Flavor packed and make ahead easy for those busy week nights; Spanish Brown Rice (aka Mexican Brown Rice) for a good mouth party! This Mexican seasoned rice recipe pairs deliciously with Tofu Tacos, Tinga Cauliflower Tacos and Slow Cooker Pinto Beans! This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and easily gluten free [see recipe card for VIDEO]
~ This recipe was first published in May 2016. I’ve since updated the photos and recipe notes. The original recipe remains unchanged. ~
Table of Contents
Growing up on Spanish Rice
Like Slow Cooker Pinto Beans, Spanish rice, also known as Mexican rice, has been a staple in my kitchen for so long, I can hardly recall when the creation of this recipe started. It’s a recipe that’s taken on many forms through the years.
But then after getting married and hardly knowing a thing about how to make Mexican rice, I often yielded to pre-packaged or canned Spanish rice. After-all, I wasn’t wise enough to ask my Ma for her Mexican seasoned rice recipe.
I was going for convenience anyway due to a full college and work schedule. And the Spanish rice looked decent enough. Little did I know at that time the importance of reading ingredient labels or preparing my own food. Oh what I would teach my younger self.
More Mexican Food Sides to Love! Try my Refried Black Beans, Mexican Beans, and Easy Chipotle Salsa!
Mexican Brown Rice Recipe Development
Between then and now, I’ve learned how to cook and have tried many different Spanish rice recipes. Given my native Texas roots, I’m pretty particular when it comes to Tex-Mex food, especially when it comes to the spices. After all, this is a big factor in Mexican food.
Most Spanish rice recipes call for white rice and I’ve used white basmati for years. However, I decided somewhere down the line, brown was better. I’ve learned since, it’s only slightly higher in fiber and protein; still a win/win for a healthy brown rice recipe. An advantage in my book, but I also love the texture of brown rice anyway, so why not?
I first tried simply subbing the white rice for brown. I tried this again and again tweaking the recipe here and there, but for some reason, I couldn’t get it to work. The rice never absorbed the liquids or cooked through. It was if the spices were impeding the ability of the rice to absorb the water.
I ended up with a mess of undercooked Spanish brown rice several times before I decided to cook the rice first, chill it overnight, then add the veggies and spices. Mexican seasoned rice success!
Quick Guide: How to Make Mexican Brown Rice
Similar to fried rice, cooking and chilling the brown rice prior to adding the Mexican spices and veggies produces grains of rice that don’t stick together. Fluffy, not sticky and texture rich Spanish brown rice? Yes please! In summary, here’s how to make this healthy brown rice recipe (see recipe card for details):
- First, saute the onions and then add the spices and adobo sauce.
- Second, stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Next, stir in the cooked brown rice.
- Last, warm through, then squeeze in the lime.
Spanish brown rice whips up in 17 minutes with a batch of pre-cooked brown rice.
Take that, week-night dinner!
A Few Recipe Tips
- Bulk Buying: Look for long grown brown basmati rice in the bulk bins for best value and reduced waste.
- Meal Prep: Prep and chill your brown rice at least a day prior to making this recipe. This helps create fluffy and separated Mexican brown rice.
- Adobo Sauce: Look for chipotle chilis in adobo sauce on the Mexican food isle of the grocery store. The leftovers freeze with ease!
Pair this Mexican brown rice with your favorite Mexican food mains, a big bowl of Creamy Guacamole with Sour Cream and a Fresh Margarita. Talk about comfort food and a mouth party. This makes me happy!
More Vegetarian Mexican Food Recipes to Love
- Mexican Inspired Tofu Tacos
- Stuffed Poblanos with Smoky Quinoa, Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans
- Cheesy Vegetarain Tofu Enchiladas
- Easy Black Bean Tostadas with Fajita Veggies
- Roasted Cauliflower Tinga Tacos with Chili Lime Slaw
- Skillet Vegetarian Enchiladas Verde
Spanish Brown Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs Cooking Oil I like coconut or olive oil
- 1/2 C (110g) Purple Onion small dice
- 2 tsp Adobo Sauce** from a can of chipotle chili peppers or 1 tsp of minced pickled jalapeños, adjust to taste - look for gluten free if needed.
