Chipotle’s Cilantro Lime Rice
I am a huge fan of the rice at Chipotle’s. Here is my copycat version for their cilantro lime rice, it tastes just like the real thing! Of course, I used less oil. Makes a wonderful side dish for chicken, beef or pork.
Chipotle’s Cilantro Lime Rice
And of course, you can make your own burrito bowl, with my quick black bean recipe, barbacoa beef, sweet barbacoa pork, pork carnitas, or chicken ropa vieja and don’t forget the corn salsa!
How Do You Make Chipotle’s White Rice?
Start by cooking your rice in salted water with a little oil. Once the rice is cooked, you will want to fluff it with a fork, then add fresh lime juice and cilantro.
Do you use cilantro stems?
When I chop cilantro I use the leaves and some of the stems, the stems have great flavor!
Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
I am a huge fan of the rice at Chipotle's. Here is my copycat version, it tastes just like the real thing. Of course, I used less oil. Makes a wonderful side dish for chicken, beef or pork.
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra long grain rice or basmati rice
- 1/2 lime, juice of
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
- 3 tsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a small heavy pot, add rice, water, 1 tsp oil and salt.
- Boil on high until most of the water evaporates. When the water just skims the top of the rice, reduce to low and cover about 20 minutes.
- Shut off flame and keep covered an additional 5 minute.
- In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice and remaining oil and toss until completely mixed.
Nutrition
Serving: 3/4 cup, Calories: 194kcal, Carbohydrates: 35.5g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 3.5g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 280mg, Potassium: 0mg, Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 0.1g, Vitamin A: 0IU, Vitamin C: 0mg, Calcium: 0mg, Iron: 0mg
Freestyle Points: 6
Points +: 5
This rice was super bland and didn’t cook completely. After 20 mins of the rice standing it started to burn and stick to the pot. Don’t use this recipe.
I used brown basmati in the instant pot. 1 to 1 1/4 ratio rice to veggie broth for about 8 minutes on high. Somebody mentioned using a bay leaf; I’ll definitely do that next time. I would also recommend rinsing the rice really well, otherwise you might get a slightly pasty consistency (like I did).
As with most recipes, you can use frozen ingredients or dried herbs, but you will likely miss out on a little flavor. But in a pinch, go for it.
cook the rice in an instant pot, so much easier
I can also tell you that Chipotle adds a couple bay leaves to the rice while it’s cooking. 👍🏼
This rice turned out PERFECTLY and DELICIOUS!! Love this recipe and will definitely make again. Thank you!!
Could you make this with riced cauliflower?
Sure
Have you ever tried this with brown rice? I love Chipotle’s cilantro rice, but looking for something without white rice.
Super but needs some garlic
This recipe was delicious and so easy! I did 1:1 ratio of rice to water because I made it in my InstaPot, and it worked perfectly. Will make this again!!
I’m new to the Instapot clan, how did you cook it?
Love this recipe! It’s full of flavor as is, but I add extra lime, because I love the taste. I’m making it in 2 weeks
to pair with garlic butter meatballs & lemon zucchini noodles for when I have house guests.
thanks really delicious and helpful!!
Made this tonight and it was a big hit! I didn’t use the white wine. Instead used more of the broth from my Instapot. My rice came out nice and fluffy. Will make this again!
I had this with the tequila lime shrimp and it was a perfect pairing. I made the mistake of not using a non-stick pan and had a lot of rice stuck to the bottom. I will remember that for next time. I usually make rice in a rice cooker so actually cooking on the stovetop was new to me.
Made this for the first time tonight to go with the Santa Fe Chicken. I followed her instructions exactly…and the rice came out PERFECTLY. My fiancé says it’s his favorite rice now. I boiled without a lid to be able to carefully watch the water evaporate, and kept the rice covered after that…no stirring or peaking. I’m so happy with how this turned out and will be making again soon!! Used Simply Balanced basmati from Target.
After years of making this recipe and feeling that *something* I couldn’t quite put my finger on was missing, I discovered that the secret ingredient was bay leaves. It makes all the difference! Throw a nay leaf or two in there and it will taste just like the real thing.
Just made this for the first time, to bring to a taco-bar pot luck. I doubled it (hoping to bring home leftovers!) but otherwise followed the directions to a “T” – and it’s PERFECT!! Tempted to stay home and eat it all myself….lol.
Crazy question. I am ma ki ing this tonight and I have no fresh herbs! Can I used dried cilantro?? Gonna try it. Will let you know how it goes!
I made rice in my rice cooker and added the oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt afterwards, and just mixed it super well. Really big hit! The teenager loves the lime-est of all cilantro lime rices. I didn’t know how much came out of one lime but I wanted to make 2 cups of rice and I was using bottled juice. I did 2oz. It was really good. He loved it. So not mild on the lime flavor this way! Will make this again and again.
Could I use the frozen bags of steamed white or brown rice? Steam rice in microwave then mix with oil, cilantro, etc…?
I wouldn’t have thought to use basmati rice for this, but I’m glad I did. I followed directions exactly as indicated and this turned out absolutely perfect. Big hit with the kids, too. Possibly even better than the original, though undoubtedly nearly identical. The only deviation from the recipe was that I used EVOO. This will be a staple in our house!
