Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe (with Video)

Maybe your like

Why Make This

Browning the rice in olive oil adds rich savory flavor.
Lime zest, juice, and cilantro give the rice a bright, fresh flavor.
It’s an easy, crowd-pleasing side dish for tacos, burritos, and more.

Cilantro lime rice is the best rice for burrito bowls, and pretty much any Mexican food, right? (Cilantro haters, please look away, this one's not for you.) It works well with Asian dishes too.

But you don't want to just toss plain rice with cilantro and lime juice and call it a day. Well, you could, but the rice wouldn't be close to as good as it could be.

Cilantro lime rice made well is irresistible. As in, "as soon as you finish one batch, you'll want to make another" irresistible. Or, "take your hands off my food, this is all for me" irresistible.

Tips for making the best ever cilantro lime rice? First, use basmati long grain rice. It's more aromatic than plain rice and the flavor complements the cilantro and lime.

Types of Rice READ MORE:

A bowl of cilantro lime rice served in a white dish — Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer

Second, start by lightly browning the rice in some olive oil. It's how we normally make rice pilaf or Spanish rice. The browning brings out wonderful flavor in the rice that you can't get any other way. This is the main difference between this recipe and other recipes you may find online for cilantro lime rice.

Finally, use fresh limes and toss some grated lime zest in with the water that you add to the rice. The lime oils in the zest will infuse the rice with lime flavor as it cooks.

At the very end, after the rice is cooked and fluffed, you'll add in chopped fresh cilantro and lime juice.