Easy Authentic Mexican Rice

You can also make this with other small shapes of Mexican pasta. I have uploaded a photo showing where I made it with "sopa de ABCs" which is pasta in the shape of the ABCs. You can also use tiny shell pasta. The reason my original recipe didn't include salt is that we are watching our salt intake; hubby has some heart issues, so I am very careful in adding sodium to our meals.

I have tried this recipe twice now for my boyfriend and I and it is delish! My mom who is Mexican would make this often when I was younger, only she would use fresh tomatoes and cook half an onion with the rice. Well, tomatoes are pretty expensive so I love how regular canned tomato sauce works just as well, saves you on time and money;). Besides cooking the onion in the rice, the only other changes I made was cutting way back on the oil and adding some salt and cumin...yum!

This was tasty! I really liked the toasty flavor that cooking the spices and rice added to the finished dish. I do think it was a tad 'greasy', but it wasn't too much so. Mine also took longer than 15 mins. to cook, which was not a big deal. This does need salt, IMO. I just used it, to taste. All in all, it was a basic, simple rice, which was what I was looking for. I would make it again! Thanks for sharing. :)

I added a can of Rotel instead of tomato sauce. Really good flavor and easy too!

The large amount of garlic and onion powders ruined this dish for me. I think with a teaspoon of each instead of a tablespoon it might work. The powders formed a 'sludge' for lack of a better term on the top of the rice as it simmered and it wouldn't blend in completely when the rice was mixed. We actually threw out the leftovers, which we almost never do.

Loved how convenient this recipe was, I had everything in my cupboard. The flavor was pretty decent too, we're southern California people who have moved east and are not used to the tex-mex stuff that they pass off as mexican food around here, so I cook a ton now. This was a super quick side to go along with some carnitas enchiladas. As for the "sludge" some other reviewers had, if you mix it in the hot oil before adding the rice you start with something like a roux and incorporates very well. All in all, a quick, convenient and tasty side dish. Thanks so much!

This is really good! It has a lot of tomato flavor, maybe a little too much, but that's probably just my taste, I'm not a huge tomato fan. It has a nice, savory flavor without hot spices. I thought maybe 1/4 cup was too much oil, so I started with half that amount, but when I added the powders it soaked it all up and I needed the rest. It wasn't oily when it was done, either. Chicken broth came in a 14 oz can, and I measured out 1.5 cups, but ended up using the rest. The rice wasn't quite tender without it, maybe because I used silver pearl (medium grain) rice. It went great with chicken enchiladas. I will definitely make this again.

This recipe was simple, and I needed a quick rice dish, so I gave it a try. I had to add multiple ingredients just to make the rice tolerable. This is one you can skip.

Yeah, this was terrible. Too much onion and garlic powder, not even sure if using less would have made this tolerable.

My family loved the rice. We has it with chicken enchilada

This is a great recipe but I didn’t think it was salty enough. I added a couple of tablespoons more of oil, added a teaspoon of ground cumin, used chicken stock instead of water, then before simmering it I added some salt to taste. I also drained a can of Original Rotel and added it to the rice before simmering. I had no leftovers, it was a hit!

Easy, quick and delicious. I sautéed with chopped onion instead of onion powder.

I used fresh onion and garlic instead of the powder forms. This is very simple and worked well with long grain rice. I added some jalapenos. Thank you for the recipe.

This is terrible...

Putrid.

Way too much garlic and onion powder

This was not a vey good Mexican rice recipe.

So easy to make and delicious. I lived next to a Mexican family before and moved before asking them to show me how to make. Thank you for the recipe!

very easy to make use garlic flavored oil. sometimes I add peas or mushrooms. I always use fresh chopped garlic

Umm wow not good sorry

Waaaay too much garlic and onion powder. I would try maybe a tsp of each next time but honestly, I’ll probably just skip this recipe next time. It was near inedible because of the seasoning. I’ll stick with other rice recipes.

Pretty good rice....didn't really taste like my dads, seemed to be missing something. Not bad though my boyfriend liked it so 4 stars. While covered I totally forgot to check and stir for those 15 min and I had a nice bottom layer stuck to the pan lol

overpowering garlic Very bland had to add ingredients and had to keep adding water and took longer than 15 mins.

I made this several times and always turns out great!

Very good recipe! The only small change I made is instead of onion and garlic powder I used half an onion, chopped and two cloves of garlic, minced... comes out perfect everytime

perfect just like it is

My grandmother made the best rice but mine would never taste like hers. It was the chicken broth, I always used plain water. Thanks for the recipe brings back so many happy memories.

Made this for the first time tonight and it turned out great! I used chicken stock instead of water and used salsa in place of the tomato sauce. I will definitely make this again, great as a side or to pit inside burritos

This recipe was wonderful. We had tacos, rice and beans, salad and my son mixed the last little bit to his sloppy joe.

I use to make it all time , when my our father was alive . That always been it favor and Spanish rice.yellow rice with sweet pea and Cornish hen.

This was very good. it can go with most Mexican dishes.. I added a 1/4 of teaspoon of sugar to this recipe it's just me and my taste.. but it turned out very good..

way too much garlic powder, its all I can taste

The addition of 1 teaspoon of Mexican Seasoning and substituting chicken broth for the water made this dish perfect! No green peppers in my kitchen, due to a family member's dietary restrictions, but they would be nice to add if you can eat them. This simple, quick to make recipe is a keepie!

We enjoyed this rice. I did change the garlic powder and onion powder to 1 tsp. Used chicken broth instead of h20 and 8 ounce can of sauce. It needed just a bit over 15 mins. cooking time. I’m sure that time varies depending on stovetop, pan, and type of rice.

As a single guy in the military I love simple recipes, and this one turned out great. I added a little more tomato sauce and a teaspoon of cayenne and it turned out pretty darn good (though I may use less cayenne next time)

Love it!

This was okay... didn’t taste “authentic” in any way though. It was too tomatoey.

Easy and taste very good

Too much seasoning of the powders. Family hated it and refused to eat it.

Works okay with a dinner but I followed the recipe down to the letter and the rice tasted like straight up canola oil.

I wish allrecipes had a way for me to hide this recipe so it never shows up in a search again. Can’t believe I wasted a jar of my homemade tomato sauce.

I made this recipe with a couple of changes! I used the same measurements however used coconut oil instead and also chopped up fresh onions and garlic. Also used a bouillon! I've cooked rice before but my handed down recipes don't use any kind of measurements my abuelita is all about eye balling which sometimes I can't do. The measurements for liquid to rice ratio was perfection, my rice turned out delicious for the quick prep time! It only took me 20 minutes tops and tasted great!

I just made this recipe, it came out so good! I agree that it calls for too much oil and will use less next time. I added a whole small white onion chopped small and 3 cloves of garlic fine chopped. I used a can of el Pato jalapeno tomato sauce which made it a little spicy, did not use garlic or onion powder but a teaspoon of chicken flavor bouillon, the one with the green lid, came out excellent!!!

I did not care for this recipe.

Good recipe substituted mild salsa for the tomato sauce EVEN BETTER!!!

I NEVER write reviews but felt compelled. Delish! And, so easy.... it is perfect for the kids. I felt so guilty making ready made Mexican rice for the family, filled with msg, etc... My kids are extremely picky and would only eat those.... they didn't even notice that I switched it up on them! The only change I made was using garlic salt instead of powder.

Super simple. Amazing with diced tomatoes and green chilies like Rotel (undrained).

I added low sodium black beans and I used olive oil and corn. And half a jalapeno it was great!

This was so easy and quick to make. It came out delicious and my kiddos loved it. My son even askedSide note: I used olive oil instead of canola oil.

Good recipe. I made a few changes though. I use a quarter of a fresh onion chopped and a clove of fresh garlic instead of the seasonings. And for the water I used water flavored with 2 tsp caldo con sabor de pollo. Turned out great!

Too much garlic, onion powder and oil. I did add salt and more water. Going to keep looking for that perfect recipe.

It ended up flavorless... I had to add salt and pepper. Next time I would substitute the tomato sauce for a bit of tomato bullion.

Tried this today for a Mexi Potluck and it was a successss!!! no leftover rice and many compliments!! :D

The recipe is easy and it works, but I agree there's too much onion and garlic powder, their flavor cover everything and if used to make burritos it's a shame.

It was awesome so much more flavor then the way I was making it. Thanks!

