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I’m a huge fan of Chipotle’s cilantro lime rice, but my homemade version might actually be a bit better! Loaded with tons of fresh lime zest and punchy cilantro and mingling with fluffy, delicious garlic-scented rice! Perfect for burritos, bowls, and so much more!
We’ve all had Chipotle’s cilantro lime rice before. It’s the perfect side dish to grilled meats, veggies, and stews. Loaded and wrapped up in a giant burrito or topped with all your favorite meat, veggies, and toppings.
But can I be honest?
I’ve always found homemade cilantro lime rice to taste slightly better than Chipotle’s, mainly because I control the amount of fresh lime zest, lime juice, and cilantro that I add. Okay; you got me! It’s all about the garlic!
Just kidddding.
I made this recipe exactly as written, and it was outstanding, now whenever I make fajitas, I make this rice every single time!
Ingredients for cilantro lime rice
- Butter: I like to use a knob of butter to sauté the rice before letting it simmer to oomph it up! It’s elevated in the sense that it becomes a pilaf when you saute the rice in butter (or oil) before simmering.
- Rice: Make sure to rinse the rice under cold running water for several minutes to remove any excess starch. It’s crucial to do this because excess starch will cause the rice grains to stick together.
- Garlic: I use my garlic press to press the garlic cloves. We’ll add them in once the rice is sauteed.
- Seasonings: You’ll certainly need a big pinch of salt. I also like to add in a hint of chicken bouillon here. This helps give the rice a wonderful depth of flavor. We’re not using enough to where the rice is cooked in chicken broth. We’re using just a hint so that it enhances the flavor without overpowering the delicate taste of fresh cilantro. You can also use vegetable bouillon here if you want to keep the recipe vegetarian-friendly.
- Lime Zest + Juice: Fresh lime zest and juice are the backbone of this recipe! I use my fine zester to remove the zest before juicing the limes on my favorite citrus juicer.
- Cilantro: You’ll want to use all the fresh cilantro for this recipe! I like to store my cilantro unwashed in the fridge. When you’re ready to use, wash and dry on a piece of paper towel. You don’t try to chop the cilantro before wiping it dry; it’s a hot mess!
How to make Chipotle’s cilantro lime rice at home
- Sauté the rice. Place the rice in a fine mesh sieve and run the rice under cold running water. Use your hands to help loosen the starch. Keep rinsing until the water runs completely clear. Leave the rice in the sieve and just let it drip any excess moisture in a bowl or the sink. Meanwhile, you want to start heating the butter in a saucepan or saute pan. When the butter is melted, add the rice and saute it until it crackles and pops. Then, add the garlic and give it a quick 30 seconds to heat through.
- Simmer the rice until tender. Once the garlic is fragrant and warmed through, add the water, crumbled bouillon, and salt. Stir just once. You don’t want to stir too much as it’ll cause more of the starch to release from the rice and causing it to be starchy and more like risotto than pilaf! Then allow the mixture to reach a rolling boil, cover, and let the rice cook until tender. Once the water had been absorbed, turn off the heat and, without lifting the lid, let the rice sit covered for a few minutes.
- Fluff and finish. Once the rice has had a chance to rest, add the lime juice, zest, and cilantro and stir to combine. Give the rice another 5 minutes so that it soaks up all the lime juice, and then you’re ready to serve!
FAQs about this recipe
I like this recipe best with parboiled rice. You can also use long-grain white rice here. Unfortunately, I haven’t tested the recipe with brown rice. Though I’m confident it would work, you’ll definitely need more water and closer to 30 minutes of cooking time.
Tender stems from the cilantro are perfect to use because they provide so much flavor and aroma! You want to avoid using the larger, more firm stems here.
Absolutely! You can cut the garlic back to 1 clove if you aren’t a fan or double it up if you want more of a garlic cilantro lime rice!
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to serve this cilantro lime rice.
- Use it as the base in Chicken Tinga bowls
- Perfect to serve alongside ropa vieja with my Cuban-inspired black beans
- Steak fajitas or chicken fajitas in a burrito bowl would be divine
- It would work well as a side for Shrimp Enchiladas in Poblano Cream Sauce
- Yummy as a side for Mexican Shrimp Salad
- I love making chicken carnitas bowls
- If you’re looking for other burrito bowl toppings, here’s how you make pico de Gallo, homemade salsa, the best green sauce, salsa verde, homemade flour tortilla, and pickled onions!
Better Than Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter ghee or oil
- 1 ½ cups parboiled rice or long-grain
- 2 cloves garlic pressed
- 3 cups water
- ½ teaspoon crumbled bouillon cube optional, see notes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- SAUTE: Rinse the rice in a fine mesh sieve under cold running water until the water runs completely clear; about 2-3 minutes. Leave rice in mesh sieve, and set aside. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once melted, add the rice and stir to coat in the butter. Cook, stirring the rice for 1 ½ minutes or until the rice starts to pop and turn translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.
- SIMMER: Add the water, crumbled bouillon, and kosher salt. Stir just once. Then, kick the heat to high, bring to a full rolling boil, cover, and lower heat to low; simmer for 15 minutes (if parboiled) or 18 minutes if long-grain. Remove from heat. Let sit 5 minutes for parboiled; 10 minutes for long-grain.
- FLUFFY AND FINISH: Add the lime zest, juice and cilantro and fluff with a fork for a few seconds so the ingredients all combine evenly. Allow the rice to sit for 5 minutes so it soaks up any remaining lime juice. Serve with crispy chicken carnitas, steak fajitas, or grilled shrimp!
Notes
- vegetarians: swap the chicken bouillon for vegetable bouillon. You can also use a veggie/chicken bouillon paste concentrate instead.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
I made this recipe exactly as written, and it was outstanding, now whenever I make fajitas, I make this rice every single time!
Excellent suggestion to pair with your Firecracker Chicken Meatballs.
The best rice recipe I’ve ever used.
Sounds fantastic! Would you recommend making it in a rice cooker? If so, what changes would you make? I’m planning on making your steak fajitas with this rice this weekend and can’t wait!
Hi Dave! I’ve only tested the recipe as written so not sure about the adjustments you’d need to make for a rice cooker, unfortunately. If you decide to give it a try, I’d love to know how it went for you and any adjustments you may have made. Hope you enjoy both recipes 🙂
Marzia,
Thanks for the response. I’m planning on just following the exact recipe this time and then figure out how to update it for the rice cooker next time. I’ll let you know how it works out!
Marzia, this rice tastes very good! The only problem is, that when I add the lime juice, it becomes too moist. Before I add the juice, the rice is perfect. Can I substitute some water with the lime juice before I start boiling the rice? What would you do?
Thank you !
Hi Anya! I would try boiling the rice with 2 ¾ cup water instead of 3 cups if that’s the case. Add the lime juice and then cover and let the rice sit (end of step 2). Then you can add the lime zest and cilantro as mentioned in step 3. Hope that helps!
Thank you Marzia! I’ll try it next time.
What is parboiled rice?
Love your recipes!! The only problem is I use Yummly to organize my recipes, and as of late your recipes will not save in this app!! Is there something you have changed in the way you put them onto the net?
Hi Linda! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes! Ugh, that’s a bummer. Sorry to hear you’re having issues when saving to the Yummly app. We haven’t made any changes on our end that would impact saves to Yummly. Yummly’s support team might be able to troubleshoot this for you though! Hope that helps!