This Vegan Mexican Rice is so damn delicious and perfect for your lazy dinner. This is quick, easy, and a one-pot rice dish that takes less than 30 minutes. Make this on a stove-top pot or in an instant pot pressure cooker or simply make your baked vegan Mexican rice quickly.
I'm a great fan of rice. And especially love the one-pot and fried rice ones. These are easier, quicker, and delicious with a blend of excellent flavors. This flavorful vegan Mexican rice is one of my favorite rice so far. Read other rice recipes on the blog.
If you are using an instant pot, it will save some more time. Check out my Instant pot Spanish rice recipe and Instant Pot rice pudding recipe.
What Is Mexican Rice?
If you love Mexican food, then a bowl of good Mexican rice is a must. In Mexican rice, rice is infused and cooked with a dominating tomato flavor along with onion, garlic, cumin, and chili which adds flavor to the simple dish.
Mexican rice is a great Mexican side dish to enjoy with Tacos, fajitas, burritos, etc. The list is long indeed. However, not all Mexican rice are vegan, but it's quite easy to customize this into vegan.
Here is my collection of some delicious vegan Mexican recipes for you.
Vegan Mexican Rice
This Mexican rice is vegan and scrumptious. It's a wholesome meal with lots of veggies added to this. So if you are looking for a quick one-pot meal, this is one of the best to try. This is one of the best lazy vegan recipes that will save you time and energy.
This Vegan Mexican Rice is easy to prepare with a few ingredients. Veggies are optional and you can skip them too.
The main ingredients are tomatoes, corn kernels, and jalapeno pepper.
Tomatoes play an important role in this recipe (in Mexican cuisine in fact). I have kept a few chunks of tomatoes as well for that flavor. You can also add 3 - 4 tbsp salsa to it for some extra.
Tomato puree + Tomato chunks = Extra flavors
If you have beans, you can add them to your rice. I didn't have the beans at my place. So I skipped it. But the flavor is awesome then also. You may add any canned beans like black beans, red beans, or a mix of beans to your rice.
This is quick one-pot rice that takes less than 30 minutes to make. You can make this vegan Mexican rice on a stovetop (in a pan/ pot with a lid), or in an instant pot (pressure cooker) or you can make baked rice. I have mentioned both the stovetop method and the instant pot method here.
Read my pico-de-gallo recipe. If you are looking for what to serve with it, here is a collection of 30+ Mexican side dishes to accompany this vegan Mexican rice.
Is restaurant-style Mexican rice vegan?
Normally in restaurants, they cook rice in chicken broth for flavor. But here in my vegan Mexican rice, we are replacing it with vegetable broth. If you don't have homemade vegetable broth, use vegetable broth powder to make broth. Otherwise, add simply water.
Which type of rice is used in Mexican rice?
Normally long grain rice is used in authentic Mexican rice. However, you can use basmati rice also. Many varieties of basmati are long in fact. So with that, the rice doesn't turn soggy. This fluffy rice with lots of added veggies is just delicious.
Do I need to rinse the rice before adding it to the pot?
You may skip the step of rinsing and cleaning the rice. Personally, I do rinse my rice before cooking to get rid of any dirt, chemicals, and impurities.
What to serve with vegan Mexican rice?
There are a lot of things you can pair up with your vegan Mexican rice, like pico-de-gallo, mango salsa (on summer days), Southwestern salad, tofu fajitas, buffalo cauliflower tacos, potato soft tacos, chile verde, tortilla soup, refried beans, red beans, vegan quesadillas, guacamole, or with any other soups. You can also pair it up with roasted vegetables, Mexican potatoes, or simple fajita veggies along with a salad.
If you like this recipe also read Mexican Lentils Soup.
Also, read other rice recipes:
How to make vegan Mexican rice on the stovetop & Instant Pot?
Ingredients:-
Kindly note all detailed quantities of mentioned ingredients are mentioned in the ingredients list.
Basmati Rice - This normally comes as long-grain rice. Long grains go nice for Mexican rice. Small grains may get mushy rice.
Tomatoes - Tomatoes have a special place in Mexican cuisine. So here the rice is basically cooked in tomato flavor primarily. So add a can of fire-roasted tomatoes. Take some chopped tomatoes for bites, but it's totally optional. Also, you can replace this with the same amount of salsa.
Onion, garlic, and jalapeno - These add flavor to the rice. Fresh ones are best but however, but you can replace them with garlic powder, or onion powder. Deseed the jalapeno and chop it into small pieces.
Salt & pepper - Salt and pepper are essential ingredients. Taste the broth for additional salt quantity.
Paprika/ Cayenne pepper - This is optional. But if you love little spicy food, then add a pinch of cayenne pepper or paprika.
Ground Cumin - This is optional too. If you like spices, then add some. It adds a pleasant flavor to the dish.
Vegetables - Here I have taken carrots, beans, and corn. However, carrots and beans are optional. That no doubt makes the rice nutritious.
Vegetable broth - Normally Mexican rice is cooked in chicken broth. But here we will be adding veg broth or stock. Check for salt if the broth has in it or not before adding them further.
The ratio of rice to the broth - If you are making this on a stovetop, the ratio of rice to broth will be 1: 1.5 and for the instant pot, it's 1:1.
