White rice is a Colombian food staple and a must in Colombian cuisine and it's served during lunch and dinner.
White rice or Arroz Blanco is the perfect accompaniment to any Colombian meal. In my family we would eat white rice as a side dish with everything. For my grandmother, the coffee pot,the rice maker and the pressure cooker were all the kitchen gadgets she needed.
She use to get up every morning and make coffee and white rice and keep it in the rice maker warm for the day.
Ingredients You'll Need
The printable recipe card with exact amounts and instructions is below.
Rice: I recommend using long grain rice for a good texture, but can use your favorite.
Water: You can also use chicken or vegetable broth if you want more flavor. I like my rice dry, but you can increase the water by ½ cup if yo want.
Oil: Use your favorite oil or butter
Salt: Adds flavor to the rice.
How to Make White Rice
- In a medium pot, place the rice and add the water, oil and salt.
- Bring to a boil for about 30 seconds, reduce the heat to low and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes and serve.
Cooking Tips
Rinse the water well until water is clear for a light texture and not sticky or mushy.
Don't stir the rice while cooking. Just keep cover until is ready to serve and fluff with fork before serving.
You can store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge up to 4 days and freeze in a ziplock bag up to 3 months.
More Rice Recipes
Arroz con Coco Titoté (Rice with Coconut and Raisins
Arroz Blanco Recipe (Colombian-Style White Rice)
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain white rice rinsed
- 3 ½ cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
Instructions
- In a medium pot, place the rice and add the water, oil and salt.
- Bring to a boil for about 30 seconds, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes and serve.
5 Star Foodie
When I just started cooking, it took me a long time to learn how to make a perfect rice. It took quite a few tries to make it just right! Yours look perfect!
Julie
Hello, Can you please clarify how much water to use? The recipe says 3/12 cup of water, which, if it's a fraction, would equal 1/4 cup. Is that correct? That seems way too little for 2 cups of rice. Many long grain rice recipes call for double the amount of water as there is rice, so if there are 2 cups of rice, there usually are 4 cups of water.
Erica Dinho
I like my rice dry, you can use 2 cups of rice and 4 cups of water.
Erica
Thank you Natasha!
Carole, I love rice too.
Bryan
Hi Erica. What is the best oil to use to make the white rice?
amanda
vegetable oil... hope that helps!
~Carole
I think I could live on rice alone. I love the short story about your grandmother.
I'll be trying your rice recipe soon.
Andrea
Erica,
I make rice differently. We are from Bogota, Colombia, and I don't know if it makes a difference, but this is how we do it:
First we fry some green onions (un gajo o dos), garlic (un diente) and a pinch of salt for taste. Then after it starts getting brownish we put the rice and fry it for a little bit. We then pour the water, we do as you do on your recipe so 2 cups of rice means 4 of water. When the water starts boiling we put a teaspoon of margarine and a few lemon drops and cover the pot until the rice gets cooked and grows. Then we mix it to make sure that it is soft and dry, and we eat it. It's absolutely delicious!
If you ever have the time to try it, let me know what you think!
Katie
yes i use 2 cloves of garlic. and always make sure to use enough oil for leftover PEGA!!!!!!!!! =) i never measure. just make sure the water is at the first index finger kuncle ABOVE the rice.
Nancy
Hello Andrea - I'm from bogota colombia also, and I been looking for someone that can help me with recipes from my homeland- I been here in the USA for about 15yrs and I have a family of my own now and I really would like to go back to my roots, as far as the cooking goes... I can use any type of basic recipes... Thank you so much for any help u can give me....
Steven
Do people in bogata always use pressure cookers? I mean mostly?
Marjorie
I spent some time in Cali, Colombia and love the recipes. I get hungry for so many things I can't get here in the U.S. I have a friend from there who shares some recipes and try to make them as closely as possible. Thanks for sharing...
Anonymous
Hi when you say you fry green onions do you put oil and if so how much ?
Anonymous
Also when you say you fry the rice do you just put the rice in and fry it or wash it first and how long do you fry the rice for and once you add the water do you cover it or no? ANd for how lot do I leave it ?
Amanda
THAk YOU!
