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Restaurant Style Mexican Rice On The Stove Or In A Rice Cooker

November 2, 2015 by Mirlandra 30 Comments

Jump to Recipe

This flavorful Mexican Rice is easy to make at home on the stove top or in a rice cooker! It is the perfect side dish for all your favorite Mexican foods.

A white platter full of restaurant style Mexican rice sits on a dark wood table. There is a garnish of tomatoes and cilantro.

 

My husband is a total rice nut.  Even chocolate is best with crisped rice in it and if you offer him a rice crispy treat he will be happier than if you offered him a good beer.  We both love Mexican food, but nothing I made and called “Mexican Rice” really flew with him.  Rice is not supposed to be hard but for whatever reason I just could not get this figured out!

Finally he started pointing out rice options he loved at Mexican restaurants and I started to get the picture.  His perfect Mexican rice was buttery and savory but not complex or overdone.  I played with a few versions and eventually came up with the secret ingredient: Knorr Tomato Bouillon.  It is just the right mix of chicken and tomato flavor to make the perfect Mexican rice!

I loved that I could throw all the ingredients in a rice cooker in less than three minutes and have rice ready and waiting to serve with dinner.

I know that not everybody has a rice cooker so I also developed a simple stovetop recipe you can use instead.  Both are listed at the bottom – print out which ever you like.

Used In This Post:  Most larger grocery stores carry Knorr Tomato Bouillon in their Mexican food section.  If you can’t find it, Amazon has your back.

If you plan to buy a rice maker you should be somebody who will use it a lot.  If you are going to use a rice cooker a lot get a good one!  I will ONLY buy Zojirushi brand rice cookers.  The product is phenomenal.  There are multiple options depending on how much rice you make and how often.  I own the one pictured below. It features fuzzy logic technology which cooks rice like nobody’s business, even brown rice.

This amazing Guacamole also goes pretty darn well with any Mexican food!

Guacamole Recipe

 

A white platter full of restaurant style Mexican rice sits on a dark wood table. There is a garnish of tomatoes and cilantro.
Print Pin
4.54 from 41 votes

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice In A Rice Cooker

This version is prepared in a rice Cooker.
Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
Servings 4
Author Mirlandra Neuneker

Ingredients

  • 1 cup short grain white rice
  • 1 Tbsp. dehydrated onion
  • 3 tsp. Knorr tomato bullion
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 2 cups water

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients to rice cooker, swirl to combine. Cook until rice cooker says it is done. (Time depends on the type of rice cooker you own.)
  • Fluff with paddle to ensure even spice distribution before serving.

Notes

Remember different rice cookers cook at different rates and plan accordingly. I usually start my rice in the late afternoon and let it stay warm until dinner.

 

A white platter full of restaurant style Mexican rice sits on a dark wood table. There is a garnish of tomatoes and cilantro.
Print Pin
4.62 from 18 votes

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice On The Stove

This version is prepared on the stovetop.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4
Author Mirlandra Neuneker

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup minced onion
  • 2 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 cup short grain white rice
  • 3 1/4 cups hot water
  • 3 tsp. Knorr tomato bullion

Instructions

  • In a large nonstick frying pan, sauté onion in butter on medium-high for 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook for 1 more minute.
  • Add water and bullion and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and put the lid on leaving about a 1/4" gap for steam to escape.
  • Cook for 25-27 minutes until all the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. (Don't stir or lift the lid until 25 minutes.)

PIN FOR LATER

A platter of savory restaurant style Mexican rice that is garnished with cilantro and a few sliced tomatoes.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. henckels knives

    November 21, 2015 at 9:54 am

    very good

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      December 04, 2015 at 6:15 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. The Better Baker

    January 15, 2016 at 6:41 am

    Congrats on most clicks received for this great recipe at last week’s Weekend Potluck party!! So glad you share with us. I know this is the ‘BIG’ week ahead…thinking of you often and can’t wait to get the news of your new arrival. Take care.

    Reply
    • sushila nayar

      January 16, 2016 at 12:52 am

      we cook the rice in a similar way but fry and add ginger garlic paste and mint and coriander leaf
      it tastes equally amazing
      the rice you cooked was really delicious

      Reply
      • Mirlandra

        January 18, 2016 at 1:23 pm

        That sounds like a fun version. We might have to try that!

        Reply
    • Mirlandra

      January 18, 2016 at 1:19 pm

      Thanks! We are very excited for all this week holds.

      Reply
  3. Jessica @ Together As Family

    January 15, 2016 at 10:04 am

    Saw this at the Weekend Potluck. It looks like THE perfect Mexican Rice and easy too! No chopping or crazy stuff like that 🙂 Funny thing is, I saw that Knorr tomato at the grocery store and bought it on a whim thinking that I am sure there’s something I can make with it!

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      January 18, 2016 at 1:22 pm

      That is a great whim! It is amazing how often a bit of that tomato bouillon can give the perfect Mexican flavor to dishes. I love the simplicity of this rice dish.

      Reply
  4. Lona Strickland

    January 15, 2016 at 10:15 pm

    I’ve been looking for a good Spanish rice recipe and yours might just be the one. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      January 18, 2016 at 1:23 pm

      I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  5. Susan

    February 29, 2016 at 3:32 pm

    I really loved this rice. It is wonderful that you can just throw it all in the rice cooker and it turns out perfect every time. My new favorite mexican rice.

