Mexican Rice (Restaurant-Style)
I ruined so many batches of Mexican rice before I learned the toasting trick. My first attempts produced mushy, wet, flavourless rice that looked like orange porridge. My husband ate it politely and said “it’s good” in the tone that means “please never make this again.” The problem was simple: I was treating Mexican rice like regular rice — just adding liquid and hoping for the best. Mexican rice requires a crucial extra step that nobody told me about for years: you toast the rice in oil first, until it turns golden and smells nutty, BEFORE adding any liquid. That single step changes everything.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups long-grain white rice
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt
- Optional: diced carrots, peas, corn added in last 5 minutes
Method
Toast the Rice
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Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the dry rice and stir constantly for 4-5 minutes until the grains turn golden and smell toasty. Some grains will be darker than others — that’s fine. You’re looking for an overall golden colour and a nutty aroma. Don’t walk away. Rice goes from toasted to burnt in about 30 seconds, and burnt rice is unsalvageable.
Add Aromatics
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Push the rice to the side. Add the diced onion and garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant. The onion won’t fully soften — that’s okay. It’ll cook through during simmering.
Add Liquids and Simmer
-
Pour in tomato sauce and chicken broth. Add cumin and salt. Stir once to distribute. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to the lowest possible heat. Cover tightly and cook 18-20 minutes without lifting the lid. The steam is doing all the work — every time you peek, steam escapes and the rice cooks unevenly. Resist the urge. Walk away. Trust the process.
Rest and Fluff
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After 18-20 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice sit, still covered, for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid and fluff with a fork. The grains should be separate, fluffy, and evenly coloured. If you added vegetables, stir them in during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Notes
Fridge 4-5 days. Reheat in microwave with a splash of water and covered (the moisture steams the rice back to life). Freezes for 3 months — portion into freezer bags and lay flat for quick thawing. Day-old Mexican rice is also excellent for fried rice — the cross-cultural leftover remix continues.
Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice
I ruined so many batches of Mexican rice before I learned the toasting trick. My first attempts produced mushy, wet, flavourless rice that looked like orange porridge. My husband ate it politely and said “it’s good” in the tone that means “please never make this again.” The problem was simple: I was treating Mexican rice like regular rice — just adding liquid and hoping for the best. Mexican rice requires a crucial extra step that nobody told me about for years: you toast the rice in oil first, until it turns golden and smells nutty, BEFORE adding any liquid. That single step changes everything.
Toasting the rice does two things: it creates a flavour layer (nutty, slightly caramelised) and it seals the exterior of each grain, which prevents it from absorbing too much liquid and turning to mush. After toasting, you add tomato sauce, chicken broth, and aromatics, then simmer until fluffy and flavourful. The result is rice that’s individual-grained, bright orange-red, and tastes like it came from your favourite Mexican restaurant. It took me four failed batches to learn this. You get to skip straight to batch five.
Ingredients
- • 1.5 cups long-grain white rice
- • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- • 2 cups chicken broth
- • 1/2 onion, finely diced
- • 2 cloves garlic, minced
- • 1 teaspoon cumin
- • Salt
- • Optional: diced carrots, peas, corn (added in last 5 minutes)
How to Make It
Toast the Rice
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the dry rice and stir constantly for 4-5 minutes until the grains turn golden and smell toasty. Some grains will be darker than others — that’s fine. You’re looking for an overall golden colour and a nutty aroma. Don’t walk away. Rice goes from toasted to burnt in about 30 seconds, and burnt rice is unsalvageable.
Add Aromatics
Push the rice to the side. Add the diced onion and garlic. Cook 1-2 minutes until fragrant. The onion won’t fully soften — that’s okay. It’ll cook through during simmering.
Add Liquids and Simmer
Pour in tomato sauce and chicken broth. Add cumin and salt. Stir once to distribute. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to the lowest possible heat. Cover tightly and cook 18-20 minutes without lifting the lid. The steam is doing all the work — every time you peek, steam escapes and the rice cooks unevenly. Resist the urge. Walk away. Trust the process.
Rest and Fluff
After 18-20 minutes, turn off the heat and let the rice sit, still covered, for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid and fluff with a fork. The grains should be separate, fluffy, and evenly coloured. If you added vegetables, stir them in during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Tips
💡 Pro Tips
✓ Toast until golden, not brown. Golden = nutty and flavourful. Brown = bitter.
✓ Don’t lift the lid. Same advice I give for dumplings — steam cooks the top, opening releases steam, results suffer.
✓ Long-grain rice only. Short-grain or jasmine rice gets too sticky for Mexican rice. Long-grain stays fluffy and separate.
✓ Chicken broth instead of water. Water produces bland rice. Broth adds flavour depth.
What to Serve It With
Mexican rice is the foundation of almost every Mexican meal: alongside birria tacos, under chipotle bowls, next to enchiladas, with carne asada. It’s the universal Mexican side dish, and once you master the toasting technique, you’ll make it weekly. I do. Every taco Tuesday starts with toasting rice, and the sound of rice grains crackling in hot oil has become one of my favourite kitchen sounds.
How to Store
Fridge 4-5 days. Reheat in microwave with a splash of water and covered (the moisture steams the rice back to life). Freezes for 3 months — portion into freezer bags and lay flat for quick thawing. Day-old Mexican rice is also excellent for fried rice — the cross-cultural leftover remix continues.
The Four Failed Batches
For the record, here’s what went wrong before batch five worked: Batch one — I didn’t toast the rice. Result: orange mush that my daughter accurately described as “baby food.” Batch two — I toasted the rice but used too much liquid. Result: soupy, sticky, sad. Batch three — correct liquid ratio but I kept lifting the lid to check. Result: partially cooked grains and steamy frustration. Batch four — nearly perfect, but I forgot the cumin and it tasted flat. Batch five: toasted rice, correct ratio, lid stayed on, cumin included. Finally. The grains were separate, fluffy, orange, and flavourful. My husband said “this is the one” and I’ve never changed the recipe since. Four failures to learn three lessons: toast the rice, measure the liquid, don’t lift the lid. Cooking is just science experiments with dinner on the line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my rice mushy?
Three possible causes: you didn’t toast the rice (most common), you used too much liquid, or you cooked it too long. The toast seals the grains. The ratio should be about 1.3 cups liquid per 1 cup rice (not the 2:1 ratio for plain white rice). And 18-20 minutes is the window — check at 18. If the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, it’s done. Every minute past that is a step toward mush.
Can I use brown rice?
Brown rice takes longer to cook and absorbs liquid differently. You’d need about 2.5 cups liquid and 40-45 minutes of cooking. It works but the texture is chewier and the flavour is nuttier — different from the fluffy, light Mexican restaurant rice most people expect. White long-grain is traditional for a reason.
Variations
• Green Mexican rice: Replace tomato sauce with salsa verde for a tangier, greener version. Pairs beautifully with green chile enchiladas.
• With kielbasa: Stir in diced kielbasa during the last 5 minutes for a Polish-Mexican rice dish. The smokiness of kielbasa with the tomato-cumin rice base works better than it has any right to.
• Cauliflower Mexican rice: Replace half the rice with riced cauliflower for a lower-carb version. Not the same texture, but the toasting and seasoning still make it flavourful.