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Cilantro Lime Rice is the perfect side dish for all your Mexican-inspired meals. It also goes great as a filling in a burrito or as a way to bulk up a salad.
Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice Copycat
If you are looking for a new, delicious side dish, then this Cilantro Lime Rice recipe is your answer. You can have delicious Cafe Rio or Chipotle-style rice in no time! It is bursting with flavor and really brings your Mexican-inspired meal together. It comes together in just a few easy steps. First, you cook the rice in chicken broth, garlic, lime juice, and butter to make a rich, flavorful base. Then, when the rice is cooked you stir in a sweet and tangy cilantro mixture to top it off. That’s it!
Ingredients for Cilantro Lime Rice
- Rice – a white, long grain rice like Jasmine rice or basmati rice works best. You can substitute for brown rice but cooking times will be longer
- Butter
- Garlic
- Limes – fresh limes are best to get the best flavor. Use a juicer to get the fresh lime juice. You can also add a little lime zest if you like it extra lime-y.
- Chicken broth – you can also sub for vegetable broth
- Salt (to taste if needed)
- Sugar
- Fresh cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
Tips for Making Cilantro Lime Rice
- The rice recipe really does make a ton so if you aren’t a huge fan of rice, I would suggest halving the recipe.
- Use long-grain white rice when making this recipe. Once I tried it with Calrose rice because it was the only rice I had on hand and it DID NOT turn out well.
- Make sure you use fresh cilantro! Dried cilantro just won’t cut it. Using fresh gives the rice an incredible flavor.
- For a little extra flavor, sauté a little finely dice onion in some butter in the saucepan before adding the remaining ingredients.
- To make Instant Pot Cilantro Lime rice, combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 teaspoon lime, chicken broth, salt, and water to the Instant Pot and follow the instructions to make our easy Instant Pot rice. Continue with Step 2 in the recipe below.
What Pairs Well With Cilantro Lime Rice?
Cilantro lime rice pairs well with so many delicious dishes including black beans, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, carne asada, fajitas and more! Here are some more of our favorite recipes to serve with cilantro lime rice:
Read More: 33+ Easy Dinner Ideas
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze the leftovers. Simply place leftover rice in a freezer-safe container in the freeze for up to 5 months. Reheat in the microwave by heating for a minute at a time, stirring each time. You cal also re-heat by placing the rice in a large non-stick skillet with a little oil or butter and heating on the stove top until heated through. If re-heating frozen leftovers, thaw the rice in the fridge overnight before re-heating.
Cafe Rio Copycat Recipes
This easy cilantro lime rice recipe originally came from our collection of Cafe Rio inspired dishes. It is the perfect copycat for Cafe Rio’s Cilantro Lime Rice. Cafe Rio is a beloved Tex-Mex chain that serves burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, salads, and more! We were obsessed but some of us didn’t have a location near our house. We started trying to recreate Cafe Rio recipes at home. Not to toot our own horn, but we totally nailed them! Those recipes helped us get on the map as recipe bloggers and they are some of our post popular posts to this day! Check out the collection here: Cafe Rio Copycat Recipes – All the Best in One Place. We have had such great feedback with ALL of our Cafe Rio recipes and we’d love to hear yours! Leave us a comment and let us know how your Copycat Cafe Rio dinner turned out! We love hearing from our readers!
How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice
Cilantro Lime Rice
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice uncooked, long-grain, white rice
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon lime juice freshly squeezed
- 15 ounces chicken broth
- salt (to taste)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lime juice freshly squeezed
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons cilantro fresh chopped
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 teaspoon lime, chicken broth, salt, and water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro.
- Pour the mixture over hot, cooked rice as you fluff the rice with a fork. Mix until fully combined.
Notes
- Make sure you use fresh cilantro! Dried cilantro just won’t cut it. Using fresh gives the rice an incredible flavor.
- For a little extra flavor, sauté a little finely dice onion in some butter in the saucepan before adding the remaining ingredients.
- To make Instant Pot Cilantro Lime rice, combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 teaspoon lime, chicken broth, salt, and water to the Instant Pot and follow the instructions to make our easy Instant Pot rice. Continue with Step 2 in the recipe below.
I’ve been in such a cooking rut lately, so I’ve been exploring new recipes to make! I happened upon your recipe and I am so glad I did. I made it today and my entire family loved it! Its doing into our menu plan rotation!!
I have made this several times and my family loves it !
Is there something I can substitute for the tomato juice in the recipe for the beans?
You can mix one part tomato sauce with one part water!
Do you use canned beans or dried beans for this recipe?
We used canned in this recipe!
If you make this in a rice cooker, do you still hold off to add the “sauce” until after the rice is done?
Yes. It will taste more fresh if you add it at the end. Hope this helps!
Heads up, people. Notice that this recipe calls for more liquid than you’re used to using for your rice so if you happen to be making this rice in bulk, you will NOT be able to make as much in a rice cooker as you normally would be able to. I made this to serve 60 people and if you need that much, plan for at LEAST 3 (20 cup) rice cookers, 4 to be safe. May your rice cooking be much less messy than my fiasco today! 🙂
Thank you for the heads up! This is helpful info for cooking for a crowd.
