Rice Cooker Mexican Rice
Did you know that you can make Mexican rice in a rice cooker? It’s simple! Everything cooks together for an easy and delicious side dish!
I love the flavor of Mexican-style rice, with diced onion, tomatoes, and plenty of garlic. It’s a great side dish with tacos or you can use it as a base for taco bowls! The best part is you can make Mexican rice in a rice cooker!
While this rice reminds me of the side dish I get at my favorite local Mexican restaurants, I wouldn’t call this authentic Mexican rice, as I’m sure Mexican rice is not traditionally made in a rice cooker. I know there are lots of different ways to make it, but this is my personal favorite because it’s so easy! This rice may also be called Spanish rice or red rice. Whatever you call it, it’s perfect as a side dish for tacos!
How to Make Mexican Rice in a Rice Cooker
Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Microwave the onion and garlic for 3 minutes to soften the onion and tame the flavors. Add the rice, onion, garlic, vegetable broth, tomato paste, and salt to the rice cooker. Stir until combined.
Cook until the rice is fluffy and the broth has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork and you’re ready to serve it!
The Best Rice Cooker for Mexican Rice
I have an older rice cooker that is pretty basic. (It’s similar to this one.) It only has two settings: cook and keep warm. The sensor in the bottom determines how much moisture is left in the rice cooker, so it can tell how long to cook the rice.
Luckily, just about any model of rice cooker should work for this recipe. Just be sure the stir the ingredients together before cooking, to prevent any burning.
How to Store Leftover Rice
Store leftover rice in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 6 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- I like Edward & Son’s “Not Chicken” Broth. It adds lots of flavor with clean ingredients.
- I recommend buying tomato paste in a tube, so you can easily use a couple of tablespoons at a time. If using canned tomato paste, consider freezing the leftovers for future recipes.
- You can substitute brown rice in this recipe if desired.
- Microwaving the onion and garlic helps mellow the flavors and soften the onion. Do not skip this step.
Looking for more ways to use your rice cooker? Switch things up and try this Cilantro Lime Rice or a full meal, you can make rice and beans in your rice cooker!
Print
Rice Cooker Mexican Rice
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Rice Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
Did you know that you can make Mexican rice in a rice cooker? It’s simple! Everything cooks together for an easy and delicious side dish!
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup white rice
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste depending on broth)
Instructions
- Place the onion and garlic in a microwave-safe dish.
- Microwave the onion and garlic for 2 minutes, to soften the onion and mellow the flavors.
- Add the onion, garlic, rice, broth, and tomato paste to the rice cooker. Add salt if desired. Stir until combined.
- Cook in the rice cooker until the broth has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
Looking for a recipe to pair with your Mexican rice? Here are a few suggestions!
So easy and so delicious! We make this rice almost once a week and use it for so many dishes! Tastes delicious in tacos, bowls, salads…you name it. We love it!
This recipe didn’t work for me. I made exactly as directed. The onion was not cooked enough and would have had to have been minced finely to cook thoroughly. Also, the amount of onion (1 whole diced) for the amount of rice (1 cup white) seemed excessive, but it was a little hard to tell since the onion was not sufficiently cooked. The vegetable broth solids and tomato paste sank to the bottom and burned and so there was a bitter crust on the bottom of the rice pan.
Have anyone tried it with onion powder or granules and garlic salt or garlic powder?Â
Easy to do and very tasty results. We have to avoid onion and garlic, but using a little garlic oil worked well.
Finally, a Mexican rice that isn’t mushy with too much tomato pureee or paste or sauce. This is a nice fluffy and tasty rice! For my rice cooker I used only 1.5 cup broth along with Zattarain rice and added some spices, and other than that followed the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I loved it! quick and fast from what I do and hits all the notes which is most important …
Awesome !!!!!!
Oh wow – I hadn’t realised this could be made right in the rice cooker! Genius!
This is the recipe that finally persuaded me to buy a rice cooker! Super simple and sort of a mind blowing experience when I realized you can add other things to the rice cooker besides just the rice!
Made this the other night to go along with our taco bowls. This rice is delicious and easy to make. It helped create the perfect dinner!
This was a simple recipe with perfect results! Made enough for 4 breakfast burritos.