I live for Mexican food, and this easy taco rice is one of my favorite Mexican side dishes to prepare when I’m serving tacos, burritos, or enchiladas to my family. It’s a little spicy, a little sweet (thanks to the corn), and totally delicious!

rice with corn and taco flavor

How to Make Taco Rice

While I’m a fan of traditional Spanish rice, my husband is sensitive to tomato sauce. It’s why I often make this easy taco rice. It’s one of my favorite Mexican side dishes.

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To make this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

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  • butter
  • long grain white rice
  • chicken broth
  • Southwest corn with poblano and red peppers (I get Del Monte Brand)
  • mild chopped green chiles
  • chili powder
  • cumin
  • garlic powder
  • dried oregano
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • fresh cilantro, chopped
rice with taco seasoning and corn

First, melt your butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Next, add the rice and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Stir in the remaining ingredients through the black pepper, and bring it to a boil.

Cover and reduce the heat. Simmer your taco rice for 15 to 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Remove for the heat and allow to sit covered for 5 minutes.

Stir in the fresh cilantro (unless you’re one of those folks who doesn’t like cilantro). and enjoy! This is truly one of the best side dishes for tacos!

If easy recipes are your thing, don’t miss my Mexican spaghetti and this amazing cheesy cauliflower casserole while you’re here!

Mexican Side Dish for Tacos, Burritos, and Bowls

As I mentioned, I usually make this tasty taco rice as a side dish for tacos, burritos, or enchiladas.

You can even use this rice as a filling for your tacos or burritos.

My kids are not huge fans of the texture of meat, so, I often add this rice to a flour tortilla along with some cheese. It’s a great vegetarian side dish that tastes amazing.

You can also use this taco rice as an ingredient for burrito bowls.

Add some shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, cheese, avocado or sour cream to complete the bowl.

My friend Stacie’s slow cooker black beans would also taste amazing paired with this taco rice.

More Easy Recipes

4.41 from 175 ratings

Easy Taco Rice

Author: Crissy Page
Servings: 6 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
This delicious corn rice medley is a wonderful side dish, but also works well as a filling for tacos or burritos.

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup long grain rice
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 15.25 ounce can Southwest corn with poblano and red peppers
  • 1 4-ounce can mild chopped green chiles
  • ยผ teaspoon chili powder
  • ยผ teaspoon cumin
  • ยผ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ยผ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ยผ teaspoon salt
  • ยผ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions
 

  • In a large saucepan, over medium heat melt the butter.
  • Add the rice and cook for about 2 minutes, stir frequently.
  • Stir in the remaining ingredients through the black pepper, bring to a boil.
  • Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Remove for the heat and allow to sit covered for 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the cilantro and enjoy!

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Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 cup | Calories: 91kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 432mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g
Nutrition values are estimates, sourced from an online nutrition calculator. This information should never be considered a substitute for medical advice. Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Course: Side Dishes
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: corn chile rice, easy taco rice, mexican rice, taco rice

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4.41 from 175 votes (175 ratings without comment)

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15 Comments

  1. Donna Conroy says:

    Looks nice and easy and a side dish for tortillas!

    Thanks. Look forward to your easy recipes!

    1. Crissy Page says:

      It is very easy and yummy. Thanks for commenting, Donna!

  2. My mother makes something like this but she puts cooked ground beef in hers. Some times she uses the same ingredients but uses taco powder for flavor. She then serves in tacos, burritos, or a bowl. I have tweaked it to add chicken strips to my recipe.

    1. Crissy Page says:

      The addition of chicken strips sounds really good, as does the ground beef!

    2. This recipe is amazing and I will make it over and over again! I swapped the rice for quinoa and it turned out amazing. Paired with Gardeins beefless ground for delicious vegetarian taco meal.

  3. I made this today…itโ€™s really tasty! ย I needed something without tomatoes, and this is great. ย Thanks for the recipe. ย 

  4. OMG! Thank you! This was the best rice. My picky 15 year old son loved it.ย 

  5. Kelli Bailey says:

    I can’t wait to make this but wanted to know if you drain the can of corn, or leave in the liquid.

  6. Arden prowse says:

    Hi I was going to try this for the first time but wasnโ€™t sure if you washed your rice before you made this or not? I want to make it rightย 

  7. This was delicious. I stirred in some chopped green onions after the rice was done. It was great inside the tacos and on the side. I think this would go well as a side with grilled chicken or steak too.

  8. Have you ever made this a crockpot?

  9. I’ve made this several times but with a few tweeks… Like I start with pan frying a half of a white onion and once translucent, I add all my spices to the hot pan. After about a minute, I add the rice and cook that for 2 minutes. This way, the spices heat up and cover the rice.
    I also use Better than Bullion and water instead of broth.
    Whatever way you choose to make this, it will turn out amazing!
    Happy cooking people!

  10. Trendon M. Encinas says:

    I made this for my family last night. I usually make spanish rice for side rice dishes but wanted to try something different. This was really good and tasty! The whole family loved it. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

    1. Crissy Page says:

      Yay, glad you liked it!

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