This green rice is my FAVORITE! It’s packed with spinach and cilantro, perfectly spicy, nutritious, and goes with just about everything.
Amazing Green Rice
Is It Too Much To Make a Batch Of Green Rice Every Week?
Because that’s where my heart is at.
I could eat this green rice at every meal, a hundred different ways. It’s fluffy, flavorful, so pleasantly spicy, and loaded with green goodness.
Traditionally green rice (arroz verde) is made with lots of herbs, plus jalapeños and/or poblanos for the heat, and is typically served as a side with Mexican or Latin American dishes.
But for this green rice, the base is spinach, and the heat comes from a serrano, which creates a spicy, herbal flavor that can go so many directions. It’s great with more traditional Mexican dishes, like these chicken tinga tacos, or enchiladas verdes, but it actually goes really well with Thai or Indian dishes (like a creamy yellow curry, for example). I also love it with more smoky-sweet BBQ flavors, like grilled BBQ chicken! Really, really versatile.
And possibly my favorite usage? It makes for epic bowls! Like:
- Green rice + chicken skewers and creamy corn (pictured, my favorite at the moment)
- Green rice + black beans and a fried egg (perfect fast WFH breakfast-lunch)
- Green rice + air fryer salmon (so good with the sweetness of that salmon rub)
- Green rice + air fryer chicken (no brainer)
A word for kids: this green rice definitely packs some heat, so my daughters (3 and 5) are a “no thank you” on this one (or maybe that’s just because it’s green). But I like it so much that it’s worth it to me to make this just for me and Bjork! So yummy.
One of the ways I make decisions about which recipes I share here on POY is to ask myself: how much do I want to eat the leftovers? And since I spent all morning sitting at toddler gymnastics and dreaming about what kind of bowl I would be building with my leftover green rice for lunch, I think this one makes the cut.
Hope you love it! ♡
Welcome To My Kitchen! Let’s Make Green Rice!
1
Blitz the greens.
You’re going for a finely chopped texture. Doesn’t have to be perfect.
2
Toast Your Rice.
Oil + rice in the pan and just let it get roasty toasty for better flavor! Add your mincey greens and let those cook down for a minute, too – it’ll smell reeeeeally good!
3
Cook Time!
Add water or broth, add a cover, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
4
You’re Done! Yum!
Fluff that rice with a fork to distribute the greens throughout. So good!
Watch How To Make This Green Rice
Amazing Green Rice
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This green rice is my FAVORITE! It’s packed with spinach and cilantro, perfectly spicy, nutritious, and goes with just about everything.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
- 1 bunch cilantro (about 1 cup packed)
- 3–4 cups fresh spinach
- 1 shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 serrano pepper, ribs and seeds removed, roughly chopped (sub a jalapeño pepper)
- 1–2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (1 teaspoon salt if using water)
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or water (up to 2 1/2 cups for stickier rice)
Instructions
- Rice Prep: Thoroughly rinse the rise in a mesh colander. Shake it a few times to remove excess water, or blot it dry with paper towels. (This prevents it from splattering in the oil when you add it to the pan in Step 3.)
- Make Green Herb Mixture: Pulse the cilantro, spinach, shallot, serrano, and garlic in a food processor until very finely chopped.
- Saute the Rice: Add olive oil to a skillet over medium high heat. Add rice and sauté for 3-5 minutes until lightly toasted. Add the herb mixture and salt; sauté for another 3-5 minutes until nice and fragrant.
- Cook the Rice: Add the broth or water, bring to a simmer. Cover and keep over low heat for 15-ish minutes. Check the rice by fluffing with a fork; add more water / cook longer if necessary. When the rice is done to your liking, remove from heat and fluff with a fork to distribute the greens.
- You’re Done! Yum! Serve with chicken skewers, air fryer chicken or salmon, tacos, beans and creamy corn, etc.
Notes
The rice in these photos was cooked with 2 cups liquid (it’s a bit drier and more fluffy). If you want it to be more sticky than this, use 2 1/2 cups! I like it both ways! If you’re not sure what you want, start with 2 cups of liquid and then when it’s done you can decide if you want to add a bit more water.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Keywords: green rice, arroz verde, rice recipe, rice side
Frequently Asked Questions For This Green Rice
Can I use another herb besides cilantro?
Yes! Parsley or chives would be great, and I think basil could be really delicious, too, if you want to take the flavor in a totally different direction.
How long does the leftover rice last?
