Easy Vegan Mexican Rice

Quick Easy Vegan Mexican Rice in 30 Minutes

All you need for this delicious vegan Mexican rice recipe is 5 simple, inexpensive ingredients (plus oil, salt, and pepper), a saucepan, and 30 minutes. It’s simple to prepare, fast, budget-friendly, satisfying, and both meal prep and freezer-friendly.

Plus, keep reading for plenty of ways to adapt the recipe to your liking – whether you want to add extra spices, heat, veggies, vegan cheese, etc. Once prepared, it makes a delicious side dish during Cinco de Mayo, at potlucks, and for mid-week meals alongside these vegan black bean tacos, burritos like this sweet potato burritos recipe, vegan tamales (learn how to make vegan tamales), this Mexican inspired vegetable soup, and more.

The Ingredients and Substitutions

What can I add to vegan Mexican rice?

Making this Mexican rice is so simple, and there are plenty of ways to adapt the recipe to your liking, including with the addition of:

• Seasonings: There are several popular seasonings that are common in Mexican rice recipes. I.e., smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, and oregano. Experiment with any/all of them added to taste. Bloom them in the oil for better flavor.
• Vegetables: Add extra flavor, texture, and color to the homemade Mexican rice with finely diced bell peppers, zucchini, and/or carrots, canned or frozen peas and/or corn, shredded broccoli florets, or spinach (chopped, then stirred in right at the end to wilt).
• Chiles: Add some heat with finely diced jalapeño/chili, a can of green chiles, etc.
• Beans: Make Mexican rice and beans by adding a can of kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, or chickpeas. Try out this Instant Pot pinto beans recipe.
• Vegan cheese: Garnish the homemade Mexican rice with vegan shredded cheese (like a sharp cheddar) or crumbly tofu feta cheese for ‘cheesy’ Mexican rice.
• Fresh herbs: Optionally garnish the vegan Mexican rice with fresh cilantro or green onions for extra color and fresh flavor.
• Lime: Add some lime juice (or lime wedges) when serving to help brighten and enhance the flavors in this vegan Mexican rice recipe.  
• Vegan butter: Stir in a little vegan butter before serving for extra rich flavor.

How to Make Mexican Rice

Don’t remove the lid during the cooking. Otherwise, it can affect the cooking time.

Pro Recipe Tips

• Sauté the rice: This is an important step to enhance its flavor with a natural toastiness and prevent the rice from becoming too ‘sticky.’
• For fluffier rice: Rinse it before you sauté it to remove excess starch.
• Deglaze the pan: When you add the broth, scrape up brown bits from the bottom of the pan to get the flavor into the Mexican rice and avoid it burning in the pan.
• Don’t lift the lid: Leave the rice to simmer completely untouched. Otherwise, you may accidentally affect the steaming process and cooking time.
• Adjust seasonings: Taste it before serving and adjust it to your liking.
• Use long-grain rice: Short-grain rice becomes overly sticky in this recipe, and brown rice requires a different liquid-to-rice ratio and cooking time, so we only recommend long-grain white rice.

What to Serve with Vegan Mexican Rice?

• Beans: Black beans, frijoles de la olla, or refried beans.
• Protein: Grilled and/or marinated tofu or tempeh, mock chick’n, etc., especially with spices like paprika, cumin, chili, etc.
• Vegetables: Enjoy it alongside grilled/roasted vegetables like Mexican corn, bell peppers, zucchini, onions, roasted sweet potato, etc.
• Condiments: Serve this Mexican rice vegan recipe topped with fresh salsa (like easy Pico de Gallo), restaurant style salsa, easy guacamole or avocado crema, vegan sour cream, etc.
• Tortillas de Harina: Enjoy vegan Mexican rice inside or alongside vegan tacos, vegan fajitas, burritos, enchiladas, vegan quesadillas, etc. You can also use it to make a burrito bowl.
• Salads: In or alongside salads, like a vegan taco salad or mixed bean salad.

Storage Instructions

Allow it to cool (but transfer it to the fridge within 2 hours of cooking for food hygiene reasons), then store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Homemade Mexican rice is also freezer friendly. Store it portioned in Ziplock/Stasher bags (spread flat and excess air removed) or airtight containers for 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge.

How to Reheat It?

To avoid overly dry rice, reheat it in the microwave or stovetop with a splash of broth/water. That way, it will steam and soften while it heats.