Mexican Rice and Black Beans

Mexican rice in a plate topped with lemon slices served with a spoon on a blue tablecloth.

4.89 from 36 votes

This Mexican rice and black beans is aromatic, satisfying, and packed with flavors! It is a highly versatile recipe that can be served as a main or side dish. This easy one-pot recipe is freezable, making it a great meal prep recipe.

Prep Time5

Cook Time35

Total Time40

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free, Halal, Low Fat, Vegan

Servings: servings

Calories: 227kcal

Author: Meesha

Ingredients

1 medium red onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 cups brown rice rinsed and drained (or white rice, see notes)*
3 cups vegetable broth
1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed (or 1 ½ cups cooked beans)
1 14 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes or salsa/regular diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder optional, for heat
½ teaspoon salt or to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

On stovetop

Heat up a tablespoon of neutral tasting oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once pot is heated, add in onion and saute for 3-4 minutes, or until translucent. Next, add in garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add rinsed rice and toast until grains turn slightly browned, about 6-8 minutes. Add in broth, black beans, diced tomato, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and salt. Give it a good stir and bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
Place the lid on and cook on low heat for 35-45 minutes, or until rice is tender and most of the broth has been absorbed. Do not stir or lift the lid while cooking.
Allow cooked rice to rest for 10 minutes, then fluff it up with a fork.

In Instant pot

Set pot to saute mode and heat up a tablespoon of neutral tasting oil. Once pot is heated, toss in onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add in garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes.
Now, add in rice and toast them for 6-8 minutes, or until they are lightly browned. You can now add in broth, chili powder, cumin, paprika and salt. Give it a good stir. Lastly, add in diced tomatoes and do not mix it!
Cancel saute mode and place the lid on. Set it to cook at high pressure for 24 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let the gas release naturally for 10 minutes, before manually releasing the remaining pressure.

Notes

*Rice - You can replace it with medium or long-grain white rice. Reduce cooking time to 15-20 minutes.

Helpful tips

Do not lift the lid or stir while cooking - Doing so will cause steam to escape, yielding undercooked rice. I highly recommend only checking it during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Make it spice-free - Omit the chili powder.
Instant pot version - Using the saute mode, cook onion, garlic, rice, and spices as instructed. Add the rest of the ingredients, with diced tomatoes being added last. DO NOT stir. Cook at high pressure for 25 minutes.

Storing - Leftover rice and beans can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3 months. Allow frozen rice to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheating - You can reheat rice in the microwave or on the stove. If the mixture looks dry, add a splash of water.

Nutrition