If you’ve ever been to Chipotle, you know how good cilantro lime rice is and just how much flavor it can add to a meal. Luckily, it’s super easy and budget-friendly to make at home, too, so you take any meal to the next level just by switching out your plain white rice for this Cilantro Lime Rice recipe. It’s bright, flavorful, savory, and absolutely delicious. This Cilantro Lime Rice recipe is so good, in fact, that sometimes I make it a meal simply by adding some black beans and cheese. Done and done!
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What Is Cilantro Lime Rice?
Cilantro lime rice is simply white rice flavored with lime and cilantro, but we throw in a couple more tricks to make it even more delicious and crave-worthy. It’s often served as a side dish with Latin or Tex-Mex meals, adding tons of flavor and color to the plate. But, since cilantro IS the main flavor in this rice, you definitely need to be a cilantro lover to like this recipe. If cilantro isn’t your thing, try our tomato rice instead!
Ingredients for Cilantro Lime Rice
The best part about cilantro lime rice is that you only need a few ingredients and it doesn’t take much longer than cooking plain rice, making it a total win. Here’s what you’ll need to make cilantro lime rice:
- Long Grain White Rice: You can use any long grain white rice for this recipe, conventional, jasmine, or basmati. Conventional is the most budget-friendly, but you’ll get even more flavor with jasmine or basmati. Avoid medium and short grain rices as they tend to be sticky instead of fluffy.
- Chicken Broth: Cooking the rice in chicken broth instead of plain water adds a LOT of flavor to the rice, including a deliciously savory base. If you want to make this vegetarian, look for a vegetarian version of chicken broth rather than a regular vegetable broth, which will turn the rice a brownish color, obscuring the cilantro’s pretty green color.
- Cilantro: This recipe is all about the cilantro! Cilantro gives the rice a really bright and fresh flavor and a beautifully vibrant green color. Fresh cilantro is a must for this recipe, not dried.
- Lime: Fresh lime also adds a bright flavor, and the tanginess of the juice is a nice contrast to the savory chicken broth. We use both the juice and the zest for maximum lime flavor.
- Olive Oil: A little olive oil helps coat the cooked rice to give it richness and prevent it from getting to gummy as you fold in the fresh ingredients.
How to Serve Cilantro Lime Rice
Cilantro lime rice is a great side dish to go with any Latin or Tex-Mex meal, but it’s also great as a base to bowl meals, as a flavorful filling in burritos, or you could even use it as a base for a casserole. Try serving cilantro lime rice with shrimp tacos, cheese enchiladas, burrito bowls, chicken fajitas, or some saucy black beans.
Tip: Don’t Waste the Stems!
When using fresh cilantro, don’t toss the stems! Cilantro stems are very tender and have just as much flavor as the leaves, so as long as they’re thoroughly washed and finely chopped, they can be used right alongside the leaves in recipes like this. So you don’t have to spend time meticulously pulling the leaves from the stems and you’ll have less waste, too!
Cilantro Lime Rice
Servings 6 (about 1 cup each)Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain white rice (uncooked) ($0.52)
- 3 cups chicken broth ($0.32)
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.75)
- 1 lime ($0.59)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
Instructions
- Rinse the rice in cool water then let it drain well. Add the rice and chicken broth to a sauce pot, place a lid on top, and bring it to a full boil over high heat without removing the lid or stirring.
- Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low, or just above low, and let the rice simmer for 15 minutes (no stirring or removing the lid). After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let the pot rest for an additional five minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, zest and juice the lime, and finely chop the cilantro. Add 3 tablespoons of the lime juice, ½ teaspoon of the lime zest, and 1 cup of finely chopped cilantro to a bowl with the olive oil and stir to combine.
- Once the rice has rested off of the heat for five minutes, remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Drizzle the cilantro lime mixture over the rice, then gently fold to combine. Make sure not to stir the rice vigorously, or that can cause it to become mushy and sticky.
- Taste the rice and adjust the lime or salt to your liking, then serve with your favorite meal.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice – Step By Step Photos
Start by rinsing 2 cups of uncooked long grain white rice. Let it drain well, then add it to a medium pot with 3 cups of chicken broth. Place a lid on the pot and bring the broth to a full boil over high heat. Once it reaches a full boil, immediately turn the heat down to low, or just slightly above low, to keep the broth at a gentle simmer.
