Best Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe you will ever make. This rice dish is easy to make and tastes even better than Chipotle's cilantro lime rice. Serve this with rice bowls, burritos, enchiladas, guacamole, chicken, etc.
Do check out our popular Mexican enchilada burritos, Mexican churros, and 5-minute guacamole recipe.
About Mexican Rice
This easy and authentic cilantro lime rice recipe is made using basmati rice, olive oil, lime juice, and cilantro and is ready in less than 20 minutes. Instead of saying Chipotle's copycat, it is even better. This lime rice with cilantro is vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Love Mexican recipes? Check out our easy vegetarian Mexican lasagna casserole for dinner or mango salsa.
What goes with cilantro lime rice?
- We like to eat rice dish as a main course in Indian cuisine, but this cilantro rice recipe can be served as a side in your enchilada burritos or with grilled chicken, steak, beef, pork, shrimp, fajitas, tacos, etc. It tastes great with Asian and Mexican recipes.
- Also, this cilantro rice with lime is used in chipotle rice bowls and burrito bowls and piled up with usual fixings such as sour cream, guacamole, salsa, black beans, pico de gallo, avocado, etc., to make it a high-protein meal.
Ingredients
Olive oil: To saute the rice and give it a nutty aroma. You can even use butter.
Rice: Long-grain white rice like basmati or jasmine is used to make this rice recipe for a fluffy texture. But you can use brown rice to make cilantro lime brown rice for a nutritious and healthier version.
Lime: Use fresh lime juice and not the bottled one. To make your rice fragrant, also use the lime zest.
Cilantro: Also known as coriander leaves, gives fresh flavor to your rice.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-by-step instructions
- Add olive oil in a pan along with rice and toss so that the rice is coated well. Sauté this on a medium flame for 3 to 5 minutes till you get a nice nutty aroma. Be careful not to burn it. This is what makes your dish flavorful and different from other recipes. I prepare all my Mexican rice recipes the same way.
- Add water or broth, salt to taste, lime zest, and boil. Cover with a lid and cook on medium to medium-low flame for 10 to 12 minutes. Then, switch off the flame.
- Keep this covered for another 5 to 8 minutes.
- To the cooked rice, add fresh lime juice, cilantro, and toss till combined. For some reason, if you missed adding zest while cooking rice, you can add it at this point.
- Serve it with burritos, tacos, steak, chicken, black beans, or salsa, and enjoy!
Tips
- Toss and sauté rice in oil for 3 to 5 minutes till it gets a nutty aroma on low flame. I do it for all Mexican rice recipes. This enhances the taste and makes it copycat Chipotle style. You can also check out our popular Mexican Black Bean Rice.
- Add lemon zest along with water that you use to cook rice. This gives that authentic lime flavor to your rice.
- Use fresh lime juice and not the bottled one.
- You can cook the rice in chicken or beef stock for additional flavor if you are non-vegan.
- Do not overcook the rice, as it will make your dish mushy.
- You can also add bay leaf while cooking the rice for a fragrance similar to pilaf.
- Any rice will work for this recipe that you use on a daily basis. Flavored long-grain rice like Jasmine rice or basmati gives the best result.
- You can use brown rice to make cilantro lime brown rice for a nutritious and healthier version.
- If you have leftover cooked rice, you can also use that in the recipe.
Instant Pot cilantro lime rice recipe
- Turn on the SAUTE mode of your IP.
- Add rice and olive oil and toss till rice is coated in oil and saute till it becomes aromatic. Now add water and salt to taste, lime zest, and stir again. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- When cooking time is complete, allow the natural release of pressure for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, do a quick pressure release and fluff rice with a fork.
- Toss rice with cilantro and lime juice in a separate bowl. Serve and enjoy.
- If you are using brown rice instead of white rice, you must cook for 23 minutes, natural release.
Cilantro lime brown rice
You can substitute white rice with brown rice basmati or any other long-grain brown rice. Brown rice is rich in fiber and antioxidants and hence beneficial for your health. The recipe remains the same except for the time it takes to cook the brown rice. Check your package instructions.
