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.
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.
Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice
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
Directions:
- 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 15 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 Information
Yield: 4 servings, Serving Size: 3/4 cup
- Amount Per Serving:
- Freestyle Points: 6
- Points +: 5
- Calories: 194 calories
- Total Fat: 3.5g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 280mg
- Carbohydrates: 35.5g
- Fiber: 0g
- Sugar: 0.1g
- Protein: 3g
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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
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.
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!)
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.
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?
You could, although brown rice will taste different. I'm sure it will be good though!
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
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!
Gina I've made this twice now too. I LOVE your site! Thank you thank you thank you! – Devin
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
I love this and so does my hubby! Thanks for the recipe!!
Made this rice to accompany the Carnitas and it was FAB! My husband requested to only have the rice from now on 😉
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!
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.
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.
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!
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!!
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 🙂
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!
This was great! Just the like the restaurant! Its part of my recipe collection now!!!
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.)
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!
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!
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!
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 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! 🙂
Gina, I have made this rice several times, and it is consistantly delicious. I made it again tonight to compliment butternut squash burritos, yum!
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.
as with every other recipe from you this was outstanding. I used coconut oil in place of the vegetable and it was delicious!
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!
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 made this tonight…yuuum! I'll be adding this to my long list of favourite recipes from this site. Thanks Gina 🙂
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 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!
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!
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!!!
Made this today for the first time. Absolutely delicious!! Thank you!! Tastes just like the restaurant's.
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.
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 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!
Anyone try making this with cauliflower as a rice substitute?
we do this at home with jasmine rice, so good!
This was perfect and amazing in every way!
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!
Does minute rice work just as well, or does that change the points?
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!
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 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!
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!
Just made my own chipotle burrito with this – yum! thanks for the recipe!
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
How many points would it be without the oil?
I dont even like cilantro (unless its dried) but I used fresh cilantro and this was sooo good.
They use bay leaves. This can be substituted with using jasmine rice instead of reg. rice.
I have made this a bunch of times and completely LOVE IT!!!! Thanks Gina!!!
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 just paired this rice w/ your santa fe chicken crockpot mea, and it was unbelievable!!
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 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!!!
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.
This taste and smells just like Chipotle's rice. Thank you so much, it was so delicious!
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 🙂
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!!!
This was so good. But my cilantro got really soft and turned a darker green . How do you keep it from doing this ?
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!
I love this rice! We make it every time we have stuffed peppers and it goes perfectly.
U shouldn't be using vegetable at all! Use olive oil.
Trying with quinoa tonight!
I'm curious as to what the sodium content per serving is?
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.
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!
Delicious, but I thought it was somewhat too salty… will cut that down next time
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.
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!
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
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!
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 !!!
Can lemon juice be substituted for lime? I'm out of lime!
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!
AMAZING! I made it with Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili. My 5 year old and I loved every bit! Thank you so much!
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!
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.
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
How do you recommend making this with brown rice as Chipotle has brown rice as well? Thank you
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.
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.
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. (:
So yummy! Thank you for the recipe! I used a whole lime since mine was so small. Delicious!
Found this recipe last week and made it today. Turned out great.
I've never been to Chipotle, but love cilantro & lime.
thanks
Do you think this would turn out okay with quinoa instead of 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.
I only have instant white rice at home. Is this going to work or do I NEED long grain rice.
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!
Is basmati rice a better option than brown rice??
Brown rice is the healthier option.