Mexican Fried Rice 

Combine the flavors of Mexican rice and the cooking style of Asian rice to create a unique Mexican fried rice recipe to serve for dinner on your next Taco Tuesday.

This Mexican Fried Rice Recipe is a delicious twist on the traditional Mexican rice that is cooked in a saucy liquid. Traditional Mexican rice is delicious, but we love the texture that cooking it fried rice style gives it.

This Mexican fried rice recipe is also a great way to quickly make a side dish using precooked rice from a batch cooking session or leftover rice. The key to making great fried rice is using cooked, cold rice. When I make any type of fried rice recipe,  I like to batch cook rice the day before and refrigerate it overnight so it gets nice and cold. Cooked rice also freezes well if you wanted to make a larger batch and freeze it in the amounts you need for this and other rice recipes.

Here is how to easily cook rice in the oven and here is how to cook white basmati rice in an Instant Pot. You can find more tips for batch cooking recipes as well as lots of delicious recipes in my cookbook, Prep-Ahead Meals from Scratch.

When you add the rice to the pan, be sure to stir it frequently, almost constantly, to blend all of the ingredients and prevent it from sticking. Once the spices and seasonings are well incorporated into the rice, you can let it sit a little longer without stirring. This will give you those little bits of crunchy rice that are so delicious in fried rice.

I love adding a healthy amount of sliced green onions at the end for a pop of flavor and color. You could also add black beans, jalapeño peppers, or cilantro. Use the recipe below on how to make Mexican Fried Rice to create this tasty dish.

Mexican Fried Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked white rice
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 4-ounce can green chiles, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 green onions, sliced (save a few slices to garnish if you wish.)

Directions:

1. Add two tablespoons of the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. When the oil is hot, add the onion, and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft.
3. Add the tomatoes, corn, and green chiles, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the liquid has cooked out. 
4. Add the seasonings and garlic, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the garlic begins to brown.
5. Turn the heat down to medium, add the remaining olive oil and the cooked rice. 
6. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently to blend the rice and seasonings.
7. Stir in the green onions, and remove the pan from the heat.
8. Top with the remaining green onions.

This Mexican style fried rice is delicious served alongside an entree or stuffed into burritos, tacos, or taquitos!

Mexican Fried Rice

 

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time 20 mins

Recipe type: Side Dish

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked white rice
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 4-ounce can green chiles, drained
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 green onions, sliced

Directions

1. Add two tablespoons of the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. When the oil is hot, add the onion, and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft.
3. Add the tomatoes, corn, and green chiles, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the liquid has cooked out.
4. Add the seasonings and garlic, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the garlic begins to brown.
5. Turn the heat down to medium, add the remaining olive oil and the cooked rice.
6. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently to blend the rice and seasonings.
7. Stir in the green onions, and remove the pan from the heat.
8. Top with the remaining green