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How to: Spanish Rice- my favorite way to make spicy Spanish (or Mexican) rice from scratch! It's so easy and the rice is full of flavor.
You can make perfect Fluffy Rice without a rice cooker. Serve this Spanish rice with enchiladas or tacos.
This recipe is what makes our taco nights rock! Last year, we decided that we should make our own Spanish rice for our Mexican dinners so we set out to experiment and make one that we will love. It had to be easy, perfectly cooked and spiced and of course, yummy. And here it is: our homemade, made from scratch with just a few ingredients Spanish rice.toast it up in melted butter. I used the same technique here, with the addition of olive oil, onions and garlic. This adds more flavor and lets the veggies cook before adding liquids.
Ingredients:
- butter
- olive oil
- long-grain rice
- garlic
- red onion
- water
- tomato sauce
- ground cumin
- paprika
- chili powder
- salt
Instructions:
- Saute garlic and onion in melted butter.
- Add rice and toast it for a few minutes.
- Add spices, water and tomato sauce. Stir well.
- Bring to boil, stirring often.
- Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. No peeking! Every time you lift the lid, you let out the moisture the rice needs to cook. Keep the lid on and the heat low.
- Remove from heat and fluff with fork.
Best tips:
- I learned that adding warm (or almost hot) tap water to toasted rice helps achieve the perfect fluffy rice in the end. Just be careful, the mixture will be bubbling!
- Increase the amount of spices for added heat to your rice.
- Don't skip toasting the rice. It will make the best fluffy rice in the end.
Serving:
Cook chicken breast (cut bite-size) in taco seasoning, 1 cup whole kernel corn, 1 can black beans (rinsed) and cook it all together. Add rice last. Top with cheddar cheese, chopped fresh Roma tomatoes, avocados and dollops of sour cream. Dinner is served! 😀
Related recipes:
- Perfect Fluffy Rice (without the rice cooker)
- Cauliflower Rice (2 ways)
- Fiesta Rice
- Instant Pot Refried Beans
- Black Beans and Rice
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out! 😀
Spanish Rice
Author: Anna
The best homemade recipe for Spanish rice! Forget the box kind and make it in your own kitchen!
5 from 12 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Servings 4 people
Calories 251 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup rice I used long grain
- 2 garlic cloves minced or grated
- ½ medium red onion chopped
- 1 cup warm tap water
- 1 cup tomato sauce one 8oz. can plus a little more
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Melt butter with olive oil in a medium pot.
Add onions and garlic and stir together. Saute for 2 minutes.
Add rice and toast for about 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat. Stir constantly.
Add water, tomato sauce and all spices. Stir well.
Bring mixture to boil, stirring often. Make sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom.
Lower the heat to simmer, stir one more time, cover the pot and let cook for 15 minutes.
Check rice, stir with a fork and remove from heat.
Let sit uncovered for 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 652mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 625IU | Vitamin C: 5.8mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1.5mg
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment with rating below!
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Marianne says
This recipe is delicious! Do yourself a favor and make this!! Only issue I had was the rice sticking and burning a little bit during simmering. Would recommend stirring it and scraping the bottom during the simmering process.Reply
AnnMarie says
Love this recipe and so does everyone I share it with. I usually have to add a little more water for whatever reason and I usually double it. Can’t have to much.Reply
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi AnnMarie! Thank you so much! I am so happy to know you love it! It's one of my favorites!
Reply
April W says
I always do taco night yet I have never ever made home made Spanish rice before! Just to be quick I would buy the 90 second Uncle Ben's (YUCK!) Stumbled upon this recipe and WOW! My mom never eats Spanish rice, not even from restaurants usually and she had seconds! Not even going to bother trying any other recipe! Thank you!Reply
Nikki says
Well it's good to try other recipes. So you and your mom can see what ingredients you like. Then from there you can add and take away ingredients to make your own Spanish rice.Reply
Lynn says
This is one of my favorite dishes from childhood - but from a package! I can't wait to give this a try.Reply
Michelle says
I can't wait to try this, Anna! We eat Mexican food all the time...I don't know why I've never made spanish rice! Thanks for the inspiration! Pinning for later!Reply
Erin says
Good Spanish rice makes taco night so much better! This looks amazing, I need to add taco night to the menu soon!Reply
Katerina says
I can only imagine how fragrant this is! I need to jump on this asap!Reply
Des says
You had me at butter and fluffy rice! Goes well with a lot of my favorites dishes.Reply
Stephanie says
This is the only kind of rice I really like! Looks perfect!Reply
Meg says
I love having Spanish rice with any Mexican Dish! It completes the meal for sure!Reply
Lori says
I' m so happy to see this recipe. My mom made Spanish rice from scratch ALL THE TIME when I was little! I've never actually made it myself. Totally saving this one!Reply
