We love making this easy Mexican rice at home! It’s packed with amazing flavors from fresh tomatoes and spices.
This Mexican rice has the best flavor and texture thanks to the fresh tomatoes. It’s light and balanced, and the rice is always soft with perfectly separated grains.
This rice is the perfect side dish for Taco Tuesdays, and you can even use it to make delicious burritos!
There are different types of Mexican rice, but “arroz rojo” is one of the most common and a staple in Mexican cuisine. In Spanish, “arroz” means rice and “rojo” means red. The red color comes from the use of tomatoes, which not only add color but also a balance of tangy and sweet flavors.
Here, I use a combination of fresh diced roma tomatoes as well as tomato paste for a vibrant red orange color and depth of flavor.
This is the Mexican rice that is served in many restaurants (not the yellow “Spanish rice,” which is made with saffron), and I always get so excited when it’s served on the side with my meal! It’s so good.
I love serving this rice along with tacos. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a full party if we didn’t have Pico de Gallo and Guacamole with corn tortilla chips involved!
Looking for more flavorful rice recipes? Try my Mexican Chicken and Rice!
Why we LOVE this restaurant style Mexican rice:
- Super easy to make: This is a low-lift rice recipe, and it cooks in under 20 minutes on the stovetop.
- Flavorful: Packed with flavor like no other, yet it’s so simple. The tomatoes really shine here.
- Light, soft and fluffy texture: This rice is NOT mushy or too wet. It’s soft and fluffy, and the grains are perfectly separated.
- Great side dish for all your favorite Mexican dishes, and you can also use it to make burritos or bowls!
- Make-ahead and freezer friendly.
Ingredient Notes
Below are a few kitchen notes on the ingredients I used to make this rice. They’re very simple and easy to find. In fact, most of the time, I already have these at home, so I usually make this Mexican rice on a whim.
- Long grain rice: This is the preferred type of rice to make this Mexican red rice. Once cooked, it maintains a soft and fluffy texture without getting mushy.
- Diced roma tomatoes: I love the touch of freshness and flavor that freshly diced tomatoes add to the rice.
- Tomato paste: Adds depth of flavor, color, and a slightly sweet and tangy flavor.
- Onions and garlic: These are aromatic ingredients that will infuse the rice with flavor.
- Spices: Ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Chicken broth: This is the liquid base for cooking. Using broth rather than water ensured the rice is flavorful throughout.
- Olive oil for cooking
- Cilantro and lime wedges as garnish for serving
Step-by-Step Tutorial
Here’s how I make my easy restaurant style Mexican rice right at home!
Step 1 | Sauté aromatics and toast rice
In a large skillet or pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the diced onions for 5 minutes until softened, and then add the minced garlic for another 1 minute until fragrant. Then, stir in the uncooked rice until it is coated with oil and slightly nutty, about 2 minutes (this is called “toasting” the rice).
Kitchen Tip: Toasting the rice helps to enhance the nutty flavor of the rice and ensures that the grains remain separate after cooking for the best texture.
Step 2 | Add tomatoes, spices, broth
Next, add the fresh diced tomatoes, tomato paste, ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine. Pour in the chicken broth, stirring to incorporate.
Step 3 | Cover and cook
Bring to a low boil. Then, cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
Then, fluff with a fork to help the grains separate and let any excess steam escape.
Make Ahead and Storage
This is a great make-ahead friendly recipe because it reheats really well. Of course, the fresher the better, but you can make it up to 2 days ahead and reheat in the microwave oven as needed.
Freezing: Let the rice cool completely. Freeze in smaller portion containers, or in small resealable bags. To reheat, break the frozen rice into chunks and reheat in the microwave oven, adding a splash of water. You can also thaw overnight in the fridge.
Pairing and Serving Ideas
There are so many ways to serve this Mexican rice!
- Tacos: Great to serve with Carne Asada Tacos and Barbacoa Tacos.
- Use the rice to make burritos!
- Bowls: Try it with our favorite Chicken Fajita Bowls.