Instructions for Stovetop Method -
Heat oil in a deep pan or Dutch oven. Consider a heavy bottom pot for the dish.
Add chopped garlic, onion, and jalapeno peppers. Saute for 2 minutes.
Now add rinsed rice and sauté for 3 - 4 minutes on high flame. Now add chopped veggies along with corn and give it a nice stir.
Next, add canned tomatoes/ puree and the chopped tomatoes/ salsa. Then add the vegetable broth to the pot and stir to mix. Season with salt & pepper as taste. Add ground cumin and a pinch of paprika if you want to add. These are optional as taste. However, cumin brings a subtleness and nice flavor to vegan Mexican rice.
Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for around 15 minutes on low flame. Be sure the heat is low. Stir once halfway to make sure it's cooking evenly and not sticking at the bottom.
Check with a fork if the rice is fluffy and cooked. Once cooked, turn off the heat. Don't open it and let it rest like that for another 5 minutes. Then garnish with finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves.
Fluff it with a fork once done. Drizzle some more lime juice as taste (optional) and serve hot. Vegan Mexican rice is ready to serve.
Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Start the instant pot on sauté mode. Now add oil and once it's hot, add garlic and onions. Saute for 2 minutes and then add rinsed rice and saute for another 2 - 3 minutes.
Add diced vegetables, salt, pepper, paprika (optional), ground cumin (optional). Give them all a nice stir. Add tomatoes (canned/ pureed / diced/ salsa) and vegetable broth.
Close the lid of the instant pot. Seal the pressure valve. Set to high pressure on the manual for 5 minutes. Allow natural pressure release for 5 minutes. Then do a quick release for rest. Once the pressure is released, open the lid of the instant pot.
Fluff the rice with the help of a fork. Garnish with lots of finely chopped cilantro leaves.
Storage & Leftover
This rice stays good for 5 - 6 days when stored properly in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Make sure the rice is cooled down to room temperature before you store it.
This is also freezer-friendly and can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month. Transfer the cooled rice to freezer bags for storage.
To reheat transfer the rice to a microwave-safe dish and then heat for 2 to 3 minutes; at 1-minute intervals stir with a fork to fluff. You can also add them to a pot and reheat in low heat for 2 - 3 minutes or till it's warm enough to eat.
Other Similar Recipes
Recipe Card for Vegan Mexican Rice
Vegan Mexican Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 - 5 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cup rice long grain basmati
- 5 - 6 tomatoes roasted & pureed (or 14-ounce can)
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 pods garlic finely chopped
- 2 cups vegetable broth (1 cup if making in instant pot)
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper freshly crushed
- ¼ cup corn kernels
- 1 jalapeno (deseeded & diced) sub- any pepper or green chili
- 1 carrot diced (optional)
- ¼ cup green beans diced (optional)
Optional Spices
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper or paprika
For Garnish
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves for garnishing
- 1 tbsp lime juice as taste
Instructions
- Wash rice thoroughly.
- Then drain out from water and allow it to air dry.
- Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan or in a Dutch oven
- Add chopped garlic, onion, jalapeno.
- Saute for a minute on medium heat till onion becomes translucent.
- Add rice (rinsed or not) to the pot and saute on high flame for 2 - 3 minutes stirring in between.
- Add chopped carrots, beans, tomatoes to the pot/ pan.
- Add ground cumin and paprika/ cayenne pepper now if you are adding them.
- And stir them all to mix.
- Then add canned/ pureed tomatoes.
- Add vegetable broth to the rice in pot.
- Season with salt pepper as per taste.
- Close the lid of the pot and simmer on low flame for 15 minutes.
- In the halfway stir once to avoid sticking at the bottom of the pot.
- After 15 minutes open the lid and check with a fork if the rice is cooked or not.
- If any liquid is still at the base of the pot, close the lid again and cook for another 3 - 4 minutes on low flame till all liquid is absorbed completely.
- Once cooked turn off the gas but don't open the lid immediately. Let it rest covered for 5 minutes and then open the lid.
- Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro leaves and drizzle some lime juice. Stir and serve hot.
Instant Pot Mexican Rice
- Start the instant pot on sauté mode.
- Now add oil and once it's hot, add garlic and onions.
- Saute for 2 minutes and then add rinsed rice and saute for another 2 - 3 minutes.
- Add diced vegetables, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, or paprika. Give it a nice stir.
- Add tomatoes followed by vegetable broth.
- Close the lid of the instant pot.
- Seal the pressure valve. Set to high pressure on manual for 5 minutes.
- Allow natural pressure release for 5 minutes. Then do quick release for rest.
- Fluff the rice with help of a fork.
- Garnish with lots of finely chopped cilantro leaves.
Video
Notes
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COLLEEN E
Your recipe does not say how much rice to use.
Ipsa Faujdar
It's there dear in the recipe card.
Amanda
When do you add the broth if making on the stove top?
Ipsa Faujdar
after adding veggies, sauté rice and veggies for 3 minutes and then add broth and simmer.
Marci
Can short grain basmati rice be used instead of long grain?
Ipsa Faujdar
Yes, cooking time may vary with the type of rice.