Name: Cilantro Lime Rice
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 2 cups uncooked long grain Basmati rice; 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro; 1 Tablespoon lime juice; 1/4 teaspoon salt

Delicious rice that's perfect for adding to burrito bowls, burritos, as a side dish to any Mexican recipe or just with rice and beans.

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Cilantro Lime Rice is an easy side dish that goes with a variety of meals, comes out tender and flavorful every time, and is ready in less than 30 minutes!

Table of Contents

Have you been itching to find a copycat recipe for Chipotle’s Cilantro Lime Rice? You are definitely in the right place and you don’t even have to leave your house! We are huge fans of easy meals, and the worst thing is when you have a side dish that takes longer to cook than the main course, just one reason we love making this rice.

Even though this recipe is super simple, the taste is amazing and refreshing compared to other recipes where the rice is more like heavy comfort food and leaves you feeling really full.

CILANTRO LIME RICE INGREDIENTS

You may have all of these ingredients for this easy side dish recipe in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store! If this is your first time making this delicious recipe you might want to read the tips before getting started.

Rice: Our favorite type of rice to use is white long grain Basmati rice
Lime Juice: try to use fresh lime juice if possible so you can get the full experience from the flavors
Spices and Herbs: kosher salt, cilantro. If you love the flavor of cilantro feel free to add more than what we have listed.

ingredients labeled to make cilantro lime rice

PAIRING SUGGESTIONS

Enjoy this great recipe as an addition to a tasty meal, Mexican food, special family dinner, or dinner party with these other recipes:

Chipotle Chicken Kabobs – perfect in the warmer months when you can grill
Burrito Bowl– great for meal prepping
Taco Soup – Pour the soup over this rice.
Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas – because who doesn’t love rice with their fajitas
Crock Pot Chipotle Chicken – these flavors are the perfect match together

Essential

TOOLS AND SUPPLIES

Prepare your work surface and gather these kitchen tools and supplies before you begin this delicious, easy-to-make recipe so you don’t waste extra time trying to find things you need.

stockpot
mixing bowl
sharp knife
cutting board

three chicken kabobs resting on a bowl of cilantro lime rice

INSTRUCTIONS

Follow the full instructions and kitchen tips and quick tips for the best way to make this recipe. Don’t forget to check the prep time and cook time in the recipe card below before you begin.

PREPARE RICE: Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packaging. You can either boil the rice on the stove top, make it in the microwave, or use a rice cooker if you have one. Once it’s ready, fluff with a fork.

Before cooking the white rice, rinse with cool water to help remove the excess starch. Many times by doing this, the rice won’t be as sticky and will have less clumping.

KITCHEN TIP

If your rice is very sticky once it’s cooked, you can rinse and drain before adding the other ingredients.

ADD LIME AND CILANTRO: Transfer the cooked rice, if needed, to a mixing bowl that is big enough to stir in the chopped fresh cilantro, lime juice, and salt.

mix cooked rice, cilantro and lime in bowl

KITCHEN TIP

For more flavor, you can cook the rice in chicken broth. Once it’s done, if needed you can add a little butter. If you choose to use broth, you may not need as much salt.

STORAGE TIPS

Storing your food properly is important to prevent spoiling or food poisoning.

Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Freeze: Store in an airtight, freezer-safe, container. If you’re storing in a zip top plastic bag, try to get as much air out as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Defrosting: For best results, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving the rice again.

Reheating: If you want to reheat refrigerated rice, you can add a little water to a saucepan and heat it until it’s warm, or microwave.

Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl

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Juicy, delicious chipotle marinated chicken pan seared in a skillet and topped with cilantro lime butter. These chicken breasts will become a family favorite. Serve them in a rice bowl, taco, with vegetable sides or make them into burritos. There's no wrong way to eat this chicken.

Check out this recipe

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Click the questions to see the answer.

Can you make cilantro lime rice with cauliflower?

Yes, and that’s a great low-carb option if you are looking for one. While you can make cauliflower rice from scratch it’s just as easy to grab a bag from the frozen section, prepare according to the instructions on the package. Then follow the rest of our recipe.

Is cilantro lime rice gluten free?

This cilantro lime rice recipe is gluten-free, however, there are store-bought versions such as Uncle Ben’s and Zatarains that if you ever were to use, we recommend reading over the label first. Naturally rice is gluten free.

cilantro, rice

5 from 4 votes

Cilantro Lime Rice

Author Andrea + Stef

Course Main Dish, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Mexican

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 35

8 people

Delicious rice that's perfect for adding to burrito bowls, burritos, as a side dish to any Mexican recipe or just with rice and beans.

Ingredients

▢ 2 cups uncooked long grain Basmati rice
▢ 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
▢ 1 Tablespoon lime juice
▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Cook rice according to package instructions.
Toss rice with lime, salt and cilantro.

Notes

If your rice is very sticky once it’s cooked, you can rinse and drain before adding the other ingredients.
Store rice in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freeze rice in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

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Cilantro Lime Rice

CILANTRO LIME RICE INGREDIENTS