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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.
Added sofrito to the tomato sauce, simmered on VERY low for 20 minutes. Careful not to stir too much, those crunchy bits are called pegao and highly sought after at the dinner table!
Sounds delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!
The layout of this recipe is confusing and poor. I followed the instructions at the top of the page, which did not list the amounts of the ingredients and did not mention to cover the pan to cook the rice. I thought that was odd, but wanted to follow the recipe.
I tried to salvage after the rice didnt cook properly, but failed. When I scrolled down, the actual recipe loaded onto the screen. I checked other recipes for the spice amounts, and ended up with something very different.
Maybe it’s a nice dish with the actual recipe.
I recommend only listing one complete recipe to be less confusing!
Thanks for your feedback and for giving the recipe a try.
way too much liquid rice came out mushy
Best Spanish rice I’ve ever made. Used a spicy Mexican tomato sauce for an added kick. Be careful when adding the hot liquid to the pan. The oil/rice mixture will spatter. Have a lid ready and wear some long oven mitts – just in case. My family loved this rice!
Thanks for sharing! I’m so glad to hear you and your family enjoyed the rice. The extra kick sounds tasty + fun!!
Here is my take on this classic (I have enjoyed this recipe many times). Since I’m single now, I have cut the recipe in half (more or less):
1. Bring 2 cups of water, 2 chicken bouillon cubes, and one tablespoon of salted butter to a boil.
2. Add 1 cup of white long grain rice to the mix.
3. Top with 1/2 cup of salsa (your choice), 1/2 cup ketchup (yes, I didn’t have tomato sauce or paste), one tablespoon of hot sauce ( I use Texas Pete, but your choice), and one tablespoon of lime juice.
4. Mix and reduce temp to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes .. fluff with a fork .. and OMG … enjoy’
Mr. Mike
Sounds tasty!! I’m glad to hear you were able to adapt and tweak it to make it work for you! Thanks for sharing.
I don’t see see a measurement for the ingredients. Where do I find them?
They are towards the bottom of the post on a recipe card. At the top of the post, there is a button that says “Jump to Recipe”. Click on that and it’ll automatically scroll you to the recipe/measurements.
Unfortunately my rice came out like mush 🙁 I like using broth because it just adds more flavor so I decided to go that route. I changed the amount of servings from 8 to 4 and unfortunately did not realize that the amount of broth without bouillon (written in parentheses) to use did not change like the other ingredients. I ended up using twice the amount of broth. I had to throw it all out but from what I tasted the rice came out delicious. I’ll definitely try again…just sad I wasted all those ingredients
I’m so sorry to hear the rice didn’t turn out. We’ll have to look into that feature on the recipe card not changing with the serving size changing. Yes, hopefully you’ll give it another try! You’ll have to let us know how it turns out next time. 🙂
Awesome, Tasty & Dependable Recipe – thanks.
Quick question: what would we change if we used brown rice? More water/time?
Thanks again…
Yes! Typically brown rice requires longer cooking time and more water. I’d check the package of rice and see how much water it suggests using for each cup of rice, and then add that amount/ratio for the 2 cups that this recipe calls for. It will probably be a little more than 4 cups. You can either use chicken broth or water with the one bullion cube dissolved.
I am 11 and love to cook. I love eating this rice from restaurants and wanted to try to make it.
It was super good! My family and I really enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe with me!
You’re so welcome! I’m so impressed you gave this a try at 11 years old. Way to go! So glad to hear you enjoyed the rice.
OMG! You are an awesome, amazing lady. Thank yo so much for doing all these delicious recipes. I want to try them all. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
You are so sweet!! Thanks for the kind words. I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes!