Arroz Verde (Mexican Green Rice)

This aromatic arroz verde is perfect alongside seafood, braises, and grilled vegetables.

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

In This Recipe

Why It Works

• Gently cooking the garlic, onion, and serranos in oil confit-style softens their sharpness. It also infuses the fat with heat and aromatic depth, building a flavorful backbone for the rice.
• Frying the uncooked rice grains in the infused oil before adding liquid develops a warm, toasty flavor and helps the grains stay separate.
• Blending epazote, cilantro, and parsley creates a bright, layered herb flavor that’s both fresh and earthy.

When most people think of Mexican rice, their minds go straight to arroz rojo, the beloved red tomato-tinged version that appears alongside dishes like enchiladas and pollo asado. Arroz verde, green rice—its verdant, slightly more mysterious cousin—often flies under the radar. Traditionally, its color and flavor come from green chiles like poblanos or jalapeños, green herbs, and/or leafy greens like spinach, but it’s a wonderfully flexible dish that happily accepts whatever flavorful greenery is in your crisper drawer. Mint, dill, basil, scallions—anything aromatic, fresh, or floppy from last week’s farmers market haul has potential.

In my recipe for arroz verde below, I lean into equal parts cilantro, parsley, and epazote, which together create a flavor profile that’s fresh, grassy, and faintly earthy. Serranos bring a cleaner, sharper heat than the milder poblanos or jalapeños often used in arroz verde, but they stop well short of overpowering the rest of the meal. A squeeze of lime at the table brightens everything, giving the rice a citrusy finish that keeps each bite lively.

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

Building Rich Flavor in the Rice

A key step in both red and green Mexican rice is frying the uncooked grains in oil. This does two things: It seasons the rice with a warm, toasty foundation and helps prevent the dreaded mush factor. In this green version, I take the flavor-building a step further by first slowly cooking onion, garlic, and serranos in oil. This low-and-slow confit method mellows their raw edge, transforming the onion and garlic into something sweet and jammy while letting the chiles infuse the oil with a fragrant heat. Once softened, they’re blended with the fresh herbs and a splash of broth to create an electric-green purée that serves as the flavorful base of the dish.

Putting It All Together

The rice is fried directly in that now-aromatic oil until the grains turn crisp and lightly golden. Continuous stirring while toasting the rice is essential to coax each grain into its best self and to avoid clumping and scorching. After the rice is toasted, the blended herb mixture is added to it. When the green purée hits the pan, move quickly: You want to quickly stir and coat the rice evenly without over-cooking the purée, which can dull its brightness and mute the herbal freshness.

Serious Eats / Lorena Masso

From here, the ratio of rice to liquid is what ensures fluffy, fully cooked grains. This recipe uses a 1:1.5 ratio (1 cup rice to 1 1/2 cups total liquid), which helps the rice absorb flavor without becoming waterlogged. Once the mixture comes to a simmer and the rice has absorbed most of the liquid, the most important step is letting it rest off the heat. Leaving the rice covered for 10 to 20 minutes allows residual steam to gently and evenly finish cooking the grains. Resist the temptation to peek: You want every bit of trapped steam to absorb into the rice.

Arroz verde is an adaptable side dish. Its mild herbal flavor pairs well with delicate foods such as seafood or braised vegetables, but I don’t limit it to Mexican menus. It pairs just as well with curries, stir-fried meats, roasted chicken, and saucy braises. Wherever you’d typically reach for plain rice, this bright, green, aromatic version adds a little more personality.

Keep Screen Awake

1/4 cup (60 ml) neutral oil such as canola oil

1/2 medium white onion (4 ounces; 113 g), chopped

2 to 3 serrano peppers (30 g), stemmed and cut into 1-inch segments

3 medium cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 cups (360 ml) homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, divided

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh epazote leaves (optional, see note)

1 cup (200 g) long-grain white rice, rinsed and dried

Kosher salt

Lime wedges, for serving

In a medium Dutch oven or saucepan, heat oil over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add onion, serranos, and garlic. Cook until ingredients soften, about 8 minutes.

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Using a slotted spoon, transfer solids to a blender. Add 1/2 cup (120 ml) broth, cilantro, parsley, and epazote, if using. Blend on high until smooth. Season to taste with salt and set aside.

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Reheat remaining oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains are lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Add blended mixture to rice and stir to coat.

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Add remaining 1 cup (240 ml) stock or broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Using a wooden spatula, scrape the bottom of the pan multiple times to ensure no rice is stuck. Cover and simmer until liquid is no longer visible on surface of rice, minimal steam is being generated, and rice has a noticeable "cooked" smell, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove from heat and rest, covered, at least 10 minutes or up to 20 minutes. Don’t uncover or agitate the rice while resting.

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Fluff the rice with a fork. Season with salt to taste and serve with lime wedges.

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Special Equipment

Medium saucepan or Dutch oven with lid, blender

Notes

Epazote is a Mexican herb with an earthy, minty flavor profile. If you can’t find it, you can increase the amount of cilantro or parsley to a full cup.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The herbal flavor of the rice is best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
615	Calories
57g	Fat
24g	Carbs
4g	Protein

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Nutrition Facts Servings: 4 Amount per serving Calories 615 % Daily Value* 57g 74% Saturated Fat 4g 20% 2mg 1% 179mg 8% 24g 9% Dietary Fiber 3g 10% Total Sugars 4g 4g Vitamin C 27mg 137% Calcium 48mg 4% Iron 2mg 10% Potassium 294mg 6% *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)