Can I use Minute Rice?
Can I use lime juice instead if fresh lime?
I did. Turned out fine.
Also, brown rice works really well too. Longer cooking time, of course, but just as delicious.
How much longer do you cook it using brown rice?
I made this in my Instant Pot tonight. 3 min on high. 10 min NR then I added the lime juice am delicious cilantro. Perfect. I didn’t use the oil.
Which type of rice did you use, and did you follow Gina’s measurements or use 1:1 ratio? Thanks!
I’ve made a couple of Chipotle copy cat recipes before that were….meh. This one was awesome. The rice turned out great and the flavour was fantastic. :)Thanks for yet another delicious recipe!
Loved how easy this recipe was to elevate basic rice! I used it for meal prep with the salsa verde chicken and actually liked the rice better the next day after the flavors had a chance to really mingle together. If you can make rice, you can make this recipe! I also already had all the ingredients on hand (used jasmine rice) which was even easier.
Gina you forgot to tell them about the paper towel trick. My rice always came out bad till I saw a video where the lady put a paper towel over the pot when the water cooks down right to the top of the rice then put the lid on and let it cook the 20 min turn it off and let it stand. My rice comes out great every time now
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Is 3/4 a cup measured out in a measuring cup or equivalent to 6 oz? Portion sizes differ with measure for weight vs in cups
Do you think this recipe will also work with Jasmine rice?
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Rice is a breeze in the Instant Pot. I make a huge batch of brown rice in 15 minutes with equal parts rice and water. Today, I’m making Jasmine Rice, which is equal parts water/rice but time is 4-10 minutes (so I went with 8 minutes).
Other types of rice may be 1:1.5 so your mileage may vary.
LJ
I’ve made this several times exactly as written and it always comes out fluffy and flavorful.
For a brown rice version, I make my usual baked brown rice recipe (from Alton Brown), then add 3 cups of cooked rice to the same ratio of lime, cilantro and veg. oil as stated in this recipe. Great every time!
I’m so bummed – I followed this one exactly (using long grain rice) and mine also came out super hard. Next time, I’m going to try what Julie suggested and cook the rice according to what the package suggests.
Did you open the lid at all? You can’t open the lid, or even stir. and the last 5 minutes of steaming is a must.
This is excellent! I made it tonight (basmati rice) with the Beef Barbacoa (in the slow cooker), corn salsa, and Cuban black beans. Everything was delicious! We love all the simple recipes with spicier flavors from your site. Thanks for the consistently wonderful recipes!
How would the instructions differ if cooking the rice in an Instant Pot?
I have never made rice in the Instant Pot, check the instructions that came with it. 🙂
Definitely boil the water first then add the rice…Stir it for a minute or so then shut off the heat and keep covered for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Regular brown rice in the instant pot is 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp water for every 1 cup (200g) of rice. Measure the dry rice then rinse it until water runs clearish. I go by measurements on rice because they all settle differently im a cup measure. Best way to make sure you have right proportion of rice and water is to make sure the water covers rice, where you can see it but grains aren’t peeking through to the top. 15 min under pressure, natural release. Open, fluff, mix with oil and others while warm. Best way to absorb the flavors.
So unfortunately after following these instructions with basmati rice, the rice was still hard when all was said and done. I think the trick here is to cook the rice per the package instructions then add the oil, lime juice, cilantro and salt. Oddly enough all rice cooks different even if it is the same kind. I was so disappointed as I was so excited to try this last night.
So odd, was it brown rice basmati?
How would you cook town basmati rice? That is what I got and it’s still crunchy.
Ugh, that should say brown basmati rice, not town.
I made this twice. The first time I followed the cooking instructions and the rice was crunchy. The second time, I made the rice per the package instructions, removed it from the heat, and then added the lime juice, 2 tsp EVOO, and cilantro. It turned out perfectly.
This was fantastic with the barbara beef recipe on here. Everyone in my family enjoyed this!
Hi Gina,
Love, love, love all the recipes I’ve tried from your site: truly AMAZING! I have a question regarding the Cilantro Lime Rice; in lieu of Vegetable oil could I substitute Coconut, EVOO, or Avocado Oil without changing the flavor? Thank you in advance, & thank you for providing your site to ALL of us??❤️
Sure. EVOO would be my first choice..
Is basmati rice a better option than brown rice??
Brown rice is the healthier option.
I was wondering if it would be possible to make this using brown rice instead of white? I am new to cooking but I noticed the smile my dinners put on my family’s faces (sometimes!), and I think I have a new love and hobby. I’ve only recently found your website but I already love it!
I only have instant white rice at home. Is this going to work or do I NEED long grain rice.
i work at chipotle, we add three bay leaves to each batch, granted its a MUCH larger batch, but it does add a little something earthy to the rice.
Do you think this would turn out okay with quinoa instead of rice?
Found this recipe last week and made it today. Turned out great.
I've never been to Chipotle, but love cilantro & lime.
thanks
So yummy! Thank you for the recipe! I used a whole lime since mine was so small. Delicious!
Just discovered your site and love it! Making the green chile pork and this rice today. I see the recipe calls for long grain, can jasmine be used instead? I had heard Chipoltle uses jasmine, just wondering if it changes the taste or calories?
i work there, i can confirm we use jasmine rice. (:
I had some experiments with that recipe but in Redmond 4500 multicooker. It is fantastic, really! I had a chance to compare rice- and multicooker, the last one much simpler and faster – any recipe can be made by my children.
This is the delicious recipe that brought me to your site many years ago! My oldest son and I have made this dozens of times. Thank you for posting it. Since then, I lost some weight, and I've told everyone I know and then some about Skinnytaste.com: "This girl, Gina, 'gets it.' Her recipes have savory flavor without all the salt, fat and sugar you find in other recipes. Skinnytaste is my go to site for healthier, delicious recipes." Thank you, Gina.
How do you recommend making this with brown rice as Chipotle has brown rice as well? Thank you
Funny story: when I made this the first time around, I was a little rushed and misread the recipe. Instead of adding the juice of half a lime, I added half a cup of lime juice. The rice was, obviously, quite tangy. I thought to myself, "Ugh, how is this getting all of these rave reviews?!? This tastes terrible!" I carefully looked over the recipe again and realized my mistake. I tried it again tonight for a site to fajitas using the correct amount of lime juice and it turned out wonderfully. I can't wait to try it in a burrito bowl!
So thankful for your comment I already squeezed 1/2 cup and was checking comments while the rice cooked! Almost messed up dinner big time
I've made this recipe before, and I loved it. I tried your recipe and it was PERFECT. Not too much lime and not too much cilantro. A great dish. I like it better with basmati rice. It adds more to the flavor, but I didn't have enough this time and used regular rice….and it was still great. Thanks for posting. I will definitely be visiting this website more.
The thing I love about this recipe is that I can use whatever I have on hand if I'm out of cilantro. I used some scallions today instead and it still came out amazing. I have to get better at my timing when it comes to watching the water, but that will come with time I'm sure. Your site is the best!
AMAZING! I made it with Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili. My 5 year old and I loved every bit! Thank you so much!
I'm making this tonight with the Santa Fe Chicken also from your site, but I am wondering what veggies you would serve with this? Thanks!
Can lemon juice be substituted for lime? I'm out of lime!
I made this rice tonight to go with a taco chicken bowl recipe..OMG it is EXACTLY like Chipotle and my husband is addicted to it. This was perfect. THANK YOU !!!
I reduced the salt (1.5 tsp for 2 cups rice) and it still seemed salty to me. I added more lime juice and leftover cooked rice to compensate and it was ok, but I'll need to try again and tweak it. Rice cooker makes this super easy!
Wow!!!! I made this as a last minute side dish! I made a Quick Lime Cilantro Chicken dish. And of course it went VERY well with the rice! My extremely picky daughter LOVED it Thanks so much for shaing!
Liezele
Oh no, Gina! This is hilarious. I read the recipe quickly last night and thought it said 1/2 cup of lime juice. WOOOOOOH boy, that is some tart rice I made. 😉 I think I need some more rice to go with my lime juice. User error 100%!
Lol, I JUST posted a comment about how I did the same thing! I had to rinse my rice in a colander make it edible!
I love that Chipotle now has brown rice. Have you tried to make this recipe with brown rice? I'd love to know how to change the cooking time for it.
Delicious, but I thought it was somewhat too salty… will cut that down next time
It was very good, but (maybe it was just me) there was too much water for the rice. Mine came out a little mushy but still tasted good!
Just an fyi. Chipotle uses a mixture of lemon and lime juice in all if their recipes. Also they add the oil after cooking to help keep the rice from getting sticky because it will sit in a hot box for up to 2 hours.
I'm curious as to what the sodium content per serving is?
Trying with quinoa tonight!
U shouldn't be using vegetable at all! Use olive oil.
I love this rice! We make it every time we have stuffed peppers and it goes perfectly.
I'm making this as a side dish for fish tacos tonight, but I was wondering IF I can make it healthier by using brown rice and HOW I would accomplish that? My husband has a huge aversion to "white" carbs and prefers whole grains etc. Thanks!
This was so good. But my cilantro got really soft and turned a darker green . How do you keep it from doing this ?
Super easy and amazing taste! I've made it twice now and I know it has become a staple! I served it as a side dish with my own recipe for baked chimichangas and also as the base in a burrito bowl made with Mexican Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas and Corn Salsa from this site! LOVE THIS BLOG!!!
Very good! Served as a side dish with baked chimichangas. Can't wait to try with some of the yummy looking skinny taste recipes…I'm thinking pork carnitas next week 🙂
This taste and smells just like Chipotle's rice. Thank you so much, it was so delicious!
has anyone tried this recipe with brown rice?
I tried with brown rice and didn't like it. I was trying to make it Simply Filling. Much better with white rice.
I made it with brown rice I didn't like it. I would suggest using white rice.
I made this last night and it was amazing! I did not have long grain rise so I substituted jasmine rice instead…it was delisious. Also, I did not have a fresh lime so I substituted 1 TBSP of lime juice instead. Delicious!!!
