Easy Mexican Rice

This easy restaurant-style Mexican rice is my favorite side dish for taco night! I love good authentic Mexican rice, and this one is made with tender long grain rice, fresh diced tomatoes, Mexican spices, and so much more.

This easy recipe comes together in about 40 minutes, with just a few simple steps and ingredients. It also reheats really well, so you can make it ahead of time. You’ll love how easy and simple it is.

The rice comes out perfectly tender and flavorful. Read on to learn more about the right amount of water to use, and the perfect cooking method to make the most flavorful Mexican rice ever!

Every time I go to Mexican restaurants, I order their signature Mexican rice. It’s a must-order side dish to accompany all the tacos, burritos, fajitas, or any main entree. Because I love it so much, I recreated this easy restaurant-style Mexican rice, and I’m so excited to share the recipe with you today!

This easy Mexican rice is perfect for Cinco de Mayo (coming up in 2 days!) or for a casual taco night. Taco Tuesdays at my house are a thing, so this rice side dish is always on my dinner table.

The rice comes out so tender and flavorful. It’s seriously so good. After a few test batches, I think I’ve got the perfect amount of liquid to rice ratio and the perfect seasoning for the best authentic Mexican rice ever!

It’s a quick and easy recipe, all in one pot. Read on to learn more about the awesome ingredients that go into this rice, as well as tips and tricks to get the best results. I promise, everyone will love it!

Mexican-Inspired Ingredients

You only need a handful of ingredients to make this easy Mexican rice. They are all very easy to find and make the most flavorful side dish ever!

My favorite thing about this recipe is that it uses fresh diced tomatoes, rather than canned diced tomatoes. Using fresh tomatoes here gives the rice a lighter red color and a touch of freshness. It’s so delicious!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Olive oil: for the pan or pot.
• Fresh garlic: Minced. Garlic adds aromatic flavors to the flavor base.
• Yellow onion: Diced. For the flavor base.
• Rice: Use long grain rice for this recipe due to the water to rice ratio below. Ratios can vary depending on the type of rice you’re using.
• Diced roma tomatoes: fresh tomatoes will add a touch of freshness and a lighter color to the rice. The rice will taste amazing but not heavy at all.
• Salt and pepper
• Tomato paste: Tomato paste is concentrated with amazing flavors. It will also add color.
• Ground cumin: For flavor.
• Dried oregano: For flavor.
• Chicken broth: Using rice instead of water to cook the rice will add even more flavor! You can also use vegetable rice.
• Cilantro and lime wedges for garnish

As always, the ingredient quantities and details can be found in the recipe card down below.

So Easy to Make

What gives flavor and depth to this restaurant-style Mexican rice are the initial steps of cooking and slightly browning the onions and garlic until fragrant. This step builds an aromatic flavor base that will infuse the entire dish.

Another step that adds great flavor is “toasting” the rice. This method basically consists of adding the uncooked rice to the onion and garlic base, and toasting it over the hot pan or pot before you add the liquids. After about 2-3 minutes, it will produce this aromatic nutty flavor and also absorb flavors from the onion and garlic. This way, you ensure that the rice is seasoned and fragrant. Toasting the rice adds amazing flavor depth and complexity, so don’t skip this step!

Here’s an overview of the steps to make this rice:

1. Cook the onion and garlic: This will be the aromatic flavor base.
2. Toast the rice: Add the rice to the pot, and let it “toast” over the heated pot for about 2-3 minutes, until it smells nutty and aromatic.
3. Add the remaining ingredients: diced tomatoes, tomato paste, ground cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Then add the broth.
4. Simmer until ready: Should take 20-23 minutes for the rice to fully absorb the liquid. Try not to open the lid until the cooking time is up, otherwise the steam will escape, resulting in undercooked rice.

Don’t forget to fluff the rice at the end! After the rice has absorbed the water and is perfectly tender and cooked, fluff it with a fork a few times, and cover with the lid again for like 5 to 10 minutes. This optional step redistributes the heat and flavor, making a fluffier and even more delicious rice!

The Perfect Liquid to Rice Ratio

No one wants mushy rice or undercooked rice!

For long grain rice, it’s usually about 1 ½ cups of liquid for every cup of uncooked rice. This ensures that the grains are tender and separated, rather than sticky and wet.

For this Mexican rice recipe, I use 3 ¼ of liquid for 2 cups of rice. I know, it’s ¼ cup more than the ratio, mathematically speaking. Because there are other ingredients here, such as the diced tomatoes, I add ¼ cup of extra liquid to account for that.

If you like your rice a bit more wet, you can add extra liquid…I’d say probably a quarter or half a cup more than the recipe below.

Also, you’ll notice that the liquid component here is chicken broth! You can also use vegetable broth, if you prefer. This will add even more flavor to the rice, as opposed to using just water.

Make It Ahead

You can store the cooked rice in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. It keeps really well!

However, as with mostly anything, the less time you store it, the better it will be. So, if you want to make this easy Mexican rice in advance, I’d recommend making it 1 day ahead.

I absolutely love this Mexican side dish! It’s my favorite thing to serve with tacos because it’s so versatile and flavorful. It pairs well with almost everything!

It’s also so easy to make, and make-ahead friendly. If you’re throwing a Mexican-themed party, I’d highly recommend making a big batch. Everyone will love it!

My favorite taco recipes to pair with this Mexican rice are my Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef Tacos, Carne Asada Tacos, and Tacos al Pastor.

Other delicious Mexican side dishes I love are my Mexican Street Corn Salad, Chorizo Queso, and of course, guacamole!

I hope you like this recipe as much as I do. Happy cooking!