Easy Taco Rice

$2.27 recipe / $0.38 serving
by Beth - Budget Bytes
4.66 from 20 votes
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Hey guys! It’s been a little quiet around the blog this week because of chaos elsewhere and the fact that I lost my internet connection for a couple of days (my worst nightmare). BUT I’m still keeping up with my meal prep and to prepare for that this week I made a big batch of Taco Rice. What is Taco Rice? It’s simply rice that has been seasoned with the same herbs and spices that I’d use to season taco meat. I’ve made several versions of this in the past, but this time I kept it simple and made it vegan-friendly!

A big bowl of Taco Rice in a striped bowl, garnished with green onions, limes on the side

How to Serve Easy Taco Rice

What can you do with taco rice? Welllllllll just about everything. Serve it as a side with beans like what you get at a Mexican restaurant (Mexican-American, that is), use it to fill a burrito, or build a delicious bowl meal on top of it. This rice is flavorful, but neutral enough to serve as a base for several different dishes. Here are some recipes that you can serve with Taco Rice:

Don’t Skip the Fat

What makes this taco rice extra yummy? The fat. #sorrynotsorry. I used a neutral oil, but you could use whatever type of oil or fat you like best, just as long as there’s enough to lightly coat every grain of rice and make it absolutely deee-lish.

Close up spoonful of Taco Rice with the pot full in the background
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Easy Taco Rice

4.66 from 20 votes
This flavorful Taco Rice is packed full of herbs and spices, but is neutral enough to serve as the base for several different recipes, like bowl meals, burritos, and more! 
This flavorful Taco Rice is packed full of herbs and spices, but is neutral enough to serve as the base for several different recipes, like bowl meals, burritos, and more! BudgetBytes.com
Servings 6 1 cup each
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Total 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
  • 1 small onion ($0.32)
  • 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
  • 2 cups long grain white rice* ($1.32)
  • 1/2 Tbsp chili powder** ($0.15)
  • 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
  • 1/4 tsp oregano ($0.02)
  • 3 cups water ($0.00)
  • 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
  • 2 green onions, sliced ($0.20)
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Instructions 

  • Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion, garlic, and cooking oil to a medium sauce pot. Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent.
  • Add the uncooked rice, chili powder, cumin, and oregano to the pot. Continue to stir and cook for about 2 minutes to toast the rice and spices. You should hear the rice making crackling noises.
  • Finally, add the water and salt, and give everything a brief stir. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow it to come to a boil. As soon as it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low, or slightly above low, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit for 10 minutes without removing the lid. After letting it rest for 10 minutes, fluff the rice with a fork. Sprinkle sliced green onions over top just before serving.

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Notes

*My total recipe cost is a bit on the high side because I used long grain jasmine rice. Using regular long grain white rice will reduce the price quite a bit.
**This chili powder is a mild blend of spices, not straight red chile powder or cayenne pepper.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 272.88kcalCarbohydrates: 51.05gProtein: 4.65gFat: 5.1gSodium: 412.7mgFiber: 1.17g
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Front view of the striped bowl full of Taco Rice, garlic and limes in the back

How to Make Taco Rice – Step by Step Photos

Sauté Onions and Garlic in sauce pot

Begin by finely dicing one small onion and mincing a clove of garlic. Add the onion and garlic to a medium sauce pot with 2 Tbsp of your preferred cooking oil (I just used canola). Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent.

Toast Rice and Spices in the sauce pot

Add 2 cups uncooked white long grain rice, along with 1/2 Tbsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp oregano, and 1 tsp salt. Continue to stir and cook the rice and spices for about 2 minutes. This will toast the rice and spices and enhance their flavor. You should hear the rice making crackling noises.

Cooked Taco Rice

Add 3 cups of water and give the pot a brief stir. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and let it come to a boil. Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low (or just slightly above low) and let the pot simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let the rice sit with the lid in place for 10 minutes. Finally, uncover the rice and it should look a little like the photo above. :)

Fluffed rice in pot

Fluff the rice with a fork to redistribute the spices and onions which probably floated to the top.

Overhead shot of the pot full of Taco Rice

Sprinkle sliced green onions over the Taco Rice just before serving. And try not to eat spoonfuls right out of the pot. :P

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Comments

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    1. I’m sure it could be, but as we haven’t tested it, we can’t give you definitive guidance.

  1. Been making this rice for a long time now and my family loves it! Very delicious, very easy. I always double the seasonings because I like the taste a little stronger, but this recipe is a keeper

  2. Hey, Beth! This rice is the BOMB. Quick, easy, customizable, and goes wonderfully with the creamy pinto beans i just made. This is staying in my rotation for sure. Thank you!!