Fluffy and fragrant Mexican Spanish Rice makes the quintessential side dish for any Mexican or Latin meal.
I love Mexican food. Made at home or ordered from a restaurant, I’ll never turn down a plate of tacos, a bowl of slow cooker pork carnitas or a platter of enchiladas. Best of all, Mexican is one of the few cuisines that pleases both my palate and my picky eaters’ tastes alike.
With just a touch of spice and the tangy hint of tomato, I could probably eat a whole bowl of Mexican Rice on its own for dinner if left to my own devices. Best of all, it’s so easy to make Mexican Rice at home and customize it to your own taste!
Homemade Mexican Rice is easy, tasty and versatile. This rice recipe is a must-try and bound to become a new staple for your dinner time menus.
What’s the difference between Mexican Rice and Spanish Rice?
The terms are often used interchangeably to refer to the orange or yellow hued rice served on the side of a Latin-inspired meals. There IS actually a difference!
Spanish rice is typically flavored with saffron. This gives it a distinct yellow hue and fragrant aroma. Mexican rice, on the other hand, gets its primary flavor from ground cumin seeds. So, technically speaking this easy rice recipe is Mexican Rice. However, feel free to call it whatever pleases you–or just go with “Mexican Spanish Rice” like I did and call it a day!
How to Make Mexican Rice
Making Mexican Spanish Rice is easy, and the ingredients are simple.
This rice recipe starts by browning uncooked rice in a large pan with vegetable oil. For this recipe I use Mahatma Long Grain White Rice.
Once rice has browned, add chicken stock, water, tomato sauce, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and chili powder. Stir well and bring to a simmer.
Cover and allow to cook for 20 minutes. Keep pot covered during cooking and do not open to stir. If desired, check around 15 minutes, but resist stirring!
Remove the lid, fluff rice and serve!
We loved this rice served with our Crockpot Fajitas, Cheese Enchiladas and Refried Beans for dinner. It’s also delicious with Chicken Nachos or Rotel Dip. I also made Churro Cupcakes and Margaritas to complete our Mexican meal!
Leftovers reheat well in the microwave and are perfect for tossing into burritos or adding to salads for lunch the next day.
Recipe Tips
- Be sure not to stir the rice as its cooking! Doing so will ruin the texture of the rice making it mushy instead of light and fluffy.
- Everyone likes their Mexican Spanish Rice a little different. Feel free to play with the spices and moisture in this recipe to find what you like best. Fresh garlic makes a wonderful substitution for the garlic powder, if you have it! For a rice with more moisture, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more water before simmering.
- Chicken bouillon cubes added to the rice with 4 cups of water can substitute for the 2 cups of water and 2 cups of stock.
This easy Mexican rice recipe was a big hit with my family! It tastes just as delicious as my favorite Spanish rice from a restaurant and I love being able to customize the spices.
Mexican Spanish Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain rice I use Mahatma Rice
- 1/8 cup oil vegetable or canola
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add rice to oil, stir well, cook until browned.
- Once rice has browned, add chicken stock, water, tomato sauce, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and chili powder. Stir well and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and allow to cook for 20 minutes. Keep pot covered during cooking and do not open to stir. If desired, check around 15 minutes, but resist stirring!
- Remove lid, fluff and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Samantha Cox says
Just confirming – 2 cups dried rice?
Christi Johnstone says
Correct!
Carie says
Love this recipe. I use smashed fresh garlic, quartered onion, fresh cilantro and fresh jalapeño halves to simmer with the rice (I throw in the garlic and jalapeños when the rice is blowing in oil). It’s delicious and turns out flavorful and fluffy every time!
Angel says
So Good!! First time making this for taco night and it was a hit. Hubby enjoyed!!
connir says
can you use minute rice
Christi Johnstone says
The 20 minutes would be far too long to cook with Minute Rice, it would likely just turn to mush I’m afraid.
Elsa Pacheco says
Can this be made in the oven?
Christi Johnstone says
Can’t say I’ve tried. I do think it’s probably easiest, and best, made on the stovetop.
Brenda says
This is delicious. I don’t typically use cumin and therefore didn’t have any so I added 1/4 tsp of dried ground mustard instead. It tasted great but I do like a moister rice so after it was done cooking I added about 1/2 c. homemade tomato juice instead of more broth and it worked great and added just a touch more flavor. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s definitely a keeper.
Vivian Blas says
This is the best recipe for a Mexican rice that I’ve ever cooked! It is very easy to follow successfully. I didn’t have cumin and chili powder, so I added garlic pepper and it turned out great and flavorful. My partner commented that it’s so much better than the Mexican rice at any restaurant he’s eaten. Thank you so much for your recipe…it’s a winner!
Christi Johnstone says
Vivian, thank you for the kind words, I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Patti says
Can you use tomato paste with little extra broth or water instead of the tomato sauce? I have been taught to always wash my rice. Will the rice still brown if it is wet? Or should I skip washing the rice? What happens if I skip the “browning” step?
Christi Johnstone says
Hi Pati, I’ve only made it as discussed in the recipe, so I’m afraid I can’t say.
Kimberly jacoby says
Can you use beef broth?
Anne Caulder says
My ex-mother-in-law makes the best Spanish rice ever, and she refuses to share recipes with anyone. At 82-years-old, we believe we will never get recipes from her! We moved across the country from her, and my son wanted rice and beans, so I tried your recipe, and it was better than I hoped, probably the closest I could get to hers. She includes slices garlic and rubs whole cumin seeds into her rice, so I may try that, but thank you for this great base recipe! Seriously, it’s better than some Mexican restaurants we have tried.
Christi Johnstone says
Anne, I’m so glad you like the recipe, but I do hold out hope you’ll get your ex-MIL’s recipe!!!
BURNEY DRAWE says
I live on the border in west Texas. My wife is hispanic. I get so sick of seeing these anglosized recipes for mexican food. Yours is very authentic. My hat is off to you for a real mexican recipe!
Christi Johnstone says
Thanks, Burney. I live in Arizona, and have had the benefit of learning from my hispanic aunt and cousin on how they make rice! Now if I could just make tamales like they do!