Mexican Restaurant Style Cilantro Lime rice is one of my favorite rice dishes and now you can make it at home with my easy to make recipe!

I love making rice. Whether its sticky rice, Mexican red rice, Jasmine rice for bowl meals or this cilantro lime rice. We eat a lot of rice. 

We also grow a lot of cilantro in our garden which makes it convenient for us to make this rice dish often. 

Cilantro lime rice is really easy to make. First you cook the rice and while it is cooking and steaming you make the cilantro lime sauce to mix in to give it the flavor and green hue.

I add the sauce ingredients to my blender, you can use any kind of blender for the sauce, even a magic bullet type works well. 

The ingredients you need for amazing cilantro lime rice are as follows:

• 2 cups long grain white rice or white Jasmine rice
• 1 large bunch cilantro ( a cup and a half), stems and leaves.
• Zest and juice of 2 limes ( about 2 tsp zest, 2 Tbsp juice
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher or sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

If you want a greener rice you can You can add in another lime’s worth or zest and juice as well as another tablespoon of oil and another cup of cilantro for a stronger flavor and color.  It works great this way and still comes out perfect. 

The trick to making this rice is to steam the rice well after cooking to get out extra moisture since you are adding it back in with the sauce. Even if you double the sauce, it will be a little denser with double sauce but still really really good. I like it both ways. 

This cilantro lime rice is excellent served along side chicken, shrimp or steak, with enchiladas or tacos or served in burrito bowl. 

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Yield: 8-10 servings

Mexican Style Cilantro Lime Rice

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Cilantro lime rice - tangy, green rice that goes great with tacos, grilled meats, chicken or fish.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups white rice such as jasmine, basmati, long grain
• 1 large bunch cilantro ( about a cup and a half)
• Zest and juice of 2 limes ( about 2 tsp zest, 2 Tbsp juice)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher or sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black Pepper

Instructions

Rinse the rice in a strainer until the water runs clear. Drain well and place the rice in a 4 quart sauce pan with high sides and add 3 cups water. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Lower the heat all the way, cover and cook 12 min. Turn off the heat after 12 min and let steam for 10 minutes. Steam longer for a drier rice.

While the rice is cooking prepare the rest of the ingredients. In a food processor or blender add the cilantro, lime zest and juice, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. Blend or process until smooth. You can add in another lime's worth or zest and juice as well as another tablespoon of oil and another cup of cilantro for a stronger flavor and color.

Fluff the rice with a fork or rice paddle and add the cilantro mixture. Fold the rice until well combined and all the rice is mixed with the cilantro sauce and no clumps rice left white. You want an even green color. Season with more salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Serve hot.

Notes

Like I mentioned prior you can add more cilantro and lime zest and juice to make the rice more green. Every-time I make this dish it comes out a different shade of green.

This rice is best served the day it is made you can refrigerate and reheat in your microwave up to two days after making it. The rice will dry out after several days refrigerated even if in an airtight container.

Did you make this recipe?

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Question and answer time:

What kind of rice is needed for cilantro lime rice?

Long grain white rice or white jasmine rice work best. I haven’t tried the recipe with any other kind of rice

How long does it take to cook cilantro lime rice?

The rice takes a few minutes to come to a boil, 12 minutes to cook then 10-15 minutes to steam. Plan on 45 minutes for the whole recipe. I try to give an estimate on prep time but some people take longer to cook than others. 

Can you make cilantro lime rice ahead of time?

This rice is best served after it is made. You can reheat the rice in the microwave but it won’t be as good. The rice will dry out in the refrigerator after a few days even if covered well.

Can you freeze cilanto lime rice?

You can probably freeze anything you want if you stuff it in your freezer. I have never frozen rice before. We make it, we eat it, my husband takes leftovers to work and will reheat in a microwave the next day. Thats about how long rice lasts in our house. 

What if you don’t like cilantro, what can I substitute?

It won’t be the same recipe but you could try using parsley or basil.