This Easy Spanish Rice with brown rice is quick and simple to make, with minimal effort, using cooked rice (leftover brown rice or instant rice.) Made with tomatoes, onion, garlic, and peas, with the addition of Mexican spices, lime, and cilantro, it's a flavorful side dish with a Mexican twist.
Spanish rice and Mexican rice are both popular during Cinco de Mayo but are an ideal easy side dish for any time of the year. This was inspired by my Easy Greek Rice (with Lemon) and pairs well with Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas or Slow Cooker Pork Pineapple Carnitas.
Jump to:
If you're looking for additional leftover rice recipes, try my Cranberry Rice Pudding - it's a festive twist on an old favorite! And if you are looking for savory leftover rice recipes, my Ham & Rice Muffin Tin Eggs Benedict (with Blender Cranberry Hollandaise) makes a great holiday brunch!
🥘Ingredient Notes
Made with simple ingredients like tomatoes, onion, garlic, and peas, I also add cumin and turmeric to this recipe. Typically those spices are used in Mexican rice, as are cilantro and lime. So, this is a bit of a hybrid, but more so on the Spanish side, due to the tomato base. For this Spanish rice recipe, you'll need:
- Cooked brown rice. I often use leftover rice, but you could make rice just for this recipe. It can be short or medium brown rice. I use instant rice a lot of the time because it's quick and easy.
- Tomato paste. Tomato paste gives this rice a rich tomato taste and thickens the broth.
- Chicken broth. Chicken broth is a low-calorie way to lend a bold flavor that melds well with the other ingredients and keeps this dish moist.
- Peas. Peas add nutrients, color, and texture to this rice dish.
- Fresh tomatoes, cilantro and fresh lime. These ingredients add a welcome freshness to this dish!
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Oil - you can use another type of oil such as canola oil
- Rice - you can use leftover rice, minute rice, or regular brown rice. If you only have white rice (jasmine rice or basmati) you could substitute it. Although Spanish rice is traditionally made with short grain rice, you could substitute long grain.
- Tomatoes - you could substitute canned diced tomatoes.
- Vegetarian - use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth
- Garlic - fresh cloves are the best, but you could substitute prepared minced garlic in a jar or garlic powder, in a pinch
🔪How to Make Spanish Rice with brown rice (the easy way!)
In a large skillet (with a tight fitting lid) on the stovetop, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 about minutes.
Add diced tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes longer.
Add the tomato paste, cumin, turmeric, and dried oregano.
Cook for about 2-3 minutes longer.
Add the cooked rice, peas, and chicken broth. Turn up the heat to high for a minute or two, then lower the heat to simmer.
Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until liquid is completely absorbed.
Garnish with cilantro and lime
🥗 Main Dishes to serve with Spanish brown rice
Spanish Brown rice goes well with Mexican food such as:
- Slow Cooker Pork Pineapple Carnitas (shown below)
- Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas
- Easy Chicken Quesadillas (with leftover rotisserie chicken)
- Leftover Turkey or Chicken Enchiladas
- Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
🌡️Storage
Store leftovers of this Spanish rice dish in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
This recipe does not stand up well to freezing.
👪 Serving Size
This Spanish rice with brown rice recipe makes 6 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points
This easy recipe is Weight Watchers friendly @ 4 WW points on my plan for a ½ cup serving.
❔ FAQ's
Spanish rice, also known as "arroz rojo" or red rice, is a dish that is commonly eaten in Spain and some parts of Latin America. It is typically made with sautéed onions and garlic, tomato sauce, and chicken or vegetable broth. The rice is then cooked in this mixture until it is fully cooked and tender. Spanish rice may also contain other ingredients such as bell peppers, peas, or chorizo.
Mexican rice, also known as "arroz mexicano" or "arroz rojo" (red rice), is a popular side dish in Mexican One key difference between Spanish rice and Mexican rice is the type of rice used. Spanish rice is often made with short-grain rice, which gives it a slightly different texture and flavor than Mexican rice, which is typically made with long grain rice. Additionally, Spanish rice tends to be a bit more tomato-based, while Mexican rice has a more prominent flavor of cumin and chili powder.
Spanish rice is typically made with a long grain white rice, such as basmati, but it can also be made with brown rice.
If you are looking for easy Spanish brown rice recipes you'll love this one-it's the perfect side dish!
And if you're looking for more Mexican sides, check out these 25 Recipes to Serve with Carnitas
📋 Easy Spanish Rice Recipe (with brown rice)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon tumeric
- 1 cup peas *I use frozen
Garnish
- fresh cilantro
- fresh lime
Instructions
- In a large skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 large onion, diced, 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Add diced tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes longer.2 large tomatoes, diced
- Add the ground tomato paste, cumin, turmeric, and dried oregano.2 tablespoon tomato paste, ¼ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon tumeric
- Add the cooked rice, peas, and chicken stock. Turn up the heat to high for a minute or two, then lower the heat to simmer.3 cups cooked brown rice, 1 cup chicken stock, 1 cup peas
- Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until liquid is completely absorbed.
Garnish
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and fresh lime. * I recommend squeezing fresh lime over this rice before serving.fresh cilantro, fresh lime
Terri Gilson
I'm loving this Easy Spanish Brown Rice recipe! It's such a smart way to use up leftover rice and turn it into something special. The mix of Mexican spices with the tomatoes and peas gives it a unique flavor that's not quite Spanish, not quite Mexican, but totally delicious.