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This Spanish Rice is Your Perfect Excuse to Indulge

This easy Spanish Rice recipe will bring all your Mexican food dreams to life with its fluffy texture and perfect, authentic flavor. Gone are the Taco Tuesday nights without allergen-friendly Spanish rice on your plate. Enjoy your favorite Mexican food alongside a gluten and dairy free serving of Mexican Rice that is incredibly easy and quick to make.

Spanish rice really brings any good Mexican food meal to the next level. Add some in your Taco Stuffed Peppers with some dairy free sour cream and fresh chopped cilantro and your peppers just got even better.

This rice goes great with a hefty serving scoop of our favorite Taco Bake and would make a great addition alongside the kids favorite Taco Tater Tot Skillet.

And of course, it goes amazing with tacos, enchiladas, burritos and fajitas to say the least. It really has become a staple when we make any Mexican meals in our house.

We do have to admit, for far too long did we go without a safe alternative to the store-bought rice. We watched enviously as part of the family enjoyed some store-bought Mexican rice with their dinner because we thought this recipe was too hard to attempt.

Boy, were we wrong. Spanish rice doesn't have to be hard. In fact, this rice is the perfect excuse to add a little extra to your plate. It's incredibly easy to whip up with whatever else you have on the dinner menu and it's healthier than the stuff you'd pour out of the box or pouch.

Plus, we think it tastes a million times better, with the chicken stock, garlic, tomato sauce, and spices instead of any of the artificial preservatives or chemicals you'd be eating elsewhere.

spanish rice ingredients

  • long grain rice— for best results, we recommend to rinse under cold water
  • grapeseed oil— or your favorite cooking oil
  • tomato sauce
  • kosher salt
  • minced garlic— freshly minced is best
  • gluten free chicken stock— always check your store-bought stock or make your own chicken stock. You can also use vegetable stock instead to make this a vegetarian recipe if you'd like
  • water
  • ground cumin
  • ground black powder— add to taste
  • chili powder— The McCormick brand is what we like to use. Always check your spices for hidden gluten or dairy
  • fresh cilantro— chopped into small pieces. This can be optional if you need it to be, however it adds great authentic Mexican flavor

helpful kitchen utensils and gadgets

  • large saucepan— you'll use this to cook your rice in. Make sure it has a lid to cover it.
  • spatula— for stirring
  • measuring cups and spoons

frequently asked questions

which rice should I use

We recommend using long grain rice for this recipe. It helps bring out the authentic Mexican Rice texture that you're looking for.

We recommend using other white rice for your Asian dishes as they have the appropriate texture for those dishes.

how many servings does this make

When we make this for our family of 5, this makes 2 dinners worth of rice. Yup, you read that correctly! So, this Spanish rice recipe makes a generous 10 servings of rice that can be used as a side dish or added into another Mexican dish to top it off.

can I make it ahead

We think this recipe is best enjoyed and served hot. So, we recommend making it right before you want to use it. But you can reheat it for later or enjoy in leftovers. It just may not taste as fresh and delicous as it would have freshly made.

We recommend waiting to add cilantro until you're ready to serve it.

how to store this rice dish

If saving some rice as leftovers, we recommend storing in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

how long is it good for

If you store this dish properly, in the refrigerator in an air tight container, this recipe should be good for about a week. We recommend reheating this rice on the stovetop to help bring the original texture back to life after being refrigerated.

Reheating rice in the microwave can dry it out or leave pieces extra crispy and having an odd texture. Reheating on the stovetop in your saucepan is our best recommendation.

can I double this recipe

If you're planning to have leftovers or are having company over, you can double this recipe. Just make sure your pan is large enough or make it in two batches.

more tasty allergen friendly mexican dishes

  • Crockpot Taco Soup— serve some of this rice with your taco soup that you had simmering in the slow cooker all day and you'll have the perfect meal for a chilly day.
  • Fresh and Flavorful Quesadillas— these are always a hit in our house and can be easily customized to what everyone in your family likes and prefers. These are perfect to serve with a scoop of rice to really finish the dinner off.
  • Easy Taco Skillet— who doesn't love a one pot meal, or really, a one skillet meal with Mexican flair.
  • Taco Salad Shells— make your own allergen friendly taco shells that are perfect to put your mexican salad in.
  • Burrito Bowl— This burrito bowl uses our favorite cilantro lime rice, but you could easily swap it for this Spanish rice and make a whole new flavored bowl.

lastly

As you can see, this gluten free and dairy free Spanish rice is extremely versatile. It can compliment so many other dishes as a side dish and can even be used in other recipes as one of the stars of your dinner menu.

Our family was super excited to see safe, gluten free and dairy free spanish rice on our menu again. It was something we longed for until we created this perfect rice recipe.

It's so delicious, even our none dairy and gluten free family members prefer it to the boxed stuff. And we can happily serve it up to them too without any of the guilt you get from using boxed, preserative and filler filled stuff.

And if you're looking for even more Gluten and Dairy Free recipes, you have to check out our cookbook, The Classics.

This ebook cookbook is packed with 16 breakfast, dinner and desserts that you have to have for your family's kitchen. These are some of our most raved about recipes and one that is exclusive to just that cookbook for our favorite readers!

Gluten & Dairy Free Spanish Rice

This adds perfect texture and flavor to any Mexican dish! Serve it as a side or add it to your favorite recipe. Get your fiesta on with this Spanish rice.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 10
Author: Eating Gluten and Dairy Free

Ingredients

  • 2 cups long grain rice rinse under cold water
  • ¼ cup oil
  • 8 oz tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 3 cups gluten free chicken stock
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 5-8 stems fresh cilantro Chop into small pieces

Instructions

  • Place oil in large frying pan on medium heat.
  • Add in rice when oil is hot. Saute rice 5-6 minutes.
  • Add in rest of the ingredients, except the cilantro. Bring mixture to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally until rice is cooked. Add in fresh cilantro and stir.
  • Remove from heat. Serve as a side dish or add it to your favorite taco, burrito, or enchilada recipe. Serve with a sprig of fresh cilantro.

Nutritional Disclaimer

These Nutritional Facts are ESTIMATED. Your actual nutritional info with this recipe may vary depending on the brands you choose. “Eating Gluten and Dairy Free” is not a registered dietician or nutritionist. The provided nutritional info above is based on a generic calculator, if you want more accurate info, use your nutritional calculator of choice where you can choose brands and get more info that way.

Now I know you're ready to get your fiesta on. Grab your sombrero and get cookin'! Enjoy this homemade gluten and dairy free Spanish rice recipe. It adds texture and flavor to every Mexican dish.

It's the perfect excuse... to have more tacos! More burritos! And more enchiladas!

Let me know what your favorite Mexican dish is in the comments! Our favorite is enchiladas with shredded chicken, peppers, and Spanish rice.

Eat well, feel well, and get your fiesta on y'all!

Jill

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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)
Recipe Rating




Rhonda

Saturday 16th of July 2022

I am new to Gluten free cooking and am going to try your Spanish Rice recipe. I am wondering what ground black powder is? Or is it a typo for pepper? Thank you!

Jill

Tuesday 9th of August 2022

Thanks for reaching out. We have updated the recipe card to say ground pepper. Thank you! Jill