Fluffy, beautifully seasoned Mexican Red Rice! With a whisper of coriander / cilantro fragrance and delicate tomato flavour, this Mexican rice staple is so tasty you can eat it plain.
Never be disappointed by gluggy, mushy, bland Mexican Rice again!
Red Mexican Rice – an essential Mexican side!
2 years ago today, I was in Oaxaca, arguably the food capital of Mexico and an ideal place to watch the festivities of Day of the Dead, an annual multi-day holiday during which family and friends gather to pray and celebrate the life of those who have passed. It’s colourful, it’s joyous, there’s a seemingly endless stream of parades that weave through the streets.
It’s a bustle of energy, cemeteries come alive with parties once the sun sets, the town squares are packed with stalls and restaurants serve special festive foods.
.
So today, in honour of this annual Mexican holiday, I’m sharing an essential Mexican staple – Arroz Rojo. Mexican Red Rice. 🙂
Fluffy, perfectly seasoned Mexican Red Rice
A good Mexican red rice should be fluffy and tasty enough to eat plain. Honestly, try some straight out of the pot and tell me if you agree.
But to be sensible and round out a meal, I like to use it on a loaded Mexican plate of goodness, just like what you get at Mexican restaurants (particularly in the States). Like piling on to the plate Pork Carnitas or Beef Barbacoa, steamed corn, and a Pico de Gallo. Few wedges of lime, sprinkle of fresh coriander / cilantro and dig in.
Or use it to stuff into Burritos. Now, I must confess in the burritos pictured below, I just used plain rice! The beef in these burritos stained the rice red. 🙂 (PS These are freezer friendly, they are brilliant standby meals).
If you’ve ever been disappointed by a Mexican Red Rice recipe before, chances are that the liquid to rice ratio was off (anything more than 2 cups = soggy, mushy rice), it lacked seasoning because it wasn’t cooked in broth or it used too much tomato paste / puree which makes the liquid too thick so the rice doesn’t cook evenly = soggy gluggy mess.
It’s not hard. It’s just about getting the ratios right.
Real deal Arroz Rojo is made with pureed fresh tomatoes, sometimes with tomato bouillon cube (I haven’t seen that here). One day I’ll share that with you, but it does require more effort, and super ripe, intensely tomatoey tomatoes to have the same effect as using a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste.
Truly great tomatoes are hard to come by in ordinary grocery stores. Tomato paste is far easier – and it does the job great. 🙂
Serve this Mexican Red Rice with all things Mexican!! – Nagi x
FAVOURITE MEXICAN RECIPES
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Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)
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Mexican Fiesta Menu and recipes
Mexican Rice recipe
Watch how to make it
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Mexican Red Rice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 small white onion , finely chopped
- 1 cup long grain white rice , uncooked (Note 1)
- 1 3/4 cups (435 ml) chicken or vegetable broth (Note 2)
- 2 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 serrano or jalapeno pepper , whole (optional)
- 1 sprig coriander / cilantro
Optional garnish:
- Finely chopped coriander / cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, stir briefly, then add onion. Cook for 4 - 5 minutes until translucent (not browned / golden).
- Add rice, broth, salt and tomato paste. Stir until tomato paste is dissolved.
- Plonk in jalapeno and coriander. Cover, bring to simmer, then lower heat to low so the water is simmering gently.
- Cook for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed (tilt pot to check).
- Remove from heat, leave lid on and rest for 10 minutes (KEY STEP). The residual liquid on the surface of the rice will get absorbed and rice will go from sticky to fluffy.
- Fluff with fork then serve! (Optional: garnish with extra coriander)
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
This is Geoff, the homeless man who I take hot meals to who you’ve been hearing about for years. His car is his home, and he has special permission from the Council to stay at the dog park. He tells the worst jokes (😂), he seems to know everyone – and their dogs – by name and we always joke that he has the best backyard in the northern beaches: barrel gun views over the beautiful Pittwater waterway.
He’s a valuable member of our community, and looks after the dog park so well for us. Bayview would not be the same without him and his little companion, Cleo.
And there’s Dozer, begging for some of the hot meal I just gave Geoff. Shame on you. Shame on you!
I made this with the barbacoa tacos and omg. So so good. I was hesitant to add the jalapeño in but I just put it in with the rice whole and pulled it out when it was done. The rice was a huge hit and not spicy. It had great flavor. So good. I am never disappointed in this website.
