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Easy Vegan Mexican Rice Recipe

September 14, 2020 by Connie Edwards McGaughy 7 Comments

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Easy Vegan Mexican Rice Recipe 🌶 An easy & delicious plant-based dish made with rice, vibrant veggies, peppers & zesty bright flavor! GF and oil-free option.

easy vegan mexican rice in a pot and bowl

🥕This recipe was updated and renamed 12/29/20.


This easy vegan rice recipe is the ideal, inexpensive dish to accompany most any Mexican or Spanish themed meal. No more making Mexican or Spanish rice from a box! With just a few basic ingredients – rice, onions, peppers, corn, tomatoes, salsa & spices – you can have a batch of this perfectly prepared rice ready in as little as 30 minutes.

I love this recipe. It’s one of those simple go-to’s you can count on whenever you need a quick & tasty side dish. It’s the perfect partner with vegan enchiladas, tacos or a burrito bowl. I like to prepare a batch of vegan Mexican rice to serve with a salad, beans and fresh tortillas. You can also easily turn it into an entree by adding pinto or black beans or vegan burger crumbles.

This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn from purchases at no additional cost to you.

vegan stuffed bell peppers

I love baking my vegan stuffed bell peppers filled with this delicious zesty rice and topping them with vegan pepper jack cheese.

Easy Vegan Mexican Rice in a pot and bowl

How to make easy vegan Mexican rice

Don’t have all the right ingredients on hand? No worries! The beauty of this easy vegan Mexican rice recipe is you can add/substitute or delete ingredients & end up with an absolutely delicious dish. Don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit if needed.

Here are ingredients I used in this recipe with suggested substitutions:

  • Brown rice – substitute with long grain white rice
  • Vegetable broth – substitute with water or water with vegan bouillon
  • Yellow onion – substitute with red or white onion or scallions
  • Red bell pepper – substitute with any variety bell pepper or use jalapeño
  • Corn – fresh, frozen or canned
  • Crushed tomatoes – substitute with canned whole tomatoes pulsed in blender
  • Chunky salsa – any variety
  • Cumin – substitute with coriander or a tiny amount of saffron for a Spanish flavor
  • Chili powder – substitute with paprika
  • Olive oil – use avocado oil, vegetable oil, or no oil (replace with water)
  • Salt & pepper
Aroma Rice Cooker

🥕NOTE: If you prepare rice often, a rice cooker will be your best friend in the kitchen. It’s so convenient. Press the button and voila! Minutes later you’ll have a perfectly steamed pot of rice. No fuss no muss! I’ve had several rice cookers over the years and this stainless steel rice cooker by Aroma is my absolute favorite.

See the full recipe below for complete instructions

  • spanish rice ingredients
  • Aroma Rice Cooker
  • onions and spices in pan
  • onions, peppers, corn & salsa in pan
  • finished spanish rice sauce in pan
  • spanish rice sauce in pan and cooked rice

🥕NOTE: I like to add a small amount of maple syrup or sugar to tomato-based sauces. The sweetness helps cut the acidic taste of the tomatoes and makes the sauce even richer in flavor.

sauce for spanish rice and cooked rice

Once everything is done cooking, simply combine the sauce with the rice and it’s ready to serve. Just as easy as that! Store leftovers (if there are any) in the fridge in an airtight container up to 3 days & in the freezer for a month.

Did you enjoy this recipe? If so, you’ll love these easy & delish dishes!

  • Easy Garden Fresh Gazpacho
  • Fresh & Easy Watermelon Pico de Gallo
  • Easy Vegan Potato Enchilada Casserole
  • Southwestern Quinoa Salad
  • Easy Cheesy Vegan Pepper Poppers
Yum

very vegan 🌱 very good

best vegan spanish rice in pot and bowl

Easy Vegan Mexican Rice Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 164kcal
Author: Connie 🥕
Easy Vegan Mexican Rice Recipe 🌶 An easy & delicious healthy plant-based dish made with brown rice, vibrant veggies, peppers & zesty bright flavor! Gluten-free and oil-free option.
Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Rice cooker or 4 qt (or larger) covered sauce pan
  • large skillet
  • Measuring cup
  • Measuring spoons
  • Cutting board
  • kitchen knife
  • Mesh strainer

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown rice long grain – uncooked
  • 2 cups vegetable broth or water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil see notes below for oil-free option
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 1/4 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1 medium red bell pepper seeded & diced
  • 1/2 cup corn kernels fresh, frozen or canned (drained)
  • 3 tbsp salsa chunky
  • 15 oz tomatoes canned crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

