Name: Restaurant Style Mexican Rice
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 cup rice; 1 tablespoon oil; ½ 14.5 ounce can tomatoes (about ½ cup); 2 large cloves garlic; ½ large Onion; 1½ cups chicken stock or water. plus or minus; 2 teaspoons cumin; 1 teaspoon chili powder; salt and pepper to taste; ½ cup Frozen Peas

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If you want an easy and quick side dish to serve with your tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, and more. This Restaurant-style Mexican rice is a perfect choice. It only takes five minutes to put together and twenty minutes to cook, so it’s done in less than 30 minutes.

Antique fork scooping rice out of a bowl. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

It is so much more flavorful than the boxed mixes that you buy at the grocery store and only contains seven main ingredients.

Mexican restaurants all have one thing in common. They all have their own version of flavorful rice. There is some variation, but most add a few common ingredients.

The Difference between Mexican and Spanish Rice?

Since the Spaniards brought rice to Mexico, there is a lot of overlap between the two. Spanish rice generally has saffron, a bold spice that was grown in Spain. Spanish rice usually has chunks of vegetables, and Mexican rice usually has any vegetable ground. Mexican rice is not clumpy or sticky and is on the drier side. It is usually spiced with cumin and chilies.

What you Need

Long-Grain Rice: Use a long grain or a converted long-grain white rice. Converted means it was par-cooked and then dried
Onion: Roughly chopped white or yellow onion.
Garlic: Crushed garlic.
Tomatoes: Use red, ripe tomatoes, or canned tomatoes so that you get the best color from the rice. You can also substitute tomato sauce for the tomatoes.
Oil: olive or vegetable oil to toast the rice.
Vegetable or Chicken Broth or Stock: Homemade or store-bought stock can be used.
Cumin: Cumin adds the signature flavor of this rice.
Chili Powder: Adds a bit of heat.
Black Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper.
Salt: Use salt to taste. If using salted chicken stock it won’t take much.
Peas: Frozen peas are optional. Many restaurants use them, yet many don’t.
Cilantro or parsley: For garnish and a fresh note.

Ingredients for Mexican rice — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Some Common Variations

Carrot: Some restaurants will add finely diced carrots to the rice.

How to Make it

Step One:

In a food processor blender, process the onion and garlic until they are a puree. Remove the vegetables from the processor.

Onion and garlic puréed in a food processor bowl. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Add the tomatoes to the processor and puree again.

Measure the tomato juice and add enough stock to make 2½ cups of liquid.

Tomatoes puréed in the food processor. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Step Two:

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom pan over medium heat. Add the rice and toast it for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.

Toasting rice in a saucepan. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Step Three:

Add the purée, stock, spices, and pepper to taste. Bring the pot to a boil. Then, reduce the heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat.

All of the ingredients added to the pan. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Step Four:

Mix in the peas and let the rice rest in the pan for about 5 minutes with the heat off. During this time, it will absorb any leftover liquid.

Adding peas to the cooked rice. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

Fluff the rice with a fork. The rice should be mostly dry. It shouldn’t be mushy or watery. Serve it hot. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

What to Serve This Rice With

This delicious rice will accompany any Mexican dish you are serving. Enchiladas, tacos, burritos, fajitas, and more. One caveat is that if you make this homemade rice, you should also make these easy refried beans, too. They complement each other so well.
It can be served with more dishes than Mexican, though. For an easy meal, serve it with chicken like these smoked legs or air-fried thighs.
Add leftover diced ham, browned ground beef, or chicken, and make it a complete meal in less than 30 minutes.
Serve it in burrito bowls and rice bowls with beans and fresh vegetables like sliced radish, sliced green onion, and lettuce, and top it with cheese for a complete vegetarian meal.

If you love unique rice dishes, give this Thanksgiving rice a try. It’s chock-full of tangy cranberries and creamy sweet potatoes.

Woman's hand holding a fork that is scooping rice from a gray bowl. — Photo Credit: Binky’s Culinary Carnival.

What to do With Leftovers

Store leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This rice can be frozen for longer storage but the texture may suffer.

To reheat, microwave the rice for about 1½ minutes on high. Be sure to cover the bowl with paper towel because the rice kernels may burst if it gets too hot.

The rice can be heated over low heat on the stove. Add a bit of water to the bottom of the saucepan so it doesn’t stick. Cover and stir often until heated through.

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Give this easy Restaurant-style Mexican rice recipe a try today. It is the perfect side dish for all of your favorite Mexican foods.

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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.

Enjoy. And have fun cooking!