Let the rice simmer for 15 minutes without stirring or removing the lid, then turn the heat off and allow the pot to rest, without removing the lid, for an additional five minutes. Finally, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
While the rice is cooking, zest and juice one lime. Rinse and finely chop about ½ bunch of fresh cilantro, or about one cup once chopped. Add the chopped cilantro, 3 tablespoons of the juice, and ½ teaspoon of zest to a bowl with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and stir to combine.
Pour the cilantro lime mixture over the cooked rice, then gently fold it to combine. Be careful not to stir vigorously or fold too much as the more the rice is stirred the more it will become sticky. Just fold the ingredients together in a gentle motion.
Serve the cilantro lime rice with your favorite meal and enjoy!
It’s a simple enough recipe. However I am not seeing where/when to add the olive oil.
It’s in step 3! You mix it together with the lime and cilantro, then add it to the cooked rice. :)
This was great, made it to go with Korean beef bulgogi. It balanced out the heat from the beef perfectly.
Hi could I make this with brown rice in the rice cooker? I usually do 2 cups brown rice and 3 cups water for normal brown rice in my rice cooker. So could I just make it 3 cups of chicken broth instead and once done just add the cilantro and lime and mix it in?
I think that’s what I would do!
I just found your recipes,haven’t try to cook any yet but I can’t wait to do it
Can this be cooked in a rice cooker. My rice cooker calls for equal parts rice to water. Any suggestions?
Yes, you can make it in the rice cooker! If yours says 1:1 rice and liquid for long grain rice then go for it! Let us know how it goes.
Wow, this is so yummy!!!!!!! I paired this with the Chicken Enchilada Soup but I could eat this on its own, it’s so scrumptious!
I made this and served it with stir-fried snow peas – a little olive oil, salt, pepper, a little vinegar – sensational!
Absolutely delicious! This really elevated my burritos.
would this freeze well? If so, for how long? the others in the house think cilantro tastes like so, but I love it.
You can! I’d say it’ll keep for a month in the freezer.
What are your suggestions for reheating frozen rice?
I always reheat in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes! Just make sure the temperature is at least 165° or it’s piping hot throughout.
I made this tonight and was so impressed! What a fancy dish and so easy to make. The taste was out of this world. I will definitely make again.
Can one sub Riced califlower to keep the carbs down?
For riced cauliflower, you’d need to use a different method because cauliflower does not absorb liquid the way rice does.
Can you sub vegetable broth for chicken? What’s a vegetarian alternative?
You can do vegetable broth. It will change the flavor slightly and may make your rice a little more brown in color, though.
I’ve made this recipe a few times and my partner and I love it. An excellent “dupe” for chipotle’s rice! We’ve made it with and without using the zest, and it’s good either way but the zest really add a lot of flavor so don’t skimp out!
I saved this recipe a year and a half ago, and I finally made it. I don’t know why I waited so long, it’s so good and easy! I was tempted to add more broth because about 15 minutes into the simmer it looked like it had all absorbed, but I’m so glad I didn’t touch it because the rice was cooked perfectly.
Made this to go with your white bean and spinach pepper jack enchiladas. My meat-eating roommate loved everything as did I, so good!
Anyway we can use brown rice in this recipe?
Yes, you can do brown rice instead, but be aware that brown rice has a much stronger flavor than white rice so it will compete with the flavor of the cilantro and lime. Brown rice needs more liquid and a longer cooking time, so you’ll probably need more like 4-4.5 cups of broth and about 40 minutes of simmering time.
I made 4 cups last night in my instant pot and it came out perfect. I did a 1:1 ratio (4 cups rice and 4 chicken broth) and used jasmine long grain rice because that was all I had in the pantry. All you do is hit the rice button and let it sit for 15 minutes on slow release as I read somewhere on the internet. I served this with black beans and fish tacos for a party. I will definitely make this again and LOVED how easy the instant pot was for making rice.
Thanks!
I made this for a girl’s night on Friday and it was easy and flavorful. Everyone wants the recipe! Thanks!
If I want to double or triple this recipe for a large crowd (and have for a side dish with a taco bar), do you recommend making all in one large pot or making separate batches? I know sometimes large batches of rice can get a little mushy.
It may be difficult to get such a large batch to heat evenly, but it all depends on your cookware. So perhaps it’s better to be safe instead of sorry.
I love this rice with one small adjustment . I throw a whole jalapeno on top while rice is cooking. It imparts flavour but not the heat. We like heat so remove it before adding in lime mixture and remove stem/seeds chop and return jalapeno to rice mixture.