- 1 tsp Cumin ground
- 1 tsp Chili Powder ground
- 1/4 tsp Smoky Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 2/3 C (200g) Fire Roasted Tomatoes one can, diced, freeze the leftovers
- 1 Tbs Tomato Paste
- 2 1/2 C (350g) Cooked and Chilled Long Grain Brown Rice* see note for cooking instructions if needed
Serve With (optional):
- Additional Limes
- Cilantro
- Salsa
- Jalapeños
Instructions
- In a large saute pan, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onions and cook on medium-low for about 8 minutes or until softened.
- Add the adobo sauce, cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic and salt. Stir until the onions are coated and the spices release their fragrance. About one minute.
- Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir for another minute or until all the ingredients are incorporated.
- Stir in the cold rice and mix until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Squeeze lime juice over the rice, and stir. Warm on low for about five minutes or until heated through. Adjust salt to taste.
- Serve with additional limes, cilantro, salsa and/or jalapeños.
- Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to three days or freeze for up to two weeks.
I noticed alot of your recipes use Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, what can I use instead? The Fire-Roasted tomatoes have Citric Acid in them and I’m allergic to all Citrus Products.
Hi Laura! Feel free to use regular diced tomatoes in any recipe that calls for fire roasted. You may add a little extra sprinkle of smoked paprika instead to enjoy that smoky flavor the fire roasting imparts. I hope this helps!
The reason why the brown rice, in your previous attempts, did not cook through was due to the oil. I have found that ANY whole grain, when cooked with even a little oil, will not absorb the liquid and seasonings properly, no matter how long you cook it. The oil forms a water-repellent barrier on the grain. I’ve had rice, barley, millet, wheat berries, etc., all remain hard or unevenly cooked if there is oil present with the broth/water and seasonings. I don’t add oil when cooking beans from scratch either. Also, dry toasting the whole grains in your cooking pot before adding the liquid contributes a lot of flavor. Thanks for all your lovely and tested recipes.
Hi Ginny! Thank you so much for your note and sharing this mystery that’s stymied me for so long! Now, that makes complete sense. No wonder I can never get them to cook when oil has been introduced to the matrix! Agreed about toasting grains bringing out so much flavor!
Love the video Traci! This looks like the perfect zesty side for Taco Tuesday! And so, so easy. Can’t wait to give it a try!
I made this tonight.i didn’t have adobo do I made it without it. I subbed the fire roasted tomatoes with rotel and it was still amazing.
HI Kanikkia! Thank you for your note and tip! So happy to hear you enjoyed the Spanish Rice!
This recipe is so easy and very tasty!
So happy to hear, Kim! Thank you for giving it a go, and your note. :D
This was so fast and easy, and I felt like it had more texture and flavor than made with white rice. Just Delicious!
Hi, I made this last night as part of a Mexican dinner. This rice is delicious! I used basmati brown rice and made sure to chill it for at least 6 hours. The flavors are wonderful and it was a hit! Paired perfectly with seared mushrooms in diablo sauce! Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Tom! So happy to hear! Thank you for coming back and leaving a note. The seard mushrooms in diablo sauce sounds amazing!
I like this recipe so much!! I want to make a big pot of this rice? Should I double measurements? Have you ever tried 4 cups of rice?
Hi Melissa! Thank you for your note! I love it so much toooo! But I’ve never cooked four cups of rice at one time – max two. I wouldn’t hesitate doubling this recipe, so you’d cook 1 1/2 C dry rice. So happy to hear you’re enjoying the recipe!
That’s A LOT of sodium per serving, something I’ve been forced to pay attention to . . .
Hi Michelle! Please feel free to adjust the salt to your needs. You can leave out the salt and garlic salt opting for garlic powder or 1 tsp of minced garlic instead. I hope this helps!
Also, Michelle… feel free to cook the rice in water rather than vegetable broth.
Would it be necessary to soak and refrigerate rice overnight prior to browning and refrigerating the following day?
Hi Wanda! I’ve not tried that but you could give it a go.