I think it keeps really well for 3-5 days! Make sure to get it in the fridge promptly after it cools to keep it on the up-and-up for food safety.
Can you make this less spicy?
I really enjoy the spiciness of this rice but if you’d rather avoid it, I would either use half a serrano pepper or omit the serrano altogether. You could also try a different pepper like a jalapeño (ribs and seeds removed – can still be somewhat spicy), a roasted poblano, or a can of diced green chiles.
How do you make this gluten free, dairy free, vegan?
It’s all of the above! 🙂
What do you serve with this rice?
I love to serve this alongside these chicken skewers (with creamy corn!), air fryer chicken or salmon, tacos, beans, etc.
If You Like Green Rice, You Need To Try These Three Of My Faves
Filed Under: All Recipes Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Jalapeño Recipes Rice Spinach Stovetop Vegan Vegetarian
June 24, 2024
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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This looks really good! Just wondering if it could be made with brown rice. Any issues for the greens with the longer cook time?
Could you make this in a rice cooker after step 3? I can’t wait to try this!
We haven’t tried it in a rice cooker! Would love to hear how it goes if you give it a try!
This was my question too! Please report back Kayla if you try!
Can I use kale instead of spinach? Have a butt load in the garden!
This recipe looks wonderful. Our whole family loves rice, and I often make it as a side dish. I’ve never had green rice before. I enjoy trying new things in the kitchen, so I’ll try to make it this week. Maybe even today.
Oh, Lindsay – you hit the ball right out of the park with this recipe! I’ve tried for years to like spinach, but just haven’t been successful. I LOVE spinach in this recipe, probably because I can’t taste it and would never know it was there if I hadn’t put it in there. The cilantro, onion, and garlic give their flavors in a delightful way. This rice is excellent on its own, but I’m going to add it to enchiladas and burritos, too. IT’S SO GOOD! I would give it 10 stars if I could.
Glad you loved it!
do you have a recipe for the creamy corn?
You can find that recipe here! Just the corn topping for those tacos!
I made this recipe last night. Very easy with a food processor. Used a pasilla chile rather than serrano to get flavor but no heat. Paired it with a chicken curry. Was DELICIOUS! and very easy. Will definitely make this again.
Glad to hear it, Lillian!
Do you know if I could make the green herb mixture ahead of time and save it in the fridge for a day or two before I finish the recipe?
Yes, I think that would work just fine!
This is delicious! I will admit that I did change a few things because I cannot stand cilantro. In its place, I upped the amount of spinach that I used. I also used brown rice instead of white, so it took three times longer to cook but oh man is this good. Thank you for yet another fabulous recipe.
Green rice sounds healthy for weight loss. 🙂
This recipe is a winner! I didn’t have a pepper, so I improvised with some red chili flakes. Just under a tsp added the perfect amount of heat.
Fantastic! Used brown rice and subbed garden kale with no problem 🙂 kids loved it
We eat a lot of rice. This makes me feel good about getting more flavor and veggies with my rice. It is so good. I used a poblano pepper and we all ate it. Thanks for another delicious recipe.
This was easy (I made the herb mix the day before) and tasty, but the green was dull and drab. It was not a very visually appealing dish. I’d never serve it to company. Any ideas on where I went wrong or how to keep the green more vibrant?
YUM! You are my go to food blogger and this recipe is a new favorite. Thanks so much for sharing your skills!! I have most of green sauce ingredients in my garden so I am definitely interested in trying to make and freeze for future. Has anyone tried that? Guessing the green isn’t as vibrant but I can deal with that. Wondering if I need to add olive oil perhaps? Thanks so much for any insight.
So good! My husband, mom, and picky toddler all loved it.
This was so simple but delicious! I made some modifications based on what I had on hand and the herbs growing in my garden. I used a mix of chives, Thai basil, and dill instead of cilantro. I used red onion instead of shallot, and a jalapeno instead of a serrano. I love the flexibility it allows. I paired it with the chicken skewers and it was fabulous. I cooked it closer to 25 minutes for the water to fully absorb. I will definitely be making this again!
This was amazing! I substituted kale for the spinach, but otherwise followed the recipe. We had it w your chimichurri shrimp. Perfect combo! Your site/recipes make me so happy!
Can I make a large batch (with farmers market bounty) and freeze leftovers for future meals?
We’ve never frozen this so can’t say! I would worry about the greens losing their color when being frozen and then thawed, but the taste should still be good. 🙂