This Easy Mexican Rice is light, fluffy, and flavorful! This Easy Mexican Rice is infinitely better than the one you get at Mexican restaurants. Easy to make with simple ingredients. Stovetop and Rice Cooker instructions included.
Easy Mexican Rice Recipe Highlights
Today, I am sharing my super easy no-fuss version of Mexican Rice. I have to say that even though I’m Latina, I’m not Mexican so my recipe might not be close to authentic, but I do know that it’s damn good. Plus, there’s barely any hands-on time involved here at all. The best kind of recipe, right?
The funny thing is that I’m actually not a rice-lover at all but I LOVE this rice.
This Mexican Rice is light, fluffy, and flavorful! And It’s a delicious accompaniment to just about anything.
The rice is truly flavorful because it simmers in a puree of tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeño, and chicken stock so it really absorbs all of those delicious additional flavors.
This Easy Mexican Rice is infinitely better than the one you get at Mexican restaurants, hands down.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
- Long white rice – I use parboiled long grain rice.
- Chicken stock – You can substite for vegetable stock if you want to keep it vegetarian.
- Veggies – Roma tomatoes, Garlic cloves, Jalapeno pepper, and Yellow onion.
- Tomato paste
- Salt & Black pepper – I prefer kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
- Oil – You can oil any oil you have handy. I usually use vegetable or oilive oil.
- Frozen mixed vegetables – peas corn, and carrot. This is optional.
Make Mexican Rice in a Rice Cooker
The best part is that everything gets tossed into the rice cooker, you walk away, and the magic happens in minutes. Then you finish it up with a handful of cilantro, a few big squeezes of lime.
- Place rice into the rice cooker.
- Place chicken stock, tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño, onion, tomato paste, salt and pepper into a blender and blend until all ingredients are well-chopped. You can leave it as chonky or smooth as you like.
- Add mixture from the blender to the cooking pot with the rice. Add oil and frozen vegetable (if using) and mix to incorporate.
- Close the cooking pot and set the cooker on “white rice” mode. Hamilton Beach rice cooker takes 45 minutes.
- Add cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Make Mexican Rice Over the Stovetop
This Mexican Rice can be also made in the stovetop, just follow these steps:
- Place chicken stock, tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño, onion, tomato paste, salt and pepper into a blender and blend until all ingredients are well-chopped. Set aside.
- Add oil to medium pot over medium heat. When oil is hot, add the rice and toast, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. You will notice that the rice will look opaque.
- Add mixture from the blender and the frozen vegetable (if using) and mix to incorporate.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- Add chopped cilantro and lime juice, if desire, and fluff the rice with a fork to mix. Let the rice sit for a 3 – 5 minutes to “dry out” and lose the extra moisture.
Serving ideas
We often serve alongside some Instant Pot Crispy Pork Carnitas, Mexican Short Ribs, or oven-fried chicken. I like to make a double batch of it so we have it to enjoy for a few days. It does keep well and reheats beautifully.
Sign up with your email address to receive egg-free recipes.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze: This rice can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. No need to thaw before reheating; remove it from the freezer and reheat in the microwave with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or stock.
More Mexican Inspired Recipes You’ll Love!
- Mexican Short Ribs
- Instant Pot Crispy Pork Carnitas
- Easy Slow Cooker Chipotle Beef Brisket
- Slow Cooker Chipotle Carnitas
- Easy Ground Beef for Tacos Recipe
- Quick and Easy Enchiladas Suizas
- Browse more recipes…
Easy Mexican Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups long white rice (see notes)
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 3 Roma tomatoes ,chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 jalapeno pepper ,seeded
- 1 medium yellow onion ,chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups frozen mixed vegetables (peas, corn, and carrot) ( (optional)
Instructions
Rice Cooker:
- Place rice into the cooking pot.
- Place chicken stock, tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño, onion, tomato paste, salt and pepper into a blender and blend until all ingredients are well-chopped.
- Add mixture from the blender to the cooking pot with the rice. Add oil and frozen vegetable (if using) and mix to incorporate.
- Close the cooking pot and set the cooker on “white rice” mode. Hamilton Beach rice cooker takes 45 minutes.
- the Add cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Stovetop:
- Place chicken stock, tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño, onion, tomato paste, salt and pepper into a blender and blend until all ingredients are well-chopped. Set aside.