This was so good. Taste just like the original. I used the juice of a whole lime tho. Also added 1 tsp sugar as someone had suggested. I would have swore it came from chipotles
I just paired this rice w/ your santa fe chicken crockpot mea, and it was unbelievable!!
How much lime juce is used? I have freeshed squeezed lime juce but don`t know how much us used in half of a lime. Thanks
I have made this a bunch of times and completely LOVE IT!!!! Thanks Gina!!!
They use bay leaves. This can be substituted with using jasmine rice instead of reg. rice.
I dont even like cilantro (unless its dried) but I used fresh cilantro and this was sooo good.
How many points would it be without the oil?
Made this for the second time today. The first time I doubled the recipe, this time I followed it exactly. Love the way the rice turns out cooking it like that. This is a great recipe and it curbs my chipotle cravings. Thanks for sharing.
LOVE this rice! Thanks for the recipe! I will say, do not make the mistake of using olive oil. I don't know why I did that (I don't use olive oil when I'm cooking anything Chinese and only sometimes with Mexican inspired foods), but it isn't not suited for olive oil. A non-tasting oil IS best! THanks again!
Really loved this recipe. It is the first time I have cooked rice and it not be hard and gross. Pat on the back for me. Def recommend this side dish. I served it with Salmon and a tomato/cuke salad.
I am thinking I could make this in my rice cooker as well. Gina, have you ever tried it? I think I would just add the lime juice, cilantro and oil when the rice cooker
switches to the "keep warm" last 10 minute setting.
Hi Gina. I am vegetarian and I had always wondered of how to make this rice for a home made burrito. Excellent! I am having a Mexican night today!!! Thanks a lot!!
Vijaya
Hi Gina. I have been on WW for 5 months and this site is amazing! Tonight I made the cream of asparagus soup, ciantro lime rice and the chicken enchilada zucchini boats. Everyone, including myself LOVED it! Thank you so much for your site!
I use True Lime instead of the real thing, and sometimes use coconut milk instead of water, like so delicious coconut milk. YUMMO! Thanks for posting.
Just made my own chipotle burrito with this – yum! thanks for the recipe!
Just made this for dinner tonight (to go along with 2 other recipes on this site… Pollo Sabroso & Warm Mexican Corn Salad). I've never eaten at Chipotle, so I can't speak to this recipe's authenticity… but man, was it delicious! Really complemented the other dishes. Definitely putting this (and the other two as well) in my recipe collection!
I made a version of this. I did use brown, short grain rice (meant to use the brown jasmine, but forgot!) and cooked it in the rice cooker.I also cooked up some chicken in some lime and green onion, then chopped it up and put in the rice. Big hit! Husband had thirds, not a single grain of rice left. Thanks again for great inspiration!
So, I have an inside track on this recipe. If you want it to taste authentic, don't add sugar…. Use equal purporting of lemon and lime juice, as Chipotle has Odwalla make a citrus blend for them. Also add a bay leaf while rice is cooking.
I made this with quinoa and it was AMAZING – and I omitted the oil so it was only 2pts+ for a 1/2 cup serving! so delicious!
I was just wondering if it would be good with quinoa instead. Thanks!
Does minute rice work just as well, or does that change the points?
This was delicious! The texture of the rice was perfect and the flavor was just like Chipotle's. Will definitely be using this recipe on a regular basis. Thanks!
This was perfect and amazing in every way!
we do this at home with jasmine rice, so good!
Anyone try making this with cauliflower as a rice substitute?
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I made the rice the way we usually do with chicken stock instead of water. Ended up adding olive oil when mixing it all up, just a couple of teaspoons. And the juice of one lime. It was delicious and definitely a do over!
I was reading a website a long time ago about Chipotle and making their recipes at home, and quite a few people who used to work there added one ingredient that no one thinks of, a bay leaf! They say Chipotle always adds a bay leaf in their rice!
I made this last night with the Santa fe chicken and it was great. I think next time I might leave out some oil or use a different type of oil like some other users suggested. In any case, I WILL be making it again.
Made this today for the first time. Absolutely delicious!! Thank you!! Tastes just like the restaurant's.
better than the restaurant's for sure and i only used 2 tsp of oil – one added to the pot and one to the rice after it cooked, thought it was amazing then so didn't even add the other tsp. SO DELICIOUS, especially since I can't get enough of Chipotle burrito bowls! This will be a new staple in my house – nice work again Gina, you are my idol!!!
YUMMY!!! This was absolutely delicious! I think it tasted better than the restaurant's! I doubled the recipe just so I could have some on hand for when I get a craving in the next couple of days, cuz I know I will! Wonderful 5-star recipe!
I suck at cooking rice on the stove top, instead I used my electric rice pot/steamer'; I added a couple of Tablespoons of lime juice (nope, didn't have any fresh limes, but I had bottled lime juice)to the water and since I didn't have any fresh cilantro (I know, 'shame shame') I added a Tablespoon or two or three of 'Goya Cilantro Cooking Base' into the water/rice/lime mixture as well. Stirred it all up well, put the lid on and pushed the button to start it cooking. Came out great!
Due to dietary restrictions, I can only eat brown rice. I usually buy the frozen organic brown rice at Trader Joe's. Any idea how to incorporate the lime flavor into the rice without overwhelming it? The rice is in a bag and just heated on the stove or in the microwave without water. Thoughts?