Ooh, I love that idea! I’m definitely going to try it next time. Thanks for sharing!
Could you use precooked (boil in bag type) rice?
Honestly I’ve never cooked that type of rice so I’m not sure what adjustments would need to be made.
Hi! Sounds delicious and I’m going to make it for this week’s meal prep!
I have Jasmine rice on hamd, do you think that would work for the cilantro lime rice?
Thanks a bunch!
Yes, that should work fine. :)
Can’t wait to try this. Do you know the calories of this?
How would you make this rice in a rice cooker?
Just use broth in place of water and follow the rice cooker instructions. Then, after it has cooked, fold in the cilantro lime mixture just as I did with the stove top cooked rice.
Made this with Israeli couscous instead of rice…lovely!
I’ve made this recipe quite a few times and loved it! Question, though: I’m cooking for a vegetarian this weekend and wanted to make this with your hearty black bean quesadillas. Would it be better to replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth or water?
I’d definitely do the vegetable broth. :)
This makes a filling (and flavorful) side dish. As I was eating this, my roommate walked into the kitchen and demanded to know how I made rice smell so good. I had to give him the recipe!
This is so delicious! I make it all the time. I have evolved the recipe a bit by adding black beans (as you suggested!) and a generous amount of Sambal Oelek. I just eat it by itself by the bowlful! Your website is just the greatest. Thanks so much for all the AMAZING food.
do you know of another good substitute for cilantro? sadly, i happen to be one of those poor souls for whom cilantro tastes like soap…
Well, this is basically just cilantro flavored rice, so this probably just isn’t your recipe. :D You can always just cook rice in chicken broth for added flavor and then squeeze some lime on top for a kick.
I think mint might work? Obviously it wouldn’t taste the same, but mint and lime is a classic combo, and it would still be delicious.
There’s a chicken dish I make that has a garlic lime sauce and is served with rice. You could use a little bit of garlic and lime instead. Very different taste but I’m sure it would be good. (the dish i make is found on allrecipes: spicy garlic lime chicken. So good!
It’s a long shot, but try replacing the cilantro with some powdered cumino (cumin) and some parsely flakes for color.
I made the Cilantro Lime Rice for dinner to go with the Saucy Southwest Shredded Beef bowls. I cooked the rice in the slow cooker, and honestly, it was delicious!! Thank you for the simple recipe, Beth, and your blog ROCKS!!! :-)
I meant to say rice cooker. :-)
Hello!
Thank you always for great and easy to follow instructions with pictures! I’d say 80-85% of new recipes I try are from your website and I’d love to try this as well.
Do you think it’d be okay to try this recipe with quinoa instead of rice? I’ve been trying to avoid eating rice for health/medical reasons.
I almost feel like you can add anything to quinoa to make it more flavorful and it will be good. I don’t think it will be quite the same as rice because quinoa has a rather distinct flavor, but it will be better than plain quinoa. :)
In step two I’m finding the word boil and not quite catching on……
“1 Tbs. Lime juice to a boil”
The only thing I see that you are boiling is rice in broth.
Hahaha, sorry, that was supposed to be “bowl”. :) I fixed it.
Just made this …yum yum yum. Beth.. have made 3 of your recipes so far 3 winners/keepers. Thank you so much!!
I want to make this rice to go along with the chicken taco bowls. I will be freezing them. Is it ok to freeze, given it is using fresh cilantro? Would cilantro paste be ok as a substitution? I’m just looking to jazz up my rice a bit.
Yeah, the cilantro will “cook” a bit upon reheating, but I think it will still be great. I haven’t ever used cilantro paste, but it will probably work. Just check the ingredients to see if it has extra salt or anything that might affect the flavor.
I somehow screwed this up (it burned on the bottom of the pot and other cooking quirks) and it is still delicious. I heated it from frozen today and the lime flavour really came through (I put like twice as much lime zest in it as called for).
That can happen if the cookware you’re using is thin or not a good quality because it won’t conduct heat well and heat the pot evenly. OR sometimes that happens if the heat is turned up just a bit too high. Cooking rice is a little like riding a bike, you have to get to know the nuances of your stove and cookware, but once you do, it’s a breeze! :)
Made this with your chicken enchiladas. It was really good! I’ll be sure to make this again in the future. ^o^
I made this with basmati cooked in water (we ran out of Better Than Bouillon) and served it in burritos with the filling from Beef & Pineapple Enchiladas. I did need to salt it to bring out the full flavor of the cilantro and lime but it was pretty good.
