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    You are here: Home / Recipes / Sides / Cilantro Lime Rice

    Cilantro Lime Rice

    Posted: Mar 25, 2021 Last Modified: Mar 22, 2021 by Carmy

    • 1
    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This zesty Cilantro Lime Rice, inspired by Chipotle’s, is a bright and flavourful side dish perfect for any meal! Make this for this week’s meal prep or for dinner tonight!

    As someone who eats a ton of rice on a regular basis, it’s always nice to change things up! Cilantro lime rice has been a fun go-to lately, especially when I’ve got a bunch of cilantro hanging out in the fridge for food styling purposes haha.

    A white plate with chipotle chicken, caramelized corn, and cilantro lime rice.

    Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    • It’s just like Chipotle’s! I’m a Chipotle fan-girl. When I worked across the street from one of the locations, I would go weekly. Since moving, I’ve had to make my own cilantro lime rice because I missed it so much!
    • It’s super easy. Just toast your rice then simmer the rice on the stove top. That’s it! Make it at home in a jiffy!
    • It’s meal prep and freezer friendly. This cilantro lime rice is meal prep friendly since you can store it for up to 5 days and if you don’t want to eat it all? Freeze it!

    What You’ll Need

    Ingredients for cilantro lime rice.
    • olive oil
    • long grain rice — I love using basmati rice for cilantro lime rice.
    • garlic
    • bay leaves
    • lime — we’re using both the zest and juice!
    • salt
    • cilantro

    How to Make Chipotle’s Cilantro Lime Rice At Home

    • Rice inside of a pot.
    • A pot with rice, lime zest, garlic, and bay leaves.
    • Rinse the rice and drain the water. I like running it through a fine mesh sieve or you can wash the rice in the pot.
    • Heat olive oil up in a small pot with olive oil on medium heat and lightly toast the rice, stirring it for 1-2 minutes.
    • Add in the garlic, bay leaves, and lime zest and stir for another minutes.
    • Add the water into the pot and bring the pot of rice up to a boil before lower the heat to a simmer.
    • Allow the rice to simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on and then remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes, still covered.
    • Fluff with a fork and stir in the lime juice and cilantro.
    Cilantro lime rice in a pot.

    Tips and Notes

    • It’s important to keep the lid on the rice, even when the heat is off. It mimics how the rice cooker holds onto the steam near the end to finish off the rice.
    • You can use both the cilantro soft stem alongside the leaves or just the leaves itself. It’s up to you.
    • For more flavour, you can use a stock instead of water when cooking the rice.

    Make Ahead Tips

    • Meal prep: store the cooked rice in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave with a splash of water until heated through.
    • Freezer: allow the rice to cool and then transfer it into an airtight container before storing them in the freezer. Frozen rice can be directly added to hot dishes like soups and stews. Alternatively, thaw the rice in the fridge overnight before microwaving it throughly.

    What to Serve with Cilantro Lime Rice

    Here are some ideas of what you can serve with homemade cilantro lime rice!

    • Chipotle Chicken Thighs (pictured above)
    • Freezer Steak Burritos
    • Instant Pot Carnitas
    • Freezer Chicken Burritos
    • Taco Bowl Meal Prep
    • Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos with Mango Salsa and Lime Crema
    • Healthy Turkey Taco Meal Prep Bowl
    Cilantro lime rice in a pot.

    Cilantro Lime Rice

    This zesty Cilantro Lime Rice, inspired by Chipotle’s, is a bright and flavourful side dish perfect for any meal! Make this for this week’s meal prep or for dinner tonight!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 5 mins
    Cook Time: 15 mins
    Resting Time: 10 mins
    Total Time: 30 mins
    Servings: 3 servings

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup long grain rice, basmati rice
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 lime, zest and juiced
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 2 cups water, or stock
    • 1½ cup cilantro

    Instructions

    • Rinse the rice and drain the water. I like running it through a fine mesh sieve or you can wash the rice in the pot.
    • Heat olive oil up in a small pot with olive oil on medium heat and lightly toast the rice, stirring it for 1-2 minutes.
    • Add in the garlic, bay leaves, and lime zest and stir for another minutes.
    • Add the water into the pot and bring the pot of rice up to a boil before lower the heat to a simmer.
    • Allow the rice to simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on and then remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes, still covered.
    • Fluff with a fork and stir in the lime juice and cilantro.

    Notes

    • Recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. 
    Tried this recipe?Did you make this recipe? I’m always so happy to hear about it! I’d love to see how it turned out. Tag me at @CarmysHungry on Instagram so I can see it! If you enjoyed the recipe, I’d really appreciate a comment with a 5 star rating! ♥

    Nutrition

    Serving: 3servings | Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 403mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 540IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1mg
    Authour: Carmy
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Healthy

    Want To Try Another Type of Rice?

    • Korean Purple Rice
    • Coconut Rice
    • Instant Pot Coconut Rice
    • Instant Pot Sushi Rice
    • Wild Rice
    • Lemon Garlic Rice

    Other places to connect with me
    @carmyshungry on Instagram
    Facebook
    Shop my Amazon faves
    Email: [email protected]

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    Comments

    1. Steve

      March 27, 2021 at 8:43 am

      5 stars
      I love Chipotles Cilantro Lime rice, I need to try this recipe. Now that grilling season is back, this looks like the perfect side dish. Thanks

      Reply

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    meet carmy

    Carmy is a healthy-ish living blogger based in Toronto. Here you can find healthy-ish meal prep recipes, Instant Pot recipes, and lightened up family favourites! Follow along on as she shares what she learns along the way!

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