You can make the most delicious restaurant style Mexican rice in your rice cooker. I'm going to share a few (very simple) tips that will ensure your Mexican rice comes out flavorful and fluffy, not sticky and gummy.
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If you've tried my Mediterranean rice or my cilantro lime rice, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of unique, flavorful rice recipes. And now, I have a new recipe for your - Mexican rice that you can make in your rice cooker.
Rice cooker Mexican rice is very easy to make. However, there's a few essential tips you need to know if you want toothsome, chewy rice like you get in a great Mexican restaurant.
I like to serve this rice with vegan enchilada casserole or birria tacos. When made correctly, it makes the perfect side dish for your Mexican meal.
Top Tip: If you like to make flavorful rice in your rice cooker, you might also enjoy learning how to make coconut rice in your rice cooker.
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
✅Making Mexican rice in your rice cooker means the rice cooker does most of the heavy lifting. No sticky, gelatinous rice here. Just fluffy, flavor packed rice.
✅It's vegan and gluten free.
✅It's kid approved.
✅It's flexible, meaning you can customize it by adding additional ingredients. There's a few creative suggestions below.
Ingredients
- Rice: Choose long grain white rice. Don't use jasmine or basmati rice, as they tend to come out gummier than long grain white rice. You can also use brown rice if you like.
- Chipotle Sauce Or Paste: I like Luchito chipotle paste, but any chipotle sauce or paste will do.
- Tomato Paste: I recommend using tomato paste from a tube. You can also use canned tomato paste, but you'll have some leftover.
- Red Onion: I prefer the milder, sweeter taste of red onions to yellow onions for Mexican rice. But, if yellow onions are what you have on hand, those will work too.
- Olive Oil: You only need a few tablespoons, but it's essential if you want really fluffy Mexican rice, so try not to skip this ingredient.
- Garlic: I like to use fresh garlic, not garlic powder for this recipe. Feel free to reduce the amount of garlic to suit your preference.
- Cumin: Cumin is an essential spice for all Mexican dishes.
- Vegetable Broth: Vegetable broth just adds a bit more flavor. You can also use just plain water if you don't have any vegetable broth on hand.
- Salt: Salt makes all the other flavors pop.
- Lime Juice: We'll be squeezing a bit of lime juice over your rice cooker Mexican rice for a zesty kick of citrus flavor.
- Cilantro: A sprinkling of cilantro brings Mexican rice alive.
How To Make Rice Cooker Mexican Rice
- In a sieve or colander, wash your rice thoroughly. Drain it and set aside. This is an important step because washing the rice removes the starch, which is what makes rice sticky. So, if you want fluffy, not gloppy rice, be sure to wash your rice thoroughly, moving it around with your hands.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in a non-stick saute pan.
- Saute the red onion for 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir fry for about 3 minutes, or until the rice kernels are golden brown.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, chipotle paste and cumin and saute for a further 30 seconds.
- Now, scrape your Mexican rice into your rice cooker and add the vegetable broth. Put the lid on your rice cooker, and it set it to white rice.
- When the rice cooker switches to warm, allow the rice to rest for 10 minutes on the warm setting.
- Squeeze the juice of one lime into the rice and stir in the chopped coriander.
Variations And Serving Suggestions
Here's a few suggestions to make rice cooker Mexican rice your own:
- Stir in some fresh or canned corn.
- Make a homemade burrito. Try these homemade blue corn tortillas stuffed with rice and white refried beans.
- Add some black beans for a hit of protein.
- Serve this rice with a deliciously spicy and zesty Mexican fruit salad.
- Spice it up by sauteing some chopped jalapenos with the onions.
- Add a dash of cinnamon for a warm note.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I'd love to see it. Tag me on Instagram at thisdailydish. Or, leave me a comment below. It makes my day, and your feedback helps other readers!
Frequently Asked Questions
Let the rice cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Absolutely! Let the rice cool fully and freeze in a freezer safe container for up to 1 month. Cooked rice shouldn't be stored in the freezer for longer than 1 month.
Craving More Easy Vegan Recipes?
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📖 Recipe
Rice Cooker Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 1½ cups long grain white rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chipotle paste
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 lime juice of
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- In a sieve or colander, wash the rice thoroughly. Drain, and set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in a non-stick saute pan.
- Saute the red onion for 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir fry for about 3 minutes, or until the rice kernels are golden brown.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, chipotle paste and cumin and saute for a further 30 seconds.
- Scrape your Mexican rice into your rice cooker and add the vegetable broth. Put the lid on your rice cooker, and it set it to white rice.
- When the rice cooker switches to warm, allow the rice to rest for 10 minutes on the warm setting.
- Squeeze the juice of one lime into the rice and stir in the chopped cilantro.
Marshall Brett Jones
I made this dish today. Even though the rice was slightly "darkened" (because my jar of chipotle sauce needed the Incredible Hulk to open), it was absolutely delicious. I also added a little bit of frozen corn, bell pepper, celery and carrots that I already had in my freezer. I also added about 8 slices of chopped pickled jalapeño, which gave it just the right amount of zing. Great recipe. This will be my go to for tasty and easy Mexican rice.
Keri Bevan
Hi Marshall, Thank you so much for your feedback! So pleased you liked the recipe. x
Rose
Can you add veggies before cooking the rice
Keri Bevan
Hi Rose, You can definitely add vegetables to your Mexican rice while it cooks in the rice cooker! The key is choosing the right veggies and not going overboard with the amount. Your best bet is to stick with firmer vegetables that can handle the full cooking time, like frozen peas and corn, diced carrots, bell peppers, onions, and celery. These can all go in right at the start - just dice them into small, uniform pieces about 1/4 inch in size. Some veggies like zucchini, fresh green beans, and broccoli tend to get mushy if they cook too long, so I'd actually skip those unless you don't mind softer vegetables. Just remember to keep the ratio reasonable - about 1 cup of vegetables for every 2 cups of rice works well. Oh, and if you're using frozen vegetables, reduce your liquid by about 2 tablespoons per cup of veggies since they'll release some water as they cook. While you technically could open the rice cooker halfway through to add quick-cooking vegetables, it's not ideal since it throws off the cooking time and temperature. You'll get the best results if you stick with those sturdy vegetables that can handle cooking from start to finish.
Rob
We really liked this recipe. You mentioned making it with brown rice, but I'm assuming more broth would be required. Do you have proportions for making this with brown rice?
Keri Bevan
Hi Rob, Great question! Brown rice requires more liquid than white rice. Start with 3½ to 4 cups of vegetable broth. Brown rice also takes longer to cook than white rice, so you'll need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Instead of using the "white rice" setting on the rice cooker, you'll likely need to use the "brown rice" setting or manually set a longer cooking time. After the rice cooker switches to warm, let the rice rest for about 15-20 minutes, as brown rice benefits from a slightly longer resting period. I hope that helps. If you try it with brown rice, be sure to let me know how it goes!
Brianna May
This recipe is a staple in my house! I make Mexican food at least once per week and this is my favorite side to serve with it.
Deb
I never knew I could make Mexican rice in a rice cooker. I did add extra chipotle sauce and it turned out great.
Gloria
We love Mexican food and have it often. This sounds like a wonderful way to make rice. Easy and delicious.
Keri Bevan
Hi Gloria, Mexican is a favorite at our house too! Thank you for your feedback.x
Lucy
These are such great tips. This Mexican rice is packed full of flavour with the perfect fluffy texture. Goes so well as a side dish to compliment so many dishes.
Keri Bevan
Hi Lucy, Thank you! I'm so pleased you liked the recipe.x