I used chicken stock. Yes I will make it again it was delicious. I also added 1tsp of salt

I added spinach and onion to mine! No longer Mexican, but hella good! A little on the oily side.

I wish I had read the reviews before trying this dish. This recipe has way too much onion and garlic powder. Trying to mix it in with the oil resulted in just like a sludgy clumpy mixture.

The rice was super good! I would say to cook it for at least another 5 minutes than the recommended time so it can cook all the way.

First, let's start with the positives, I did enjoy the browning of the rice with spices and I am the spice queen in my home. I felt you went just a little bit over the top with them, in my cookbook - less is more in this case! Still, the aroma was great as they cooked in the oil. Now the rice itself, I would have added fresh tomatoes or less tomato sauce, added a touch of salt, a little cumin. No chicken broth, chicken stock has great flavor and you can even boost the flavor with a bouillon cube. I had to cook it longer than stated, but that is okay, in our home... you just roll with baby! I would eat again with minor adjustments to recipe, but I seem to put my hand to all recipes, so take no offense!

The smell and taste of this rice was strange. I think adding the onion and garlic powder at the beginning with the oil created the strange and off taste.

Turned out great and tasted pretty good. Only thing I did different was adding some chili pepper to it for more flavor.

It's decent. Taste toasty. It's perfect for little ingredients in your kitchen, traveling, or a poor mans meal. Going on my small list of things I can cook.

I made this in a saucepan instead of a skillet. I used olive oil and added the seasonings before the rice, I stirred the seasonings until the oil was hot and they blended well with the rice. I used chicken stock instead of water, but next time I will add 2 cups rather than 1 1/2, that will give the rice more time to cook without drying out, and it takes longer than 15 minutes but I expected that. I didn't have tomato sauce so I used a can of rotel with green chili, something I will keep in this recipe, I also added some taco seasoning when I added the chicken stock and rotel. I don't know if this is authentic Mexican rice or not, I don't care because it taste delicious to me, and that's all that matters.

I would add a small amount of adobo.

Second time making this rice came out fantastic! I cooked the rice for 18 mins, instead of 15mins and it came out just right. I added a pinch of salt and the flavor was perfect. Seriously easy and tasty.

The reviews were split 50/50 in my house. I didn't love the smokey/nutty flavour, but my father-in-law raved about it! I guess it all depends on your taste preferences.

Wasn't my favorite but with a few adjustments I think it might work. After reading the reviews I decided to cut back on the onion and garlic powder and add in fresh which gave it good flavor but definitely needed salt. It was also way to much oil, next time I'll cut the oil in half and probably add a can of Rotel.

Overall I think this recipe was great! I changed a few things- as others have said, I subbed chicken broth for water and I decreased the amount of garlic and onion powder to a tsp. I also added a teaspoon of cumin and half a teaspoon of paprika. Also, instead of oil, I used 2 tbsp butter. Finally, I used half the tomato sauce and equal parts Canned diced tomato. Lastly, I threw in half a can diced green chilies. It was delicious!!

I'm glad I read the reviews! I doubled the recipe to use up some tomato sauce but only used a 1/4 cup of canola oil. I added some oregano, onions and green peppers and a bullion cube. The final result it was like eating an oily mess. I think the recipe has possibilities but if I make it again I will not use any oil. It gave a greasy consistency to the dish that ruined it for me.

I made it according to the recipe using red bell peppers . Loved it

Good recipe, 1T of garlic was a bit much though. I’ll definitely make again but change spices

Delicious! Only change was that I used 1/2 chopped fresh onion and 3 cloves chopped garlic. Served with vegetable burritos.

I’ve made this recipe many times as written plus salt since discovering it and we love it. It’s my go to recipe. Delicious and simple and doubles easily. Sometimes I add onion with the oil and rice. Definitely recommend.

It came out a little too oily for me and the water didn't seem to be enough. I had to add more for it to finish cooking. It tasted good though. I think next time I'll just use a little less oil and a little more water.

I cut the onion powder and garlic in half after reading some of the prior comments. I'm VERY glad I did. I will be trying this recipe again - possibly with a reduction in the tomato sauce or a switch to crushed tomatoes.

It was ok and that is all. It was rather flavorless and had more of the tomato taste to it than anything. Next time I may add chicken stock instead of just water and may put in a bag of frozen peas and carrots!

