Mexican Rice Recipe Having learned how to make this Mexican rice from locals in Puebla, Mexico, I can promise this recipe is the real deal!  Don’t miss my other popular Mexican recipes, including Carne Asada Tacos, Esquites, and Chiles Relleños. We never enjoy “Taco Tuesdays” without a side of this easy Mexican Rice that I learned to make while living in Puebla, Mexico, during a college internship. I was there with my husband, and we taught workshops to locals interested in starting a small business.

We met many amazing people while living there, including a chef who attended one of our workshops. I asked him if he’d teach me the right way to make a few authentic dishes, and he invited us into his home for a day. Mexican Rice Recipe We cooked up a storm, and I took detailed notes as we cooked this rice together, along with mole poblano, red and green salsas, and pozole. 

Ingredients Needed:

Long Grain White Rice: Washing the rice is crucial for removing the outer starch, allowing it to cook fluffy. If you’d like to use Brown Rice, increase the liquid by ½ cup and cook for 40 minutes, following the same resting instructions.

Oil: Canola or vegetable oil, for toasting the rice.

Onion: a small piece, finely chopped.

Garlic: one or two small cloves, minced.

Tomato Sauce: I used this because it’s fast and easy, but for a more authentic version, add 1-2 fresh tomatoes to a blender with the onion and garlic, and blend before adding to the rice.

Tomato Bouillon: granules or cubes, found in the Mexican aisle or online. This adds colour and flavour to the rice. Agar yeh na mile, toh us ki jagah chicken bouillon use kar lein.

Water: Agar aap Tomato Bouillon nahi daalte, toh simple paani ki jagah chicken broth use kar sakte hain.

Salt: Namak apne taste ke mutabiq daal lein.

Peas and Carrots: optional.

Serrano peppers: It’s optional to add 1-2 on top of the rice while it cooks, to add extra flavour (it won’t make the rice “spicy”.

Also Read: Ninja Creami Recipes: Easy, Healthy & Delicious Ideas

How to make Mexican Rice:

1. Wash and Toast the rice:  Add rice to a fine mesh strainer and rinse it until the water runs clear. Sauté the rice in hot oil in a saucepan until golden brown.

2. Add remaining ingredients: Add tomato sauce, garlic, and diced onion to the pan. Stir in tomato bullion, salt, carrots, peas, and water. 

3. Simmer: Bring it to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Pro Tips:

Rinse the rice. Take an extra second to rinse your rice with water to remove the starch film on the surface that can cause the rice to clump together.

Toast the rice. When you add the rice to the oil, toast it really well! This extra step takes a few minutes, but it adds really great flavour to the rice.

The trick to get that great colour and flavour: Tomato bullion cubes add great flavour, and they’re what makes the rice turn that perfect orange colour that you’re looking for. It should be easy to find at your local grocery store. I buy mine at Walmart, in the Mexican food aisle. You could also buy them from Amazon. They look like this. If you can’t find them, substitute chicken broth for the water in this recipe.

Rest and Fluff. It’s crucial to give the rice time to rest after cooking, before serving, and to only gently fluff it with a fork (don’t “stir” it). This will make the difference between wet, clumpy, and mushy rice and fluffy rice.

Instant Pot Mexican Rice: If you own an Instant Pot, I’ve adapted this recipe for Instant Pot Mexican rice.

Serve Mexican Rice with:

Cheese Enchiladas

Chile Verde

Baked Tacos

Chile Colorado

Chiles Relleno

Shrimp Tacos

Also Read: Sticky Chicken Recipe: Easy, Delicious & Perfect for Family Dinners

Conclusion

Mexican Rice Recipe ek bohot hi aasaan, fluffy aur authentic dish hai jo har Mexican meal ko complete kar deti hai. Mexican Rice Recipe Puebla, Mexico ke locals se seekhi gayi yeh recipe bilkul original taste deti hai—golden toasted rice, rich tomato flavour, aur perfect texture ke saath.

 Agar aap is recipe ke simple steps follow karein—rice ko rinse karna, acchi tarah toast karna, tomato bouillon ka use, aur akhir mein rice ko rest dena—tou aapko har dafa restaurant-style, perfectly fluffy Mexican rice milega. Mexican Rice Recipe Chahe aap Taco Tuesday bana rahe hon ya koi Mexican dinner, yeh Mexican Rice har dish ke saath zabardast lagti hai. Ek baar try karenge tou yeh aapki regular, go-to side dish ban jayegi!

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