Restaurant Style Mexican Rice

This is truly the best Mexican rice recipe out there. Restaurant-style Mexican Rice is easy to make at home. This delicious rice recipe is fluffy, flavorful, and the perfect side dish recipe for enchiladas or your favorite tacos. It’s even perfect to serve with Chile Verde.

Mexican rice aka Spanish rice is the best side dish to serve with tacos, fajitas, or shrimp enchiladas.

I first learned how to make Mexican rice from a friend’s mom while I was living in San Diego.

I’ve been fortunate to live all over this country and have been inspired by some pretty awesome moms in my life.

I’ve learned to cook a few authentic Mexican recipes by watching friends’ moms cook over the years. This recipe is one of my favorites in the recipe box because I love Mexican food.

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

• It’s Authentic. This Mexican rice tastes better even better than the Mexican rice you might find in a Mexican Restaurant.
• It’s easy to make. Mexican rice is easy to make. You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry right now.
• It’s the perfect side dish. Rice is the perfect side dish for all things of your Mexican-inspired recipes. Serve it with tacos, fajitas, and even enchiladas.

Recipe Notes

This easy Mexican rice recipe is sometimes called Spanish Rice. There are different ways to make it, but this is the method that I learned. I’ve made it different ways but always come back to this recipe because the flavor is so authentic. It always tastes exactly as I remember.

Ingredient Notes

• Long grain white rice.
• Tomato Sauce.
• Caldo de Pollo. Which is powdered chicken boullion by Knorr. You can use another brand or even substitute chicken broth.
• White onion.
• Garlic.

How To Make Mexican Red Rice aka Spanish Rice

1. Brown the rice. This step is key to getting the authentic texture and flavor of this rice recipe.
2. Add the diced onion. Sauté for a few minutes until the onion is fragrant and translucent.
3. Add the liquid. Add the tomato sauce and the water with the Caldo de Pollo to the rice.
4. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the temperature to medium-low, cover the pot and simmer until the liquid is absorbed. About 20 minutes.

Step-by-Step Instuctions

FAQs and Expert Tips

Storage Tips

How to freeze Spanish Rice.

You can be frozen to be used at a future time. Simply place about 3 cups of cooked rice into ziplock freezer bags, label, and place in the freezer for 4-6 months.

When you’re ready to use you can thaw the rice in the fridge or cook straight from the freezer. Using a microwave-safe bowl microwave the rice on high stirring every 2 minutes until rice reaches your desired temperature.

How to reheat Spanish Rice/Mexican rice? 

Be sure to store it properly in an air-tight container. It can last in the fridge for up to 5-6 days. To reheat, just microwave or reheat on the stove for a few minutes.

Recipe Variations

• Leave out the tomato sauce. Not a fan of tomato sauce you can skip it and just replace it with an extra cup in half of water.
• Add in some veggies. You can add a half-cup to a cup of frozen veggies. I like to use the variety with peas, carrots, and corn.
• Make it with brown rice.  Add a third of a cup more water per cup of brown rice and let it simmer a bit longer- until the brown rice reaches your desired texture.
• Use salsa instead of tomato sauce. Salsa adds some extra spiciness. I’ve made this recipe using Pace’s chunky salsa. But you can use your favorite brand.

Instant Pot Mexican Rice Instructions

It’s easy to make this Authentic Mexican recipe in an Instant Pot. I’ve made it several times like this. It cuts your cook time in half. Just follow the directions in the recipe and then put the lid on your instant pot.

Instant Pot Timing for Mexican Rice

1. Set to Manual or High Pressure, and cook for 3-4 minutes (3 minutes for tender to the bite, or 4 minutes for softer rice).
2. When the timer beeps, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes.

What To Eat With Mexican Rice

Mexican-inspired recipes to serve with this Mexican rice recipe. Don’t forget the pico de gallo and the homemade guacamole.

Hungry for more rice recipes?

Rice has always been a staple in out house and are some of my most popular recipes so I’m guessing you like it too.