you for the recipe! I’m hooked and going to look into your others.
Awe, thank you so much! I hope you find more to try!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It came Out perfectly!!! No more Prepackaged rice for me! I was nervous about making it because ive messed up rice before bUt not anymore.
Yay!! I love hearing that! Thank you for telling me & for trying it!!
This is my go-to spanish rice recipe! I once ran out of tomato sauce and used a tiny can of tomato paste instead, and it resulted in an even deeper tomato flavor that my family loved! Thanks for making and sharing great recipes!
You are so welcome! I love to share 🙂 I’ll have to try the paste! I seem to make this weekly, so I will try! Thank you!
Thank you for your recipe, I like to fish, for me it is a great hobby, rice goes so well with fish. We ate the whole family with pleasure
I am making this right now and, even before it is done, i know it is going to be good. But, i did make some mods which are sure to make it even better. first of all, i browned the rice in chicken fat instead of oil. unhealthy? no! chicken fat is not particularly unhealthful, since it contains mostly unsaturated fat. of course, like any oil or fat, there are calories to consider. but equal amounts of oil vs chicken fat are not different in terms of health benefits or harms. i do not want the rice to be overly soft, so i reduced the water by 1 cup. that still leaves the usual liquid to rice ration of 2 to 1. i increased the bouillon to 2 tsp of powder (like 2-3 cubes) and left out the added plain salt. if I had them, I would have diced up some onion to fry with the rice. but, since I am out of onions, i added onion powder. i was also out of green/red peppers, which i would have liked to include. (i really need to go shopping!) so, instead, i added a heaping tsp of smoked paprika. i added some dried cilantro to the cooking mix, and plan to add in to fresh chopped cilantro at the end. finally, i increased the cumin to 1/2 tsp. it is nowhere near done yet, but it already smells outrageous!
Sounds great!! Thank you for sharing what you did! Sure hope it tasted as good as it smelled!
Simple but very nice thank you. I love the recipes
Awe, thank you! I am glad you think that 🙂
I added a chopped sauteed onion, fire rOasted green chilies, and fire roasted diced tomatoes. This rice was a huge hit!!
That sounds delicious!! Thanks for sharing that! Glad it was a hit!