Mexican Please

Cilantro Lime Rice

By 30 Comments

By keeping just a few ingredients on hand you’ll always have the option of whipping up this light, effervescent Cilantro Lime Rice.

It does quite well in groups (think burrito bowls) but sometimes it just needs some quality one-on-one time (with black beans).  Either way, it’ll be one of your most versatile creations if you give it a chance.

This is Recipe #20 of our free Mexican Cooking guide.
By keeping just a few ingredients on hand you'll always have the option of whipping up this light, effervescent Cilantro Lime Rice. Works well in burrito bowls but also tastes great on its own! mexicanplease.com

Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe and Tips

You can get by using water as a base, but you’ll notice quite a difference if you cook the rice in some stock.  I’m using 2 cups of this homemade version but a low sodium storebought version will work too.

For every cup of rice you use you’ll need about 1/2 cup worth of chopped cilantro;  this translates roughly into half of a standard sized cilantro bunch.

By keeping just a few ingredients on hand you'll always have the option of whipping up this light, effervescent Cilantro Lime Rice. Works well in burrito bowls but also tastes great on its own! mexicanplease.com

It’s common to use the cilantro stems in Mexico so I’m in the habit of doing that.  After rinsing, you can twist off the bottom, thicker portion of the stems but feel free to leave in the thinner stems that connect the leaves.  (Here’s how I chop cilantro.)

You’ll also need two tablespoons of lime juice for each cup of rice.  You’ll get two tablespoons of juice from a fresh lime but if your limes are suffering  you might need an extra one.

By keeping just a few ingredients on hand you'll always have the option of whipping up this light, effervescent Cilantro Lime Rice. Works well in burrito bowls but also tastes great on its own! mexicanplease.com

Then it’s just a matter of blending together the cilantro, lime juice, and a single garlic clove.  You might need a couple tablespoons of water (or oil) to get it to combine.

By keeping just a few ingredients on hand you'll always have the option of whipping up this light, effervescent Cilantro Lime Rice. Works well in burrito bowls but also tastes great on its own! mexicanplease.com

This mixture then gets added to the cooked rice.

By keeping just a few ingredients on hand you'll always have the option of whipping up this light, effervescent Cilantro Lime Rice. Works well in burrito bowls but also tastes great on its own! mexicanplease.com

Easy right?

Give it a final taste for salt before serving.  This recipe uses 1/2 teaspoon of salt when cooking the rice and that is usually enough for me.

You can also keep some extra chopped cilantro on hand if you want a fresh layer on top.  So good!

By keeping just a few ingredients on hand you'll always have the option of whipping up this light, effervescent Cilantro Lime Rice. Works well in burrito bowls but also tastes great on its own! mexicanplease.com

It’ll be tempting to gobble it up on its own, but don’t forget that this Cilantro Lime Rice is a gregarious lot and likes to hang out with others on occasion.

Buen Provecho.

By keeping just a few ingredients on hand you'll always have the option of whipping up this light, effervescent Lime Cilantro Rice. Works well in burrito bowls but also tastes great on its own! mexicanplease.com

Cilantro Lime Rice

By keeping just a few ingredients on hand you'll always have the option of whipping up this light, effervescent Cilantro Lime Rice.
4.43 from 21 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 219kcal
Author: Patrick Calhoun | Mexican Please

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white rice
  • 2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 1 lime
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • oil
  • splash of water

Instructions

  • Heat up a dollop of oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat
  • Saute 1 cup of rice in the saucepan until lightly browned
  • Add 2 cups of stock and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the rice
  • Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a light simmer
  • Let simmer until the liquid is absorbed
  • Turn off heat and cover, letting rice sit in its own steam for a few minutes
  • Rinse 1/2 bunch of cilantro and twist off the bottom stems, chopping roughly
  • Add to a blender along with 2 Tablespoons lime juice and 1 garlic clove
  • Add a couple tablespoons of water (or oil) and blend the ingredients together
  • Add the lime cilantro mixture to the cooked rice and mix thoroughly
  • Taste for salt
  • Add additional cilantro if desired
Like this recipe?Click the stars above to rate it or leave a comment down below! @mexplease

Want to know how much it costs to start a food blog?

I just put together a step-by-step post that shows you how to keep food blog startup costs low and still compete with the established blogs in your niche. mexicanplease.com

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Good question! To be honest, I’ve never tried this recipe with anything besides white rice. But I think it should work quite well with other types of rice too. You might have to increase the flavoring a bit to compensate for some of the heartier grains, but at the very least I think it’s worth experimenting with.

      Cheers.

      Reply

      • My husband , while in the hospital, had Cilantro and Lime Barley served as a side dish. He said it was delicious. I’m going to try it at home with vegetable stock.

        Reply

        • Hi Bettye that sounds like a good plan! I’ve found that using stock makes a huge difference in the final flavor of the rice. I typically use chicken stock but veggie should work just as good. Cheers.

          Reply

    • Hi Bob! Yeah I’m in the habit of cooking the rice uncovered. But then once all the liquid is absorbed I take it off the heat, cover it, and let it sit in its own steam for a few minutes. Keep in mind though that no one can agree on nothing these days and that’s true for making rice too, so there are multiple ways to get there. Hope that helps a bit. Cheers.

      Reply

    • Thanks much for the feedback Jennifer! I’m always amazed how satisfying that rice can be with so few ingredients…

      Reply

  7. I used brown rice and it has been cooking for over an hour now. Still not even close to being done. Definitely does not work with anything but white rice.

    Reply


  8. Yum! Made this with carne asada for dinner, hubby loved it! I added a small can of rinsed and drained black beans to the cooked rice while blending the other ingredients… plus an extra clove of garlic (my first clove was very samll). Will definitely make this again!

    Reply

  12. This rice is absolutely delicious! Love cilantro, lime and rice… great combination and so full of flavor. I serve this with bbq, roasted chicken and mexican street corn too… thanks so much!! I’ve followed your blog for a long time but haven’t had the free time and opportunity to thank you for your recipes and posts! Thank You!

    Reply

  13. My family is enjoying this rice right now!!! Thanks for this recipe and now will be added to our menu!!!

    Verrrry delicious

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *