Learn how to make my favorite cilantro lemon rice recipe. The rice was super fluffy, fresh and so delicious. Once you make this simple recipe you will need to make it again and again.
If you like Chipotle Cilantro Lemon Rice, you’ll love this easy parody recipe. I say imitator, but it tastes better than what you do at Chipotle. I know, highly praised, but please believe me.
Serve it with beans, burritos and your favorite Mexican dishes, or make rice bowls!
Key Ingredients
- rice: I use long grain white rice as this recipe. You can also use more fragrant (best way) long-grained jasmine or basmati rice. Brown rice is used with our recipes, but the way you cook the rice will be different. I have tips below the recipe to help you.
- Onion and Garlic: I cooked the chopped onions and garlic with a little oil and rice, adding a lot of extra flavor.
- Water or soup: I use water in the recipe video, but for more flavor, use a light soup (vegetable soup or chicken soup is great).
- lime: Fresh lime is best for this cilantro lemon rice. Once cooked, stir the fresh lemon juice into the rice.
- coriander: I love cilantro and add a lot to my rice. For this recipe, I chopped the leaves and tender stems (leave a harder stem stock). If you don’t love cilantro like I do, just put it outside and make regular lime rice (still enjoyable).
How to make cilantro lime rice
Making cilantro lime rice at home is very easy and tastes better than it does in Chipotle. It’s more fluffy, delicious and fresh.
You want to rinse the rice as this recipe (my best rice tips). I tossed the rice into a fine mesh filter and placed it under cool running water and moved the rice into the water with my fingers until the water was clear. Rinse the rice to remove extra starch and make our cooked rice super lightweight and fluffy!
Now you add the rinsed rice and chopped onions to the pan, cook with some oil or butter, and move it to evenly. Add chopped garlic and pour in a cooking liquid that can be water or soup.
I cook on low heat for about 15 minutes. I then removed the pan from the heat and covered for another 10 minutes. This break provides the rice with a chance to steam, which makes it perfectly cooked and fluffy. (This is the way we use when cooking Mexican and coconut rice.)
Once ready, find the rice and fuzz it with a fork (to be gentle). Add fresh lime juice and plenty of chopped cilantro. Then enjoy!
What to eat with cilantro lemon rice
I love this simple rice recipe and eat almost everything. Our family loves homemade beans or these incredible black beans. When we make Fajitas, enchiladas and carnitas it is always on the table.
I added cilantro lime rice to my burrito. I especially love these spicy cauliflower burritos. It’s also perfect for rice bowls and I love our cilantro lime garlic shrimp! And remember the avocado sauce and salsa! I love this fresh pico de Gallo, corn and black bean salsa, and the grilled tomato salsa.
Perfect Coriander Lime Rice
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How to make the best cilantro lemon rice that tastes better than your favorite restaurant! Replacing water with soup ingredients or soup will add extra flavor. We like to use chicken or vegetable soup. If you use stock, add salt to flavor, as stock may have some salt already added.
Make 5 cups of rice
Watch us make recipes
You will need
1½ cups (280g) long-grain white rice
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter, and more for use in edible
1/2 cup (70g) chopped onion (1 small)
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
2¼ cups (530 ml) of water, vegetable soup or chicken soup
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, see notes
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 cup (30g) chopped fresh coriander leaves and tender stems
direction
1Put the rice into a fine mesh filter, then rinse it with cold water, and move the rice into the water with your fingers. Drain and set aside. This removes excess starch and helps the rice cooked fluffy and lightweight.
2Heat a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add oil or butter. When hot, add rinse rice and onions. Cook, stirring frequently until the rice goes from translucent to brighter white and the onions are soft, about 3 to 4 minutes.
3Add the garlic and cook, stirring around the pan until fragrant but not browned for about 30 seconds.
4Pour in warm water or soup, stir, and stick the rice to the side of the pot. Season with salt, lower the heat to a minimum setting, and cover with a lid. Cook, cover, for 15 minutes.
5Remove the pan from heat and leave alone (still covered) for 10 minutes.
6Discover and test a grain of rice. If the rice is still a little hard, put the lid back and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. If the rice looks too dry, put it back on the heat and sprinkle one or two of the extra water on top.
7Once the rice is finished, sprinkle the lime juice and coriander on top. Gently spread the rice with a fork and mix it with lime juice and cilantro. Serve.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- storage: The remaining coriander lime rice lasts for 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator or for 3 months (melt overnight in the refrigerator).
- Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or in a pot with water or broth and stir until warm. For fresh flavor, add extra lime juice and chopped cilantro before serving.
- brown rice: Forget the packaging direction and cook brown rice like pasta. Fill a large pot with light brine, add brown rice, and cook on low heat for 30 minutes. Drain and cover it with a lid, then cover it with a lid and let it steam for 12 minutes (this method comes from Saveur, making the perfect brown rice.) From there, stirring, add the sautéed onion, garlic, fresh lemon juice and cilantro.
- Salt: If you plan to use stock, you may not need to add salt. Taste the soup ingredients before adding the rice to determine if you need to add one click or two extra salt.
- Coriander substitute: If you are not a fan of cilantro, replace it with chopped fresh parsley or leave it out.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
Service size
About 1/2 cup
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Calories
119
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Total fat
1.6 g
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Saturated fat
0.3g
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cholesterol
0mg
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sodium
60.8mg
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carbohydrate
23.6mg
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Dietary fiber
0.6 g
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Total sugar
0.5g
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protein
2.2g
We are Adam and Joanne, a couple who are passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? Inspire you to enter the kitchen and cook fresh and delicious meals confidently.
