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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.
My fiance LOVES this. Says I make it better than most of the Spanish restaurants in S.F
Yes!! That makes me so happy to hear! So glad the recipe is a hit.
This is my FAVORITE Spanish (Mexican) Rice recipe…have you ever made it in an Instant Pot?
Oh I’m so glad you love the recipe! Yes, you can totally do it in the instant pot.
Today for dinner I’m throwing in chunks of leftover chicken, a couple chopped up spicy chicken sausages leftover from this weekend, and some black beans. This recipe is great for throwing leftover protein into to make an easy dinner.
I love that idea!! A great way to add in some protein and use up some leftovers. Thanks for sharing!
I substituted a can of organic fire roasted tomatoes for the tomato sauce…the can is about 14.5 ounces. I reduced the water from 4 cups to 3 and a half to make up for the extra liquid and it came out great!
Thanks for sharing what you did. I bet the fire roasted tomatoes gave the rice a delicious flavor as well.
I never could get Mexican rice perfect I’ve tried countless times until I followed this recipe step by step and it did not fail me !! My whole house enjoyed it so thank you so much for this delicious recipe ❤️
Oh thank you for sharing! I’m so happy to hear you found this recipe and it was a winner for your whole family!
Can I get the serving size for the Nutrition facts. Please 😬
A serving size of rice is about 1/2 cup.
Hi, I have never heard of garlic pepper. Help me out?
Oh yes! Garlic Pepper is a combination of spices (garlic, black pepper) that you can get at any local grocery store where you would find the spices. It gives the flavor of garlic but with the heat of pepper too. If you don’t have it on hand, you can use a small dash of garlic powder and pepper. Or just pepper. Or you can omit…. whatever sounds best to you!
Perfect!! I have had troubles in the past with my rice becoming a gummy mess. I was initially concerned of the liquid to rice ratio, however, this was light and fluffy! I added a bit of dried jalapeño powder to add a bit of a kick. This is now my Go-To recipe!!
Yay! So glad to hear you enjoyed this rice recipe. Ooh I bet the jalapeño power added a fun twist to the rice. Thank for sharing!
I can’t seem to keep my rice from going mushy, it’s driving me crazy. I know it’s worked for me before so I’m not sure what the issue is now. I’m using the right liquid to rice ratio and Ive brought it to simmer then covered it and started the timer but it always ends up mush before even 30 minutes are up. Please, any advice on this?
Perfect!! I have had troubles in the past with my rice becoming a gummy mess. I was initially concerned of the liquid to rice ratio, however, this was light and fluffy! I added a bit of dried jalapeño powder to add a bit of a kick. This is now my Go-To recipe!!
Post comment note: I reheated some leftover rice today and it was just as good if not better!
Be sure to brown your rice really well. It will first become whiter, then start to toast. Keep it moving in the pan, once it starts to brown it goes quickly. Also be sure your heat is at the lowest setting once covered. This will help the rice absorb slowly (more like streaming)where as a boil can break the grains causing it to gum up. Also, DO NOT STIR! Once the lid is on leave it alone, no lifting the lid.
My thoughts for mushy rice would be too much liquid was added… perhaps you could try using a slightly smaller amount of water, if you have added the amount called for in the recipe. Pot size and type as well as the heat source and intensity can alter how the rice cooks. So it may just take a little experimenting with amounts to find what works for your stovetop/pot, if the instructions listed aren’t resulting in fluffy rice for you. I haven’t had this happen for me with this specific recipe, so I’m not exactly sure why it’s turning mushy on you.
My Arizona heart soared when I saw your recipe. Mango’s is my absolute favorite and now that I don’t live there anymore I’ve made this recipe SO many times. And I can’t thank you enough!’ Do you have any other mango copy cat recipes?!
Oh yay! I’m so happy you discovered the recipe! Mango’s is so yummy!! We have some other Mexican dishes that would taste similar. Here’s quick access to them: https://lilluna.com/tag/mexican/