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      March 09, 2016 at 6:02 pm

      Awe, thanks for telling me! It is our favorite around here. It shows up more weeks than not 🙂

      Reply
  6. Evelyn

    February 09, 2017 at 9:41 pm

    I would like to try this with brown rice. I am sure the amount of water will change as well as the cooking time. Have you tried it with brown rice yet? Suggestions?

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      February 10, 2017 at 9:06 am

      I have not but now I want to! If you have a rice maker I would start by using the measuring cup that came with it and the water line to measure water. Just add the seasonings and set it for brown rice and see how it comes out. Adjust as needed next time. On the stove it will take longer and need more water. When I develop a recipe like this I use a Pyrex measuring cup of water and just keep adding as needed and see how much water I have left after. Then I make the recipe again next time starting with that amount of water and see how it goes. The ratio for brown rice to water is 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of water. I would start there. Please do let me know how it turns out! I’m quite curious.

      Reply
  7. Gentle Joy Homemaker

    March 10, 2017 at 7:06 am

    The rice looks delicious…. we make it in a similar way….. and lots of other ways as my husband LOVES rice also. 🙂

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      March 12, 2017 at 8:18 pm

      Mmmm – rice is SO good! I just did a recipe for pesto mushroom rice that I’m working on for one of the spring posts. Now I want to have diner at your house and try all the yummy ways you make it 🙂

      Reply
  8. Steve

    March 21, 2017 at 10:46 am

    Is there a particular reason you use dry onion in the slow cooker recipe? Couldn’t a person fry up a small amount of onion (such as in your stovetop version) and add it to the rice cooker and mix it in?

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      March 24, 2017 at 9:05 am

      I use it in my rice maker to be quick sometimes. I have a lot of readers who have small kids (like I do) and need some shortcuts. I also love taking fresh onion and frying a bit up in butter and tossing it in the rice cooker. Both options are yummy. It is mostly a matter of what you have time for!

      Reply
  9. zora collins

    March 21, 2017 at 1:50 pm

    sounds like something i will try

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      March 24, 2017 at 9:06 am

      Enjoy!

      Reply
  10. Gentle Joy Homemaker

    April 28, 2017 at 5:36 am

    My husband also loves rice… and we all laugh whenever I serve it because he “always” comments that it is good rice…. and rice can be good or bad…. some people overcook it and that’s bad, etc. 🙂 Thankfully, I have learned how to make a good rice dish also and he never counts me as one of those people who do it wrong! 🙂 I have to agree that I like rice better now also.

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      May 01, 2017 at 12:34 pm

      I used to dread rice! Then I married into a Korean family and learned quick how to make really good rice. Now we eat a lot more rice and there is not even a box of instant in the house. Your husband is totally right – there is good and bad rice!

      Reply
  11. Julie Sugiyama

    June 04, 2017 at 9:03 pm

    Hi, thanks for the recipe!
    Just to clarify, Zojirushi is Japanese, not Korean. It means “an elephant”, which is why there’s an elephant as their logo. 🙂

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      June 06, 2017 at 10:02 am

      You are correct – thanks for letting me know. I have made the correction. It is fun also to know the translation.

      Reply
  12. Kat

    November 15, 2018 at 4:23 pm

    5 stars
    Which setting did you use on the Zojirushi? White rice? I always wonder what semibrown means… I have the same one! Thanks.

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      November 16, 2018 at 5:40 pm

      I use the white rice setting. It really is a wonderful rice cooker! Semibrown rice is a weird term that is not very common unless you are a very serious rice cooker! It means that the rice has been partly polished which removes 30%-70% of the bran and germ layer. This means the rice will cook faster than brown rice that has not had anything removed. Think of it as the rice in-between brown and white.

      Reply
  13. Aja

    July 08, 2020 at 1:41 pm

    Can you use long grain white rice or jasmine/basmati rice for this recipe?

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      July 08, 2020 at 1:47 pm

      Hi Aja,

      If you are using a rice maker then yes! If you are doing the stove top recipe it is going to be a bit different since the water / rice ratio might need adjusting. Keep in mind that long grain rice is probably your best fit here since jasmine and Basmati have such distinct flavors. Thanks for asking!

      Reply
  14. Dolly Machado

    October 17, 2020 at 2:59 pm

    I really like this recipe and how simple it is to make. I have made the stove top version a few times now and have had to adjust the liquid ratio down to more like 2 3/4 cups because it was coming out to moist. I also add a little more bullion a dash of cumin to boost up the flavor. We are having neighbors over for Halloween and I wanted to know if i can double or triple the recipe? Or would it be best to to make it in separate batches?

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      October 18, 2020 at 3:58 pm

      Hi Dolly – I’m so glad you are enjoying this! We make it most weeks! I’m not totally sure what to tell you about doubling it – I’ve not done a bigger batch on the stovetop, only in the rice cooker. In theory it should work but I feel like stovetop rice can be a bit tricky. If you feel comfortable keeping an eye on it and adding a little more water if needed I think you would be fine.

      Reply

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Welcome!  I’m Mirlandra

I provide real dinner solutions so busy women can kick kitchen overwhelm to the curb and learn to make simple, healthy dinners to fit any schedule and family.

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