Cilantro Lime Rice

Cilantro Lime Rice is an easy way to turn plain white rice into a flavorful side dish for tacos, bowls, and saucy dinners. It’s light, simple, and finished at the end so the lime and cilantro taste fresh. Make it on the stovetop or in your rice cooker.

This cilantro lime rice recipe is the kind of side that works when you want rice, but you don’t want it to taste plain. I like it with Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Chicken, Cilantro Lime Chicken, Peruvian Chicken, or as the base for Salmon Bowls. For a vegetable-based option with the same cilantro and lime flavor, try my Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Simple ingredients: Lime, garlic, and cilantro add a lot of flavor without making the recipe complicated.
• Fluffy rice: Rinsing the rice first and letting it rest after cooking helps keep the grains light and separate.
• Works with more than tacos: Use it as a side dish, bowl base, or meal prep rice for chicken, shrimp, salmon, steak, pork, curry, teriyaki, and taco-style dinners.
• Stovetop or rice cooker friendly: I make the rice in a saucepan, but you can also cook the rice in a rice cooker and stir in the lime, garlic, and cilantro at the end.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Grab the exact ingredient amounts from the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Long-grain white rice: This is my first choice because it cooks up light and separate. Jasmine rice or basmati rice can also work.
• Water or low-sodium chicken broth: Water keeps the rice simple. Chicken broth gives it a more savory flavor, which works well with tacos, bowls, and grilled meats.
• Olive oil or butter: Olive oil keeps the flavor lighter. Butter makes the rice taste a little richer.
• Sea salt: Salt helps the lime and cilantro stand out. If the rice tastes flat, it usually needs a little more salt or lime juice.
• Fresh garlic: I stir it in after cooking so the flavor doesn’t get lost. For a softer garlic flavor, sauté it in the oil before adding the rice and liquid.
• Lime zest: This gives the rice more lime flavor without making it too sour.
• Fresh lime juice: Fresh lime juice tastes best. Bottled lime juice works in a pinch, but start with less because it can taste sharper.
• Fresh cilantro: Stir it in after the rice cooks so it stays green and doesn’t lose its flavor.

How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice

Rinse the rice

Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. I use a mesh strainer for this. That step works perfectly to remove extra starch and help keep the rice from turning gummy.

Cook the rice

Add the rinsed rice, water or broth, oil or butter, and salt to a saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and keep the pan covered while the rice cooks. Try not to lift the lid too much because the steam helps cook the rice evenly.

Prep the lime, garlic, and cilantro

While the rice cooks, zest and juice the lime, mince the garlic, and chop the cilantro. That way, everything is ready when the rice is done.

Rest, fluff, and finish

After the rice cooks, let it sit covered before fluffing it with a fork. Then stir in the garlic, lime zest, lime juice, and cilantro. Taste and add more salt or lime juice if needed.

How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice in a Rice Cooker

You can make cilantro lime rice in a rice cooker too. Add the rinsed rice, water or broth, oil or butter, and salt to your rice cooker, then cook it the way you normally cook white rice.

Once the rice is done, fluff it first. Then stir in the garlic, lime zest, lime juice, and cilantro. I still add those ingredients at the end because the lime tastes better and the cilantro stays green.

Tips for the Best Cilantro Lime Rice

• Rinse the rice: This removes extra starch so the rice cooks up light instead of sticky.
• Let the rice rest: Keep the rice covered after cooking so the steam can finish the texture before you fluff it.
• Fluff before adding the lime and cilantro: This helps everything mix in without smashing the rice.
• Add the fresh ingredients at the end: Lime juice, lime zest, garlic, and cilantro taste better when they are stirred in after the rice cooks.
• Taste before serving: If the rice tastes flat, add a little more salt or lime juice.
• Use broth for more flavor: Low-sodium chicken broth gives the rice more savory flavor without making the recipe harder.

Easy Variations

• Chipotle-style cilantro lime rice: Add a little extra lime juice and a pinch more salt for a brighter, restaurant-style flavor. Then serve it with my Chipotle Chicken to make a bowl.
• Coconut lime rice: Replace half of the water with coconut milk. This version works well with shrimp, salmon, and curry-style dishes.
• Garlic-forward: Sauté the garlic in the oil or butter before adding the rice and liquid.
• Spicy: Stir in finely diced jalapeño or a pinch of red pepper flakes after cooking.
• Green onion: Add sliced green onions with the cilantro.
• Brown rice: Use more water and cook until tender. Brown rice takes longer than white rice, so follow the timing in the recipe card.
• Oil-free: Skip the oil or butter and use broth so the rice still has flavor.

What to Serve With Cilantro Lime Rice

Cilantro lime rice works well anywhere you’d normally serve plain white rice, especially with meals that are savory, spicy, sweet, or saucy.

For taco night, pair it with Shredded Chicken Tacos, Baked Chicken Tacos, Steak Tacos, or Pork Carnitas. If you’re building a taco plate or taco bowl, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, or Avocado Cream Sauce can add freshness, creaminess, or extra lime flavor.

For bowls, use this rice as a base for Salmon Bowls, Buffalo Chicken Bowls, grilled chicken, Pan Seared Shrimp, steak, or Peruvian Chicken.

This cilantro and lime rice also works well with saucy mains like Red Curry Shrimp, Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken Thighs, or Teriyaki Salmon. The lime and cilantro help balance those sauces without taking over.

Storage and Reheating

• Store: Keep leftover rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freeze: Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
• Reheat: Add a splash of water before reheating. Warm it in the microwave or on the stovetop until heated through.

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