- Taquitos! We just made a batch of my Chicken Taquitos and served them with a side of the rice. It was amazing!
- Try it with these extra cheesy Chicken Quesadillas!
- Grilled chicken or the protein of your choice. Use my Chicken Taco Seasoning.
Looking for more side dishes? Try these:
Recipe FAQs
I use a 4-quart deep cast iron pan. You can also any pot or cast iron Dutch oven that’s about 3.5 to 5 quarts as long as it has a lid.
Yes, you can make the rice up to 2 days ahead and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving.
Yes! Let it cool completely. Divide it up into smaller containers or freezer friendly bags, and freeze for up to 2 months. Full freezing and reheating instructions in the recipe card down below.
Yes. If using canned, make sure it’s drained, or adjust the amount of chicken broth to account for the extra liquid from the can.
This recipe was originally published in 2021 and updated in April 2024 to include new photos and information.
Tips for Success
- Toasting the rice: This consists of adding the uncooked rice to the hot pan (“toasting it”) and stirring it with the aromatics until you get a nutty aroma before adding the liquid. Aside from adding aromatic flavors, this step coats the grains with oil, which helps them stay separated during the cooking process and prevents a mushy texture.
- Choice of rice: I’d highly recommend using long grain rice here.
- Let it be: Resist the urge to lift the lid while cooking. Letting steam escape can affect the cooking time and even texture of the rice.
- Fluff rice with a fork once ready. This helps to further separate the grains and release excess steam, which is essential to getting the perfect texture.
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Mexican Rice (Restaurant Style)
Equipment
- Dutch oven casserole pot this is a 3.6-quart
Ingredients
- Olive oil - for pan
- 1 medium yellow onion, small-diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups long grain rice - uncooked
- 2 roma tomatoes - seeds removed and small diced
- 1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 ¼ cups chicken broth
- Cilantro and lime wedges - for garnish
Instructions
- In a large deep skillet or pot, heat a few drizzles of olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the diced onions for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the minced garlic for another 1 minute until fragrant.
- Then, add the uncooked rice and stir until the grains are coated with the oil and aromatics for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until it smells a bit nutty. This process is called “toasting the rice,” and adds flavor and will also help the rice grains stay separated while it cooks later.
- Stir in the fresh diced tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, salt, and ground black pepper until combined.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Then, reduce to a simmer over low heat, and cover with the lid tightly. Cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is fully absorbed. Tip: Try not to remove the lid until the cook time is up, otherwise the steam will escape, which can affect texture and cook time.
- Once ready, fluff with a fork to help further separate the grains and to release any excess steam. Serve with cilantro garnish and lime wedges on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
- Liquid to rice ratio: For long grain rice, I do 1.5 cups of liquid per cup of rice. This ensures the grains are separated and tender (not mushy or wet). In this recipe, I use 2 cups of rice and 3 ¼ cups of liquid. The extra quarter cup of liquid is to account for the diced tomatoes.
- Tomatoes: If you’d rather not have diced tomato chunks in the rice, you can blend the tomatoes with a splash of the chicken broth.
- Make ahead: This rice can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave oven.
- Storing leftovers: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Fresh tomatoes: Canned diced tomatoes (drained).
- Long grain rice: Jasmine rice is a good substitute.
- Chicken broth: Vegetable broth.
Travis W says
Just made this because we ran out of the boxed rice mix. I don’t think I’ll ever buy the boxed stuff again. This recipe was amazing! The whole family liked it. I was happy I could use some of our fresh tomatoes from our garden in it.
Tania says
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Jack B says
Excellent, excellent recipe. Truly is “restaurant-quality” and easy to make. The flavors really come through. I will never go back to making boxed Mexican rice again. I really like that this is the ultimate make-ahead dish. If fact, I prefer making the rice a day ahead of time…tastes better the next day. I re-heat in the microwave and add an additional dash of cumin, oregano and garlic powder.
Tania says
Thank you for your positive feedback, Jack! Appreciate it!