Hi, Naggi, Imade your Carnitas recipe and this Arroz Rojo recipe as a side. I always follow the recipe exactly the first time so I know the baseline without my input.
Thanks for this great Arroz Rojo recipe!
I’ve made this so many times as a side or for burritos and it’s great. I leave out the jalapeño these days for the kids but it’s still yum. I’ve even used this recipe with quinoa for something different and it works perfectly!
I’ve tried so many Mexican rice recipes, but the use of canned tomatoes in those recipes gives it a metallic taste. The use of tomato paste worked perfectly here. Another winner!
Nagi this was so easy and tasty! I threw in some canned chickpeas and frozen corn kernels to round it out as a meal, and they really elevated it.
After the jalapeno cooks whole, do you remove & discard it or chop it up & add to the rice? Thank you!
Before Nagi’s none recipes worked for me. Thanks to her I even started to understand right away if smth won’t work for me, like with this one I understood that the pan is a bad idea and I should better cook it in my multicooker as I usually do with my rice. I use Nagi’s recommendations for cooking the Basmati rice. So it was 1 cup of rice and 3 time less liquid. The result: delicious, aromatic and fluffy rice!
I really loved this, Nagi! I made it to go with bbq pork ribs that I slow cooked, then shredded and fried the meat to make it crispy. A scoop of this red rice, crispy pork and some shredded mozzarella rolled into a flour tortilla, on a hot plate until browned all over- it was a hit! My husband went back three times for more rice and my son scooped extra rice into his mouth while waiting for the burritos to brown. I cooked the rice in my largest stainless steel heavy saucepan with foil over the top and then the lid. To stop the rice burning I used an old Indian trick- I put a stainless steel heavy frying pan on the stove, THEN the saucepan on this to diffuse the heat. Perfection!
Such a cheap and quick and delicious dinner to make. I add a can of black beans and a can of kidney beans for protein and just increase the broth to counter that. Also stir through spinach at the end for some greens. Probably not authentic but it’s still really yummy!
I’ve tried several other Mexican Rice recipes and have not liked any of them. I had given up hope but after finding your site and trying some of your recipes with great success so I thought I’d give this a try. WOW was it SO much better than any other recipe I’ve tried! Thank you for an awesome recipe that is as good as the restaurants.
I love making these but my man’s stomach cannot handle beans. Is there anything else I could use to substitute the refried beans but still get the creaminess of the filling?
I’m not sure what you’re making, but this recipe does NOT include beans!
Well this was delicious! Served as part of home made burrito bowls with corn ribs, leftover taco mince, guacamole and fresh tomatoes, capsicum and coriander 🙂
Terrific recipe. Started off on the stovetop, finished in the rice cooker. Really tasty:)
This is a great beginners recipe for Mexican rice. It achieved all of the flavor and perfection of Authentic mexican rice. Brings me back to touring LA and the rich Mexican food you can find. Enjoy!
I looked up this recipe to up my Mexican rice game. I was happy to see that it’s basically the way I make it, but with more tomato paste. I upped the tomato paste and it was much better. I do usually add some chili powder and maybe cumin, but didn’t last night. Made this recipe as directed and it was so much better. Who knew that an extra tablespoon of tomato paste would make that much difference!
O. M. G. Finally!! I’ve tried a few Spanish/Mexican rice recipes that turned out gloopy and mushy. Decided to give it one more try with your recipe and it is PERFECTION! I am so glad I gave it another whirl!
This rice is totally eat it right out of the pan delicious and the grains are separate! Followed the recipe almost to the T – I did sauté my jasmine rice with the the onion and garlic until everything was translucent before adding the other ingredients (stirring constantly is a must).
Thank you SO much nagi!!!!
I make this every time we have Mexican meal. LOVE it. The only change is that I saute the rice before adding the broth. I think it makes rice tastier.
This was delicious, I added jalapenos to the rice and chorizo. Will definitely make again
Has anyone doubled/tripled this recipe? I am making for a party and will need to serve 12-16. Wondering if I’m safer doing a corn salad instead (easier to multipy).
Hi Rebecca! A triple batch of this worked fine for me, I had to cook it for a little longer. (Maybe 10 minutes?) Hope that helps!
Great recipe! Letting it sit for 15 mins after to reabsorb the fluid is key! Also liked adding 1/2 tsp cumin as suggested by another reviewer.