This was really good! Thank you for the recipe! Instead of fire roasted tomatoes I just subbed petite diced tomatoes and I didn’t have cilantro and I did put the peppers in along with the adobe sauce but it was a little too spicy for my younger kids so I’d probably half it and it’d be fine. Yummy and fast!!
Hi Kim! Thank you for coming back and leaving a note! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe… oh dear, the adobo can be a bit spicy. I’ll make a note! Thank you again!
As a fitness instructor, I’m always looking for healthy, quick recipes. This one delivered. I used crushed Roma tomatoes instead of fire-roasted and forgot the tomato paste and it turned out perfectly. Love, love the tip to cook and refrigerate rice first. To make it even easier I used a frozen, organic brown rice which I cooked and cooled. Now I need a recipe to use the can of chilis in adobo sauce.
Hi Pamela! Thank you for coming back and leaving a note! So happy you enjoyed this Spanish Rice. For the chilis in adobo sauce, you can freeze it (I do this all the time) and/or I do have many recipes OTB that include it: https://vanillaandbean.com/quinoa-mango-black-bean-salad-with-smoky-pepitas-and-chipotle-lime-vinaigrette/ or https://vanillaandbean.com/chipotle-black-bean-dip/ or https://vanillaandbean.com/sweet-potato-peanut-chipotle-soup-with-wilted-greens/ or https://vanillaandbean.com/roasted-cauliflower-tinga-tacos-chili-lime-slaw/ plus many more. I use it all the time! I hope this helps!
Yes to this recipe! Easy and delicious. You’ve come a long way in the kitchen and your presentation pleasingly rouses the appetite. Happy to of found your site. Thank you Traci.
Hi Marry! Somehow I missed your note… :/ Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and you’re also enjoying the blog! Thank you!!
Simple to make and delicious. We’re the amount of kick. Definitely a keeper. Thanks!
So happy to hear Marianne! Thank you for your note!
I made this last night..It was awesome. Thank you
Love reading this, Melissa! Thank you for your note! :D
Perfection!
Love it! Thank you for your note!
This recipe is absolutely delicious and has quickly become my “go-to” Mexican side dish! I have tried some many Spanish rice recipes, but they were all lacking. The robustness of this flavor is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing.
Hey Kate… Thank you for your note! Hooray! Spanish rice must be robust in my book. So happy you’re enjoying the recipe!
This has such a great flavor to it, it was a huge hit for taco night! I didn’t have any of the aboto sauce so I improvised with some “smoky” seasoning mix that I already had on hand. And instead of canned tomatoes I was fortunate to have cherry tomatoes from my garden. I roasted them under the broiler for about 10 minutes and then he gave them a quick pulse in the blender before adding them into the rice. This dish is definitely a keeper!
Hooray Sarah! Thank you for sharing your tip with us about cherry tomatoes! It sounds delicious… so happy you enjoyed the recipe! :D
Thank you so much for your note and trying the recipe Ankit! I love this recipe too… SO much. It rounds out any Mexican dinner! :D
I have made this recipe a few times now. So easy to put together even if I forget to make the rice ahead of time. This is sooo delicious and sure beats the canned Spanish rice I grew up with. Brown rice is a staple in my house, too. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Hi Claudia! I loved reading your comment. It’s true… making brown rice ahead doesn’t always happen here either, especially when I get a certain craving and need Mexican Brown Rice posthaste! Isn’t it SO much better than canned Spanish rice, either way? Thank you for sharing!! :D
I have been to three different stores looking for Adobo (?).. Absolutely no luck. It’s for ribs. Can you tell me exactly what I’m looking for? Thank You.
It’s basically a tin of smoked chipotle peppers in a slightly sour, tomatoey sauce. I am guessing you could probably substitute with jalapeños with if that is easier to get. But the flavor of chipotle is just amazing.
I just made this using quinoa , tastes great
Hi Christine! Oh, what a delicious substitution. Thank you for sharing! :D
I was so happy to find this recipe. My mom use to do Spanish rice and I try your recipe yesterday and it was so delicious. The smell of the spices and the taste and plus it reminded me my mother. So for a Mother’s Day, it was a good timing. Thank you. Nicole