Mine came out excellent first time cooking rice. Mine didn't come out mushy looking like the picture from this recipe. I added and lessened a few of the ingredients. I added carrots and onions finely chopped,1 packet of Sazon by goya, subtracted the onion powder, lessened the garlic power to 1 tsp. Also when cooking heat needs to be on low, first time I tried adding the onion powder to the oil I burnt the power cuz it was to high. I also had to add more water used about two cups in total. Make sure to cover rice, heat on low, and only stir rice every 15 to 20 minutes.

I used fresh garlic and onion and it was excellent

This is NOT the way you may this Mexican Rice

I made this several times. I made it exactly as written, except that all the canned tomato sauces in my local store are 8 ounces, not 6.5. Instead of hanging on to a leftover 1.5 ounces, I used the whole can. The results did seem to me to be a little too tomatoey, so I won't hold that against the recipe. However, though I love onion and garlic flavors, I thought they were too much here. And the rice never turned out soft enough - just a tad crunchy still. Maybe it's because I'm at a high elevation. My first time making "Mexican rice", and it was just okay for me.

I tried this last night. Read the comments and decided to go with fresh garlic and onion instead. I doubled the recipe (for my bigger family) added half an onion, two cloves of garlic & a 15oz can of tomato sauce (instead of what was listed in the recipe, not additionally). I put in some chopped green bell pepper before simmering. It still didn't seem quite right so I also added a little bit of salt and ground pepper as well and then it was perfect. Gone in a flash.

This dish had a bit too much tomato sauce for my taste. It was okay but definitely not authentic like I'd hoped.

I really wouldn't call this mexican rice. It didn't taste like any mexican rice I've ever had. The taste was okay, but not delicious by any means, and it was really greasy.

I just made this dish to pair with chicken tacos. The flavor is good. However, im not sure if I had the pan too hot when browning the rice, but my garlic and onion powders got a little too brown. It turned my rice really brown instead of it being reddish from the tomato sauce. I think next time I'll add the spices after the rice is browned. Also, instead of water I used 2 cups of chicken stock and I added some cumin as well to taste (probably a teaspoon). I must add, the smells were quite aromatic during browning. I kept laughing and commenting it smelled like ramen noodles.

I have used this recipe many times. It gives me a good baseline. I don't use garlic and onion powder ever, always half a fine diced onion with about 2 tsp minced garlic. Fry that in the oil first, then add the rice. Use canned petite diced tomatoes, instead of a can of tomato sauce. Tsp of cumin. Turns out tasty.

Terrible proportions in this recipe. Way too much garlic/onion powder - so much that it never dissolves into the other ingredients. The tomato sauce overwhelms the rice so that it makes a gravy the rice sits in.

Too garlicky.

Its a bit bland. Definitely needs some more seasoning. But overall easy to make and different then regular white or fried rice.

Quick and easy reciepe. Great flavor

Not good. Way too much onion powder and garlic powder. I suspect the recipe should be a TEASPOON of each, not tablespoon.

Easy and delicious. I've even used real garlic in place of the garlic powder. It's even better that way.

Loved it! Easy and tasty. I did have to cook it a little longer than 15 mins. I added raw bell pepper, salt & pepper and a tad bit of red pepper. I warmed up water and added a cube of bouillon to it and used the whole cup. I also used 8 oz of tomato sauce because i had to cook rice a little longer. I will definitely make this again!

Way better than the Spanish rice at the Mexican restaurants in town and so simple I was amazed. This one rocks!!

My mother used to make this for me but she used to make it with fresh onion and garlic but my boyfriend and I don't like it so the powder is great. Also a tip for those who are also like us and don't like the taste of tomatoes a dash of chicken bullion (I use Knorr) helps with that.

This wasn’t too bad but it was missing some flavor. I ended up completely doing my own thing and it reminded me of how my boyfriends mom makes it!

I am a skeptic.. But I can say, this Easy Authentic Mexican Rice was Fabulous.. Instead of using powdered onion,, I just peeled a small onion, cut it in half, and layed it in the rice to cook along with everything.. Everyone loved it. This is a keeper.

Nice and easy. We enjoyed the seasoning, as did the rest of the family. I have put it together, and cooked it in a slow cooker. The recipe adapts perfectly!

I did not care for this recipe.