Learn how to make the best Mexican Style Rice that’s just like your favorite Mexican food restaurant, bursting with savory flavor and cooked to perfection.
Get the recipe for the standard stovetop version or make it in the Instant Pot! The Instant Pot version is at the very bottom of the post.
I have made this recipe more times than I can count and it’s been perfected over the years. It’s my Mom’s favorite thing that I make. If I want to make her day, I make this rice.
Growing up in Arizona I was raised on Sonoran-style Mexican food. This rice is just like my favorite restaurants, infused with tomato, garlic, and onion.
How to Make Mexican Style Rice
It’s an easy 4 part process to making this rice recipe.
- Roast tomato, onion and garlic in the oven
- Blend the roasted vegetables with broth and tomato paste
- Toast your rice in oil and then add in the blended vegetable broth mix and a can of diced tomatoes
- Cook the rice in the oven or the Instant Pot, depending on your desired method
Why roast your vegetables? Roasting vegetables brings out extra flavor and the natural sugars. It’s a secret weapon of restaurant chefs everywhere.
Rinse Your Rice
Before you get to the toasting step, there’s one more important step in the prep process that will ensure your rice is perfectly cooked through and prevents it from getting gummy or mushy. Be sure to rinse your rice. I put my rice in a fine mesh colander and rinse it with water in the sink until the water draining through runs clear. This helps to remove the excess starch from the rice and just like toasting, another step not to skip.
Toast Your Rice?
Yep! This is the do-not-skip step in this recipe if you want it to turn out just right. You add 2 Tbs of oil (I use avocado) to your dutch oven over medium high heat or Instant Pot on saute mode and then add in your two cups of long grain white rice, stirring occasionally until the rice starts to get fragrant and just slightly golden and toasty.
But, do not walk away from your rice while it’s toasting. I have burned more batches of rice when walking away for even a moment. Be patient, toast the rice. It’s well worth the extra step because it gives the final dish a little bit of crispiness and extra texture.
How Much Rice Should I Make Per Person?
The general recommendation is a quarter cup to a half cup of uncooked rice per person. Keep in mind that rice expands when it cooks, so a half cup will equal a full cup of cooked rice. Whenever I make this recipe, a full batch feeds 8 people, but I also always serve this with a smorgasbord of other Mexican food.
Only serving a smaller group? I’d still make a full batch of this recipe because the leftovers of this rice are just as good the next day. Mr. Simon loves to eat it for breakfast the next day with a fried egg on top. Just pop the rice in the microwave for a minute to reheat it and enjoy.
What Type of Rice is Used in Mexican Food?
Traditionally Mexican style rice is made with long grain white rice. That’s the rice I use in this recipe. I have tried it with other types of rice but long grain white rice performs best because this recipe is created for the proper ratio of liquid. Different rice varieties require different ratios of liquid to rice so always keep that in mind as you prepare rice dishes.
Want to Add Some Heat?
Feel free to add a little heat to your Mexican style rice. When I’m making this dish for a spicier crowd, I’ll add in minced jalapeno to the step when I add in the diced tomatoes.
What goes with Mexican Style Rice?
This side dish goes with pretty much any Mexican food dish accompanied by a side of beans. Tamales, enchiladas and tacos are my favorite main dishes to pair with this side. It’s also great to roll up inside a burrito!
- Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
- Tamales
- My Favorite Chicken Enchiladas
Mexican Style Rice
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: side dish
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
The best Mexican style rice bursting with savory tomato and garlic flavor cooked to perfection just like your favorite Mexican food restaurant.
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- 4 roma tomatoes, halved
- 1 onion, quartered
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 Tbs tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 Tbs oil (I like avocado, but olive or vegetable oil works, too)
- 1 15.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F
- Rinse 2 cups long grain white in water until the water runs clear. You want to remove the excess starch from the rice before cooking. Then thoroughly drain the water from the rice and set aside.
- Place the four halved roma tomatoes, 1 quartered onion, and 4 cloves of garlic on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet and roast in the 425F oven for 20 minutes until the vegetables are fragrant and starting to caramelize.
- Place the roasted vegetables into a blender with 2 Tbs tomato paste, 1 tsp salt, and 2 cups stock and blend until smooth then set to the side.
- Place a dutch oven that has a lid (I use at least a 4 quart or larger dutch oven) on the stove over medium high heat. Add 2 Tbs oil to the dutch oven along with the 2 cups long grain white rice that you rinsed earlier and stir continuously for approximately five to eight minutes so that the rice gets toasted / fried in the oil. This helps to improve texture and flavor. Don’t walk away from the rice because you don’t want it to burn. The rice is ready for the next step once it’s fragrant and just a touch of golden color has developed.
- Next, pour the tomato mixture from the blender into the dutch oven with the rice. The liquid will sizzle and splatter a bit which is normal. Then add in the 15.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes (do not drain!) to the dutch oven and stir everything together until mixed.
- Bring the rice mixture up to a simmer and then cover it with a lid and place it in the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F and allow the rice to cook in the oven for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes of cooking, remove the dutch oven from the oven and remove the lid and stir the rice so that the tomatoes and sauce that have gathered on the top are redistributed throughout. Then replace the lid back on the dutch oven and put it back in the oven for 15 minutes to finish cooking the rice.
- After 15 minutes the rice should be done cooking. Remove it from the oven, fluff it one more time and enjoy!
Keywords: rice, long grain rice, Mexican, tomatoes, garlic, Mexican food
Mexican Style Rice in the Instant Pot
Rice is one of my favorite things to make in the Instant Pot so I couldn’t resist modifying this recipe to also work in the Instant Pot.
The ingredients are the exact same and the steps are very similar. The only major difference is that instead of baking the rice in the oven, you cook it for eight minutes on the manual Instant Pot setting and then allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes.
Add the tomato mixture and diced tomatoes to the rice 
After 10 minutes of natural release, remove the lid and this is what the rice will look like before fluffing
Instant Pot Mexican Style Rice
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
The best Mexican style rice bursting with savory tomato and garlic flavor cooked to perfection in the Instant Pot!
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- 4 roma tomatoes, halved
- 1 onion, quartered
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 Tbs tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 Tbs oil (I like avocado, but olive or vegetable oil works, too)
- 1 15.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Rinse 2 cups long grain white in water until the water runs clear. You want to remove the excess starch from the rice before cooking. Then thoroughly drain the water from the rice and set aside.
- Place the four halved roma tomatoes, 1 quartered onion, and 4 cloves of garlic on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet and roast in the 425F oven for 20 minutes until the vegetables are fragrant and starting to caramelize.
- Place the roasted vegetables into a blender with 2 Tbs tomato paste, 1 tsp salt, and 2 cups stock and blend until smooth then set to the side.
- Heat your Instant Pot on the ‘Saute’ setting. You’ll be using just the regular pot, no special inserts or accessories. Add 2 Tbs oil to the Instant Pot along with the 2 cups long grain white rice that you rinsed earlier and stir occasionally for approximately five to eight minutes so that the rice gets toasted / fried in the oil. This helps to improve texture and flavor. Don’t walk away from the rice because you don’t want it to burn. The rice is ready for the next step once it’s fragrant and just a touch of golden color has developed.
- Next, pour the tomato mixture from the blender into the Instant Pot with the rice. The liquid will sizzle and splatter a bit which is normal.
- Then add in the 15.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes (do not drain!) to the Instant Pot and stir everything together until mixed.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to seal so that the rice can be pressure cooked. Set the Instant Pot to “Manual” and select 8 minutes. It will take approximately 5 to 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to heat up and seal and then the 8 minute timer will start to count down.
- Once 8 minutes has completed and the Instant Pot alarm goes off, allow it to continue to sit for 10 minutes. Do not release the pressure. We want to use the natural release method in this situation. After 10 minutes of natural pressure release, switch the valve so that any additional steam is released. It should not be much at this point.
- Remove the lid and stir the rice to fluff it up. Then leave the lid off and allow the excess steam to rise and dissipate. After approximately five minutes, the steam will dissipate and the rice will be lighter and fluffier than when you first opened the pot. Serve hot and enjoy!
Restaurant-Style Spanish Rice (aka Mexican Rice), that is easy to make and tastes like it came straight from the restaurant, and is the best side dish to any Mexican entree. Stir and cover pan. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes or until all is cooked and there is no liquid left. Fluff before serving and ENJOY.