The Best Easy Spanish Rice (Mexican Red Rice)

The Best Easy Spanish Rice: This recipe makes tender, fluffy, and foolproof Spanish rice every time. 

With a flavorful blend of garlic, tomato, onion, and broth - this one-pan Spanish rice tastes exactly like the one you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant.

I love the distinctive red hue of the rice, which gets its color from tomatoes. It is simple, relatively inexpensive, and easy to make. You only need a few common ingredients, and in just 25 minutes, a comforting rice dish is ready to serve.

Spanish rice, also known as red rice, Mexican rice, or Arroz rojo in Mexico, is typically served as a side dish. Whatever you may call this, this tomato-flavored rice tastes so good you will want to eat it right out of the pan.

A perfectly cooked Spanish rice shouldn't be gummy or sticky - it should be light, fluffy, and non-sticky. Although it's not difficult, some essential tips will help you make the best easy Spanish rice at home every time. 

Serve this as it is or as a side dish to tacos, enchiladas, refried beans, fajitas, or any of your favorite Mexican food.  

More Delicious Side Dishes

• Chicken Jalfrezi Recipe
• Mediterranean Yellow Rice
• Asian Cucumber Salad
• Asian Broccoli Stir Fry
• Spinach Stir Fry with Garlic

Ingredients You'll Need

Before we get into the recipe, a few words on the ingredients used. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

• Rice: to make this recipe, I suggest using a good quality long grain white Basmati rice. It cooks up fluffy, with all grains remaining distinct and firm. Basmati rice is a popular variety. You can find it in most supermarkets. You can also buy it on amazon here;
• Oil: I like to use olive oil, while you can use your choice of cooking oil or butter. You can even use a combination of oil and butter;
• Onion and garlic: essential flavoring base. Use fresh;
• Tomatoes, blended: fresh red tomatoes give the best flavor. Rinse the tomatoes and cut them into chunks. Blend until smooth, then proceed with the steps. If you would like, you can strain it using a mesh strainer;
• Salt: regular sea salt for seasoning;
• Chili powder: dried red chili powder imparts flavor and a hint of heat. You can also use paprika or fresh jalapeno pepper in place;
• Ground cumin: it helps to enhance the flavor base;
• Dried oregano: it complements the tomato flavor. Hence I would suggest not skipping it;
• Stock/broth: I have used my homemade vegetable stock here. You can use chicken stock instead;
• Cilantro/coriander: use fresh leaves. These are great to add a touch of freshness and color. Sub with parsley if you wish;

Variations

You can add some vegetables such as colored bell peppers or peas. In addition, you can also add some cooked/canned chickpeas or beans and turn it into a complete vegan/vegetarian meal.

Tips for the Best Spanish Rice

• The ratio of rice to liquid should be 1:2, which means for 1 cup of uncooked rice, you will need 2 cups of liquid. 
• Always rinse the rice; otherwise, the rice will be sticky. Rinsing the rice well helps remove all the powdery starch from its surface to prevent sticking. It also cleans up the dirt, if any. 
• Soaking the rice for 15-20 minutes helps quick-cooking, and also it will produce perfectly cooked fluffy rice.
• Before adding tomatoes and stock, sauteing the rice makes the rice even more fragrant and delicious.
• Cook the rice in stock, not water. Stock/broth adds so much flavor to the rice, don't skip it.
• Make sure to cover the pan/pot with a tight-fitting lid.
• 1 servings = 1 cup cooked rice = ½ cup uncooked rice

Instructions Step By Step

• Rinse the rice 3 to 4 times in water or until the water looks clear. Place the rice in a bowl and add enough water to cover. Soak the rice for 15-20 minutes. 
• Then strain the rice using a mesh strainer and set it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add onion and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes or until onions soften.
• Add drained rice. Gently saute the rice for 2 minutes until slightly toasted. Do it with a light hand to avoid breaking the rice grains.

• Add blended tomatoes, chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, and salt. Mix well until everything is well combined.
• Add vegetable stock and chopped cilantro and stir to mix. 
• Bring the rice to a boil over high flame. Once the water on the surface of the rice dries up, reduce the heat to the lowest, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 10 minutes.
• Turn off the flame and allow the rice to sit covered for 5 minutes undisturbed. Serve immediately garnished with chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

Leftovers

You can store the leftovers in an airtight container, refrigerate them for up to three days, and just reheat them in the microwave for a few minutes before serving.

If you try the recipe, please take a moment to leave a comment and rating. I love hearing from you; it also helps other readers who are thinking of making the recipe.

Recipe

The Best Easy Spanish Rice (Mexican Red Rice)

Learn to make easy, tender, fluffy, foolproof Spanish rice every time at home with a handful of common ingredients and in just 25 minutes.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Mexican rice, Spanish rice

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 3 people

Calories:

Author: Geetanjali

Equipment

• Pan with lid

Ingredients

• 1 cup long-grain white Basmati rice uncooked
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ medium-sized onion finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 medium-sized red tomatoes blended
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro/coriander leaves chopped
• salt as required

Instructions

• Rinse the rice 3 to 4 times in water or until the water looks clear. Place the rice in a bowl and add enough water to cover. Soak the rice for 15-20 minutes.
• Then strain the rice using a mesh strainer and set it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add onion and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes or until onions soften.
• Add drained rice. Gently saute the rice for 2 minutes until slightly toasted. Do it with a light hand to avoid breaking the rice grains.
• Add blended tomatoes, chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, and salt. Mix well until everything is well combined.
• Add vegetable stock and chopped cilantro and stir to mix.
• Bring the rice to a boil over high flame. Once the water on the surface of the rice dries up, reduce the heat to the lowest, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 10 minutes.
• Turn off the flame and allow the rice to sit covered for 5 minutes undisturbed. Serve immediately garnished with chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

Notes

• The ratio of rice to liquid should be 1:2, which means for 1 cup of uncooked rice, you will need 2 cups of liquid.
• Always rinse the rice; otherwise, the rice will be sticky. Rinsing the rice well helps remove all the powdery starch from its surface to prevent sticking. It also cleans up the dirt, if any.
• Soaking the rice for 15-20 minutes helps quick-cooking, and also it will produce perfectly cooked fluffy rice.
• Before adding tomatoes and stock, sauteing the rice makes the rice even more fragrant and delicious.
• Cook the rice in stock, not water. Stock/broth adds so much flavor to the rice, don't skip it.
• Make sure to cover the pan/pot with a tight-fitting lid.
• 1 servings = 1 cup cooked rice = ½ cup uncooked rice