This spicy Mexican rice makes a brilliant side dish to go with all kinds of Mexican and Tex Mex inspired meals. It's also very similar to Nandos spicy rice. Serve it with chilli con carne, grilled meats or in a burrito. It's deliciously spicy and so much tastier than plain rice.

Spicy Mexican rice topped with coriander

Next time you're thinking of cooking up plain boiled or steamed rice give this a go instead, it's so much tastier. We love this rice as a side dish with chilli con carne. It's a little bit similar to Nandos spicy rice which is also popular with my family. These days, whenever I make my Nandos copycat chicken legs, I also make this Mexican spicy rice.

It's easy to make and cooks quickly too. You can also add extra vegetables if you want although I usually just add spices and onions and serve vegetables as a different side dish.

What ingredients do you need for spicy Mexican rice?

Do check out the recipe card further down the post for quantities but, to make this rice recipe you'll need:

Cooking oil - You can use sunflower, vegetable or light olive oil
Onion - I use a plain brown onion.
Garlic - You can use fresh garlic, a paste or a puree
Chipotle paste - I think chipotle paste adds a lovely smoky spicy flavour to the rice. If you don't have it you can use chilli powder instead.
Spices - turmeric, hot smoked paprika and ground coriander.
Rice - I use white basmati rice for this as it cooks quickly. You can use other varieties of long grain rice too though. Just check the pack instructions before use though as some rice will take a little longer to cook
Stock - You can use vegetable or chicken stock. If you don't have stock you can even use water although stock adds a little more flavour.

How to make spicy Mexican rice

This rice is really easy to make. Just heat the oil in a saucepan or stock pot and when it is hot, add the onion.

Cook the onion for a few minutes until soft and translucent. Then stir in the garlic. Cook for another minute and then add the chipotle paste and spices. If the pan is too dry then add a tablespoon of water at this point too.

Then stir in the rice, coat it in the spices and then add the stock. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or a little longer until the rice is cooked.

how to make Mexican spicy rice step by step

Can you adapt the recipe?

Yes of course! Feel free to vary the spices a little. You can also add diced vegetables such as peppers to the rice. Or peas or sweetcorn.

If adding peas or sweetcorn I add them half way through the cooking time as they cook very quickly.

Storing and reheating the leftovers

Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Reheat thoroughly before eating.

You can also freeze leftover rice. Try to freeze it in a container with as little air as possible to avoid freezer burn. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating. Alternatively you can microwave it straight from frozen.

What to eat with Spicy Mexican rice?

As I said earlier, this rice is great with Nandos copycat chicken legs. It also works really well with these recipes:

spicy Mexican rice with pot in the background

Recipe