Mexican Rice with Cilantro dressing is inspired by everyone’s favorite Cilantro Lime Rice at Cafe Rio, a popular fast-casual restaurant with roots in Utah!

Our Cafe Rio inspired Cilantro Lime Rice is so easy to make you will wonder why you have been paying for take out! We love this dish as a base or a side for our Instant Pot Chile Verde, Cafe Rio Sweet Pork and to serve with our Family Favorite Enchiladas.

Mexican Rice with Cilantro dressing is so good you might be tempted to eat it on its own. The tangy rich flavors in this rice make it perfect for layering with meat or as a side dish. It also tastes great with a little melted Monterey Jack and chicken in a tortilla for a quick lunch!

Rice never tasted so good after being all dressed up with this fresh cilantro dressing! The dressing is what sets this rice apart from other cilantro lime rice recipes. This recipe is definitely one that yields a lot of flavor with very little effort!

How to make Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice

This side dish is easy to cook on the stove top or make in your rice cooker.

  • Sauté onion, garlic and green chiles in pan with a lid.
  • Add rice, broth and bring to a boil.
  • Cover, cook until rice is done about 15 minutes.
  • Whisk together cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, garlic and spices while rice is cooking.
  • Toss together, add additional salt and pepper and serve.

I use about 1/2 of the dressing over the suggested amount of rice and then keep the rest for dressing chicken before or after grilling, or for making another pot of rice. This dressing is delicious on top of meat, poultry, fish and grilled veggies as well.

More Cafe Rio inspired recipes…

These are all perfect recipes to make for a crowd! Our sweet pork is delicious on tacos, burritos, and classic Cafe Rio salad.

Mexican Rice with Cilantro Dressing

5 from 2 votes
Print Pin
Author: Si Foster
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8 sides
This Cafe Rio inspired recipe tastes better than the restaurant version!

Ingredients 

Rice:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large white onion , chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 small can chopped green chilies, mild, or one cup chipped fresh Anaheim chiles, chopped and seeded
  • 2 cups long grain white rice
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken broth without MSG
  • salt to taste, I used about 3/4 teaspoon

1/2 to 3/4 cup Cilantro Dressing* (see recipe notes)

  • 1 1/4 cups packed chopped cilantro, about 1 small bunch
  • 3/4 cup olive oil or avocado oil
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice or cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon minced seeded Serrano chile

Instructions

for rice:

  • Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
  • Add onion, garlic, and green chilies. Cook until onion is soft, about 5-10 minutes over medium heat.
  • Mix in rice, stir about 2 minutes.
  • Mix in broth. Bring to boil.
  • Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until rice is tender and broth absorbed, about 15 minutes. If rice dries out, add water, about 1/4 cup at a time.
  • Turn off heat and let rice sit, covered for 5 minutes.
  • Transfer rice to serving platter or bowl. Let rice sit for about 5 more minutes to cool slightly.
  • Pour dressing over rice, tossing gently together.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Can be prepared ahead.
  • Let stand at room temperature. 

for dressing:

  • Combine all dressing ingredients in blender or food processor, blend until smooth.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Can be made one day ahead. Chill.
  • Use about 1/2 of this amount for the rice suggested above.  

Notes

  • The dressing for the rice will be enough for double the amount of rice in this recipe. You may either half the dressing amount or the dressing is  good for dressing salads, or as a marinade for fish or chicken. You may add about 1/3 cup of mayo and a little milk if you like a creamy salad dressing.
  • To make this dish ahead, cook the rice as directed. I don’t like to refrigerate rice after cooking because it changes the texture, so I leave it in a cool room after completely cooling the rice. The next day, toss with dressing before serving. 
  • This dish is best made on the same day it is served. 

Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to leave a comment and rate this recipe! I’d love to see a photo, tag @abountifulkitchen on Instagram!

SaveSaveRecipe originally posted February 2009, updated August 2026

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Comments

  • Katie Graham

    We need to make this recipe for about 60 people. Can the rice be “cooked” in the oven after it is on the stove? I don’t have a lot of experience with that, but I also don’t have a pan large enough for 6x this recipe 🙂

    • Jillian

      Hi Katie!