You add the lime after it cooks anyway so you would be safe to just add it and should be fine. 🙂
I made this tonight…yuuum! I'll be adding this to my long list of favourite recipes from this site. Thanks Gina 🙂
I was reading about how to copy Chipotle's rice, and there's one thing you are missing!! a Bay Leaf! (many ex-workers said they always put a bay leaf in)
I found your recipe via pinterest. It was awesome! My kids are die-hard fans of chipotle's rice. They didn't even know the difference. Thank you!
as with every other recipe from you this was outstanding. I used coconut oil in place of the vegetable and it was delicious!
Last week I made your turkey pumpkin chili for the second time. Still love it. Not wanting to waste the cilantro I made your chicken enchiladas and this rice tonight. What a great combo. Loved by everyone.
Gina, I have made this rice several times, and it is consistantly delicious. I made it again tonight to compliment butternut squash burritos, yum!
I'm making the Sweet Barbacoa Pork for dinner tomorrow night and I'm planning to make this as well! Just a suggestion to get rid of even more calories…instead of using vegetable oil, I use coconut oil. It's more expensive, but it's way healthier! 🙂
This was so good! I've never eaten at Chipotle so I had no barometer but will definitely make again. Even my cilantro hating husband loved it!
I'm looking forward to trying this tomorrow (I hope). Do you think it would work in a rice cooker? Also, if I were to use lime juice and not a lime, how much would you suggest I use? Thank you!
We love Chipotle's rice and I was excited to make this last night. Love, love, loved it. So quick and easy and will most definitely make again!
Made this today and brought to some friends' home to share a meal and see the new baby. Served it with enchiladas and mango sorbet for dessert. It was FANTASTIC. My daughter ate three bowls, and I'm usually lucky to get three bites into her. This is a keeper. Thank you!
This is really good! I didn't have fresh cilantro or a lime, so I used dried cilantro (1 T.) and bottle lime juice (1 T.)
This was great! Just the like the restaurant! Its part of my recipe collection now!!!
This was so great! My husband even told me I can make it again (which is a huge accomplishment!) The rice and pork chops needed a little something more for us, so I sauteed some zucchini with similar seasonings as I marinated the pork chips in. It was amazing! Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Gina! I made this to go with the Crockpot Chicken Santa Fe. It was terrific! It added another dimension to that dish. Love the lime flavor. I've never made rice where you cook on high uncovered and then turn down to finish- turned out great! Thank you! ~Amy 🙂
AWESOME rice dish!! I made this with the Chicken Roba and they are excellent together!!
Gina your recipes are life savers for us on WW!! Thank you a million times over!!
This recipe is delicious! I just made it along with the barbaqoa beef recipe. Everything will be ready to be reheated tonight for dinner. My meat isn't quite ready to shred but the rice is delish! I added a tsp of sugar like another poster suggested. YUM YUM YUM!
Hi Gina, I made this tonight for the first time and Oh My Goodness it was so good. Thanks for all your hard work, I couldn't do WW without you. Many thanks.
I don't know if the serving size is way off or something, but whenyou check the nutrtion facts on Chiptole's website, you come up with lower points for their rice. Admittedly, we don't have a Chipotle in our town, but I wanted to check and make sure from experienced Chipotle goers that I didn't need to be calculating double serving sizes or anything when I eat there in other cities.
Yum! Just made it with black beans and sauteed chicken in a raw tortilla with onions and peppers! The rice is perfect and amazing! Perfectly amazing!
Made this rice to accompany the Carnitas and it was FAB! My husband requested to only have the rice from now on 😉
I love this and so does my hubby! Thanks for the recipe!!
Hi, I found this site today, it's amazing. I'm in the UK and tonight we are having Chicken Ropa Vieja and cilantro lime rice. Obviously i've never been to Chipotle's but all sounds great. Wish me luck!
Tracy
Gina I've made this twice now too. I LOVE your site! Thank you thank you thank you! – Devin
This is hands down, my all-time favorite rice recipe! I made this last night with the garlic lime pork chops (another fave) and am having rice leftovers today, yum. I never cooked with fresh lime until I found your site, Gina and it makes a huge difference. Thank you!
Hi Gina, I just found your site and LOVE IT!! I made the Lime Cilantro Shrimp last night, and today we had the Crock-Pot Santa Fe Chicken over the Cilantro Lime Rice. My husband says: "That's a keeper!" (on all three recipes I've made). I've never had good luck with regular rice, so I used Minute Rice and then still added a little oil, the lime juice and the cilantro–hubby said it tasted BETTER than Chipotle's. Thanks again for your wonderful site–I plan on making many more recipes in the future.
Jerrilee
You could, although brown rice will taste different. I'm sure it will be good though!
Can I make this recipe with brown jasmine rice? It is what I have on hand. Also should I cook my rice according to the package? Or do you think I can still follow your recipe?
Looks like I'm the only one who had trouble with this recipe. Perhaps my ingredients were bad? That is the only thing I can think of. I wrote about my fail here.
I have been using your site for quite some time now and my family loves this rice. I always use olive oil instead of vegetable. I am about to make my chipotle bowl using the rice and Kalua pork (which is delicious!)
