When it comes to side dish recipes…this one is a staple everyone needs. Try this easy Cilantro Lime Rice recipe! Sure, you can make a pot of rice as a side. But add cilantro, lime juice and lime zest and it catapults it to an entirely different level. The ways to serve it are endless: use it in burrito bowls (Chipotle style!), tacos, or as a side for grilled shrimp skewers. It’s incredibly versatile, and we find ourselves making it often. Really, any meal is better with a little cilantro lime rice!
How to make cilantro lime rice
This cilantro lime rice recipe is fast and easy: and only includes a few extra steps to boiling up a pot of rice. But for the amount of flavor it adds, you’ll want to make it this way every time! It takes a pot of rice from bland to irresistible. Here are the basic steps:
Cook the rice. It starts basic! Use any long-grain rice. Stir in salt and garlic powder, then steam 10 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat. Quickly uncover and add garlic powder and salt, then cover and let it steam. This allows the seasonings to infuse while the rice steams. Stir in chopped cilantro, lime juice and lime zest. Then uncover and stir in the cilantro and lime! Using both juice and zest infuses the entire pot with tangy flavor.
Use brown rice or white rice (make sure it’s long grain)
White rice is best flavor-wise for cilantro lime rice, in our personal opinion. But do you prefer brown rice? There are some health advantages of brown rice vs white rice. Use either one here! Here’s what to know:
Use long grain rice either way. Short grain doesn’t result in the best texture for this style of rice. Brown rice works with the same instructions: just cook it for 45 minutes instead of 15!
The portion size of this cilantro lime rice recipe
This recipe is written for 1 cup of rice, which experts typically say is 4 servings of rice. But this is a pretty modest serving size, if you ask us! We’ve written the recipe below for 1 cup rice to make it easy to multiply into larger quantities. Use the ratio 1 cup dry rice equals 3 cups cooked.
Make 1.5 times the recipe to yield about 1 cup rice per serving.Or, double the recipe to make 6 cups total. This makes more for leftovers, too! Remember when reheating rice, add a few tablespoons water to help it re-hydrate.
How to chop cilantro…fast!
The only area of technique in this cilantro lime rice recipe? Chopping the cilantro! If you’re not used to doing this, it can feel like it takes ages. Fortunately, we’ve got a quick way to do it:
Quickly remove the leaves: Hold the root ends of the cilantro with your non-cutting hand. Use a large chef’s knife to scrape off the leaves in a downward motion. Then use your fingers to remove any large stems from the cilantro leaves.Chop the cilantro: Holding the top of the blade with your non-cutting hand, rock the blade back and forth to chop the cilantro. Pull the leaves back into a pile and go over them with the knife several times until the pieces are the size that you’re looking for!Watch the video: This video is helpful to show the process!
Ways to serve cilantro lime rice
If we listed all the ways to serve this cilantro lime rice recipe…we’d write a book! (Actually, that’s an interesting concept…) Here are a few of our top ways to serve it:
Rice bowls, like a Quick Burrito Bowl, Shrimp Bowl or Easy Rice BowlBurritos like this Vegan Burrito or Easy Breakfast BurritoTacos, like Black Bean Tacos, Fish Tacos or Avocado TacosEnchiladas, like Vegetarian Enchiladas or Black Bean EnchiladasFajitas, like Vegetarian Fajitas or Classic Shrimp FajitasShrimp, like Perfect Sauteed Shrimp or Grilled Shrimp Skewers Salmon, like Pistachio Crusted Salmon, Pecan Crusted Salmon or Blackened Salmon
How do you love to serve cilantro rice? Let us know in the comments below!
This cilantro lime rice recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Love cilantro?
Of course, we know lots of haters. But not us! Here are a few top cilantro recipes to use this tasty herb: 5 from 2 reviews **You can also use this method with brown rice if you like. Follow the same instructions, but simmer for 45 minutes in Step 1.
Whip up some Cilantro Lime Shrimp You’ll want to put this Cilantro Lime Dressing or Cilantro Lime Crema on everythingTry this irresistible Cilantro Pea DipWhat’s a Best Salsa Recipe without cilantro? This Classic Falafel is worth its weight in gold