      You can most definitely warm up the rice in the oven. I don’t recommend actually cooking it in the oven. You can dish the rice into a large pan and stick that in the oven to reheat.

      Warm regards,
      Jillian
      ABK Team

  • Heidi hebdon

    5 stars
    I made this for a missionary homecoming. Everyone said it was the best cafe Rio salad ever!

  • Kay

    Is this recipe gluten free?

  • Megan

    Hey!! I have had it recommended to me to make this rice ahead of time and freeze it. Would you recommend this? I am having to times the recipe by 13 to have enough for 200 people. Do you have any recommendations to make it go seamlessly? 😊 Thank you for all your recipes!

    • abountifulkitchen

      Megan,

      THat’s a lot of rice! I would test a single batch at home first. Make as directed, freeze and see how the texture is afterward. I have not ever frozen this recipe but would love to know the result. Let us know!
      thanks for reading ABK,
      Si

      • Megan

        Si,
        Can I ask you what you would do if you needed to make enough rice for 200 people? 😳 Are we just crazy for attempting it?!
        Thanks!

    • Cindy Horton

      Do not freeze the rice! It changes the texture and makes it taste like sawdust! I froze my extra rice and tried to use it a week later. I had to throw it out! Even refrigerated rice will change in texture, but I was able to reheat and use the refrigerated rice okay. It is much better fresh though.

  • Pamela

    It says this is cilantro lime rice but I can’t find the lime in the recipe… did I miss it?

    • abountifulkitchen

      Hi Pamela,
      The recipe should have said cider vinegar or fresh lime juice. I just corrected it. Thanks for the heads up!
      xo
      Si

      • Pamela Forbes

        5 stars
        Thank you! I made this a couple weeks ago with the black beans and sweet pork. It was all great, but I am excited to try it this weekend with the lime juice! Thanks for great recipes!

        • abountifulkitchen

          Thanks Pam, I think you will love this with the lime juice. It’s great either way, but I like the fresh lime juice. Thanks for reading ABK,
          Si

    • Seren

      Thank you, Cindy Horton! I was just looking this up to see how I can make ahead of time. And thank you for the recipe, So!

      • Jillian

        Hello Friend!

        Yes, this recipe is great to make ahead of time! Hope it turns out well for you.

        Best,
        Jillian
        ABK Team

  • Sharice

    How many does this serve?

    • Si Foster

      Hi Sharice, this recipe makes about 8-10 servings. Thanks for asking!
      xo
      Si

  • Whitney

    Hello! I am wanting to make this rice a day in advance. When you say, “let stand at room temperature”, do you mean don’t put it in the fridge is I make it ahead of time? I’m making it for a lunch tomorrow. What do you suggest for reheating, etc? Thanks! -Whitney

    • abountifulkitchen

      Whitney, Sorry I missed this comment! Yes, just leave the rice out at room temperature. If it is refrigerated, it will change the gesture of the dish. I would leave the rice at room temp and add the mixed in ingredients the next day for make ahead!

      • Gwen

        Hi, I’m making this for about 300 missionaries. I’m going to make it a day ahead as discussed above and leave it at room temperature and mix in the ingredients the day of, but how do you recommend I reheat it? Also any tips for cooking the rice in an instant pot? so far it is not turn out right.

        • abountifulkitchen

          Hi Gwen,
          You could do as you have suggested and make the rice a day ahead as well as the dressing, and then toss and place in the oven at about 350 for 30 minutes, I would toss it half way through heating. Let us know how you tackle this huge project! Also, yes, I have an excellent recipe for Instant Pot rice here: https://abountifulkitchen.com/perfect-instant-pot-brown-rice/

        • Megan

          How did this go? I am needing to prepare this rice for girls camp for about 200 people. Any suggestions or tips are greatly appreciated!

  • Laura F

    How many people would you say this fed for your school luncheon? I need to scale the recipe to about 400 for cafe rio-style salads, insane as that sounds, and can't seem to figure out how much rice I'll need. Everyone's recipes seem to feed about six people. 🙂

    • Si

      Hi Laura, I think this recipe feeds approximately 12-15 as a side dish ( about 1/2 cup servings each) . Hope this helps!

  • superbusygirl

    Love it! Looks really good and I very much like your site design, it’s cool and calming!