Best Mexican Cilantro Lime Rice for Burritos. Easy to make, under 20 minutes, and just 5 ingredients. Here is how to make it.
Here are some more Continental Rice Recipes, that you can try – Thai Pineapple Fried Rice, Persian Saffron Rice, One Pot Mexican Rice, Garlic Butter Shrimp Rice and Easy Mushroom Fried Rice.
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About This Recipe
Looking for any easy peasy Mexican recipe? Then this Cilantro Lime Rice is an answer to all your queries. Packed with fresh herbs and zesty flavour, This simple Rice recipe is apt for your weeknight meals or to serve as a side dish with your Mexican meals.
The best thing about this recipe, Cilantro Lime Rice needs only a few ingredients and I am sure you will have all of them already in your pantry. The simple combination of Rice, Cilantro, and Lime, this simple yet tasty dish will surely win your hearts.
I like to keep my recipe of Cilantro Lime Rice simple, but traditionally people also add Black Beans or Corn Kernels to their recipe.
So if you want that extra bite in your light flavored and soft rice, you can add black beans or corns too.
Also if you are a Vegan, it is a great recipe to include in your everyday meals.
This homemade Cilantro Lime Rice is,
- Vegan
- Gluten-Free
- Soft & Fluffy
- A 20-minute affair
- Just like Chipotle’s Rice
- Perfect Bachelor recipe
- Perfect for effortless weekday meals
Ingredients
Basmati Rice – To make this Recipe, I always opt for Basmati Rice, as they turn out separate and aromatic. You can also opt for any rice, that you use to make everyday meals at home.
Vegetable Stock – You can even add water instead of vegetable stock, but vegetable stock gives Cilantro Lime Rice an extra flavor and taste.
You can use the Homemade Vegetable Stock or the store-bought ones, but the homemade one always tastes better.
Cilantro – Add in finely chopped Cilantro or Coriander Leaves, this adds a lot of freshness in this rice recipe.
Other Ingredients – Other than the above ingredients, you will need olive oil, garlic and lemon juice.
You can even add a bit of lime zest, which adds a freshness to this simple yet delicious recipe. Always use freshly squeezed lemon juice, do not opt for the bottled lime juice.
Step by Step Recipe
Wash and soak the rice in water for 15-20 minutes. Heat olive oil in a pan.
When the oil is hot, add garlic.
Fry till garlic is slightly browned. Drain the rice and add it in the pan.
Add vegetable stock and lime juice.
Cover and cook the rice on very low heat till done.
Add the coriander and fluff with 2 forks.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a Non-Vegetarian version, just add cooked or grilled Chicken or Shrimps to the recipe. You can also use chicken stock to cook the rice.
For Cilantro Lime Rice, I would suggest you use basmati long grain rice.
It is more aromatic as compared to the plain white rice and the flavor also complements the cilantro and lime.
Some people also use Jasmine Rice to make this recipe, as it is more flavourful than the long grain basmati rice. So if you are thinking to serve it with an Asian Curry, you can use Jasmine Rice instead of Basmati for that sticky texture.
Having said that, this recipe tastes great with any variety of rice used. So go ahead and make it with whatever you have at hand.
Yes, along with Coriander Leaves, you can also add some coriander stem to Rice, as it adds a lot of flavor.
If you are using White Rice, 1 cup of Uncooked Rice makes 3 cups of Cooked Rice, but if you are making Brown Rice, 1 cup of Uncooked Rice makes 4 cups of Cooked Rice.
If you are heating refrigerated Rice, just add it in a pan and heat on the stove or transfer into microwave safe bowl and reheat for 3 to 4 minutes.
If heating frozen rice, thaw frozen rice in fridge for couple of hours and then reheat it. Sprinkle a little water before reheating if you feel rice is too dry, which will help rice stay moist.
Serving Suggestions
Cilantro Lime Rice is so flavourful that you can have it on its own.
Believe me, the smell of this rice is so tempting to gobble it up on its own, but this rice can be used to make other recipes too.
One great way to use this is in Burritos. This lightly flavoured rice adds a twist to your Burrito and can even be used in Burrito Bowls and Tacos.
Other than this you can just serve it along with any Mexican Curry. Not only Mexican it also pairs well with the Asian Curries.
You can also serve it with fresh tomato salsa, avocado, lettuce, sour-cream or guacamole. It also tastes great along with Steak, Grilled Chicken and Salmon.
Storage Suggestions
Leftover Cilantro Lime Rice stays good in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 days, when stored properly in an airtight container.
You can also freeze this rice for about 3 months in a ziplock freezer bag or freezer-safe container.
I would recommend you to make it fresh because it tastes the best this way. It is easy to make, thus you need very little time from your busy schedule to make this one.
Pro Tips By Neha
Always use long grain rice, as they turn out fluffy and aromatic. I would not recommend sticky rice for this recipe. Wash the rice twice or thrice before using.
Always use Vegetable Stock or even Chicken Stock for extra flavour, and not water.
Once the rice is cooked, let it rest in the pan for a few minutes before serving.
Use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead of bottled lemon juice for the best taste.
Do not overcook the rice, it will turn mushy and won’t taste great.
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Recipe Card
Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Long grain Basmati rice
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 3-4 Garlic cloves (Chopped)
- 2 cups Vegetable stock
- 2 tsp Lime juice
- 3 tbsp Fresh coriander (Finely chopped)
Instructions
- Wash and soak the rice in water for 15-20 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a pan.
- When the oil is hot, add garlic.
- Fry till garlic is slightly browned.
- Drain the rice and add it in the pan.
- Add vegetable stock and lime juice.
- Cover and cook the rice on very low heat till done.
- Add the coriander and fluff with 2 forks.
Gwen
Love cilantro lime rice! I live in south west Arizona so we eat a lot of arroz here ;} Yours looks perfect.
Modular kitchen
Use some yellow power to get looking good. Cookscape