Spanish Rice Recipe

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.

Prep time: PT5M

Cook time: PT40M

Total time: PT45M

Rating

4.99 stars (5832 reviews)

Keywords

Spanish Rice

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups long-grain white rice
1 cube chicken-flavored bouillon
4 cups water ((or 4 cups chicken lower sodium chicken broth - and no bouillon))
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
dash garlic pepper
chopped fresh cilantro ((optional))

Cuisine

Mexican

Steps

Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat.
Add rice and cook, stirring until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Combine bouillon and water in a microwave-safe container and microwave for 3 minutes.
When rice is brown, add bouillon mixture, tomato sauce, salt, garlic, cumin and garlic pepper to the pan.
Stir and cover the pan. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until all is cooked and there is no liquid left. Fluff before serving and top with cilantro if desired.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 90 kcal
Carbohydrates: 13 g
Protein: 1 g
Fat: 4 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 447 mg
Sugar: 1 g

Reviews

Herm II on 2025-12-05 (4 stars):
Actually 4 1/2 stars, as the recipe came out superbly with regards to the finished dish being similarly to Spanish/Mexican restaurants particularly with regards to the texture. With that said, the seasoning is a tad bit of by the aforementioned 1/2 star and just need to experiment with some of the seasoning/flavors. Would appreciate any additional suggestions to get the full Mexican restaurant version taste. Maybe increase the Cumin, add Mexican Oregano, etc 🤔. Still a great base Spanish/Mexican rice recipe.
Brian on 2025-11-30 (5 stars):
Only leaving a review because of some recent bad ones. Found this recipe a few years ago and my family and I have been making it ever since. Perfect Spanish rice to accompany any Mexican dish you make. Thank you!
Latoya Marie Palmer-Vance on 2025-11-21 (5 stars):
I loved this recipe. I’m not a big fan of cumin so I left it out completely and added 1 pack of sazon. It turned out delicious. Everyone loved it!
Susan Caddell on 2025-11-20 (5 stars):
Great recipe time and time again! Family loves it!