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Cilantro lime rice burrito bowl with black beans, guacamole, and pickled red onions for a quick dinner

Easy Cilantro Lime Rice Ready in 40 Minutes

Fluffy long-grain white rice toasted in butter and olive oil, cooked with lime zest, and finished with fresh lime juice and cilantro. A simple side for taco
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 8 About 3/4 cup
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 200
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the rice
  • 2 cups long-grain white rice about 370 grams
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 1/4 cups water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • Zest of 2 large limes about 2 teaspoons
For finishing
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice squeezed from the same 2 limes
  • 1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

Equipment

  • 3-quart saucepan with a tight lid
  • Fine-mesh strainer
  • Microplane zester
  • Dinner fork
  • Hand citrus squeezer

Method
 

  1. Melt the butter with the olive oil in the saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute, until the butter foams and stops sputtering. Add the rinsed, drained rice and stir for 2 minutes, until the grains turn chalky white and smell nutty.
  2. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, until you can smell it but it has not browned.
  3. Pour in the water, add the salt and lime zest, and stir once. Raise the heat to medium high and bring to a boil, about 3 minutes, until large bubbles break across the whole surface.
  4. Turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Lift the lid once at the end: the surface should show small steam holes and no standing water.
  5. Take the pot off the heat, put the lid back on, and rest for 10 minutes, until the lid looks fogged and the rice looks plump and dry on top.
  6. Fluff with a fork from the edges toward the center, until the grains look separate and glossy with no wet patches on the bottom.
  7. Drizzle the lime juice over the rice, sprinkle on the cilantro, and fold gently for 30 seconds, until the rice is flecked with green and smells strongly of lime. Taste and add a pinch of salt if the lime tastes sharp.

Notes

Salt swap: 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal equals 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt or 3/4 teaspoon table salt.
Add the lime juice and cilantro only after the 10 minute rest so the herbs stay green and the lime stays fresh.
Storage: Refrigerate 3 to 4 days in an airtight container, or freeze up to 2 months.