Spanish Rice (Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice)
Fluffy restaurant-style Spanish rice: toasted long-grain rice simmered in tomato sauce and broth with cumin. One pot, 45 minutes, never mushy.
11% of it needs you at the counter
- Hands-on
- 5 min
- Cooking
- 30 min
- Resting
- 10 min
- Serves
- 6
- Calories
- 230
- Protein
- 5 g
- Per serving
- $0.62
Why this recipe works
This is the orange, gently spiced rice that comes next to enchiladas and refried beans at Mexican-American restaurants. It is often called Mexican rice or arroz rojo; north of the border, "Spanish rice" is the name most people search for.
The method matters more than the spice jar: rinse, toast until golden, then leave the lid alone.
- Toasting the rinsed rice in oil until golden seals each grain, so it cooks up separate instead of sticky.
- Tomato sauce gives the color and flavor without the raw edge of paste, and it counts toward the liquid, so the ratio stays right.
- Ten covered minutes off the heat finish the steaming, which fixes the crunchy-top, wet-bottom problem.
Ingredients
To serve
You will need
- 3-quart saucepan or deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid
- Fine-mesh strainer
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done.
Rinse the rice
Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cold water until the water runs mostly clear, then shake it dry. Wet rice spatters and won't toast.
Toast until golden
Heat the oil in the saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and stir often until most grains turn opaque and light golden and smell nutty. Add the onion for the last 2 minutes and the garlic for the final 30 seconds.
Add the liquid
Stir in the tomato sauce, broth, cumin, chili powder and salt, scraping the bottom. Bring to a full boil.
Simmer covered
Stir once, cover tightly and turn the heat to low. Simmer without lifting the lid until the liquid is absorbed.
Rest and fluff
Take the pan off the heat and leave it covered to finish steaming. Fluff with a fork, then top with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Cook's notes
- Don't stir once the lid is on. Stirring releases starch and is the main cause of gummy rice.
- If the top is still a little firm after resting, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of hot broth over it, cover and wait 5 more minutes.
- For a little heat, toast half a seeded, minced jalapeño with the onion.
Nutrition per serving
230 calories
$0.62 estimated cost per serving
Where the calories come from
| Protein | 9% of calories | 5 g |
|---|---|---|
| Carbs | 72% of calories | 41 g |
| Fat | 20% of calories | 5 g |
| Fiber | 1 g | |
| Sodium | 560 mg |
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients and amounts; not lab-tested. Cost estimated from average US retail prices.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between Spanish rice and Mexican rice?
In the US they usually mean the same dish: rice toasted in oil and simmered with tomato and broth. Rice dishes from Spain, like paella, are different and use saffron and short-grain rice.
Why is my Spanish rice mushy?
Too much liquid, skipping the rinse, or stirring during cooking. Rinse the rice, keep to 1½ cups rice for 3 cups of liquid in total (including the tomato sauce), and leave the lid on.
Can I make it in a rice cooker?
Yes. Toast the rice and onion in a skillet first, then move everything to the rice cooker with the liquids and spices and use the white rice setting.
