Spice up your next meal by making Arroz Verde, or green rice! White rice is cooked in broth and a pepper and herb purée resulting in fluffy and tender rice that is infused with herbs and a little spice. It makes a great side dish to any Mexican dish or just about any protein and veggie.
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Say hello to my new favorite rice dish – arroz verde!! AKA green rice! It’s super flavorful, a little spicy, easy to make, cheap, and super versatile as a side dish.
We love white rice in our house, but it can sometimes get a little boring with how much we eat it. That is where this green rice comes in. It’s herby and spicy and has a bright and fresh flavor. In other words, a delicious way to change things up!
Michael was a huge fan, and he loves plain white rice, and my mom and and dad enjoyed it during their visit here as well.
By now you should know we are huge rice eaters. We eat it a few times a week because it’s super affordable, healthy, and an easy carbohydrate for meals.
Lundberg Farms is my go to rice. Lundberg is an independent, family owned, and operated company (since 1937!) and produces USA-grown rice. They farm with the highest care for the environment and all the rice is eco-farmed or organic. All of their products are made in a facility that is free from all top 8 US and 10 Canadian allergens.
What is Green Rice made of?
Green rice is typical Mexican or Latin American dish made of white rice that is cooked in pepper and herb purée consisting of jalapeños, poblano peppers, cilantro, parsley, onion, and garlic, along with broth. People also called it arroz verde, the authentic name!
The result is a fluffy and tender rice infused with herbs and a little spice due to the peppers. It goes great with any Mexican dish like tacos and fajitas, but also goes great with just about any protein and veggie. And it is really pretty when serving!
How to make Arroz Verde (Green Rice Recipe)
This arroz verde rice is easy to make, makes a lot, and is super flavorful. It’s perfect for taco night, in burrito bowls, with fajitas, or in a power bowl. Or just with any meat or seafood. Make the big batch on Sunday and use it for meal prep throughout the week.
Here is what you need:
- Lundberg Farm long grain white rice
- vegetable broth
- cilantro
- parsley
- poblano pepper
- jalapeño
- onion
- garlic
- salt and pepper
- oil
First start off my heating a large dutch oven with some oil. Once the oil is hot, add the rice, stir well, and toast it for 10 minutes. You want it to get a little golden brown and toasted. Doing this adds a lot of flavor and gives the rice a slight nutty taste.
While the rice toasts, make the herb and pepper mixture. Add the peppers, onions, cilantro, parsley, garlic, and a bit of broth into a Vitamix or high powdered blender and blend until smooth. Once rice is fragrant and has some color, add the green herb mixture and the remaining broth.
Then, turn up the heat a little and bring the pot to a boil. Stir well to make sure it is all combined. Next, turn down the heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook for 15-17 minutes, turn off the heat, and let sit for an additional 15 minutes until all the liquid has absorbed and rice is nice and fluffy. Finally, mix well and season with salt if needed.
Th finished product is a beautiful color green rice that has a little kick and fresh herb flavor to it. I love stirring in a little more chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice for serving.
What to serve with Arroz Verde
The options are endless on what to serve with green rice! And the beauty is it makes a lot, so you can use it for a few different meals and works great for meal prep. Here are some things that would go great with arroz verde:
- fajitas – we love shrimp or steak fajitas! Any kind you like would be great though
- jalapeño lime grilled chicken and grilled sweet potato fries
- in a taco salad (we love these fish taco bowls)
- alongside some air fryer salmon and asparagus
- in a breakfast bowl with eggs, bacon, veggies, and avocado
Arroz Verde (Green Rice Recipe)
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 cups Lundberg Farms long grain white rice
- 1 poblano pepper, stem removed and roughly chopped (150 grams)
- 1 jalapeno pepper, stem removed and roughly chopped (remove seeds for less spicy)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion (60 grams)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup packed cilantro
- 1/2 cup packed parsley
- 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
- salt and pepper, to taste
- for serving: lime juice, chopped cilantro
instructions
- Rinse rice through running water a few times until water runs clear. I used a nut milk bag. Shake to remove excess water and let dry a bit.
- Add avocado oil to a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot (make sure you have a lid) over medium heat and let get hot. Add rice, stir, and toast for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and some pieces are slightly browned.
- While rice toasts, make the pepper and herb mixture. Add poblano, jalapeno, onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley, salt and pepper, and 1/4 of the measured broth into a Vitamix or high powered blender and blend until smooth.
- When rice is toasted, add green mixture from blender and the rest of the broth and mix well to combine. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir well to combine, turn down heat to low, and cover with lid. Let cook untouched for 15-17 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice rest for 15 minutes to absorb any excess moisture. Do not open the lid as the heat will escape.
- Open lid and mix well to combine as some of the green purée will likely be sitting on the top. Fluff with a fork and season with salt if needed. For serving, mix with lime juice and chopped cilantro if desired. Enjoy!
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Proportions seem off: 2 cups rice to 1-3/4 water. Usually it’s 1 cup rice to 2 cups water. As an experienced rice cooker it seemed odd but I trusted the recipe, and the rice would not cook, it was so dry. Tried adding more water as the cooking went on and ended with a pot of mush.
Hi, Nancy. The blended pepper mixture acts as the rest of the liquid for cooking the rice. You need to let it cook untouched and then let it sit. Hope that helps.
I love Mexican food and I paired this recipe with the Chipotle honey marinaded chicken thighs. Wow!!! Talking about authentic flavors! I keep on coming back to Kelly’s blog for inspiration and it never disappoints. Delicious as always!
So glad you enjoyed it, Daniela! Thanks so much for trying the recipes!!