Homemade Mexican Rice Recipe

This delicious classic Mexican rice recipe is cooked in a rich tomato broth with zesty serrano peppers making it a very flavorful side dish. Mexican rice is very versatile and can be used in tacos, burritos, or simply eaten by itself.

Side dishes add so much goodness to a table filled with food. there is nothing like having different flavors and textures to accompany, and compliment, the main meal. Check out my creamy coleslaw or my Southern Cornbread recipe for some great side dish ideas for your next meal.

Mexican Rice

Mexican rice, sometimes known as red rice, consists of long grain rice that is fried and then cooked in a tomato broth with peppers. It is an absolute staple in Mexican homes as well as Mexican restaurants all over the world. The simple ingredients in this recipe go a long way to making an incredibly delicious side dish.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Rice – Use any long-grain or extra-long grain rice.
• Tomatoes – Any fresh, stemmed tomato will work.
• Onion – I prefer to use yellow onions, but you can use sweets or white onions.
• Garlic – This will help add some great flavors to this.
• Chicken Stock – Use some good chicken stock for this recipe.
• Peppers – I use serrano pepper for this, but feel free to use a jalapeño.

How to Make Mexican Rice

Use these easy-to-follow instructions and images to make this tasty Mexican rice recipe:

Add the rice to some warm water (110° to 115°) and soak for about 10 minutes. Rinse under cold water and set aside to dry.

While soaking, roast the tomato, onion, and garlic in a small amount of oil over high heat in a frying pan until seared on all sides.

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Add some oil to a frying pan over medium heat and fry the rinsed and dried rice for about 5 to 6 minutes.

Pour in the pureed tomato mixture and stir to combine and cook just until the rice has absorbed most of it.

Add in the chicken stock, salt, and serrano pepper, cover with a lid, and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.

Remove the pepper, break up the rice using a fork and serve.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 1 hour ahead of time. Keep warm covered over very low heat until ready to serve.

How to Store: Cover and store in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. You can freeze this covered for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: To reheat, add the desired amount of rice with 2 to 3 tablespoons of chicken, or water, and heat over low to medium heat while occasionally stirring until hot.

chef notes + tips

• I prefer to remove the seeds from the pepper because I have a low tolerance for spice, however, you can leave the pepper whole or even with just a few seeds if you like spice.

More Side Dish Recipes

• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Glazed Carrots
• Roasted Acorn Squash
• Sauteed Mushrooms
• Baked Beans

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Homemade Mexican Rice Recipe

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5 from 7 votes

This delicious classic Mexican rice recipe is cooked in a rich tomato broth with zesty serrano peppers making it a very flavorful side dish.

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 2 cups long grain rice
• 3 tablespoons neutral flavored oil
• 2 cored tomatoes
• 1 peeled yellow onion, cut in half
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 seeded serrano pepper
• salt to taste

Instructions

• Add the rice to a bowl or container and completely cover it in warm water (110° to 115°) and soak for about 10 minutes. Rinse under cold water and set aside to dry in a strainer.
• While the rice is soaking, add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large frying pan and roast the tomato, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat and sear on all sides until blistered and browned, which takes about 10 minutes total.
• Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
• Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a frying pan over medium heat and fry the rinsed and dried rice for about 5 to 6 minutes while continuously stirring.
• Pour in the pureed tomato mixture and stir to combine and cook over medium heat just until the rice has absorbed most of it, which takes about 5 minutes.
• Add in the chicken stock, salt, serrano pepper, cover with a lid, and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.
• Remove the serrano pepper, break up the rice using a fork and serve.

Notes

Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 1 hour ahead of time. Keep warm covered over very low heat until ready to serve.

How to Store: Cover and store in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. You can freeze this covered for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: To reheat, add the desired amount of rice with 2 to 3 tablespoons of chicken, or water, and heat over low to medium heat while occasionally stirring until hot.

I prefer to remove the seeds from the pepper because I have a low tolerance for spice, however, you can leave the pepper whole or even with just a few seeds if you like spice.

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 6gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 133mgPotassium: 246mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 266IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Chef Billy Parisi