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Quick Mexican Rice: 10-Minute Recipe With Instant Rice

10-Minute Mexican Rice is a great quick side dish with instant rice for your next Mexican night . You can whip up this Mexican Rice recipe in about 10 minutes. My nephew says this is the “best rice ever!” And I agree. Get your next Mexican night ready in a flash with this delicious and simple Quick Mexican Rice recipe. Ready to eat in under 10 minutes, it’s the perfect quick side dish for your meal!

Quick and Easy Mexican Rice

This Mexican Rice recipe is great if you need a quick side dish to go with your Mexican dinner.

We love to make this recipe when we’re having Chicken Flautas or when I’m making Enchiladas for dinner.

It uses Instant Rice or Minute Rice so it comes together really quickly on the stovetop.

You can also regular long-grain white rice or even brown rice with this recipe but you will need to increase the cooking time for the rice.

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10-Minute Quick Mexican Rice

This Mexican Rice recipe is super easy to whip up. It can all be done in one pot and all done in 10 minutes.

🔑 Key to Success #1 – Cook Spices Until Fragrant

The first step to this recipe is to cook the herbs and spices in olive oil.

You can use the same pot that you’ll use to make your rice.

No need for a separate pot.

I like to make this Mexican Rice in a 4-quart saucepan.

And I always use stainless steel pots because they last forever and are easy to clean.

Be sure that your pot has a tight-fitting lid as well because the rice will need to steam in order to cook up nice and fluffy.

Place your oil in your saucepan over medium heat then add your spices.

You’ll want to cook the spices in the oil until they are fragrant.

This will take about a minute or two. Be sure to stir often.

Mexican Rice

🔑 Key to Success #2 – Bring It To a Boil Then Add Instant Rice

After the spices are fragrant, add the tomato sauce and water then bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.

You can cover the saucepan with the lid to speed up the process.

Just be sure to watch it carefully and stir it often.

Once the liquid starts to boil, add the uncooked instant white rice to the saucepan then bring back to a boil.

It should only take a few minutes for the rice to start to boil.

Again, watch it carefully and stir it often.

10 Minute Mexican Rice

🔑 Key to Success #3 – Cover and Let Sit for Mexican Rice with Minute Rice

After adding the rice, cover the pot and remove it from the heat.

The instant rice will absorb the liquid and the spices and you will end up with delicious, fluffy, spicy Mexican Rice.

I mentioned this before but it’s important to have a tight-fitting lid for your saucepan so that the rice can steam and the liquid can absorb properly.

If your lid is loose, your liquid will evaporate and your rice will miss out on some of those yummy Mexican spices.

quick mexican rice

This Mexican Rice recipe is super easy and quick and it turns out great every time.

Of course, you can customize the spices to your liking.

If you don’t like cilantro, you can certainly leave it out.

But I think it adds a nice touch to the dish.

Are you a cilantro fan?

Let us know in the comments below.

📌 Get the Printable Recipe for Quick Mexican Rice

Save this 10-Minute Mexican Rice recipe to your favorite Mexican food board.

10-Minute Mexican Rice
10 Minute Mexican Rice

10-Minute Mexican Rice

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

10-Minute Mexican Rice is a great side dish for your next Mexican night. You can whip up this Mexican Rice recipe in about 10 minutes. My nephew says this is the "best rice ever!" And I agree. 

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, finely chopped
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups uncooked instant white rice

Instructions

  1. In large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, sea salt, and cilantro. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
  2. Add tomato sauce and water. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. 
  3. Add uncooked rice and bring back to a boil. Cover and turn off heat. Let rice sit covered for 5 minutes until liquids have been absorbed. 
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 108Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 0gSodium: 457mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have suggestions for improvement?

Your feedback helps us create better recipes for you. Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts!

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Sarah

Tuesday 10th of November 2020

Yum! This recipe came out great. I cut the recipe in half except for the tomato sauce, so I had to let the rice soak up the extra liquid for just a few minutes longer, but that's on me. I'll definitely make this again. Thanks for the tasty recipe!

Nicole B

Friday 16th of October 2020

I now make this rice at least once a week! Thanks so much for coming up with such a delicious, but fast, side dish that everyone loves!

Jennifer

Monday 19th of October 2020

Nicole, We’re so glad you like it! It’s one of our favorites too.

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