Cilantro lime recipe is soft, fluffy and so easy to make at home! This side dish is a Chipotle copycat recipe that adds fresh, bright flavor to all your Mexican favorites.
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Chipotle’s Cilantro Lime Rice
I absolutely love the lime and cilantro rice from Chipotle and Café Rio. We’ve been making this copycat recipe for years as a Mexican side dish to burrito bowls, taco salads and our favorite ground beef tacos.
Cooking your own rice on the stove can seem a bit scary at first, but trust me, this cilantro lime rice recipe is super simple to make at home. It’s great for beginners and is made in just one pot in 30 minutes. You’ll have perfectly fluffy and tender rice every time!
Recipe Ingredients
- Salted butter: Olive oil can also be used.
- Minced garlic: Two minced garlic cloves.
- Long grain rice: Any long grain white rice works such as American white, Jasmine rice or Basmati rice. Avoid short grain rice as it is too clumpy.
- Broth: Chicken or vegetable broth adds flavor to the rice.
- Lime juice and zest: Fresh lime juice plus the zest of 1 lime.
- Chopped cilantro: Fresh cilantro adds signature flavor.
- Granulated sugar: This is optional but recommended to help balance the flavors.
- Salt and pepper: To taste.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice
Making this copycat version of Chipotle’s cilantro lime rice is both simple and quick to make right at home in your own kitchen.
- Combine rice ingredients: In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter then add minced garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the rice, chicken broth, and lime zest then bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Stir once then cover with a lid.
- Cook rice until tender: Cook your rice 18 to 20 minutes or until tender. Turn off heat. Remove lid and let water evaporate.
- Season rice: In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, cilantro, sugar, if using. Season with salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the rice and fluff with a fork.
- Serve: Taste and adjust adding additional salt, pepper or a squeeze of lime juice. Serve with all your favorite Mexican or Asian dishes.
Expert Tips and Variations
- Use REAL lime juice. None of that bottled stuff you can buy at the grocery store. Use the juice and zest from a fresh lime for the best flavor.
- Rinse the rice. Before cooking the rice, make sure to give it a good rinse under cold water. Simply place it in a mesh strainer and rinse until it runs clear. This will remove the extra starch and prevent it from becoming too sticky.
- Sugar. It may sound strange, but adding in a few teaspoons of sugar really enhances the flavor. It helps balance out the tang from the citrus and adds the perfect hint of sweetness. I definitely recommend it!
- Stir ONCE. After you bring the rice to a boil, turn the heat to low and then give it ONE quick stir. Then cover the pan with the lid and let it continue to cook for about another 20 minutes.
- Don’t remove the lid. While the rice is simmering, do not remove the lid. You want to keep the steam trapped so that it cooks properly and will easily loosen from the bottom of the pan.
- Fluff with a fork. Just before serving, use a fork to gently mix the rice around in the pot for about a minute. This will break up any lumps and allow any extra moisture to evaporate. Be gentle as you fluff, so the rice doesn’t get mushy and holds its shape.
Recipe FAQs
If you would like! The stems actually have amazing taste so feel free to include them when adding your chopped cilantro to the rice.
If the cooking time is up and you find that your rice is still hard, place the lid back and steam over low heat for another 5 minutes. If you find that your rice looks too dry, add a Tablespoon or two of water before placing the lid back on the pot.
Yes, but you will need to adjust the cooking time to around 45 minutes for a long grain white rice.
One cup of uncooked rice will yield around 3 cups cooked rice.
Yes, if using a rice cooker you will need to melt your butter first or use olive oil. Follow the manufacturer directions for cooking white long grain rice. After, stir in your lime juice mixture and cilantro.
How to Serve Cilantro Lime Rice
Whenever I visit Arizona, I always visit Café Rio for a quick lunch or dinner. I’ve recreated a few more of their dishes at home that pair perfectly with this cilantro and lime rice, including slow cooker sweet pork and creamy cilantro lime dressing. Here are a few other favorite ways to pair the rice!
