Mexican-Style Rice
Whether you’re serving up a Tex-Mex feast or looking for the perfect BBQ side dish, this slimming-friendly Mexican-Style rice ticks all the boxes. It’s quick and easy to make too – great if you’re entertaining a big crowd.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories232
- Carbs44g
- Protein6.9g
- Fat1.9g
- Saturates0.3g
- Sugars3g
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff to know in the blurb!
This Mexican-Style Rice works as both a simple side and a hearty main course. You could serve it as a slimming side for a buffet, or make it a day ahead of time to take to work. It also makes a great addition to a Tex-Mex fakeaway – add it to fajitas, or serve it as a side to our Mexican Chilli Beef.
For this recipe, we’ve already mixed a few spices to give it a kick. But if you want to make things even hotter, once the rice is cooked, you can top it with jalapeños or thinly chopped fresh chilli.
What diets is this Mexican-Style Rice suitable for?
This Mexican-Style Rice can be made gluten-free, all you need to do is swap out the following ingredients for gluten-free versions:
- Stock cube
- Worcestershire sauce
You can also tuck into this Mexican-Style Rice if you’re vegan, or following a dairy-free diet.
Please be sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies – use separate ingredients, utensils, cookware, and preparation surfaces.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Mexican-Style Rice?
You don’t need any fancy ingredients to make this Mexican-Style Rice at home. In fact, you might have a few of the spices in your cupboard already.
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How many calories are in this Mexican-Style Rice?
There are 232 calories per portion in this Mexican-Style Rice, which means it falls into our Everyday Light category. It’s perfect if you’re following a calorie-controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
If you’re serving this Mexican-Style Rice as a side dish, you could easily cut the portion size in half to cut the amount of calories down even more!
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions, adding the stock cube to the water before cooking. Once the rice is cooked, place it to one side.
Step 2
Spray a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray, and set on a low heat. Add the onion, chilli, and pepper, and fry gently for 5-8 minutes – until the vegetables have softened.
Step 3
Add the cooked rice and peas to your pan, then sprinkle over the paprika, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper. Stir well to mix everything together.
Step 4
If you’re using hot sauce, add a dash to your pan and stir again. Before serving, sprinkle over the coriander and a squeeze of lime juice. If you’re feeling daring, add some extra fresh chopped chillies!
Step 5
When cooked, fluff up the rice with a fork and serve (sprinkled with some freshly chopped chillies if you’re feeling daring!).
What could I serve with this Mexican-Style Rice?
How do you know when Mexican-Style Rice is cooked?
The rice is cooked when it is fluffy and the water has absorbed.
Here in the UK, standard advice is to cook food until it has reached 70°C, and stayed at that temperature for at least 2 minutes. This is to keep you and whoever it is you’re cooking for safe.
How long can you keep Mexican-Style Rice in the fridge?
Once you’ve dished your rice up, ideally you should eat it as soon as possible. If you do allow any leftovers to cool – make sure to refrigerate them in a container with a lid, then keep it chilled in the refrigerator. You can keep leftovers of Mexican-Style Rice in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
As we all know, you can’t be too careful when it comes to rice and food poisoning. However, it’s not actually the reheating that can cause issues – it’s in fact the way the rice has been stored beforehand. Rice can contain spores that are resistant to heat and can survive the cooking process. If cooked rice is left standing at room temperature, these spores can grow into bacteria. At this point, the bacteria can be destroyed by heating the rice thoroughly.
With this in mind, if you intend to keep leftover rice, remember to do the following:
- Cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour), then refrigerate immediately. You can split larger portions up into smaller batches to cool quicker.
- Reheat and use any leftover rice (that’s been stored in the fridge) within one day.
- When you reheat any rice, always make sure it’s steaming hot all the way through.
- Don’t reheat cooked rice more than once.
Can I freeze Mexican-Style Rice?
Yes, you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it’s cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that’s suitable for freezing.
- Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
As when keeping rice in the fridge, make sure to do the following if you plan to freeze it:
- Cool the rice as quickly as possible (ideally within one hour), then freeze it immediately. For quicker cooling, you can split larger portions up into smaller batches.
- Freeze as soon as the rice is cold.
- When you reheat any rice, always make sure it’s steaming hot all the way through.
- Don’t reheat cooked rice more than once.
How do I reheat Mexican-Style Rice?
From chilled: Place in a microwave-proof container with a loosely fitting lid, and heat for 4-7 minutes until piping hot all the way through.
From frozen: Allow to defrost, and heat covered in the microwave for 3-5 minutes, then stir thoroughly. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes – until piping hot all the way through.
For more information about reheating rice, please take a look at the NHS website.
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Mexican-Style Rice
Whether you’re serving up a Tex-Mex feast or looking for the perfect BBQ side dish, this slimming-friendly Mexican-Style rice ticks all the boxes. It’s quick and easy to make too – great if you’re entertaining a big crowd.
-
Prep Time
5 MINS
-
Cook Time
12 MINS
- KCals 232
- Carbs 44G
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to the packet instructions, adding the stock cube to the water before cooking. Once the rice is cooked, place it to one side.
- Spray a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray, and set on a low heat. Add the onion, chilli, and pepper, and fry gently for 5-8 minutes – until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the cooked rice and peas to your pan, then sprinkle over the paprika, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper. Stir well to mix everything together.
- If you’re using hot sauce, add a dash to your pan and stir again. Before serving, sprinkle over the coriander and a squeeze of lime juice. If you’re feeling daring, add some extra fresh chopped chillies!
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10 comments
See what others have to say
DebraSaturday 30th May 2020
Yummy and easy – a real one-pot win! I add some fresh coriander and caramelised lime wedges to serve for added zing. A good snack on its own, or a tasty accompaniment to chilli in our house. Thank you ?
LisaSunday 31st May 2020
Thank you for your comment, Debra. So glad you enjoyed it!
Laura GunnSaturday 20th July 2019
If cooking on the hob, do you still add all the ingredients and cook together? If so, would I use the same quantity of water and cook per rice instructions? Normally 12mins?
HollyWednesday 1st July 2020
Hi Laura, we haven’t tried cooking the Mexican Rice on the hob but I’ve had a look at some of our other rice recipes and the Nando’s Spicy Rice is very similar so you could easily adapt it to that method https://nutritionsecret.news/recipes/nandos-spicy-rice/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
N.SmithSaturday 9th February 2019
Yet again another great recipe! We had fajitas tonight, with your Mexican rice, diced tomatoes, cuc, red onions, chopped coriander and drizzled with lime juice. Gorgeous
I’ve got a vegetable steamer and threw all the rice ingredients in there, so quick and easy – I will def be making again.
I loved your “Nando’s rice”, could this be made the same way in a rice steamer as well? It was so quick and easy.
I love your recipes – I can’t wait for your book!
KateFriday 18th January 2019
Hello if I am cooking the rice on the hob as per packet instructions, would the spices still be a t tablespoon of each as per the recipe? Seems excessive in contrast to the levels of the other ingredients – plus, in the likes of dirty rice and nandos rice, it’s usually teaspoons rather than tablespoons of spices (and made on the hob). I just don’t want to add too much spices if I’m making it on the hob! Many thanks
PaulSaturday 10th February 2018
Hi is this suitable for freezing please?
MandiSunday 14th January 2018
How would I make this without the fancy rice cooker?! X
Sarah BradshawWednesday 31st May 2017
What rice do you use? I made the Nandos rice and although it tasted good it was a little stodgy. I used basmati rice. Many thanks, Sarah Bradshaw.
KateThursday 1st June 2017
Hi Sarah
We just use regular Basmati rice. Different brands of rice can more starchy than others so you might want to try rinsing it under cold water before cooking
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