I am making freezer burritos with the shredded taco beef. I was going to use this rice instead of the plain old white stuff. Do you think the chicken base in the rice would make the beef flavor taste not quite right? Or maybe the cilantro lime mix would be more noticeable and the chicken base would have more of a subtle flavor?
Yes, I think using a chicken base would be fine and not over powering :)
I just. can’t. stop. making this!
I keep running to the store every other day to buy everything. Even my cilantro-hating husband likes this because the lime overpowers the cilantro taste.
I don’t have a zester so I cut of the skin with the knife and threw it in the blender. It would have been better if I had left it out and just used the juice. I lost the O-ring for the blender …should probably double check that. Besides that it’s a super good recipe.
Anon – The zest of the lime is the very top layer of the skin that is dark green. It gives a lot of “lime” flavor, whereas the juice provides tartness. To get the zest without any of the white stuff underneath (which can be bitter), use a very fine cheese grater or a tool made especially for “zesting” to gently scrape off the top green layer. I do that first and then cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice out.
There is a good picture of me zesting a lemon in this post. I hope that helps!
I’m way new to cooking if it involves more that about 3 ingredients…when it says line juice and zest, what does that actually mean?
Thanks, Beth. Will definitely use the zest next time. I’m still enjoying the rice today with your pulled pork – made a rice bowl, so to speak, out of it. Very tasty!
Sandy – yes, the zest makes a HUGE difference :P In fact, almost all of the lime flavor comes from the zest, the juice just adds some tartness. Try it next time with the zest and you’ll be blown away! :D
Tried this recipe yesterday and it’s as easy as can be. But I’m not sure why it didn’t totally work. I didn’t have any limes, we squeeze lemons and limes and keep the juice refrigerated, so I didn’t have any zest. Could the absence of that make that big a difference in taste? We didn’t get much lime nor cilantro initially. However, the longer it sat, it seemed to be better. I could taste the cilantro even through the pulled pork I mixed it with later in the evening. I’m thinking next time I’ll cut the rice amount in half but keep the other measurements as is. We love this type of rice, so will keep at it!
I think it would still taste pretty good :) You might want to add some salt too.
damn i have some regular left over rice but was only cooked with water not the broth would it still taste ok? :/
Anon – remove the zest from the lime by using a zester or a fine cheese grater to scrape off just the green part of the skin (try not to get any of the white part). Then cut it open and squeeze the juice out. That’s what I meant by “zest and juice of one lime.” Sorry it was so vague!
Wait wait so youre supposed to throw the entire lime into the processor ? Or is there something im supposed to do to it
You could, although the flavor won’t be as strong because you don’t have the lime zest.
I live in a place where limes are nearly impossible to come by… I have some bottled lime juice and fresh lemons. Think I could make this a lemon-lime-cilantro creation?
purpleysawks – Yes, this would still work great if you minced up the cilantro and then just mixed it with the zest and oil by hand :)
If we don’t have a food processor, do you think we could still do this?
My cooking is mediocre, so your detailed instructions and pictures is greatly appreciated. I am going to try this today. I love cilantro and lime. Thanks for the recipe. I got from pinterest.com
I just found your site and I LOVE how most your recipes use food that we have growing in our garden…making the meals cost even less! I also appreciate the photos. I need to see the food for some reason to know if it is going to be YUM or not. THANKS!
What a great post. I love the pictures with the recipe. Without pictures I always feel like I must be doing it wrong.
Omg how good would this be used in your Taco Soup to add depth and heartiness…. Definitely on my “to cook” list!!
This reminds me of the rice at Chipotle! Love it!
This will stay good in the fridge about 5-7 days. This recipe is pretty easy to cut in half too, if you can’t use up 5 cups worth within a week.
How long will this stay good in the fridge? I was also thinking a variation could be to substitute quinoa for the rice!
Thanks again BB-Beth, the rice is nearly done. Subscribed with Google Reader and loving every post.
Excellent idea. This dish has a lot of flavor. It seems simple and tasty. Thanks for the how-to.
Of course, this recipe could be even less expensive if you grew your own cilantro. I love the cilantro-lime combo. I’ll have to try your version soon, because it looks too good not to.