- Burrito bowl: Make a copycat Chipotle burrito bowl using this slow cooker chicken taco bowl or Instant Pot chicken taco bowl for inspiration.
- Fajita bowl: Build your own chicken fajitas bowl complete with salsa or pico de gallo, guacamole or even refried beans.
- Healthy side: Serve grilled shrimp skewers on top of the rice with a side of my Mexican street corn salad recipe, pinto beans or steamed vegetables!
- Teriyaki bowl: Add some additional flavor to your baked teriyaki chicken bowl an swap plain white rice for this flavorful cilantro and lime rice!
Storing, Freezing and Reheating Rice
Storing: This rice will keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days if stored in an airtight container. You can also extend it’s shelf life by storing in the freezer.
Freezing: To freeze, simply add to a freezer bag (make sure it cools completely first) and seal any extra air out. Then place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating: To reheat on the stove, placing rice in a saucepan and add a couple of Tablespoons of chicken broth to keep rice moist and fluffy. Turn heat to low and cover saucepan with lid. Steam for a few minutes until warm. To reheat in the microwave, place rice in a bowl with the broth and cover bowl with a damp paper towel. Cook until warm.
Love rice recipes? You’ll also love my fried rice recipe, chicken and rice and Mexican rice.
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Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter , or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1 (15-ounce) can chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon lime zest , plus more if desired
- 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1-2 teaspoons granulated sugar , optional
- Kosher salt , to taste
- Ground black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the rice, chicken broth, and lime zest. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Stir the rice once and cover with a lid.
- Cook 18 to 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. Turn off heat. Remove lid and let water evaporate.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, cilantro, sugar, if using. Season with salt and pepper. Pour evenly over the rice and fluff with a fork.
Notes
- Use REAL lime juice. None of that bottled stuff you can buy at the grocery store. Use the juice and zest from a fresh lime for the best flavor.
- Rinse the rice. Before cooking the rice, make sure to give it a good rinse under cold water. Simply place it in a mesh strainer and rinse until it runs clear. This will remove the extra starch and prevent it from becoming too sticky.
- Sugar. It may sound strange, but adding in a few teaspoons of sugar really enhances the flavor. It helps balance out the tang from the citrus and gives the dish the perfect hint of sweetness. You don’t have to add it, but I definitely recommend it!
- Stir ONCE. That’s right. There’s not a lot of stirring when cooking rice on the stove. After you bring the rice to a boil, turn the heat to low and then give it ONE quick stir. Then cover the pan with the lid and let it continue to cook for about another 20 minutes.
- Don’t remove the lid. While the rice is simmering, make sure not to remove the lid. I know it may seem tempting to give it a quick peak, but don’t! You want to keep the steam trapped so that it cooks properly and will easily loosen from the bottom of the pan.
- Fluff with a fork. Just before serving, use a fork to gently mix the rice around in the pot for about a minute. This will help break up any lumps, as well as allow any extra moisture to evaporate. Make sure to be gentle as you fluff, so that the rice doesn’t get mushy and holds it’s shape.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: Cinco De Mayo, Mexican, One Pot, Rice, Side Dishes, Stovetop, Vegan, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
This is such a perfect side dish!! It is so easy and really flavorful! Thanks for the recipe!
This rice is so tasty! Goes so well with grilled chicken and and fish tacos! Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!
I think it’s even better than the rice at Chipotle! I love that you add the cilantro at the end so the leaves don’t get all wilted!
Loved this cilantro lime rice. Simple and tasty. Thanks for the how-to.
This rice is the perfect accompaniment to my Mexican enchiladas, I love it!
This cilantro lime rice is the beesssssssst!
Yum – my favorite rice! Easy and delicious recipe!
What a great recipe to keep on file! This will go great with the enchiladas I am making tonight!
What a great recipe! Loved this with tacos!
I love simple side dishes like this and the fact that it all comes together in one pot. Can’t beat that!
Hope you enjoy! :)
I love eating lime rice on my tacos. I mean, it’s great as a side for a lot of stuff, but that’s my preference.
I love the cilantro-lime combo. I’ll have to try your version soon, because it looks too good not to.