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Chipotle Seasoned Rice is a delicious nicely seasoned rice that’s perfect as a side dish for any meal, including taco night. It’s also great inside of tacos and burritos and is a wonderful burrito rice recipe!
Are you a health-conscious person who’s seeking out new and flavorful recipes? Then this recipe is an excellent choice for you! It’s perfect for people who are looking for an easy and convenient way to eat healthier without sacrificing taste.
Serve this Mexican style rice for a true south of the border flavor experience. It’s super easy to make and budget friendly. With this recipe you’ll learn how to season rice for burritos and tacos. It makes a great Taco Tuesday addition!
With recipes like my Mexican Veggie Casserole Bake and Mexican Street Corn you’ll get a great taco bar that will make everyone in the family happy. This is one of my Mexican Food Recipes you’ll want in your recipe box!
I first shared this burrito rice recipe in 2014. I’ve updated the photos and information for a better user experience.
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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.
Taco night
I’m pretty sure that every meal could be tacos, and I’d be a happy camper. Of course, tacos can be pretty much anything stuffed inside a tortilla.
This Chipotle Seasoned Rice is a super easy side dish for taco night. Of course, this goes really well in a taco as well!
And it smells so good as it cooks with all those aromatic spices simmering away on the stove.
Serve Chimichurri Salmon over the top of this rice side dish for a delicious easy dinner!
Drizzle some cilantro lime dressing over the top for fun. It’s also fun to serve this seasoned rice on a taco bar with some Cilantro Lime Rice. Be sure to put some avocado and salsa on the taco bar as well!
Some like it hot
This rice makes a mildly spicy side dish. And it’s the perfect light heat level or adding to your Mexican dishes.
If you aren’t a fan of spicy hot things, don’t worry, it’s a nice mild heat level, and if you’re putting it in burritos, you’ll never notice it. If you’re eating it on the side, you can cut the chipotle powder in half to reduce the spice level.
You can also use chili powder instead of the chipotle powder. Here in the states, chili powder is usually very mild, not spicy at all.
Can I make Mexican rice with brown rice?
I’ve made this Chipotle Seasoned Rice with {affiliate links} white rice or brown rice, or a combination of both. It kind of depends on my mood, what’s in the cupboard, or who’s eating it.
Sometimes I’ll do equal parts white rice and brown rice.
If you use all brown rice, check it at the end of the 20 minutes cooking time to see if it needs additional water and cooking time, as brown rice will often need a little bit more of both to be done.
Extra-long grain white rice, basmati rice, or brown rice work well, too. The exact amount of liquid and cooking time will depend on the type of rice you use. Check package instructions for specific measurements.
For the rice that you see in the pictures, I used Jasmine rice. It’s a long grain rice, and a great choice.
I’ve also used several other varieties of white rice, and they all come out great. As always, check for doneness at the end to see if the rice needs more cooking time or more liquid.
What kind of broth should I use?
As always, use your favorite broth for this dish. The one that you and your family already like will be the best flavor in this dish.
I recommend vegetable broth to keep the rice vegetarian, in fact it’s also vegan. Use my delicious homemade vegetarian broth recipe for great flavor with less sodium.
But, yes, you can use chicken broth instead if you prefer.
How to make seasoned rice
Seasoned with lots of spices, then simmered slowly, this Chipotle Seasoned Mexican Rice is never bland or boring. Don’t settle for plain white rice, especially when it’s so easy to make this flavorful side dish!
The full printable recipe ingredients and instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can find important tips and tricks in the post.
Combine all ingredients in a medium pot, stir, and place over high heat.
Frankly, not having to sauté onions beforehand saves you so much time!
Cover, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low, and simmer for twenty minutes.
Fluff the rice, stir, and taste for salt, adding any if necessary.
Top with chives or fresh cilantro if desired, and serve. That’s it! So easy and delicious!
Storage & reheating
Leftover rice can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days.
You can freeze it, too, for a couple months.
Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
Burrito rice seasoning
Google tells me you guys find this recipe with the terms “burrito rice seasoning”, “seasoned rice for burritos”, “how to season rice for burritos”, and “chipotle seasoned rice” most often.
Rice in in burritos is great! It adds a nice flavor and some nutrition. And this seasoned rice recipe helps up the flavor even more!
Traditionally, long grain rice, like jasmine, basmati, or long grain white or brown rice is used in burritos.
Long grain rice grains are long and slender, and aren’t sticky when cooked. So, they won’t clump and will separate nicely in your tacos and burritos.
If you want to make sure to avoid sticky rice, just rinse the uncooked rice under running water until the water runs clear. Then cook as directed.
Yes, having lived in Southern California all my life, and having eaten in many Mexican homes and at authentic Mexican restaurants, rice is a common filling in burritos and tacos.
Yes, you can add taco seasoning packets to rice. But this is so much better and most likely has way less sodium than those flavor packets!
This will be your favorite way for how to season rice for burritos!
Serving suggestions
What can you do with taco seasoned rice?
Chipotle Seasoned Rice can help you create a unique and flavorful meal with minimal effort, while feeling good about the health benefits that come along with it. The spicy and smoky flavors of the recipe can evoke feelings of comfort and satisfaction.
It’s great in so many ways! Serve it as a side dish, you know, beans and rice, just like what you get at a Mexican restaurant.
Use this easy seasoned rice to fill a burrito.
It’s perfect for meal prep. By adding the spicy, smoky flavor of Chipotle Seasoned Rice, the meal becomes both nutritious and delicious.
It’s so good in taco bowls! Build a bowl using this rice as a base. Try it in my Shrimp & Mexican Street Corn Bowls.
Here are some recipes that you can serve with Chipotle Rice:
- Fish tacos
- Crock pot carne asada
- Taco filling made with carne asada marinade
- Easy black bean enchiladas
Chipotle Seasoned Rice is an easy and convenient way to enjoy a healthy and flavorful meal. Try the recipe and see for yourself how it can elevate your dishes with a flavorful yet healthy addition!
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Recipe
Chipotle Seasoned Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- 2 ¼ cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or light tasting oil of your choice
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium pot, stir, and place over high heat. Cover, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low, and simmer for twenty minutes. Top with chives or cilantro if desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Mary
Always looking for something to go with my boring tacos! Made this tonight – so good! Thanks!
Rachel
Thanks to you, this recipe has been a staple at our house since I found your website about three years ago. Thank you!
Adrienne Grace
I love making flavored rice for homemade burritos, so this sounds perfect.
Maureen
Best rice recipe. The seasoning and ease of making the rice is a game changer. My Husband and I love it. So glad I found this recipe. Thank You
Faith
I’ve made this several times. I’ve made it using my rice cooker and it’s worked out just fine too – I measured the rice and liquid the same as I do for making steamed rice but found I didn’t need quite as much spices so with my rice cooker I did 2 1/2 cups of rice and broth with this same amount of seasoning.
JoBeth
Sooooo delicious! Definitely a new staple at my house.
Sheri
I just made this recipe. I used brown rice and fresh garlic. I also used organic chicken bone broth. I garnished it with green onions and cilantro. I also made fish nuggets and broccolini. Very easy and tasty .
Cookie
Delicious and easy to prepare. Used it as a based for burrito bowls. I used basmati rice and cooked using the absorption method but otherwise prepared as is and plan to make again!