My best friend is from Calli, and her mom make amazing “white rice”. She swears it’s just “plain ol white rice” (with her side smile), but it isn’t. I’m going to make this tonight and pray it Carolinas rice! I have a good feeling!
Jessica Rodriguez
Thank you for sharing this I am definitely going to make this
Leele
Hello,
I love this website, so many yummy reciepes to make! I'm on a quest. Trying to find different white rice reciepes. Andrea I saw your version of white rice and I wonder if it's what my boyfriends mother uses when she makes white rice. She's from Ecuador and her rice is out of this world good. She claims it's just rice, oil and salt but it tastes different from any other white rice I've ever had. So in stead of spying on her when she cooks I'll try this. Thanks!!
She kicks me out of the kitchen anyhow lol.
Kathryn
Do you cover the rice as it's cooking or leave it uncovered? When my Colombian sister-in-law makes rice, she cooks it uncovered for a period of time then covers it at the end. I love her rice but have never been able to duplicate it at home.
Kathryn
Posted originally on 6/19/10
Do you cover the rice as it’s cooking or leave it uncovered? When my Colombian sister-in-law makes rice, she cooks it uncovered for a period of time then covers it at the end. I love her rice but have never been able to duplicate it at home.
P.S. I've been trying to make Colombian style rice all summer and it is still not coming out right.
Katie
i bring mine to a boil for like 30 seconds, then cover and turn to low.
Diana
Kathryn,
I make my white rice almost exactly as Erica's except I use vegetable oil and sprinkle a little bit of onion powder and garlic powder for flavor. The trick is to change the temperature to low after it boils and wait until the foamy starch goes down before covering it. If you cover it right after it boils it will overflow. Cook it on low for about 20 minutes after you cover it or until you see small holes in the rice which means the water has been absorbed.
Connie
Rice can be difficult to cook at first, the trick is to stick at it and as with everything you will eventually acheive perfection.
joe
the best white rice is jasmine type
Maria
Hi Erica! Thank you for your wonderful and yummy recipes. I'm mexican w/ a colombian boyfriend. So needless to say your site has been the most helpful. And I have to say my boyfriend has loved everything I've cooked especially this rice 🙂
Lillian Salva
Please include me again in your distribution list. My account was hacked and lost contant with you. I love your web page! Lillian
Erica
Lillian,You have to go here to one of the links subscribe again:
https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=mycolombianrecipes
or
https://feeds2.feedburner.com/mycolombianrecipes
Mary
I make a pretty good pot of rice, but I have never been able to get that perfect Colombian flavor. I've tried watching my aunts and abuelita do it, but mine cones out different. Makes me sad. 🙁 I have never used oil, though. Maybe that's the secret truck I've been missing all these years. It's really interesting how something so straightforward and universal as rice can come out so different for everyone who makes it. We all have our signature Ruybe flavor.
Mary
Omg. I typed that on my phone and now see all the typos. Lol
Mine comes* out different
Trick* not truck
Rice* how on earth did it say Ruybe? Lol
How embarrassing
Ari
Hi,
I am Iranian-Colombian and would like to make some Colombian rice for my family (my dad is from Medellin). In Iran they use vegetable oil, is it the same for this recipe? or olive oil? Thanks!
Erica Dinho
I like to use vegetable oil or butter.
sahar j soleymani
I am an Iranian- Venezuelan! How cool!!!
Angel
Hi, I'm using rice cooker, can the result be the same?
Erica Dinho
Yes.
Amanda
Hola! Not sure I'm seeing the measurements for the recipe correctly. The water states '3/12', but someone in the comments mentions doing it 1:2 (rice:water) like 'you'. Mind clarifying? Thanks!
Karen
In my house it was always cooked with an onion for flavor. Water was twice the amount of rice. Salt measurement is the same. I heat the oil and the onion, add the rice and coat it, let it boil, cover and reduce to low until it’s done. Don’t touch it while it’s on low. If you want the crunch on the bottom of the pan I turn it up a little at the end.
John
It may be 3 1/2 cups
Michelle
My mother is from Cali. The best gift she has given me was a small rice cooker. I love my Colombian food and always looking to try to cook more food. My partner's family is also from Cali and I am always trying to learn more Colombian recipes.
Jp
I’m so confused how does the rice cook with that little water?