Mexican rice is probably one of the best versions of rice in the world.

It’s right up there with Hainanese chicken rice, fried rice, and paella.

Who doesn’t love Mexican rice? But did you know it’s super easy to make at home and way healthier than buying those bags of premade rice that account for 80% of your daily sodium (seriously, check the nutrition info on those bags). If you ever wanted to amp up taco night, mexican rice, refried beans, and homemade salsa are the low hanging fruit.

How to make Mexican rice

There’s two basic kinds of rice in the world: fluffy and pre-fried. Mexican rice is the pre-fried kind. To make Mexican rice, you:

1. Fry your aromatics. For me, this is onions, but you can add garlic, fennel, whatever you like. Onions are essential though.
2. Toast your rice and spices. Fry your rice until it becomes aromatic and translucent. Fry your dry spices now too, which is blooms them and enhances their flavors.
3. Cook your tomato sauce and oregano. Frying tomato sauce caramelizes it and kills that sometimes sour tomato taste that not everyone loves. The more you dislike tomatoes, the more you should fry it, but don’t skip the tomatoes, because they add an essential umami layer of flavor™.
4. Add water, cook, and steam the rice. For perfect-almost-all-rices, add 1.25 cups of water for every cups of rice, bring to a boil, cook for 17-20 minutes (depending on how al dente you like your rice) then steam for 10.
5. Fluff and serve. As soon as that last 10 minutes is up, fluff up the rice, then serve with your favorite Mexican sides.

Do you really need to fry rice?

Frying the rice is probably the most vital step here to getting that restaurant texture. Let it get really nutty and brown, it’ll improve the final dish.

Can you make Mexican rice without tomatoes?

I have a range of tomato sauce here, from 1/2 cup for those who don’t really like tomato sauce to 1 cup for those who do. 1 cup is better. If you really, really, really hate tomatoes, you can remove them, but the rice will not taste or look the same.

Mexican oregano vs regular oregano

Mexican oregano is actually a bit different than the usual stuff you find in the spice aisle. It’s actually a different plant altogether! Mexican oregano is indigenous to Mexico and has a more woodsy, citrus-lime earthy flavor compared to your typical oregano, which is Mediterranean oregano. You can find Mexican oregano in the Mexican aisle at the grocery store and if you can’t, you can sub regular oregano, but try and find some, it makes a difference. (Unless you already have regular oregano in your pantry, because nothing beats free).

What’s the best rice to use for Mexican rice?

Mexican rice is best made with long grain rice. We just usually use jasmine, which isn’t all that authentic but I find it to be fluffier and moister. You can also use brown rice, which is inauthentic but doesn’t taste much different and it’s arguably healthier.

What to serve with Mexican Rice?

Here are some ideas:

• Barbacoa
• The Best Stovetop Carnitas
• Birria Tacos
• Green Chile Enchilada
• Oven Baked Carne Adovada Pork Tacos
• Tacos al Pastor
• Hatch Green Chile Wonton Two Ways
• Hatch Chile Verde Recipe pork stew
• Oven-Baked Hatch Chile Salsa Verde Honey Chicken Thighs

-Mike