This Mexican rice recipe features zingy, fire-roasted tomatoes, pungent aromatics, and rich chicken stock or broth. Because for me, nothing completes a Mexican meal without a side of rice (and beans!). Learn how to make an easier version of Mexican rice in the rice cooker without turning on the stove. And you’ll still get fluffy and tender spoonfuls of rice in every bite!
You might have heard it by other names, such as red rice, arroz rojo, or Spanish rice. Tex-Mex cuisine sometimes uses Mexican and Spanish rice interchangeably to refer to the same tomato-flavored rice. The latter term can be confusing because a version of “Spanish rice” uses saffron as a base and is sweeter than the more tangy and spice-forward Mexican rice.
Cooking on the stovetop vs rice cooker
Authentic Mexican rice is cooked over the stove, in which you can saute the aromatics, spices, and rice before boiling and steaming. Toasting the rice before cooking in the liquid helps infuse more flavor into the rice; however, cooking Mexican rice in a rice cooker skips this step in exchange for a hands-free experience. To add more flavor to our Mexican rice, we add chicken broth and chicken bouillon cube.
Type of rice to use
Mexican rice is best made with extra long-grain white rice. We use Mahatma brand extra long-grain rice. This variety of rice gives us an extra fluffy and less sticky texture, which is perfect for Mexican rice. You’ll want to refrain from using the short-grain or medium-grain rice which we reserve for sushi rice because it will be too mushy for this type of cuisine.
Ingredients in Mexican rice
This Mexican rice recipe uses lots of flavor boosters to help make the extra long-grain rice delicious with every bite:
- Chicken bouillon is a common ingredient in Mexican rice, adding a savory and umami flavor. Before adding it to the rice, combine the chicken bouillon with very hot water to fully dissolve it. Otherwise, you’ll end up with chunks. Some people also add tomato bouillon for more flavor if you have this on hand.
- Chicken broth adds richness, flavor, and salt to the rice.
- Canned, fire-roasted diced tomatoes make this recipe so easy. There’s no cooking or blending involved with canned and diced tomatoes. After cooking in the rice cooker, use a spatula to fluff the rice and gently mash the tomatoes to mix them into the rice.
- Dried spices like cumin and chipotle powder add a warm, earthy flavor. If you like more heat, you can add cayenne or chili powder.
- Fresh aromatics like diced onion and minced garlic are traditional in Mexican rice. They add extra pungent flavor and spice to the rice.
- Neutral oil helps to separate the rice grains and prevent the texture from getting too sticky.
What to serve alongside Mexican rice
Mexican rice is often served with a plate of refried beans, grilled and marinated meats, roasted peppers, and a side of fresh salsa. But this rice pairs well with many different types of food, not just Mexican. Its brothy and tangy, tomato flavor pairs well with dishes like:
- whole smoked chicken
- grilled chicken kabobs (Middle Eastern style)
- veggie kabobs (grilled vegetable skewers)
- grilled corn on the cob in foil (w/ compound butter)
- quinoa with black beans and corn
Mexican Rice in a Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 ½ c extra long-grain rice Mahatma brand
- water for rinsing rice
- ½ c hot water
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- ½ c chicken broth
- 14.5 oz fire-roasted, diced tomatoes unsalted
- ⅛ tsp cumin
- ⅛ tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- ¼ c diced white onion
- 2 tsp minced garlic
Equipment Used
- measuring cups and spoons or kitchen scale
- Strainer
- spatula
- heat-safe bowl
- microwave or kettle
Instructions
- Rinse the 1 ½ c extra long-grain rice in a strainer under running water until the water turns clear. Set aside.
- In a heat-safe bowl, add the ½ c hot water and microwave for one minute (or you can preheat in a kettle). Crumble 1 cube chicken bouillon with your fingers into the water bowl and mix until dissolved.
- In the same water bowl, add the ½ c chicken broth , 14.5 oz fire-roasted, diced tomatoes , ⅛ tsp cumin , and ⅛ tsp chipotle powder. Mix thoroughly.
- In the rice cooker pot, add the 1 tbsp neutral oil , ¼ c diced white onion, and 2 tsp minced garlic and mix.
- Add the 1 ½ c extra long-grain rice and mix to make sure all the grains are coated with oil.
- Add all ingredients and liquid to the rice pot and mix again.
- Close the lid and use the white long-grain rice setting or Jasmine rice setting on your rice cooker. Our Zojirushi rice cooker takes about 58 minutes to cook on the Jasmine rice setting.
- After cooking, open the lid and optionally gently crush the diced tomatoes.
- Fluff the rice with the spatula. Close the lid and let rest for an additional 10 minutes. Serve.
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