Cilantro lime rice with cooked rice
If you have leftover rice or cooked rice, first reheat in the microwave until heated through. Add salt, zest, lime juice, and cilantro and mix.
Recipe FAQs
Definitely yes. If you are a coriander or cilantro lover like us, please add cilantro stems while preparing recipes. Do not discard cilantro stems, as this will only give additional flavor to your dish.
Yes. This can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days or frozen in Ziploc bags for up to 2 months. But, I would not recommend the freezing option as this dish tastes the best when made and served fresh with lime juice and cilantro. It hardly takes 20 minutes to prepare this dish!!!
Chipotle uses long-grain white rice. Basmati and jasmine are long-grain rice that is easily available. Now, to make a healthy version of rice, you can use cilantro lime cauliflower rice.
More Mexican Recipes
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Recipe card
Best Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil or butter
- 1 cup Long grain rice like basmati or jasmine
- 1 ½ cups Water
- Salt , to taste (approx ¾ tsp)
- ½ teaspoon Lime zest
- 2 tablespoon Lime juice
- ½ cup Cilantro or Coriander leaves chopped
Instructions
Easy Cilantro Lime Rice
- Add olive oil in a pan along with rice and toss so that the rice is coated well. Sauté this on a medium flame for 3 to 5 minutes till you get a nice nutty aroma.2 tablespoon Olive oil, 1 cup Long grain rice
- Be careful not to burn it. This is what makes your dish flavorful and different from other recipes. I prepare all my Mexican rice recipes the same way.
- Add water or broth, salt to taste, lime zest, and boil. Cover with a lid and cook on medium to medium-low flame for 10 to 12 minutes. Then, switch off the flame.1 ½ cups Water, Salt, ½ teaspoon Lime zest
- Keep this covered for another 5 to 8 minutes.
- To the cooked rice, add fresh lime juice, cilantro, and toss till combined. For some reason, if you missed adding zest while cooking rice, you can add it at this point.2 tablespoon Lime juice, ½ cup Cilantro
- Serve it with burritos, tacos, steak, chicken, black beans, or salsa, and enjoy!
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
- Turn on the SAUTE mode of your IP.
- Add rice and olive oil and toss till rice is coated in oil and saute till it becomes aromatic. Now add water and salt to taste, lime zest, and stir again. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- When cooking time is complete, allow the natural release of pressure for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, do a quick pressure release and fluff rice with a fork.
- Toss rice with cilantro and lime juice in a separate bowl. Serve and enjoy.
- If you are using brown rice instead of white rice, you must cook for 23 minutes, natural release.
Notes
- Toss and sauté rice in oil for 3 to 5 minutes till it gets a nutty aroma on low flame. I do it for all Mexican rice recipes. This enhances the taste and makes it copycat Chipotle style. You can also check out our popular Mexican Black Bean Rice.
- Add lemon zest along with water that you use to cook rice. This gives that authentic lime flavor to your rice.
- Use fresh lime juice and not the bottled one.
- You can cook the rice in chicken or beef stock for additional flavor if you are non-vegan.
- Do not overcook the rice, as it will make your dish mushy.
- You can also add bay leaf while cooking the rice for a fragrance similar to pilaf.
- Any rice will work for this recipe that you use on a daily basis. Flavored long-grain rice like Jasmine rice or basmati gives the best result.
- You can use brown rice to make cilantro lime brown rice for a nutritious and healthier version.
- If you have leftover cooked rice, you can also use that in the recipe.
Nutrition
Note: We originally posted this cilantro lime rice recipe in Sept 2020. It has now been modified in Aug 2023 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.
Tara
My family's favorite cuisine is Mexican food so this side dish is perfect to round out a delicious dinner! It was so tasty and paired nicely with our burritos!
Amy Liu Dong
I tried this at home and it’s the best! My family and friends loved it!
Jamie
This is such a great-looking rice dish! Looks incredibly delicious and very tasty! We all love rice, it's like our staple food on my end! Thanks for sharing this with us!