When you juice from half of a lime, do you know approximatley how much jucie that is? I just want to make sure I don't add too much juice.
Love this recipe! Made this the other day for lunch as a side dish for my sister and her family and everyone loved it. My niece asked me if I went to Chipolte to buy the rice. I take that as a compliment since she thought it was Chipolte lime rice. Can't wait to try more recipes from your site.
Carolyn
Glad to help!!
This was AWESOME!!!!!! Thank you soo much for posting these recipes. I'm excited to try more! I'm new to weight watchers and was feeling defeated, but your recipes sparked my motivation!
I made this rice yesterday and it was delicious!
Like many people have writte, I also like to use brown rice more often. I know for many recipes it is not "traditional" but I use it often when making yellow rice 😉
But my question is, how long would you cook brown rice in this recipe? I know this is a more "latin" style of cooking rice that my (colombian) husband prefers, but brown rice takes longer to cook and I was wondering if you had any advice!
Thank you!
I prefer my rice with oil, you could always use olive oil for the added heart benefits.
Does the oil really add that much? Seems like it would be healthier if you just removed it.
I know! 🙂
This should come with a warning: DO NOT MAKE….unless you want to eat the whole lot in one day a blow a whole days points lol..This is crazy addictive!!!
This was amazing! The only thing I added was salt. I made it with Shrimp tacos and the meal was fantastic. Thank you!
I hate to admit it but this is the first time I have made rice-real rice. It was so easy, I don't know what I was so afraid of but I knew your recipes are foolproof so I made this with your cuban style black beans for company. Both recipes were a hit! Thank You for giving great dependable recipes that make me look good!
Amanda- perhaps, or it needed another 5 minutes longer.
I made this last night and after following the intructions- the rice still had a crunchy center. Perhaps I let too much water evaporate?
Sure, I don't see why not!
We love this rice in our house! In fact, I'm making it tomorrow night 🙂
You may have already answered this, but I was wondering if I can make this in my rice cooker? Just throw everything you put in the pot into the rice cooker pot instead – then add the cilantro, lime juice, and extra oil afterward like always. Have you ever tried it this way?
Thanks!
Yes, this! I bet you could leave out some or all of the oil!
I made it that way and it turned out perfect.
Yikes! 1/2 cup of lime juice would be aweful!!
The first time I made it I saw "1/2cup lime juice" instead of "1/2 lime, juice of"…needless to say it was so tart it burned my mouth! I made this the right way last night ….it was very good. Thanks for sharing such great recipes 🙂
Wonderful. It's very refreshing!
Thank you!
Carrie
Cynthia glad you liked it! The oil helps the texture, helps you toss the rice with the lime. It would be too sticky otherwise, but of course, you could leave it it of you prefer.
Being Latin, I always cook my rice with a little oil, I prefer the texture.
Hi Gina~ I made this twice this week. So good! Made it along with your Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken and the Cilantro Salad Dressing. Yummy dinner and yummy leftovers! 🙂 Was just curious….in your opinion, why is more oil added after the rice is cooked? I understand it's a recipe from Chipotle's, however, was just trying to understand the purpose of adding more oil at the end because I don't really "taste" the oil. Does it change the texture by adding the oil? Just wondering….it's incredibly good!
So so Good! Since being on WW, i have not gone to Chipotles. Gina – thanks so much!
Nice menu!! Enjoy 🙂
OMG!!!! I love your website, I have been looking through all of your recipes for weeks but am finally gonna try cooking tonight. Chicken enchiladas , cilantro lime rice and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!!! So excited Thanks so much.
I just updated the NI for this, and also I changed the oil from 4 tsp to 3 to give me 5 points plus.
Made this tonight & served it with the Sweet Barbocoa pork! YUMMY! Definitely will make again! Thanks Gina!
Gina do you happen to have the nutritional info for this recipe? I LOVE it! Made it last night and my boyfriend said he couldn't believe I made it and didn't buy it from Chipotle because it tasted just like it.
It depends on what I'm calculating, or what I have the nutritional info for. Meat I like to weigh cooked, and use the NI for cooked.
When calculating points, do you use raw or cooked points?
OMG!!! Paired this with your Chicken Taco Chili tonight and it was fabulous!!
Again, delicious! Addicted to this rice!
Hi Gina,
Do you have the calorie info for this?
thanks,
Laura
This would be a great recipe for quinoa, I may have to try it!
You can make the rice the night before, then add the lime and cilantro the next day after you reheat the rice.
Any Suggestions about making this rice the night before? Is it as good re-heated? Just trying to save myself some time!
Think this can be made with Quinoa instead of rice??
I get 6 for 3/4 cup based on the nutritional info I plugged in.
Gina,
I noticed you changed the points on this and when I put everything into the recipe builder it still comes out to 6 points, unless I used basmati rice, which I did not. So, is it 5 or 6?
We had friends over for "Taco Night" and I made this rice to go along with all the toppings. It was a big hit – both adults and kids really liked it. I doubled the recipe and it worked out great. Thank you for another delicious and easy recipe!
