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I have great news: making restaurant-worthy, authentic Mexican Rice in your rice cooker is as simple as adding the ingredients and switching it on. You’ll have a deeply flavorful version of this cherished side dish ready to serve in about an hour (with just 15 minutes of active time). This easy recipe delivers a perfectly cooked, flavor-loaded, authentic side dish every time.

Rice Cooker Mexican Rice served in a gray ceramic bowl and photographed from above.
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Pantry staple spices and aromatics, combined with fresh cilantro and jalapeños liven up what could otherwise be a lackluster side dish. Instead of using water as the liquid base, as in many Mexican rice recipes, here I use tomato sauce and chicken broth to provide both moisture and flavor.

“Absolutely loved this recipe. It’ll be my “go to” from now on.”

heather

Rice Cooker Mexican Rice Ingredients

Rice Cooker Mexican Rice Ingredients on a white marble board.
  • Rice: I prefer long-grain white rice because it yields fluffy, light grains and resists clumping
  • Chicken Broth: you can use low-sodium or vegetable broth for a vegetarian version
  • Tomato Sauce: since you’re adding other spices and liquids, you don’t need anything fancy
  • Butter: unsalted or salted butter works, but you may need to adjust the salt
  • White Onion: you can use a few green onions for a milder onion flavor
  • Garlic: fresh garlic cloves are best, but jarred minced garlic will do if you don’t have fresh
  • Jalapeño: use more or less than the recipe calls for to manage the spice level of the rice
  • Ground Cumin: Cumin adds a savoriness and a delicious aroma and is common in many global cuisines
  • Chipotle Chili Powder: A lightly spicy chili powder made only from dried and smoked jalapeño peppers. Note that this is not standard chili powder, which is a blend of spices.
  • Fresh Cilantro: for garnish and a pop of color
  • Lime Wedges: for serving, optional
  • Kosher Salt: or about half the amount of fine sea salt

What sets this recipe apart.

The beauty of this Mexican Rice (also called Spanish Rice in the U.S.) isn’t just that it’s conveniently made in your rice cooker, but that you don’t need exotic, hard-to-find ingredients or much precious time to make it. But don’t let this dish’s simplicity belie its flavor complexity — Mexico has a rich culinary history, and its food is famous for its rich flavors and unique spices, and this dish does not disappoint! And you have endless options to make it your own by adding or swapping ingredients you prefer or have on hand.

Rice Cooker Mexican Rice served in a gray ceramic bowl with lime wedges.

5 Recipe Tips

  1. Rinse the rice well and drain before adding to the rice cooker. Rinsing removes the excess starch from the rice’s surface, which can make it gummy when cooked.
  2. A whole jalapeño adds flavor depth and heat – reduce the amount or omit for milder Mexican rice. Or leave the seeds in for an extra spicy kick.
  3. This recipe yields moist Mexican Rice. For drier rice, reduce chicken broth by 1/4 cup and up to 1/2 cup. Don’t be alarmed if there is liquid on the top when the rice cooker finishes; just stir to coat the rice evenly and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.
  4. Swap in long-grain brown rice for added nutrition and fiber. You’ll want to increase the broth amount by ~1/2 cup.
  5. For a lightened-up version, make my Mexican Cauliflower Rice instead.

This popular Mexican side dish is bursting with flavor and goes well with countless main dishes (or add a protein to make it a main!). The combination of straightforward, savory ingredients, flexibility and a nearly effortless cooking method makes this a side dish recipe you’ll reach for again and again.

How to Reheat

If you end up with leftover Mexican Rice, lucky you! It’s even better the next day. Just heat a little oil in a large skillet, add the rice, then cook and stir over medium heat until it’s warm all the way through with a few crispy edges. (I sometimes make this a day in advance because I love it this way.)

Make it a Meal

How to Make Mexican Rice in a Rice Cooker

Combine all of the ingredients (except for cilantro and lime) to rice cooker and stir. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions. Stir and let stand 5 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl and serve with cilantro and lime wedges if desired.

Rice Cooker Mexican Rice

4.84 from 18 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 240
Servings: 6 people
A deeply flavorful, essential Mexican side dish that is so easy to make at home in your rice cooker!

Ingredients  

  • 1 1/2 cups long grain rice rinsed well and drained
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth or water, (recipe note #1)
  • 8 ounces tomato sauce
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 small white onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 jalapeño minced (stems, ribs, and seeds removed – gloves recommended!), optional (recipe note #2)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or more for extra heat
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
  • fresh cilantro for garnish
  • lime wedges for serving, optional

Instructions 

  • Add all ingredients except for cilantro and lime wedges to rice cooker; stir well to combine. Cook according to manufacturer's instructions. Stir and let stand 5 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with cilantro; serve with lime wedges if desired.

Notes

  1. This recipe makes moist rice. If you prefer a drier Mexican rice, reduce broth by 1/4 cup and up to 1/2 cup.
  2. Jalapeño adds depth of flavor and some heat, feel free to reduce the amount or omit altogether for milder rice.

Nutrition

Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 980mg | Potassium: 212mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 392IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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65 Comments

  1. Kaitlyn says:

    5 stars
    This came out perfect in my 4c rice cooker.

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      That is so great to hear, Kaitlyn! Thank you for coming back to let me know and for specifying your rice cooker size (I haven’t had a chance to test it in a smaller cooker than mine – so very helpful!).

  2. Tracey Smith says:

    hi can you explain what you mean by tomato sauce? is it tinned tomatoes tomatoe purรฉe or ketchup?
    we are in uk. thanks

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      Hi Tracey! I believe that tomato purรฉe is the closest to US tomato sauce.

