I still remember my high school Spanish teacher, Señor Turner. I don’t recall learning a lot of Spanish, but I do remember some of his mannerisms. He spent a lot of time talking about his travels abroad, and told us to spend our money on travel, instead of cars and clothing while we were young. Good advice. Where was I going with this? Maybe I was wishing I was in Mexico! This cilantro lime rice is transporting me to a resort vacation in Mexico 🙂
This side dish is easy to cook on the stove top or make in your rice cooker. Whisk together the fresh cilantro dressing in a few minutes, pour over and toss the rice. How easy is that? 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 delicious dressing is yummy on so many things. When you take the first bite of this rice you’ll have to make sure you aren’t sitting in a Cafe Rio restaurant- it tastes just like the real thing.
Interested in making more copycat Cafe Rio recipes? Don’t worry- I’ve got you covered! Any true Cafe Rio fan needs the sweet pork recipe…
- Instant Pot Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
- Cafe Rio Style Sweet Pork Salad
- Cafe Rio Style Black Beans
- Cafe Rio Style Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing
- Cafe Rio Style Pico
- ABK’s Ultimate Chunky Guac
- Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup
These are all great recipes to make for a crowd. I don’t know a soul that doesn’t go crazy over that sweet pork recipe. Make it when you have company in town or when your kid’s friends show up unexpectedly for dinner! That sweet pork recipe is delicious on tacos, burritos, and even the classic Cafe Rio salad. Any way you do it, you’ve got one amazing dinner ready to serve.
Mexican Rice with Cilantro Dressing
Ingredients
Rice:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large white or yellow 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
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar or fresh lime juice
- 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.
- 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.
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. I’d love to see a photo, tag @abountifulkitchen on Instagram!
Heidi hebdon
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
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
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!