- Add oil to a medium pot over medium heat. When oil is hot, add the rice and toast, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. You will notice that the rice will look opaque.
- Add mixture from the blender and the frozen vegetable (if using) and mix to incorporate.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- Add chopped cilantro and lime juice and fluff the rice with a fork to mix. Let the rice sit for a 3 – 5 minutes to "dry out" and lose the extra moisture.
Nutrition
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. My opinions are my own and were not edited by others.
Originally posted in October 2016, the post content was edited to add more helpful information, with no change to the recipe in May 2022.
This is a great Mexican rice. My family loves any kind of rice even plain rice with milk and cinnamon! Curry, Indian, Fried, Mexican, rice pudding! But, back to the recipe, it has flavor , and color. Great taste. The bowl empties quick!
Hello Debbie! We are a BIG rice enthusiast too. It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
Yeah i;m with everyone else that is confused. It would be helpful if when you are using a special ingredient or a special appliance that you also provide your readers with the base standard as the alternative to help people out. You are asking us to puree something which will add to the liquid content when you are using parboiled rice. clearly if using regular rice, the addition of the tomato and pepper puree would be a different amount. I have noticed with quite a few of your recipes already and while I have a pretty decent imagination as an at home cook…I don’t feel you use that train of thought of people that don’t have what you are using when you post this stuff.
Hello Nay! I am sorry this is confusing for you. I always use the same water radio when cooking rice because that works for me. I don’t like mushy rice so even I’m using a rice cooker I keep the same ratio. Of course, everyone is different so feel free to adapt the recipe to your taste and situation or just find a better fit for your taste. Thanks for your feedback.
I’m going to try to make this but I don’t understand your note, you said you use pre-boiled rice so Does that mean you cooked the rice before hand or what ? it’s not clear The recipe looks good I will wait for a reply because I don’t know if I should cook the rice first or what because it shouldn’t take 45 minutes if the rice is already cooked. Thank you
Hello Vicci! I apologize if my note is confusing for you. I use parboiled rice, which is partially pre-cooked in its inedible husk before being processed for eating but still raw, it’s just a type of rice. You can use any rice you want and cook according to your rice cooker instructions. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
These comments are not helpful. Did anyone actually make this rice?
So are you using regular measuring cups for this or the rice cup that is provided with cooker?
Hello I! Yes, I used the cup that comes with the cooker, but you can use any measuring cup as long as you keep the proportions. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. ?
I have travel lots of country but i listen about Mexican food among of the place. Among people like Mexican food. Thanks for sharing about Mexican kitchen.
I love hispanic rice (red). Thanks for the chance to win such an amazing giveaway.
I love rice cooked with coconut milk, so rich and delicious.
well spanish rice i love it
I really like saffron rice! we make it with some yummy chicken!
I like Mexican Style Rice the best but also many others.
I like vegetable fried rice.
I like cheese and broccoli rise and chicken fried rice.
Tomato Rice
I LIKE a good Asian rice! yum 🙂
thanks!
There are some good rice pilaf mixes on the market. My favorite.
I like a chicken flavored rice.
I like cilantro/lime rice
I like Rice Pilaf.
I love fried rice and also brown rice.
Besides plain brown rice, I do enjoy a good Mexican rice! This looks delicious. Thank you for the giveaway
I love spanish rice.
Spanish rice is my favorite rice!
I love chicken flavored rice the best.
I love a cilantro lime flavored rice! Delicious!!
I love making Spanish Rice. So delicious!
I like plain white rice with butter!
I like white rice. I like that I can add my own flavors to it to blend well with whatever else i am eating.
Mexican rice is my favorite!
I love Spanish rice.
I like the cilantro and lime flavored rice
That looks so delicious and is something I think my family would love! I will definitely pin for later! My favorite flavor of rice is definitely chicken flavored or spicy. They are favorites of mine!
I love buttered rice the most but my son makes a great cilantro lime rice as well!
Spanish rice is my favorite.
I like lemon rice.
correct Tweet link https://twitter.com/kraftmaking/status/784449858887442433
Spanish rice is my favorite flavored rice.
I love Mexican rice and coconut rice.
Hmm, if I had to pick a favorite flavored rice, I might go with something Indian. I love curry in rice. I like how Indian spices can give you a lot of flavor without bringing too much heat, lol. (I used to love heat, but these days my stomach rebels!!)