A staple in Mexican cuisine, arroz rojo is typically made with long grain rice and gets it beautiful red color from fresh tomato juice.
Prep time: PT5M
Cook time: PT30M
Total time: PT35M
Rating
4.97 stars (165 reviews)
Keywords
arroz rojo, Mexican rice, sopa de arroz
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Mahatma® Rice Extra Long Grain White Rice
3 tbsp neutral oil
1/4 onion (diced)
1 garlic clove (crushed)
1 tbsp Knorr chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 roma tomatoes ((makes 8 oz tomato juice))
2 cups hot water
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
3 sprigs cilantro
1 jalapeno
Categories
Main Course
Side Dish
Cuisine
Mexican
Steps
Over medium heat, add the oil to a heavy-bottomed or good quality non-stick pan, then fry the onions and garlic
When the onions and garlic have lightly browned, remove the garlic and set it aside.
Add Mahatma® Rice Extra Long Grain White Rice to the pot and toast the rice in the oil, moving it constantly for about 5 minutes or until it becomes slightly puffy and golden brown.
Add the Knorr chicken bouillon and garlic powder, the mix and continue toasting for another minute.
Blend together the roma tomatoes and fried garlic clove. You should have about 8 oz (1 cup) of tomato sauce.
Add it to the rice, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. The color should change to warm reddish orange color. At this point, watch the heat to make sure the bottom is not burning. Adjust the heat if you need to.
Add the HOT water to the rice. It has to be hot- if the liquid isn't bubbling on the sides of the pot, your water is not hot enough. Stir in salt to taste at this point if you're adding. I recommend about 1/4 tsp.
Add the cilantro and jalapeno on top, continue boiling over medium-low heat until some of the water has evaporated. Then turn the heat to the low and cover for 20 minutes. Do NOT lift the lid!
After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and fluff the rice with a fork. There will be a thin layer of tomato sauce at the top- that is what we want. Just gently fluff & mix it into the rice to distribute evenly.
At this point, the rice is ready if you don't like overly soft rice. This is good for me, but if you want it more soft & fluffy, cover for another 10 minutes (no heat).
Reviews
Susanna on 2025-10-31 (5 stars): Oh my goodness ! The best !!! I added bit of tomato paste and chicken broth to the blender cause I love it bit saucier . Thanks!!! Finally THE rice I remember as a kid!
Carlo DeFalco on 2025-10-30 (5 stars): This has been one of my favorite foods my entire life. I’m so glad that I landed on YOUR recipe to help me pull it off for the first time. It’s delicious and I thank you for sharing this generational dish wish us.
David Wagner on 2025-10-28 (5 stars): my family loves this recipe thank you so much
Thomas Boyd on 2025-10-23 (5 stars): solid recipe that I've revisited multiple times.
thank you
Tyrone R Walker on 2025-10-18 (5 stars): It's definitely the recipe I was looking for with easy to follow directions. Thank you Chef for sharing.
Jamie on 2025-09-08 (5 stars): Really liked this recipe. I just couldn’t figure out how to make Me I am rice, but your instructions were so clear. I did you jasmine, long grain, rinsed. I did fret a bit about rinsing rice as not too many recipes touch on this and I didn’t want to add in more liquid. Worked well, just incase someone was interested in using another type of rice. I also subbed the tomato-chicken bouillon in for a richer color and taste. That worked well too. Mexican husband gave me two thumbs up. Thanks again for sharing your recipe!
Courtney on 2025-09-02 (5 stars): The best and easiest recipe!
Courtney on 2025-09-02 (5 stars): The best and easiest recipe to follow.
Darlene on 2025-08-18 (5 stars): Me and my family tried this recipe tonight and OMG!!! We all loved it. It turned out perfect!! Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!
Mindy on 2025-07-31 (5 stars): My go to for Mexican rice! I do use a good canned sauce, add a little fresh garlic, mix in some diced jalapenos and serrano, etc. I play with it differently every time, always turns out great! Thank you and your abuela for this recipe!
Sally on 2025-07-27 (5 stars): Absolutely Delicious!! I'm a 57 yr old Mexican mom but have NVR been able to make perfect Spanish rice, but not for lack of trying. Everyone has tried to teach me their version but I'd nvr been able to perfect their recipes, TIL NOW!! Thank you!! 🙏🏼 ve made this recipe 5 or 6x's now and each time it was PERFECTLY DELICIOUS!! 😋