Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe

Side Dish Ideas is an Amazon Associate and may receive compensation for purchases made through affiliate links.

My Cilantro Lime Rice recipe is an easy rice dish loaded with zesty lime juice and the sharp herbal flavors of cilantro! This is a perfect side dish to serve with any of your favorite protein or vegetable combinations. Ready in under 30 minutes using simple ingredients, you will want to make this rice as a side dish for so many meals!

Jump to:

• Lime Cilantro Rice
• Cilantro Rice Recipes FAQs
• Cilantro Rice Ingredients
• What is the best rice for cilantro rice?
• How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice
• Lime Cilantro Rice Recipe Tips
• What to Serve with Cilantro Rice
• Can I freeze cilantro lime rice?
• How to Reheat Cilantro Rice
• Easy Rice Side Dishes
• 📌 Pin it for later!
• Easy Cilantro Lime Rice

Lime Cilantro Rice

If you catch yourself behind me in line at Chipotle, you are going to hear me ask for extra cilantro rice in my burrito bowl. Chipotle lime rice is so good, I knew I had to come up with my own to make at home!

My cilantro rice recipe is a fantastic family-style side dish perfect for taco night, barbecues, or Tex-Mex-inspired dinners! You are not going to believe how easily my recipe for cilantro rice elevates traditional rice into something fun and festive.

Tangy lime juice pairs deliciously with fluffy rice, and creates an excellent bedding for all the savory flavors it supports. I love how this recipe takes on the flavors of whatever you serve with it! Cilantro rice pairs so well with:

• Enchiladas
• Tacos
• Beef or chicken birria
• Burritos
• Burrito bowls
• Fajitas
• Seafood, especially shrimp
• Street Corn

The list goes on! I hope you enjoy this easy lime rice recipe as much as my family and I do.

Cilantro Rice Recipes FAQs

Cilantro Rice Ingredients

• Water
• Basmati brown rice
• Kosher salt
• Lime zest and juice
• Cilantro

What is the best rice for cilantro rice?

For my cilantro lime rice, I like to use brown basmati rice because it is long-grained rice with excellent texture. I also like the way basmati rice takes on the flavors of whatever I am adding to it (in this case, fresh lime and cilantro!).

This is the type of recipe where many varietals of rice will work. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Jasmine Rice
• Long-Grained White Rice
• Whole Grain Brown Rice
• Cauliflower Rice

As a general note, I would not suggest Arborio rice (this is typically used to make risotto and is too creamy) or instant rice (it doesn't absorb as easily).

How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice

1. Bring water to a boil in a small pot on the stove top. Reduce heat and add the rice and salt.
2. Cover and simmer on low for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed.
3. Zest half of a lime into the rice. Add lime zest, lime juice and cilantro to the rice and stir.
4. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Lime Cilantro Rice Recipe Tips

• For extra fluffy rice, always use a fork to stir steamed rice. A wooden spoon or spatula will only make the rice sticky and clump it together.
• I like to make rice on the stove top, but feel free to make this using a rice cooker or with an Instant Pot. Simply make the rice and then stir in the cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice!
• If you are not a fan of cilantro, you can substitute fresh parsley. It won't have the same flavor profile as cilantro rice, but parsley and lime is just as delicious! I have served it this way plenty of times.
• When cooking rice, always wait for the water to evaporate in the bottom of the pan before you stir or fluff your rice. If this means additional cooking time, no worries! Just keep an eye on your rice until it is ready.

What to Serve with Cilantro Rice

My favorite way to serve cilantro lime rice is by using it as an addition to tacos, burrito bowls, enchiladas, and fajitas! This is also the perfect side dish to serve in a big platter right on the middle of the table! Here are some main course I like to serve with my cilantro rice:

• Beef Enchiladas
• Steak Quesadillas
• Carne Asada
• Sticky Korean Short Ribs
• Shrimp Rice Bowl
• Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
• Orange Honey Glazed Salmon
• Roasted Vegetables

Can I freeze cilantro lime rice?

It is so easy to freeze cooked cilantro lime rice. Here's what I do:

1. After the cilantro lime rice has cooked, allow it to come to room temperature or refrigerate for a few hours before handling it.
2. Place the rice in an airtight, sealed container or freezer bag.
3. For every 1 cup of rice you are freezing, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth (or whichever type of broth you prefer) to the container with the rice. This will help protect the rice grains for the harshness of the freezer, and it makes reheating so much easier!
4. Label and date the outside of the container or freezer bag.

Cooked rice is good in the freezer for up to 1 month.

How to Reheat Cilantro Rice

If you are reheating rice from the refrigerator, place the rice in a microwave safe bowl and reheat on high at 10 second intervals until heated through. You can also gently reheat rice on the stove top (usually on medium-low) for about 10 minutes.

To reheat rice from the freezer, allow the rice to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Since there is already liquid mixed into the rice (it will have absorbed all of the flavors while freezing) simply place the rice in a medium sauce pan and reheat over medium-low until all the liquid is re-absorbed. 10-15 minutes.

Because some of the flavors can lose their intensity while freezing, I like to revamp my rice by adding a small pad of butter, fresh squeeze of lime juice, and some fresh cilantro if I have any on hand.

Easy Rice Side Dishes

• How to Cook Rice
• Homemade Rice-a-Roni
• Instant Pot Rice
• Mushroom Risotto
• Cauliflower Rice Salad
• Cauliflower Rice Recipe

Try more of the best side dishes.