Easy Gluten-free Skillet Mexican Rice

Bring your favorite Mexican restaurant home this taco Tuesday with this easy one-skillet gluten-free Mexican rice.

I love taco nights; okay, let's just make that all the gluten-free Mexican food, haha. We have Mexican food more often than probably any other cuisine in our house. It's always a hit, no matter what I am making. Of course, sometimes we want something on the side of all the tacos, and that's where my easy gluten-free skillet Mexican rice comes into play.

This gluten-free Mexican rice recipe is so full of flavor you will forget you made dinner at home and you aren't at your favorite Mexican restaurant.

Jump to:

• Why make gluten-free Mexican rice?
• Ingredients.
• Steps.
• Tips and Tricks.
• Make it your own.
• Serving suggestions.
• Storing leftovers.
• 📖 Recipe

Why make gluten-free Mexican rice?

• It has an authentic Mexican flavor!
• It needs minimal prep work and simple ingredients!
• One skillet cooking!
• Ready in no time, making it perfect any night of the week!

Ingredients.

• Rice - I usually use basmati or jasmine rice for this recipe. You can make this Mexican rice with brown rice; just note that the liquid will need to be increased, and the cooking time will be longer. Read your package of rice for the best amounts required.
• Avocado Oil - You can use another mild-flavored oil of your choice if you prefer.
• White or Yellow Onion - I prefer yellow onions because they add a bit of sweetness to the rice.
• Diced Tomatoes - You can use canned or fresh diced tomatoes.
• Garlic - I find fresh garlic adds more flavor than garlic powder, but you can use garlic powder and just add it when you add your spices.
• Tomato Paste - The tomato paste mixes with our stock to help add more flavor and a bit of color to our Mexican skillet rice.
• Lime Juice - Lime juice is one of my favorite ways to add a bit of brightness to homemade Mexican food.
• Chicken Stock, veggie stock, or water - If you want to keep this skillet rice vegetarian, then I suggest using a veggie stock or water.
• Spices - For this Mexican skillet rice, we are using a combination of cumin, oregano (use Mexican oregano), chili powder, salt, and pepper.
• Cilantro - Optional to top. I just love the flavor of cilantro whenever I am cooking Mexican foods.

Steps.

1. Saute the onions and rice until the rice starts to brown a bit.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and bring the rice to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat and cover, and let the rice cook for about 15 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated.
4. Fluff the rice and serve alongside your favorite Mexican dish.

Tips and Tricks.

Is your rice mushy? - Good Mexican rice is not mushy. This tends to happen when grains of rice stick together when they are cooking. To keep your rice from clumping when making Mexican skillet rice, you can rinse the rice before cooking to help remove some excess starch. You can also cook the rice in the skillet a little bit longer to ensure it is fully toasted and no rice clumps are present before adding any liquid to finish cooking the rice.

Make it your own.

• Add in black beans, corn, or even cheese to turn a simple side dish into so much more.
• If you want more heat, add chili powder, cayenne, or diced jalapenos.

Serving suggestions.

This easy skillet Mexican rice goes perfectly alongside any of your favorite taco Tuesday recipes. Some of my favorites include enchiladas with tacos or tossed into burrito bowls with my tequila lime chicken. Or check out some of my favorite gluten-free Mexican food recipes below.

Storing leftovers.

Leftovers of this gluten-free Mexican rice will stay good in the fridge for four to five days.

📖 Recipe