Restaurant Style Mexican Rice (2024)

This Restaurant Style Mexican Rice is light, fluffy, and perfectly seasoned with little bits of soft cooked potato and carrot. It’s just as delicious as the rice at your favorite Mexican restaurant!

If you love this recipe, you’ll also love my Cilantro Lime Rice – another great side dish for a Mexican-inspired meal!

There’s a little Mexican restaurant that we frequent on a regular basis and it may seem odd, but one of the things that brings me back time and time again is their heavenly rice.

During our many meals there I spent much of my time contemplating why their Mexican rice is so incredible. Short of chasing after the sweet little lady that prepares it, I was bound and determined to figure it out for myself.

And, that I did! This Restaurant Style Mexican Rice has been made countless times in my kitchen.

The Best Restaurant Style Mexican Rice

Traditional Mexican rice is sometimes referred to as “red rice” due to the color that comes from either tomato sauce or tomato paste. A traditional blend of seasoning also adds some warm color and unique flavor. I use my Homemade Taco Seasoning, a quick and easy way to get these flavors.

The traditional way of preparing Mexican rice includes adding vegetables and it makes a subtle but important difference. I use small bits of onion, potato and carrot, but an assortment of other veggies can be added if you are so inclined. Frozen corn or peas, mushrooms, zucchini, and bell pepper would all be delicious.

Instead of using water to prepare the rice, chicken or vegetable broth is used for even more flavor. I always keep a jar of reduced-sodium Better than Boullion on hand. I love that I can mix up just exactly how much broth I need for a given recipe and control the strength. It’s good stuff.

How to Make Restaurant Style Mexican Rice

1. Heat oil in a skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 or 4 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
2. Reduce heat a little and add the onion, potato, carrot, and garlic. Season with taco seasoning and salt. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomato sauce and cook, stirring, for a minute or two. Then, slowly stir in the chicken broth.
4. Return heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes, covered.
5. Remove cover, fluff with a fork, and garnish with cilantro, if desired.

I have some big cilantro loving folks in this family who I swear could eat it by the handful. I like to garnish my Restaurant Style Mexican Rice with some whole sprigs for the cilantro fans but keep it easy to avoid for those who are cilantro-phobic.

FAQ and Valerie’s Tips

This recipe results in light, fluffy, savory perfection. Absolutely the best from scratch Mexican Rice I’ve had outside a restaurant.

What to Serve with Mexican Rice

This rice is on regular rotation and I almost always include it when I do a Mexican-inspired menu. Here are just a few of my favorite ways to serve it.

• Use it as a delicious base for burrito bowls with my Shredded Mexican Beef or Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Pork with Beans.
• Serve it as a side dish with my Green Chile Chicken Smothered Burritos.
• Make chicken and rice burritos with the super tender shredded chicken from my Crock Pot Chicken Taco recipe.
• Check my full collection of Mexican recipes for more ideas!

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This post was originally published on January 11, 2014. It has been updated with new text and images.