How many times did you multiply the recipe? And do you feel like it was sufficient? I’m making it for 30, so I’m just trying to decide how much I need to make!
If you really have an aversion to cilantro, should you make something else, or could you sub something? I really like the idea of using the lime.
My long grain rice ended up with so much liquid after the cooking. I wondered if the extra liquid is the reason. Turned out very sticky and mushy.
Jk you can delete my previous comment…I read through the directions again and now get why there are two deprecate measurements if lime 🙂 thanks!
haha k 🙂 I deleted the last comment. Hope it turned out well for you!
I am doing a freezer group and am wondering how well the rice and beans would freeze and reheat. Have you tried that before? How would you prepare this so it is ready to go for a freezer group?
Actually I think they might freeze just fine. Just make sure they are totally thawed before re-heating. Haven’t done it before but I don’t see why it would be a problem. Hope this helps!
I noticed that it’s okay to cook in the rice cooker, which makes it easier.. I have made these recipes before but cant remember if I need to wash rice before hand?
I am so use to washing rice and cooking in the rice cooker, and wondering if it would make the rice too soggy or ruin the recipe?
Thanks, I really love these recipes, it’s our only way to get the taste of cafe rio since moving to Hawaii.
I love this recipe. Thank you for sharing. Can I use a rice cooker for this recipe or will it make the rice sticky and soggy? I just want perfectly fluffy delicious rice!
We have used a rice cooker and just thrown everything in and started it… works great!
Hi, I don’t know if I’m just not seeing it, but you don’t have the recipe for the rice. Just two recipes for the beans? Is it posted somewhere else?
Whoops– you are right, let me see what exactly happened here! We will change it ASAP It looks like the INGREDIENTS are correct for the rice, but we have the instructions for the beans for some reason. We have been doing a little construction on our site and it must have been jumbled up!
Thank you SO SO MUCH!!!!!
I can’t wait!!!!
xoxo
Hiiiiiiii!!!!
What happened to the rice recipe!!?? I keep trying to bring it up and it won’t!!!
I made it before and everything was deLish!!! It’s stopped showing somehow! Is it just me??
You are totally right— a few of our recipes disappeared in a transition that we have done recently. We will get this back up ASAP
You’re not the only one! I haven’t tried the rice yet and am hoping the recipe comes back up soon for my next meal plan! Yum 🙂
It should be back up! Try refreshing the page.
Has anyone ever tried making this with quinoa? I am IN LOVE with all things café rio but was wondering if anyone had tried the quinoa. Thanks!
I haven’t tried it with quinoa, but it’s a great idea.
After reading the many comments, I understand the pinto beans use a different recipe. Will you please share?
Hi Christie, Check your email. Thanks!
I know someone said not to use calrose rice but I totally disagree! The trick to not having a sticky rice with calrose is to use less liquid and let it sit after cooking for at least 10 minutes. Then fluff and add some tomatillo sauce (cafe rio mild sauce) just before serving. For added flavor and authenticity add some butter as well. Cafe rio cooks their rice, covers it with plastic wrap and then tin foil before storing it in their warming ovens until used each day. As they pull it out they add butter a several ladles of mild sauce. I may or may not have worked there for a while… Calrose rice gives that perfect texture without becoming mushy like long grain will almost every time because it splits so easily. Just my opinion of course…
Nate— Thank you so much for this comment! This is awesome advice!!! I am definitely going to try it this way next!
Just made the black beans. I didn’t have tomato juice or tomato sauce. I used 1 chopped roma tomato, about 1/2 a cup of chicken broth, and 1 tsp of tomato paste. I also used low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed. I used about 1/2 a tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Turned out so yummy! The rice is in the rice cooker now. the 15 oz chicken broth and 1 cup water is too much I think so I just went with how I’ve always cooked rice. Used 1 cup brown rice, and about 2 cups of chicken broth/water combo. I usually do the finger measure whenever I’m cooking rice (don’t ask! lol! It’s a cultural thing) and it always turns out right. Can’t wait! Pairing it with peruvian style roasted chicken thighs 🙂
So glad that you liked it!!! haha I wish I was able to perfectly cook rice by just doing the finger test.. I am pretty dependent on a rice cooker most of the time. The chicken wings sound delicious! Sounds like you have a pretty impressive meal going on there 🙂
Would you recommend cooking beforehand and reheating to save time, or are taste and texture compromised too much? Thanks! I’m excited to try these!
No, making ahead would be fine!
How are these reheated? Would you recommend cooking beforehand or just serving fresh off the stove? Thanks! I’m excited to try these! (Beans and rice)
Made is sans onion due to food allergy. Delicious! Cooking around an onion allergy is not easy, but the taste for this shines through without it. Excellent recipe! Thanks so much!
I am planning on making the rice and beans for a big family Christmas dinner. My sisters and I are vegetarians and so I was wondering if it would change it too much if I used veg. Broth instead of chicken. Thanks
It should be fine with vegetable broth!