~mary
Try as I may, I just canNOT like cilantro. 🙁 I'm one of those unfortunate people who thinks it tastes (and smells) like soap. So, needless to say, I do not like Chipotle's rice. However, my hubby LOVES the stuff. So I made this tonight along with your carnitas, and it was a big hit with dh and my daughters. I omitted the cilantro for mine (lime rice, anyone?) and I really liked it. So, thanks for another great recipe!!
For years and years, I felt the same way you did. Cilantro was soapy! But taste changes. Now I can't get enough. I have no idea what caused the change, but you might want to try it every now and then, just to see.
I just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for this rice recipe!!!! I just made it a few minutes ago and i snuck a little sneak preview before my hubby gets home, and its AMAZING! I used the Basmati rice, and it taste exactly like Chipotle!!! THANK YOU A BUNCH! I look forward to trying even more of your recipes!
Thanks Lis!
When I make rice the non-skinny way, I sauté the rice in oil first, not sure if that's Colombian but I was taught that way.
Forgot to mention, of course I'm making this rice tonight with fish tacos, salsa verde and a bit of mole on the side. Yum!
And as a side note, I did read a bit back about adding the oil later instead of "frying" the rice in oil and then adding water. I have to say that I'm from Puerto Rico, and I learned from my grammy to add the oil just at the moment you're to cover the rice, not before. So it struck me as odd when I married my Mexican husband that he'd "fry" the rice first, and cook it in chicken broth instead of water (or just add a bouillon cube). I have to admit that the flavor is better this way. Anyway, great site!
I discovered this site recently through another blog I follow, and I just want to say I wish this would've been around 7 years ago when I was on WW. I'm a Lifetimer now with some extra baby weight to lose, so I'm back trying to dig my way through WW again, so your recipes are going to be extra helpful. I'm already planning the week's meals around your recipes. I second the recipe book too, I'd buy in a heartbeat! Best to you!
I will never get tired of this rice 🙂
I made this last night for the first time, but it won't be the last!! Very good. And enough for leftovers tonight to go on your Santa Fe CrockPot chicken!
Lemon juice would work if that is all you have, but I would buy lime next time.
Spanish rice is always made with oil, but sure, eliminate it if you wish! There are no rules in cooking, it's to taste! Baking is a different story.
What is the purpose of the oil in this recipe? Is it just to give the rice a nice texture. Would it be ok to skip the oil?
Hi gina,
Love love this site!
For this rice, can I use lemon instead of lime? It's all I have…….
Just checked on recipe builder, you are correct! 5 pts, yay!
I was thinking that according to points plus, the 3/4 c rice and 1tsp oil per serving is only 5 points. Why is it listed as 6?
I made this rice with the white bean and chicken enchiladas. It was a high point dinner, but it works for me because I usually eat low points during the day. It's so much easier to eat low point breakfast and lunch!
I'm seriously so thankful for this website. I'm telling everyone about it!
I made this last night with the Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken. Both were great! I've been on Weight Watchers for 9 months, 5 lbs. from goal, and wish I'd found this website sooner!!! Thanks for taking the time to share your recipes. Looking forward to trying alot more!
Thanks Jen – sigh, it went up
You can, but it won't be as good!
I am going to try this tonight with the Santa Fe Chicken. Can I just use the Uncle Bens pre-cooked rice and add the sauce? I am short on time but want to try this recipe.
It's now 6 points per serving.
Great! That's my mom's name, Marlene. Have a good one!
Like Ms. Journalist, I also subbed 2 of the 4 tsp. of oil for spray butter (about 20 pumps of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter). It came out fantastic. The best rice I've ever made. Thanks!
This rice was AWESOME!!! I was able to cut out 2 points by only using 2 tsp of oil and a little parkay butter spray. Thanks for the recipe!
I am new to ww and to your wonderful site! I have been cooking your recipes for the last 2 weeks and have yet to be disappointed! This rice is DELICIOUS! I made it with the garlic lime pork chops, which were equally delicious!
I love this recipe!! Try it! You will not be disappointed! It is fantastic!
So, it's just 1/2 of a lime?
or half a cup??
I LOVED this recipe. I tried to recreate Chipotle's rice a few times before I found this recipe, but I'll definitely use this one from now on. Personally, I prefer to use a whole lime and a little more cilantro since I love the combination of the two. Thanks for the great recipe!
i love cilantro lime rice- the white does taste better, but i usually make it with brown anyway, but i zest the lime, and it exponentially increases the lime taste. also, i add the salt at the end (kosher!). i figure you're eating the salt anyway, it might as well stick out. it tastes so tangy that way!
Thanks for asking Shelby, hopefully in the future!
Making this for a second time tonight, SO GOOD!
Gina- you have been a huge help in my weight loss! I have lost 50 lbs since February with WW and your recipes have played a key roll in keeping me on track! Thank you so much for all your hard work!
-Shelby
ps are you going to come out with a cookbook? I would LOVE to buy one for everyone I know!
I haven't tried this at Chipotle (and it's porbably best I don't)!
I made this with brown rice tonight! I topped it with some chicken (going out tonight to get a package for shredding!), then corn salsa, then 1/4 of an avocado. It was the YUMMIEST bowl ever! I've done WW a few times before to lose 10ish pounds here and there… and this was an excellent dinner to have on day one this time around! LOVE your site!
