Arroz Rojo (Mexican Red Rice)

Arroz rojo is the perfect side dish with beef, chicken, pork, and even fish. Make this easy recipe for fluffy red rice for dinner tonight!

What is arroz rojo?

The Spanish term arroz rojo translated to English literally means red rice.

Difference between Mexican red rice and Spanish rice

Although many people associate the two, there is a significant difference between an authentic recipe for Mexican red rice and a Spanish one.

Most notably, the difference lies in their appearance.

You see, the Spanish version is not red rice at all. Rather, it’s yellow in color, with the yellow hue coming from the use of saffron in the dish. In comparison, arroz rojo gets its color from fresh tomatoes.

Recipe variations

Actually, there are several different variations of Mexican rice.

For example, in Mexico, the authentic rice dish is made with fresh plum tomatoes. Onion and jalapeno are always included. The cooking technique to make it is similar to how risotto is made.

Rather than allowing the rice to steam like you would for my cilantro lime rice recipe, authentic arroz rojo requires constant stirring throughout the entire cooking process.

Video: Making Mexican red rice

Want to see how easy this version of Mexican rice is to make?
Scroll down to the recipe card and watch the video!

To shorten the prep for this recipe, instead of using fresh plum tomatoes, I use tomato paste. Because it’s nothing more than concentrated tomatoes, it isn’t necessary to use fresh ones.

As a result, you have great flavor, plus the red color you want, but the process is much quicker! Also, rather than making a risotto style dish like you would for authentic red rice, this recipe calls for it to be steamed.

Instructions for arroz rojo

1. Sauté the vegetables.

Place a large pot over medium-high heat and get it really hot before you add any oil. After a minute or two, go ahead and add the oil. After a minute or so, the oil will begin to shimmer. At that point, add the onion, carrot, and garlic.

Using this technique ensures that the veggies sauté rather than steam, and it also produces the best flavor.

2. Add the spices, tomato paste, and rice.

You want to add the spices first, then the tomato paste. After a couple of minutes, add your dry rice to the pan so that the grains toast in the oil a bit.

3. Deglaze the pot. 

After the rice cooks a few minutes, you’ll notice specks of brown on the bottom of the pot. The culinary name for this is “fond” and it is where much of flavor in the red rice comes from! Add some chicken stock to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom.

4. Simmer and serve! 

Bring the contents of the pot to a full boil. Then, immediately reduce the temperature to medium-low, cover the pot, and cook until the rice is tender.

Serve this alongside my Authentic Mexican Carnitas, Chicken Tinga Tacos or any dinner! Enjoy!

Arroz Rojo (Mexican Red Rice) + Video

Arroz rojo is the perfect side dish with beef, chicken, pork, and even fish. Make this easy recipe for fluffy red rice for dinner tonight!

4.89 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: side dishes

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 38 minutes

Resting Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 43 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 346kcal

Author: Kevin Is Cooking

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion chopped (3/4 cup)
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 medium carrot shredded (3/4 cup)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 jalapeño seeded and diced (See Note 2)
• 1 cup long grain white rice rinsed, (See Note 1)
• 2 cups chicken stock

Instructions

• Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or pot. Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for a minute. Add the carrot and sauté for 2 minutes more.
• Add the cumin, salt, pepper, tomato paste and jalapeño. Stir and cook for 2 minutes, scraping bottom of pan and browned bits. Add the rice and sauté for several minutes.
• Pour chicken stock into pot and stir to mix thoroughly. Bring to a boil and cover. Lower heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed.
• Turn off heat and allow to rest 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork and serve with lime wedges and chopped cilantro.

Notes

1. Rinsing the rice removes some of the starch, which prevents it from becoming clumpy.
2. Diced jalapeño is included in the recipe, but was omitted from the dish in the photos because I didn’t have one on hand.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Nutrition

Calories: 346kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 736mg | Potassium: 504mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2870IU | Vitamin C: 8.7mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1.7mg

Have you made this recipe? Let me know on InstagramTag @KevinIsCooking and hashtag me #keviniscooking!