This Mexican rice will always be one of my favorite Mexican side dishes! It’s vibrant, flavorful, and a simple blend of rice, onion, bell peppers, jalapeño pepper, garlic, tomato sauce, broth, and spices.
Why You’ll Love IT
- Authentic flavors. It’s got that rich, tomato-y base with earthy cumin and just a hint of jalapeño heat. It’s zesty and delicious.
- The perfect texture. Just like my cilantro lime rice, this one turns out fluffy and tender every time.
- Perfect for entertaining. I’ve made this for sooo many dinners, and my friends can’t get enough of it!
Living in Southern California, I’m constantly inspired by the incredible, authentic Mexican food all around me. As you might have noticed, it’s shaped so many of the recipes here on Downshiftology!
So when I’m craving a Mexican meal at home, my go-to plate is usually a combo of carne asada (or carnitas) with Mexican rice and black beans. Sure, it’s simple, but I love to let the flavors speak for themselves. And let me tell you, this Mexican rice is not shy on flavor!
Mexican Rice Ingredients
- White Rice: I always use long-grain white rice for that light, fluffy texture. I don’t recommend swapping in brown rice here, as it takes much longer to cook.
- Yellow or White Onion: Either works! They add a subtle sweetness and savory base to the dish.
- Jalapeño Pepper: Just a small jalapeño pepper that’s diced up gives that signature kick. You can remove the seeds for less heat if you prefer.
- Red Bell Pepper: Adds a pop of color (I love all those little red flecks!) and a mild sweetness.
- Tomato Sauce and Broth: The rice simmers in this flavorful liquid, giving it that classic red hue and rich taste. Use chicken or vegetable broth, depending on your preference.
- Spices and Aromatics: Garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper bring everything together with warm, earthy flavor.
- Chopped Cilantro: I love finishing with fresh cilantro for a bright, green contrast to the rich, red rice. In my opinion, the more cilantro, the better!
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Mexican Rice
First things first, I always rinse the rice really well using a fine mesh sieve. This helps remove excess starch and keeps the rice nice and fluffy.
Next, sauté the veggies. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and jalapeño. I cook everything for about 1 to 2 minutes, just until the onions soften and become slightly translucent.
Then, add the rice straight into the pan and toast it for about 2 minutes, stirring often, until it’s lightly golden. This step makes such a difference in both flavor and texture, so I never skip it.
After that, stir in the cumin, salt, tomato sauce, and broth. Bring everything to a boil, then cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and let it gently simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is fully cooked. Once it’s done, fluff it with a fork, sprinkle fresh cilantro on top, and it’s ready to serve!
I Love Serving This Rice With
All the classic Mexican meats like carnitas, carne asada, barbacoa, or chipotle chicken for a simple, satisfying plate. It’s also perfect with sizzling fajita dishes, whether that’s chicken fajitas (my favorite), steak fajitas, or shrimp fajitas.
You can also use it as a base for a burrito bowl with black beans, guacamole, and pico de gallo. And of course, you can’t go wrong with shrimp tacos or fish tacos and a few big spoonfuls of this rice!
How To Store And Reheat
Let the rice cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. When you’re ready to reheat, you can either microwave it in short intervals (stirring in between) or warm it in a saucepan on the stove with a little extra broth.
You can also freeze Mexican rice for longer storage. Just store it in freezer-safe containers or bags and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, thaw it overnight in the fridge or reheat it straight from frozen in the microwave, giving it a stir halfway through until it’s heated evenly.
What’s The Difference Between Spanish Rice And Mexican Rice?
While many consider Spanish and Mexican rice to be the same thing, they’re actually not. These two colorful dishes are made with similar basic ingredients such as rice, tomatoes, onion, and chicken broth. But the spices are what set them apart.
Spanish rice typically uses saffron, which gives it a slightly sweet flavor and that signature golden color. Mexican rice, on the other hand, uses cumin for a more earthy, savory flavor with a hint of spice.
More Mexican Recipes
- Birria: Most flavorful shredded beef!
- Ceviche: The perfect refreshing appetizer.
- Cilantro Lime Chicken: A dinner staple.
- Taco Soup: Best taco flavors in a cozy soup.
- Classic Margarita: The best cocktail with all these recipes.
- Or give these other Mexican recipes a try next!
If you make this Mexican rice recipe, let me know how it turns out in the comments below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’d like to see more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free email community here.
Description
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- kosher salt, to taste
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- optional: finely chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Wash rice. Thoroughly wash and drain the rice with a fine mesh sieve.
- Cook veggies. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, bell pepper, and jalapeno and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the onions become translucent.
- Add the rice and saute until it's lightly toasted and golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Simmer. Add in the cumin, salt, tomato sauce and chicken broth, then stir everything together. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer until rice is cooked all the way through, about 15 minutes.
- Fluff and garnish. Remove the rice from the heat and use a fork to fluff it up. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately.
Lisa’s Tips
- While I think the jalapeno pepper gives this recipe enormous flavor, if you’d like it less spicy, you can omit it or add ½ teaspoon of chili powder instead.
- Storage tip: Store in the fridge for 4 to 5 days and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
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This recipe was originally published March 2020 but updated to include new information and photos for your benefit!
Dear Lisa,Thank you so much for this wonderful Mexican rice recipe.
The flavours are fantastic , and the dish so versatile (. a meal on its own ).
I love recipes that are quick and easy to make and this one is a winner in our house,
Grateful regards,
Molly.
Glad you loved this Mexican rice, Molly!
Hi, Lisa! Do you think this recipe would work in an instant pot? Using the saute function for the veggies and the rice setting when it’s time to boil the rice? Planning on making this to go with the chicken fajita recipe. Thanks in advance!
Hi Mary – unfortunately, I don’t have an Instant Pot so can’t comment on how it might turn out.
This is the best Mexican rice recipe that I have found. Truly authentic flavor!
A real keeper!!
Happy to hear you’re loving this Mexican rice, Anne!
OMG… this was so delicious…I ate tons! Didnt have all the ingredients…but still… yummm 😋
Hi Samantha – I’m happy to hear you loved this Mexican rice!
Best Mexican rice recipe I have ever tried. It is truly authentic and it’s amazing. My husband asks for it every week!
Thrilled you’re loving this Mexican rice recipe, Anne!
Mine came out a little mushy and not like the photos here but taste wise was awesome.
Hi Justin – I’m happy you loved the flavor of this Mexican rice. If yours came out a bit too soft, you can always cook it for less time in the future. :)
This came out so good! I made it in the slowcooker on the sauté function on high, then low, and it came out perfectly fluffy, individual grains, but not dry at all. I used a can of Mutti crushed tomatoes and it was great. I’m making it again today :) Thank you Lisa!
Hi Molly – Glad this Mexican rice turned out perfectly in your slow cooker!
A question if you don’t mind, the calories at the nutrition section are for one serving or 100 grams of the dish?
Hi Molly – the nutritional information will always be per serving.
This is the most flavorful recipe I’ve tried. I added a little more broth & a slow simmer to insure rice cooks through.
Wonderful! I’m so happy to hear you loved it, Carol!
Made this for dinner tonight, used about 3 tablespoons of tomato paste instead of tomato sauce, absolutely fantastic. This recipe puts restaurants to shame, is dead on on ingredients and my husband kept saying “write the recipe down”!
Thank you for sharing
Hi Dani – Happy to hear this homemade Mexican rice was a hit!
Your a Good Cook. This easy and good.
Thanks so much, Ramona!
Super easy and really tasty. Will definitely make it again!
Hi Jennifer – Happy to hear you loved this Mexican rice recipe!
Hi can you freeze this
Yes, you can!
Can i use quinoa instead ?
This rice is delicious and so easy to prepare. My family loved it.
Hi Cathleen – Thrilled to hear this Mexican rice was loved by all!
Easy and good Happy Cinco De Mayo
Glad you enjoyed this Mexican rice for Cinco De Mayo, Ramona!
I’ve tried this recipes 2 x’s and the rice is always underdone. Any recommendations? I’ve used many of your recipes and have always been pleased with the results. TIA
GW try adding another cup of broth & simmer down. A key to cooking rice should be double liquid to rice. Example: 1 cup of rice should have 2 cups of liquid. I had the same results with this recipe then added more broth & the rice cooked completely.
I wonder if I could use salsa instead of tomato sauce?
Fantastic one of the best rices I’ve made (Chinese, Indian etc) can now put Mexican on my menu hahaaa olay. If I had a wide rimmed hat I’d be throwing it in the air :/
Thanks for the recipe
Thanks so much, Ed! I’m happy you loved the recipe.
Really easy and very tasty. Great base recipe for using up leftovers or what’s to hand like leftover tomato sauce, green pepper (instead of red), cayenne powder (rather than chillies), etc. I even through in a handful of leftover kidney beans from the night before.
I substituted basmati rice and cayenne Chili’s. Was a hit
Sounds great! Glad it was a hit, Matt.
I have quick cook brown rice. Would that work following the recipe or should I cook it first?
Brown rice cooks differently to white rice, so I would cook your rice according to the package.
Yummy yummy yummy!
Hi Gail – Glad you loved this Mexican rice!
When you say tomato sauce, does that mean tomato paste / puree or passat?
Tomato sauce is more so a tomato paste/puree. It should say tomato sauce on the front of the container.
Yum! This turned out really nice. I used brown rice and because that takes longer than white rice I cooked that separate in a pressure cooker to keep things moving and stirred it through the sauce at the end. The flavours were great, the jalapenos give that nice kick.
I served with guac, grated cheese, tortilla wraps, and some plant based beef strips for roll-your-own burritos.
Hi Belinda – I’m glad you enjoyed this Mexican rice! And you were smart to cook the brown rice separately, knowing it takes longer to cook. ;) Enjoy!
This turned out so good! Absolutely loved it. Very flavourful. Will be making this again.
Hi Melissa – Thrilled to hear your Mexican rice was a hit!
Great recipe. I definitely messed up on the size of the corningware I cooked it in, lol, but that’s easy to fix next time. I did have to cook about 5mins longer, but I also doubled the recipe. Regardless, it was delicious! I did add some black beans and corn to it at the very end (just bc I love both!). Was the perfect side to your Carne Asada recipe! Thank you!!
Hi Kristy – I’m so glad your Mexican rice turned out great regardless! I love how you added black beans and corn as well.
Needed another 1/2 cup of stock or water and at least 5 mins extra cooking time.
Why did the rice come out hard ? I followed the recipe
This was super flavorful and yummy with easy prep. Didn’t change anything aside from using avocado oil :) Paired with some sous vide chicken thighs from Trader Joe’s and homemade salsa and guac. So good!
Hi Seema – Happy to hear you love this Mexican rice!
Tasty & filling. ___ I have a couple of picky eaters who try to avoid onions & various veggies— so I completely puréed the onion, jalapeño & green pepper with a bit of the tomato sauce & broth; strained out any tell-tale chunks and then THOROUGHLY combined that with the remaining sauce & broth prior to adding the rice. **This added a bit of work but was a great way to keep the flavors in a dish while still making it one that even my picky eaters enjoyed.
Hi Julie – Happy to hear this recipe satisfied even the picky eaters!