When you cooked with brown rice, did you follow directions above or have your own method of cooking the brown rice. I'm making it now first time trying it with brown rice and am worried it may not come out cooked. =/
Glad you liked it Kimberly! I grew up eating Spanish white rice, never with butter or gravy. So glad to hear your family is enjoying these dishes! This one is a staple in my house!
Gina I am amazed at your recipes. I've tried several so far and feel like a whole new world has opened up to me.
As for this recipe, I was intrigued. I grew up on white rice and have always eaten it smothered in butter or some sort of gravy. But today after trying this, I am in heaven. I couldn't believe how yummy this was. I made it with the Garlic Lime Marinated Pork Chops and Cauliflower Fritters. We also had the Banana Cream Pie for dessert. It was an incredible meal that my whole family loved.
I love to cook and am quite a good cook myself. When I try new recipes I always make it the first time exactly as the recipe states and later tweak it if I feel it can be improved. But I have to tell you, these were perfection!!!
Blessings,
Kimberlynn
I make this with Jasmine rice. Its so yummy, my stepson asks me to make extra for a snack after school!!
Sorry for the confusion, I need to change it, it 6 fl oz or 3/4 cup.
just made this and i weighed out 6 oz, but there wasnt 4 servings , only like 3. what did i do wrong? it tasted just like chipotle but i just want to make sure im portioning it correctly.
I make this all the time!! I'm a lover of rice. Sometimes I make it with brown, but I think in this case it works better with white.
Just made this rice for the second time in the past two weeks. The first time was with your Barbacoa. Yum. Tonight was a side for Chicken Taco Salads. We love it. Especially my dad and my sister.
This wonderful! My two boys loved it and swear that it tastes much better than the Chipotle's! Thank you so much!
You're welcome!
A new family favorite… thanks Gina!
Yes, 3/4 cup of rice. Enjoy!!
Hi Gina! So in love with your site. I have the Chicken Santa Fe boiling in my crock pot as we speak! I want to make the cilantro rice for the recipe. You mention one service is 6oz, so are we looking @ 3/4th's of a cup?
I've made it with brown rice, it's not bad, but white is better to me.
It looks really good. I am trying eat more brown rice and I am wondering if it would ruin the recipe to try it with brown rice.
Yum! Thanks for another great recipe Gina.
This method of cooking rice worked really well for me. Loved it – thanks!
Thanks, yes I agree! I love my white rice sauted in oil before I add the water. But Chipotles adds the oil after, not sure why. And of course, trying to keep the points low, using as little as possible.
Hi, Gina. I normally don't cook my rice in oil, but so long as you're adding oil with the rice before cooking, I suggest toasting the rice in the oil before adding the water. It really brings out a lovely flavour and aroma. I've never been to Chipotle and probably will never so I don't know how "authentic" it'd be to do this, but toasted rice is awesome. =)
No, but I'll give it a try, I love the corn salsa too!
do you happen to have the corn salsa recipe for chipotle? love that mixed with guacomle
Scrape an ear of corn or 2 and blanch for about 30 seconds and chill. Dice jalapeños and poblanos to your heat level. Add salt, equal parts of lime and lemon, diced red onion, and cilantro. Mix all together. Ingredient amounts are to your taste… And I have no clue on points….
Glad I can add some variety to your diet!
This rice was absolutely delicious! I am currently following WW and get tired of eating the same old thing. Your website has been so helpful and inspiring. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Yummy! Never ate at Chipotle, but this was really good! Thanks!
@Melissa – You're welcome! Will do!
Gina-
I statred my WW journey just a few weeks ago, and I wanted to thank you for your recipes- I especially love the Latin ones. Since discovering your website site four days ago, I've made three of your recipes. Please keep them coming, and thank you for posting the recipes.
-Melissa
Dear Gina-
I just started my WW journey in January 2010, and love your recipes- especially the Latin ones!! I've made three of your recipies since discovering your web site four days ago. Thank you for placing your recipies on the web!
-Melissa
If your rice is stuck together, then you have too much water or you didn't let enough water evaporate before you covered it. Hope that helps.
I love this recipe! Thanks so much for your efforts!
Is the texture supposed to be soft and stuck together or more like the burrito rice, separate? I'm assuming it could be because I had too much water
if you brown the rice in oil before cooking it it will stay separated. however- this does add more calories!
This was GREAT!! I made it with the pepper steak recipe. It was really good. Adding the cilantro and lime added just enough to the rice. I'll be making this again.
Loved the rice! It is a nice change from plain white rice or Mexican rice. Will be making this again soon! Thank you for these wonderful recipes, I am now planning my menu from this site!!!
Yes, love this rice, I need to make this again really soon!
We do something very similar because we have always loved Chipotle's food. (It is pretty easy to do a copycat version at home if you have the rice.) We find that a tsp of sugar mixed in with the lime juice makes it even more authentic to the Chipotle taste. Thanks for posting!
this was delicious,nice flavoring!
I usually get the same thing, chicken burrito bowl. Yum! I will have to try!
Didn’t know Chipotle’s rice could be made this easily at home! Are you able to whip up any of their other burritos with less calories???