Mexican Rice
Tomato-onion seasoned rice
Discover smart recipes
Sign up on Homecooked to cook this recipe as the chef intended, with parallel steps and built-in timers guiding you along the way. Stock your pantry to discover more recipes you can cook with the ingredients you have at home.
Join HomecookedIngredients
- 300 g White rice
- 2 Tomato
- ½ Onion
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 600 ml Vegetable stock
- 3 tbsp Neutral oil
- 1 tsp Salt
Method
- Blend the tomato, onion, and garlic into a smooth purée.
- Toast the rice in the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until golden and nutty-smelling.
- Pour in the tomato purée and the stock, add the salt, and bring up to a boil.
- Cover and simmer on low until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 16 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and serve.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.
About Mexican Rice
Mexican rice — arroz rojo — is the tomato-tinted red rice that shows up beside almost every Mexican and Tex-Mex plate, from enchiladas to grilled meats. What defines it isn't just the color but the two-step method: the raw grains are first toasted in oil, then simmered in a tomato-and-broth mixture until each one is separate and fluffy. Done right, it's savory and lightly sweet from the tomato, with a subtle nuttiness from the toasting and a fluffy, never-gummy texture. It's a humble side, but a well-made batch is the difference between a good taco night and a great one.
This version blends the tomato, onion, and garlic into a smooth purée rather than dicing them, so the aromatics dissolve fully into the grains and season every bite evenly. Toasting the rice in oil until it smells golden and nutty is the crucial step — it firms the exterior of each grain so they stay distinct through the simmer instead of clumping. It cooks in about half an hour, is naturally vegan when made with vegetable stock, and reheats well, making it a reliable make-ahead side. Fluff it with a fork before serving alongside beans, grilled chicken, or anything saucy that benefits from a bed of rice.
Mexican Rice: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Mexican Rice?
One serving of Mexican Rice has about 400 calories, with 5g of protein, 65g of carbs, 13g of fat and 3g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.
Is Mexican Rice gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Mexican Rice has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Mexican Rice take to make?
About 30 minutes start to finish, but only around 14 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Mexican Rice make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.