Rice cooker cilantro lime rice is a delicious, classic Latin side dish for tacos, burritos, fajitas, and our Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans. Tastes just like Chipotle's cilantro lime rice also!
Why You Will Love This Recipe
This recipe for rice cooker cilantro lime rice is a great way to add a burst of flavor and excitement to your meals. The fresh chopped cilantro, fresh squeezed lime juice, and lime zest give this rice a bright and refreshing flavor.
Cilantro Lime Rice is a popular side dish for Mexican and Latin meals, but is great as a side with a variety of other dishes. It's also:
- Super Easy! Just rinse the rice, add ingredients, and hit a button!
- Delicious. Cilantro lime rice is a classic Latin and Asian favorite.
- Copycat recipe for Chipotle's cilantro lime rice!
- Versatile. You can use leftover rice for many other meals, or freeze for meal prepping.
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Rice Cooker Cilantro Lime Rice Ingredients
- How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice In A Rice Cooker
- What Goes With Cilantro Lime Rice
- Related Recipes
- Substitutions and Variations
- Equipment
- Storage and Reheating
- Tips for Success
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Food Safety
- Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
- 📖 Recipe
- Connect with Smells Like Delish!
Rice Cooker Cilantro Lime Rice Ingredients
You can use any long grain rice, but white basmati rice gives you the fluffiest results. Don't forget to rinse the rice. It's an extra step, but it ensures all the starch is off the rice, preventing sticky or clumpy rice.
Be sure to use fresh lime juice and lime zest, as well as fresh chopped cilantro for the very best flavor. Cilantro loses it's flavor when cooked, so you add it last after the rice has been cooked.
- Basmati white rice - or any long grain rice.
- Vegetable Oil
- Salt
- Water
- Cilantro - chopped.
- Lime Zest - zest first so that the lime is easier to juice.
- Lime Juice - fresh squeezed lime juice is best.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice In A Rice Cooker
This copycat Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice recipe is made in a rice cooker, which makes it easy to get perfect rice every time. The rice is cooked in water and then fluffed with a fork and seasoned with fresh cilantro, fresh squeezed lime juice, and fresh lime zest.
Cook The Rice
- Rinse the long grain rice until it the water runs clear, and the starch has washed off. Drain in a colander.
- Add the rinsed rice, oil, salt, and water to the rice cooker pot.
- Cook in the rice cooker using the white rice setting.
PRO TIP: Some rice cookers have a 'brown rice' cook setting. You can use it to automatically cook brown basmati rice for this recipe also. Otherwise, brown basmati rice will need about 10 minutes additional cooking time.
Season The Cooked Rice
- Coarsely chop the fresh cilantro and zest a lime.
- Transfer the cooked rice to a large bowl and fluff.
- Add the chopped cilantro, lime juice and zest to the fluffed white rice.
Fluff The Cilantro Lime Rice
- Combine the fluffed rice to distribute the chopped cilantro, lime juice, and lime zest. Serve immediately.
What Goes With Cilantro Lime Rice
Serve rice cooker cilantro lime rice as a side dish for a variety of dishes, including Mexican food, Asian food, and even just plain grilled chicken, steak, or fish.
You can also use it as a base for entree salads or rice bowls with your choice of protein and toppings. We have some great recipes this rice cooker cilantro lime rice is perfect for:
- Adobo Chicken Liver
- Chili's Steak Fajitas
- Lime Marinated Flat Iron Steak
- Cuban Chicken Fricassee
- Chicken Mozambique
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Related Recipes
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few easy substitutions and variations using this cilantro lime rice cooker recipe:
- Stove Top Cilantro Lime Rice - Cook the basmati rice in a pot on the stove according to the directions on the label. Once it’s ready, toss with the oil, cilantro, lime zest, and salt.
- Use brown basmati rice - Cooking time may increase by 5 to 10 minutes. Many rice cookers have a 'brown rice' setting also!
- Don't like cilantro? - Use another fresh herb like parsley or sweet basil. It won't be 'cilantro lime rice', but it will still be delicious!
