Simple White Rice (Arroz Blanco)

Simple White Rice (Arroz Blanco)

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Prep: 3 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Total: 38 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Chinese settlers first brought rice to the Caribbean islands in the early 1900s. It went well with just about every indigenous food; now white rice (known as arroz blanco) is a popular side dish with Latin Caribbean meals. Jamaican cuisine alone boasts more than 400 rice recipes. It's often an important component of other regional recipes as well. If you're looking for a rice dish that won't overshadow your main course, simple plain white rice hits the spot and it's easy to make. This recipe uses long grain rice

"I used basmati and was a little nervous about cooking it with more water than I normally use and keeping it on the heat for 30 minutes when I usually cook it for 15 minutes and let it steam off-heat for 10. But this recipe worked great. The rice turned out fluffy and very tender." —Danielle Centoni

Simple White Rice (Arroz Blanco) Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water

  • 1 cup long-grain rice

  • 1 pinch salt, or to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Simple White Rice (Arroz Blanco) ingredients

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  2. Rinse the rice well in a colander. 

    Rinse the rice well in a colander

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  3. Bring the water to boil in a saucepan. Add the rice and the salt.

    rice and water in a pot

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  4. Allow the rice to boil for about 1 minute. Stir at least once to prevent sticking, but don't overdo it.

    rice cooking in a pot

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  5. Cover the saucepan with an appropriate tight-fitting lid that does not have an exhaust hole.

    rice cooking in a covered pot

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  6. Reduce the heat to low and allow the rice to simmer for about 30 minutes.

    rice cooking in a pot

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

  7. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve. 

    Simple White Rice (Arroz Blanco) in a pot

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Tips

  • Don't lift the lid off the saucepan before the 30-minute cooking time has passed. The trapped steam cooks the rice. If you let it escape, your rice won't finish properly.
  • Long grain rice fluffs up when you cook it, especially with a little help from a fork at the end of cooking. Unlike short-grain rice, it doesn't tend to clump together. It's the easiest kind of rice to make since it's forgiving in errors of timing and steam escape.
  • Your rice may burn slightly on the bottom of the saucepan, but Latin American cuisine has a place for this byproduct, too. This burned rice is called "concon" in the Dominican Republic. It's crunchy and tasty, having absorbed any seasonings you included with the rice. 

Recipe Variations

  • Some traditional Caribbean white rice recipes include 1 to 1¼ tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice per cup of rice. You can also sprinkle the rice with a little lime juice before rinsing, if it's picked up a plastic smell from the packaging. Add lime zest prior to serving for a hint of citrus and colorful kick.
  • You can add a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and stir slightly before serving for a little extra flavor if you're serving the rice as a side dish. 
  • For richer rice, substitute chicken broth for all or some of the water. 
  • Jamaican cuisine adds red kidney beans to a rice side dish. Use one 15.5-ounce can per two cups of rice. Sauté onions, garlic, and a little hot pepper (if you like things spicy) in some olive oil, then add the mixture to the saucepan with the rice and beans and cook as you normally would. 
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
51 Calories
0g Fat
11g Carbs
1g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 51
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 38mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 11g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 8mg 1%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 14mg 0%
*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.)