Instructions

  • Prepare rice according to package ingredients. Use broth for liquid.
  • While rice is steaming, prepare sauce.
  • Pour 2 tbsp olive oil in skillet. Place on stove over medium heat.
  • Add diced onions to skillet. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
  • Add cumin & chili powder to onions.
  • Add diced peppers, corn and salsa. Stir to combine and allow to sauté until just tender.
  • Add crushed tomatoes and maple syrup. Stir. Reduce heat to low and allow to thicken while rice is steaming. Stir frequently, don't let it burn.
  • Add salt & pepper to taste.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Once rice is ready, add rice to sauce in skillet or transfer all to a large mixing bowl. Stir rice and sauce until thoroughly combined.
  • Enjoy while hot or allow to cool and transfer to an airtight container until ready to serve. Rice may be reheated in a microwave-safe dish in microwave or in a saucepan on a stove top over medium-low heat. Be sure to stir frequently so it doesn't burn on the bottom of pan.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

🥕This recipe can be prepared oil-free. Simply omit oil and sauté onions and veggies in water or vegetable broth. Begin by using 2 tbsp and add more as needed. Stir veggies frequently to prevent them from burning.
🥕Prepare rice according to package directions. While I highly recommend using a rice cooker, you can make rice with a covered saucepan on the stove top. I suggest rinsing rice under cold water prior to cooking, as it removes the surface starch which can make rice gummy. I use a fine mesh strainer to rinse rice. 
🥕If you don’t have crushed tomatoes, use canned diced or whole tomatoes and pulse them a few times in a blender or food processor.
🥕I like to use a small amount of maple syrup or sugar in tomato-based sauces. The sweetness of the syrup helps cut the acidic flavor of the tomatoes.
🥕Serve with extra salsa or pico de gallo. 
🥕This recipe was updated & renamed 12/29/20

Nutrition

Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 362mg | Potassium: 284mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1112IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe? I love to see your photos!Mention @thecarrotunderground or tag #thecarrotunderground!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, please consider rating it using stars in the comments below. It helps other readers and allows more people to find it online. I love hearing from you! Let’s keep in touch!

Filed Under: casserole, Dinner, Entree, gluten-free, Homepage Slideshow, Lunch, Main Dish, Plant Based, Potluck, Side Dish, Vegan Dinner Recipes, Vegan Entrees, Vegan Recipes, WFPB, WFPB oil-free, Whole Food Plant Based Tagged With: best easy vegan spanish rice recipe, best vegan spanish rice recipe, easy vegan mexican rice, easy vegan spanish rice, healthy spanish rice, healthy vegan spanish rice, how to make vegan spanish rice, plant based spanish rice, quick vegan spanish rice, spanish rice no oil, spanish rice with corn, vegan mexican rice, vegan spanish rice, vegan spanish rice in rice cooker, vegan spanish rice with brown rice, vegan spanish rice with peppers

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Connie Edwards McGaughy

    December 4, 2020 at 10:09 pm

    5 stars
    An easy & delicious zesty side dish to accompany tacos, enchiladas, fajitas or any Southwestern inspired meal! 🌱🌶

    Reply
  2. Heather

    December 17, 2020 at 5:35 pm

    5 stars
    I made this tonight–easy and delicious! Thanks for a great recipe! Instead of corn and peppers, I added a cup of frozen spinach…flavour and level of spiciness were perfect! I, too, have that stainless steel rice cooker and I love it. Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Connie Edwards McGaughy

      December 17, 2020 at 6:08 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it Heather! The addition of spinach sounds delish! Isn’t that rice cooker just the best? We use ours constantly. Thanks for sharing! 💚🥕

      Reply
  3. Miranda

    February 7, 2021 at 4:10 pm

    5 stars
    Made this along with fajitas last night, the rice was delicious! Flavorful, good texture with the veggies, would make again 🙂

    Reply
    • Connie Edwards McGaughy

      February 7, 2021 at 5:12 pm

      Hi Miranda! So glad you enjoyed the rice with your fajitas. Sounds like a perfect meal to me. Thanks a bunch!💚🥕

      Reply
  4. Carolyn

    April 7, 2021 at 7:05 pm

    5 stars
    GREAT recipe!! We are going to a taco bar dinner, since we are plant based I wanted to bring something besides beans to put on ours. I have never been a fan of Spanish Rice but that changed today!! Wow what a recipe!

    Reply
    • Connie Edwards McGaughy

      April 7, 2021 at 7:12 pm

      Carolyn – you just put a huge smile on my face! So glad you love the recipe & I bet you’ll have the tastiest tacos of all! Thanks for sharing!💚🥕

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Connie,

I created The Carrot Underground as your place to find easy & delicious recipes and inspiration for enjoying the goodness of vegan living. I love transforming and elevating favorite traditional recipes into scrumptiously satisfying plant-based dishes that everyone will love - vegans and non-vegans alike. I know you will too! Learn more about my story here.

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