  3. Teresa says:

    Hi there, love this easy recipeโ€ฆwondering if I could substitute brown rice for the white rice. Trying to eat less white riceโ€ฆ

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      Hi Teresa! I’m so glad you’re enjoying this recipe. Your timing is perfect – I just posted my recipe for Mexican Brown Rice. After testing the brown rice version several times, I opted for cooking it on the stovetop since rice cookers vary so widely and not all have a brown rice setting.

  4. Jennifer says:

    What size rice cooker are you using? I just bought a 5.5 cup cooker and I donโ€™t want it to overflow. I want to try this though!!

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      Hi Jennifer! I have a 5.5 cup cooker (cooked) as well – so that should work perfectly!

  5. Kelly says:

    Going to make this soon. When you say “according to manufacturer instructions’ is it just the normal amount of time you would cook long grain rice? Does it matter that there are other ingredients? Thank you!

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      Hi Kelly! Yes, just the normal amount of time for long grain rice. You’ll add all of the recipe ingredients at once before cooking (see recipe note #1 about liquid quantity preference). Enjoy!

  6. Katherine H Mawhinney says:

    5 stars
    I made this recipe tonight with my brand new 3 cup rice cooker. I have never used a rice cooker at all, so this was a leap of faith, LOL! Anyways, I absolutely loved this recipe. I’m saving it to use every time I need Mexican style rice. I did go a little light on the water as recommended for less wet rice which worked perfectly. I left out the jalapeno, but the chipotle chili powder provided the perfect amount of heat for me. Thank you so much for this recipe!

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      I love to hear this, Katherine! So glad you enjoyed it!

  7. Laura says:

    5 stars
    Thank you for sharing this recipe! Itโ€™s been a huge hit, Iโ€™ve made it a handful of times now! Iโ€™ve done everything as written; every time itโ€™s been wonderful and so much better than what youโ€™d get at a restaurant!

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      You made my day, Laura! So glad you’re enjoying this.

  8. Tammy says:

    This rice was perfect. Just what I was looking for to serve with chicken tacos!

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      That’s fantastic, Tammy! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!

      1. Fawn says:

        5 stars
        I really love this recipe. I’ve made it twice now. I’m only curious tho, it says its 240 kcal….but doesn’t say per how much or what the serving size is. Just wondering what it is ๐Ÿค”.

        1. Marissa Stevens says:

          Hi Fawn! I’m so glad you’re enjoying this recipe. The nutrition info. is for 1/6th of the finished dish and you should end up with ~6-cups, so ~1 cup per serving.

  9. Sinna Stevenson says:

    5 stars
    This is exactly what I was looking for!! A no-nonsense, no-effort, set-it-and-forget-it, Mexican rice recipe that not only tastes like it should, but contains zero ketchup. I will never understand why so many recipes call for ketchup….. This is going to be my weekly go-to for rice for my Mexican casserole!!

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      I love to hear this, Sinna! Thank you for coming back to let me know.

  10. Barbara A. says:

    5 stars
    Can I ask a silly question? When measuring the rice and water, are you using literal measuring cups? My rice cooker comes with a measuring cup that is equivalent to 3/4 c.

    Iโ€™ve made this once before and my family LOVED it, I just wanted to clarify the measurements. Thanks so much!!

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      Hi Barbara! Those little cups that come with rice cookers cause a lot of confusion, lol. I’m using literal measuring cups – the rice with standard dry measuring cups and liquid with standard liquid measuring cups. So glad you and your family are enjoying the recipe!

      1. Barbara L Adkins says:

        Itโ€™s in the rice cooker as we speak! Thanks for the clarification!!

        1. Marissa Stevens says:

          My pleasure, Barbara. Enjoy!

  11. Dee says:

    2 stars
    This had absolutely no flavor. I added extra butter, broth and salt and it was still extremely bland. Will be searching for another recipe

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      Hi Dee. I’m sorry this one wasn’t what you were looking for. Honestly, I’m surprised that you found it bland with all of the aromatics and spices.

  12. Heather says:

    5 stars
    Absolutely loved this recipe. It’ll be my “go to” from now on. ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      That’s wonderful to hear, Heather! Thank you coming back to let me know.

  13. Alexa says:

    Could you add frozen peas to this? When would you add in?

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      Hi Alexa! Yes, absolutely. Once the rice has finished cooking, stir the frozen peas into the hot rice before the final step of letting it stand for 5 minutes. That should be enough time to warm them.

  14. Angel says:

    We LOVE this recipe, but I am having trouble with my rice cooker shutting off. It’s just a simple Aroma with the Warm/Cook feature and after a few times of trying the recipe it started going to Warm way before it was ready. Thought the rice cooker died and bought another and it’s doing the same thing. I’m wondering if the recipe is too much (because it’s not the same amounts that the cooker recommends) and the weight is off on the sensor? I’m willing to purchase a better cooker if anyone has any thoughts on this and why it might be happening. We love the flavor and want to continue to make it, but now I’m gun shy I trying another rice cooker and unsure what to try.

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      Hi Angel! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe. But, how frustrating to have your rice cooker shut off before finishing! I’m sorry that’s happening. As long as the rice cooker is large enough (that you’re not going above the max line – mine is a Panasonic 5-cup), I really don’t know what would cause that – I wish I could be of more help.

  15. Leigh Ann Payne says:

    This is the most amazing rice! So full of flavor and so simple to make. I have tripled this recipe in a ultra large rice cooker and it works just as well as when I make a single batch. I have done it with the full amount of liquid and without. I prefer it with the full amount. For those looking for a spin on this recipe, omit butter and use bacon grease instead as well as some cooked and crumbled bacon and add in some diced green pepper for a more hearty dish.

    1. Marissa Stevens says:

      Hi Leigh! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe and making it your own. Love that you were brave enough to triple the recipe and that it turned out well – that’s a lot of rice!