Cuban white rice, or arroz blanco, should be fluffy, tender and perfectly seasoned—with every grain separate, never wet or mushy.
It sounds simple, but getting white rice just right comes down to a few important things: rinsing the rice, using the right water-to-rice ratio, seasoning the cooking water and knowing when to lower the heat.
This is the white rice we make to serve alongside everything from Picadillo and Fricase de Pollo to Camarones Enchilados and Vaca Frita. Once you get the method down, it’s one of those recipes you’ll make without even thinking about it.The Perfect White Rice is one of the most underrated things in cooking. Most of the time, we are so focused on getting the entree recipe right, that is it easy to just glaze over our rice. It is an understandable mistake. But it is a mistake, nonetheless.
White rice may be simple, but the little details make all the difference. Come cook with us on YouTube, where we walk you through exactly how we make fluffy Cuban white rice—from rinsing the grains to getting the water ratio right and knowing when it’s ready to fluff.
Jump to RecipeWATCH THE FULL WHITE RICE RECIPE →
5 Secrets to Perfect Cuban White Rice
A good fluffy white rice, is a chef’s secret to making the dish out of this world fantastic. You can spend all the time in the world slaving away on the perfect Camarones Enchilados or Garbanzos Fritos, but if your rice is gooey or over cooked, the dish won’t be what it could have been.
1. Rinse your rice.
Rinsing the rice under cool running water until the water begins to run clear will make a big difference when cooking rice on the stovetop. This removes excess surface starch and helps keep the finished rice from becoming gummy.
2. Don’t use too much water.
For this recipe, we use 1¼ cups water for every 1 cup of rice. Too much water is one of the quickest ways to end up with mushy rice.
3. Season the water before you cook not the finished rice.
Add your oil and salt to the boiling water and taste it before adding the rice. We always say if the water tastes good, the rice will taste good.
4. Once you lower the heat, leave it alone.
Make sure the pot is sealed and don’t touch it for at least 12 minutes.
5. Fluff with a fork.
Always use a fork to fluff the rice, never a spoon.
Bonus: Add a little butter, mix it in, and let it rest for 5 before serving if you want it to be extra delicious!
Why White Rice Is a Cuban Kitchen Essential
In our Cuban household, white rice was served with every dish. We wouldn’t call it a side as much as it is just assumed to be part of the meal. It’s the perfect vessel for the sauce from a fricase or to be the foundation to a picadillo with juevo frito on top.
It’s a simple humble food. It doesn’t want to be the star of the show, but it wants to do a very good job at supporting the star. In this recipe we will show you how to help the rice be seasoned and fluffy to perfectly accompany whatever you are cooking!
What to Serve With Cuban White Rice
The real question is what don’t you serve with white rice? But here are some of our favorite meals to make with white rice:
Picadillo — spoon it right over the rice.
Fricase de Pollo — perfect for soaking up that tomato-wine sauce.
Camarones Enchilados — another saucy one that needs rice.
Vaca Frita — rice + crispy beef + onions = done.
Potaje de Chícharos – helps make it feel like a full meal
Ropa Vieja – the sauce from the ropa vieja spooned over fluffy rice is heaven
Huevo Frito– sometimes it’s the simplest things that are the best
FAQs are especially worthwhile here
Why is my white rice mushy? Make sure you are washing the rice until the water runs clear and check your ratio of water to rice! Be precise!
Do I have to rinse white rice? If you are doing it on the stove top we highly suggest washing the rice. It eliminates a lot of the starch and helps make your rice fluffier. It is less important in a rice maker or instant pot.
What is the best rice for Cuban white rice? We like using Jasmine rice or Long Grain white.
Can I double this recipe? Yes, just keep the ratios the same.
How do I reheat leftover white rice? Put a little bit of water around a tsp per cup and cover and reheat in the microwave, or add to the stove top. Fluff with a fork!
The good news is, that making the Perfect White Rice, is not hard. It is just a matter of adjusting your ratios, and making sure you are salting it correctly. Everything else will take care of itself.
Let’s cook!
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The Perfect Cuban White Rice
Course: SidesCuisine: AllDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes17
minutesIngredients
-
2 cups of long grain white rice or jasmine rice
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2 1/2 cups water
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1 tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil
-
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
-
1 tsp of butter (optional)
Directions
- Using a rice cup, measure out two cups of rice and put them into a colander or bowl.
- Wash the rice under running water, swishing it around, until the water begins to run clear. It is important to wash the extra starch out, to help the rice fluff up while it cooks.
- Put the 2 1/2 cups of water in a pot and bring it to a boil.
- Once boiling, add in your olive oil and salt, and then stir. Give it a taste. Make sure you like how it tastes, because what you taste now is exactly what your rice will taste like.
- Add your rice to the boiling water and cover. Let boil on high for 1-2 minutes, and then drop it down to a simmer.
- Let the rice simmer from 12-15 minutes. Open the lid, and use a fork to fluff. At this point, the rice is ready to serve, unless..
- Unless you want to hit the more restaurant style rice. If so, add in your teaspoon of butter. Mix the butter in, cover with a lid, and let it stand with no heat for another 5 minutes.
- Serve Warm. Please do not allow any heavy fighting over the raspitas.
Recipe Video
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