If you’re looking for a side dish to go with any Mexican food you’re making, this Cilantro Lime Rice recipe is it. It’s a super easy recipe with a few simple ingredients.
For more ideas of what to make, check out all of our recipes.
A few years ago, I got a bag of microwavable cilantro lime rice for free with a coupon. It was delicious and the perfect addition to the meal we were having that day. But it was also something that I felt like I could make at home.
I know. Making things at home feels a little daunting. It’s so much easier to open a bag of something you got at the store and microwave it for 90 seconds.
And if that’s all the time and energy you have for the day, that’s fine. But that can get expensive. And in this economy, we have to worry about stretching our budgets a little bit. So making this cilantro lime rice at home is a most cost effective option.
And, trust me. It’s so easy. The rice cooker makes the rice, so all you’re doing is measuring it. You chop a little garlic (you don’t even have to cook it if you don’t want), chop a little cilantro, squeeze some limes, and stir. Honestly, the squeezing of the limes is the most effort you’re putting into this.
And then, you have this really perfect side dish to go with your dinner, which has a lot less ingredients than whatever’s in that bagged rice.
We usually make this cilantro lime rice recipe to serve with tacos and either refried or black beans. If you’re looking for an idea of what to serve it with, try one of our Taco Recipes. We have a few simple recipes for traditional taco recipes, plus some twists like Taco Pie and Wonton Taco Cups.
Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
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Cilantro Lime Rice Ingredients:
You can get the full list of ingredients with measurements in the printable recipe card below.
- Basmati rice – Basmati rice is drier long-grain rice and ends up fluffier when cooked, compared to white rice. Jasmine rice has a similar texture, so you could use that instead. If you’re worried about cost, plain white rice is fine too (it’s just not my favorite type of rice for this recipe).
- Water – You want to add this to the rice cooker to cook the rice.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic adds more flavor than jarred, minced garlic.
- Olive oil – This is to sauté the garlic in.
- Fresh cilantro – You need fresh cilantro to add flavor. Dried herbs won’t add the nice cilantro flavor you’re looking for.
- Fresh limes – You want both the fresh lime juice and the lime zest, so you need fresh limes.
- Salt – This helps bring out the flavors of the lime and cilantro.
How To Make Cilantro Lime Rice:
Make your rice in the rice cooker. We use a 1:2 rice:water ratio.
If you don’t have a rice cooker, I highly suggest getting one. It makes making rice so easy. You just add the rice and water, put on the lid, and push down the button to start it. When the button pops up, the rice is perfectly done.
If you don’t have a rice cooker, you can just make the rice on the stove top or however you make rice. However, your cooking time may be vary if you use a different method.
Transfer the cooked rice into a large bowl.
Personally, I use a 1.5-qt round casserole pan because it fits the rice perfectly.
While the rice cooks, heat up the olive oil in a small pan.
Chop the garlic into small bits.
Quickly sauté the garlic in a small pan over low heat or medium heat for two to three minutes.
You don’t want to overcook the garlic and you definitely don’t want to burn it. You just want to cook out a little of the bitterness of the raw garlic.
Add the cooked garlic to the rice.
Be sure to add any of the olive oil in the pan into the rice as well. This will add a lot of flavor to the rice.
Quick note: If you’re worried about burning the garlic or if you just don’t prefer the taste of cooked garlic, you can use raw garlic. Chop it up very finely, then just add it to the rice. You’ll always want to add about a teaspoon or so of olive oil into the rice now too to add some flavor.
Chop the cilantro and add the chopped cilantro to the rice.
Add the zest and lime juice from two limes into the rice.
Now, here’s Pete’s citrus hack. To get the most juice out of a lemon or lime, put it in the microwave for 15 seconds. Then, roll the it on the counter for a few seconds. This loosens it up and allows more of the juice to flow.
Add some salt.
Stir until everything is combined.
You want to stir gently, but in big swoops, to add a little air into the rice. You’re looking for a nice fluffy rice. Basmati rice doesn’t stick together like white rice does, but I still like to make sure it’s not clumpy.
If you want, you can garnish the rice with a lime wedge, but you won’t have to.
Cilantro Lime Rice: Frequently Asked Questions
Wait until the leftover rice has cooled to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It’ll last about three to four days that way.
To reheat, put a serving in a bowl and sprinkle it with a little bit of water. Then heat it for about 45 seconds in the microwave on high.
Some people will use chicken broth rather than water when they’re making rice. It’s the same ratio as when you’re using water (a cup of rice to two cups of water or liquid).
Personally, I don’t use chicken broth because I feel like this is a really flavorful rice without it. Plus, using water keeps this vegetarian (it’s actually vegan, if we’re being technical). We don’t eat a vegetarian diet, and we usually serve this on the side of tacos with ground meat. But, it’s better to keep things vegetarian if you’re having company for dinner, especially if you’re unsure of their dietary restrictions.
Cilantro Lime Rice
If you’re looking for a side dish to go with any Mexican food you’re making, this Cilantro Lime Rice recipe. It’s a super easy recipe with a few simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups water
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 sprigs fresh cilantro
- 2 fresh limes
Instructions
- Make your rice in the rice cooker. (We use a 1:2 rice:water ratio.)
- While the rice cooks, heat up the olive oil in a small pan.
- Chop the garlic into small bits.
- Quickly sauté the garlic in a small pan over low heat or medium heat for two to three minutes.
- Add the cooked garlic to the rice. Be sure to add any of the olive oil in the pan into the rice as well.
- Chop the cilantro and add the chopped cilantro to the rice.
- Add the zest and lime juice from two limes into the rice.
- Add some salt.
- Stir until everything is combined.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Yield
5Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 77Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 0mgSodium 9mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 1g
Have you tried this easy Cilantro Lime Rice recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments.