Spanish Rice (Easy, Delicious, The BEST!)

Spanish Rice is a quick, delicious side dish that's as simple as cooking a pot of rice using chicken broth, tomato sauce, and seasonings. This easy Spanish Rice recipe will be your go-to side dish for Mexican entrees!

If you enjoy Mexican food side dishes, you'll also love Slow Cooker Charro Beans, Instant Pot Refried Beans, and Cilantro Lime Rice!

Any time you're in the mood for Tex-Mex or Mexican food, a quick search of the blog will reveal that you're set when it comes to appetizers, main dishes, beverages, heck, even dessert! But when it comes to Mexican side dishes, the top dog recipe on Five Heart Home has always been my Spanish Rice!

Now, I'm not going to get into a debate about what constitutes an "authentic" Spanish Rice recipe because there are as many variations as there are stars in the sky.

All I can tell you is that in Texas, pretty much every Mexican food restaurant serves reddish-orange, tomato-sauce tinged rice as a side dish along with charro or refried beans. And for some reason, it's commonly referred to as Spanish, rather than Mexican, rice.

While some of the restaurants inexplicably adulterate their rice with frozen mixed veggies (???), I think the best versions are plain, with perhaps a few flecks of tomato, and delicately flavored with similar spices to what might find in taco seasoning.

So that, my friends, is how I'm going to demonstrate cooking homemade Spanish Rice today!

Ingredients

So what ingredients do you need to make the easiest, tastiest, most foolproof Spanish Rice ever?!

• Extra-virgin olive oil + butter. For toasting your rice, which contributes flavor and prevents the rice from sticking together later.
• Long grain white rice. The variety or brand doesn't matter as long as it's long grain. And be sure to keep those package directions handy to determine the optimal liquid ratio and cooking time for your particular brand of rice! More on that below...
• Chicken broth (or stock) + tomato sauce (or puree). These two ingredients constitute the liquid in which your rice will cook. So much more flavorful that plain water!
• Herbs + spices. For even more flavor! Namely, you'll need chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, and dried oregano for your Spanish Rice seasoning.
• Diced tomatoes. Optional, but feel free to add them to give a little extra pizzazz to your Spanish rice.

Here's the thing. Years ago, I had rather inconsistent results when cooking Spanish Rice. But the good news is I FIGURED OUT WHY. Drumroll, please...

The Secret to Easy Spanish Rice

You see, I was always cooking my Spanish Rice according to a set recipe, but I never took into account that different varieties/brands of white rice may have cooking directions that call for varying amounts of water and a whole range of cooking times.

So it finally occurred to me that, instead of cooking my rice with a certain amount of liquid for a set amount of time each go-round, it might make more sense to pay attention to the directions on the back of the bag of rice.

That's right, y'all...this Spanish Rice recipe is basically like cooking a regular ol' pot of rice according to the package directions.

But instead of just cooking the rice in water with a bit of salt and possibly butter, you're going to make this Mexican-inspired version by cooking the rice in a combo of chicken broth and tomato sauce.

And instead of just flavoring with salt, you're going to add chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, and dried oregano.

But the key is you're going to use the total amount of liquid dictated by the particular brand of white rice that you're using, and you're also going to follow its specified cooking time!

Liquid Ratios and Cooking Time

I like to keep my chicken broth to tomato sauce ratio at about 50/50, leaning towards slightly more chicken broth/slightly less tomato sauce depending on my measurements.

So, for example, if my bag of white rice called for 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water, I would use 1 cup of rice, 1 cup of chicken broth, and 1 cup of tomato sauce.

The brand of rice that I have in my pantry right now calls for 1 cup of rice to 1 ¾ cups of water. So to make today's easy Spanish Rice, I used 1 cup of rice, 1 cup of water, and ¾ cup of tomato sauce. Does that make sense?

The same goes for cooking time. I initially toast my rice in oil for a few minutes, but then I just follow the directions on the bag of rice, which today dictated simmering for 20 minutes or so.

The final result? Perfectly cooked rice every time!

How to Make Spanish Rice

(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)

So now that we've established that your going to use the directions on your bag of rice as your cooking guideline, let me walk you through what it looks like to make this easy Spanish Rice.

1. Set a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. After the butter is melted, add your white rice and stir to coat it with the oil/butter mixture. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the rice is toasted.

2. Stir in chicken broth, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, oregano, and diced tomatoes (if using).

3. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Stir well, reduce heat to low, place lid on pot, and cook at a gentle simmer for 20 minutes...or whatever amount of time is directed on your bag of rice! If your Spanish Rice recipe is not quite tender (or the liquid is not absorbed) after the cooking time is complete, replace the lid and cook for 2 to 4 minutes longer.

4. Remove the pot from the heat, but leave it covered and allow it to rest for a few minutes. Fluff your easy Spanish Rice with a fork and serve warm.

More Than Just a Side Dish

Oh, and as one final side note, this recipe need not merely serve as a side dish!

On the day that I made it for the blog, I happened to have some leftover Slow Cooker Chicken & Black Bean Taco filling in the fridge, which we'd already enjoyed in tacos earlier in the week.

So when I found myself with this fluffy pot of Spanish Rice, I decided to serve it rice bowl-style, topped with the leftover shredded chicken, as well as big chunks of creamy avocado, generous dollops of salsa, and a shower of fresh chopped cilantro.

It was so darn tasty that my family went crazy over it. And I felt pretty clever at my dinnertime leftovers reinvention. 😉

So are you a fan of red rice/Spanish Rice/Mexican rice/Whatever-You-Prefer-to-Call-It?

Have you ever made it yourself at home?

Whether it's Cinco de Mayo or Taco Tuesday or a regular hectic weeknight, I encourage you to give this easy Spanish Rice recipe a try!

It's simple to make as well as simply tasty...and who's going to argue with that?

More Tex-Mex Favorites

• Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
• Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas
• Mexican Martini {Trudy's Copycat}
• Easy Restaurant Style Salsa
• Easy Homemade Flour Tortillas
• Creamy Jalapeño Dip {Chuy's Copycat}

Post originally published on April 30, 2015 and updated on March 3, 2019, February 4, 2021, and February 7, 2025.