Fragrant and citrussy, this cilantro lime rice can be cooked on the stove top or in a rice cooker! Easy to prepare and no sautéing, this is the perfect side dish for Mexican and Asian recipes.
While I love a nice bowl of perfect, fluffy rice, you can get so creative with the flavors: from saffron rice to coconut rice, a few simple ingredients can really level up the flavors!
This cilantro lime rice is the perfect example of how a few simple ingredients can really take your rice to a whole other level. Fragrant, citrussy, with refreshing cilantro flavor, it is perfect to serve with Mexican or Thai entrées.
Reasons you’ll ♡ cilantro lime rice
- it pairs well with a variety of entrées
- no sautéeing any ingredients means you can cook it quickly on the stove or in the rice cooker
- the rice infuses with so much flavor as it cooks
Recipe video
Watch the video below to see how easy this rice is to cook. You can find more recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
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Ingredient notes
- rice– use long grain white rice; I highly recommend using basmati. If you use long grain brown rice, you’ll need to change the cook time accordingly.
- oil– I’ve used coconut oil, which helps soften the rice and make it fluffy. You may swap for butter.
- lime- to keep the bright, citrussy flavors while avoiding sourness, we are just using the zest of the lime to cook the rice, adding in some fresh lime juice just before serving.
- cooking liquid- the recipe lists water, however you could swap for chicken or vegetable stock for an even more flavorful recipe.
- cilantro- add it just before serving. This keeps the flavors bright and the texture from being soggy and unpleasant.
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Recipe tips
Rinse the rice
Rinsing your rice helps remove extra starch from the surface of the grains, making your rice nice and fluffy. You can rinse it in one of two ways: 1) use a colander and rinse under tap water or 2) BEST- add rice to the pot, cover with water, swirl, carefully decant the water, and repeat 3-4 times, or until the water becomes clear.
Always let your rice rest
In addition to rinsing your rice, it’s crucial to allow the rice to rest after cooking by allowing the moisture to evenly distribute in the pot. After your pot of rice has finished cooking through, transfer to a cold burner and allow to rest (no peeking!) for 10 more minutes, before fluffing with a fork, folding in the cilantro, and serving.
If you are using a rice cooker, the rest period should be built into the cook cycle, so no need to do this.
Storage + Reheating
While rice does have a bad reputation, if handled properly, there should be no food safety issues:
- Get it into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking- do not let it sit at room temperature for too long as this is the temperature at which harmful bacteria can replicate
- Store in an air tight container for up to 4 days
- Reheat until steaming hot
- Do not reheat more than once
Read more about food safety and rice.
Freezing
This rice freezes well, though the cilantro does get soggy. You can freeze it in meal prep containers or in freezer bags (I love these re-usable silicone freezer bags
!). Some people add a little bit of water when re-heating freeze/thawed rice, as it does end up slightly dryer than fresh rice.
Instant Pot
After many trials and tribulations, I finally cracked the code for perfect Instant Pot basmati rice. To make cilantro lime rice in the Instant Pot, add the quantities of lime zest, coconut oil and salt listed in the recipe card in this post, but cut the cooking liquid down to 1 ¼ cups.
What goes well with this recipe?
This recipe is infused with subtle citrus and herb flavors that pair well with Mexican and Asian recipes. Here are some ideas:
- Fajita Chicken Skewers
- Instant Pot Thai Chicken Curry
- Thai Salmon Patties
- Chipotle Chicken Marinade
- Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
More rice recipes
- Instant Pot Wild Rice Pilaf
- Mexican Rice Recipe
- 7 Easy Rice Recipes
- Herb Lemon Rice Recipe
- Pesto Green Rice
- Golden Turmeric Yellow Rice
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice note 1
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil note 2
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 lime zested
- 2 cups water note 3
After cooking
- ½ cup cilantro leaves chopped
- ½ lime juiced
Instructions
Stove Top
- In a medium pot, combine the basmati rice, coconut oil, salt, lime zest and water.
- Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let sit for another 10 minutes before adding the cilantro and lime juice and stirring up.
Rice Cooker
- Spritz your rice cooker insert with some spray oil. Add the basmati rice, coconut oil, salt, lime zest and water.
- Cook using the 'white rice' function (or regular function if there is not a white rice option).
- Once the cook time is up, stir in the cilantro and lime juice before serving.
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Tips:
- fridge- store in an air tight container for up to 4 days
- freezer- store in a meal prep container or sturdy freezer bag (rolled flat) for up to 3 months
Video
Nutrition Information
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Lisa Kelly says
Hi Denise, just wondering if I swap the rice from basmati to jasmine, is the liquid amount of 2 cups still the same?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Lisa, yes you can swap jasmine rice in, but you will probably want to decrease the cooking liquid slightly. I would advise that you check the package to confirm, but I've had success with the ratios listed in this post: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/how-to-cook-rice/ Good luck!
Lisa Kelly says
Thank you so much Denise. That rice post has great info - I'm going to give this a try tonight.
Jasmine @ Sweet Peas & Saffron says
Hi Lisa, we are so glad to hear that you found this post informative! I hope you enjoy, and please come back to let us know how it turns out for you!
Melissa says
Hi Denise,
Do you have recipe changes for brown rice?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Melissa, sorry for my late reply! If you use long grain brown rice, it should be the same liquid ratios, but you'll need to cook for 40 minutes. I also like adding apple cider vinegar to help make it extra fluffy- you can read the full post here: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/how-to-cook-brown-rice/
Full disclosure- I've never made cilantro lime rice with brown rice, if you try could you let me know how it goes for you?
Colby Tait says
If using the instant pot to cook the rice would you use the same rice to water ratio or reduce to 1:1?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Colby! It depends on the type of rice, for basmati I do 1 cup rice 1 1/4 cup water. You can find my basmati rice recipe here: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/instant-pot-basmati-rice/
Jennifer says
The video shows chicken broth but the recipe says water. Is one better?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Jennifer! Stock definitely adds a little boost of flavor, but it's still delicious with water. Hope you enjoy!
Andy says
coconut oil isn't something I generally have sitting around the house. Any suggestions for a substitution?
Denise says
Hi Andy! Just back from holidays, apologies for my late reply. You can leave it out, or you can swap for butter. Hope you enjoy!
Andy Shearer says
coconut oil isn't something I generally have sitting around the house. Any suggestions for a substitution?
Sharon says
Please cut back on the ads on your website. It's reached the point where I can't even get to the recipes.
Denise says
Hi Sharon, there is a "jump to recipe" button that you're free to use at the top of each page. I think you can also agree that the ads are not as bad as most media websites these days. These are free recipes that I'm sharing here. Thanks for your feedback.