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this cilantro lime rice (rice cooker) recipe.
- Aroma Rice Cooker Selections On Amazon - This listing shows the range of Aroma Rice Cooker models, sizes, and capacities. You can find a basic model that is under $20, to jazzed up with bells and whistles models that cost up to $129. From small capacity to large capacity, even multi function, Aroma has the rice cooker for most any family.
- Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker, 5.5-Cup, White - When I was living in the Philippines and Korea, this type of rice cooker was more commn, as families consumed much more rice on a daily basis. This is the 'rice cooker Cadillac".
- Microplane - to zest the lime.
For more step by step rice cooker instructions for brown basmati rice, see our Aroma Rice Cooker Instructions post.
Storage and Reheating
- Cooked rice can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To freeze cooked rice, spread it out in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze for 1-2 hours. Once the rice is frozen, transfer it to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Reheat the rice in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, or until warmed through. You may need to stir and add another 2 minutes if you're reheating a larger quantity.
Tips for Success
- Memorize this water to rice ratio and you'll have perfect rice every time! Aroma rice cookers recommends using a 1:1.33 ratio of rice to water, which means for every 1 cup of rice you need 1 ⅓ cup of water.
- See our Aroma Rice Cooker Instructions for making any type of rice in a rice cooker.
- Rinse the rice before cooking. This will help to remove any excess starch and make the rice less sticky.
- Use fresh herbs. Cilantro and lime are the key ingredients in this recipe, so make sure to use fresh herbs for the best flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make this recipe in a pot on the stove. First, bring the water to a boil before adding the rice. Then, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Follow the same instructions for fluffing and combining with the chopped cilantro, lime juice, and lime zest.
Yes, cilantro lime rice is a healthy and delicious side dish that can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet.
This rice is a great side dish for a variety of dishes, including Mexican food, Asian food, and even just plain grilled chicken or fish. You can also use it as a base for salads or bowls.
Rice cookers come with their own measuring cup, and with lines indented in the cooker bowl for the water. The 'cup' measurement that comes with rice cookers is only ¾ cup, and the water lines are in full cup increments.
Aroma rice cookers recommends using a 1:1.33 ratio of rice to water, which means for every 1 cup of rice you need 1 ⅓ cup of water. If you want a softer rice texture, less al dente, use 1:1.5, or 1 ½ cup water for every cup of rice.
I wondered that also. It seams that rice cookers don't much of the water escape, so you need less. Using the stove top ratio of 1:1.75 will give you mushy rice in most rice cookers though. Use 1¾ cups of water for every 1 cup of long-grain rice or 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of short-grain rice when cooking rice in on the stove top.
Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love
📖 Recipe
Cilantro Lime Rice (Rice Cooker)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati rice or any long grain rice
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ cup water
- ¼ cup cilantro fresh chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime zest fresh
- 2 tablespoon lime juice fresh
Instructions
- Rinse the long grain rice until it the water runs clear, and the starch has washed off. Drain in a colander.
- Add the rinsed rice, oil, salt, and water to the rice cooker pot.1 cup Basmati rice, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1½ cup water
- Cook in the rice cooker using the white rice setting.
- Coarsely chop the fresh cilantro. Juice and zest a lime.
- Transfer the cooked rice to a large bowl and fluff.
- Add the chopped cilantro, lime juice and zest to the fluffed white rice.¼ cup cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime zest, 2 tablespoon lime juice
- Combine the fluffed rice to distribute the chopped cilantro, lime juice, and lime zest. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Memorize this water to rice ratio and you'll have perfect rice every time! The water to rice ratio is 1 ½ cups water for every 1 cup white rice. Simply multiply the cups of rice by 1.5 to find the water quantity. If you're making 2 cups rice, use 3 cups water.
- See our Aroma Rice Cooker Instructions for making any type of rice in a rice cooker.
- Rinse the rice before cooking. This will help to remove any excess starch and make the rice less sticky.
- Use fresh herbs. Cilantro and lime are the key ingredients in this recipe, so make sure to use fresh herbs for the best flavor.
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