Cilantro Lime Brown Rice (Like Chipotle)

Name: Cilantro Lime Brown Rice
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 41 min
Ingredients: 2 cups uncooked long grain brown rice (or short grain *See Notes); 2 cups water (plus more, if needed *See Notes); 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth); 2 tablespoons butter; 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice ((1-2 limes, depending on size)); 1/4 teaspoon lime zest ((1 lime)); 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

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Sometimes the side dish really makes the meal, and cilantro lime brown rice is a prime example. There’s just something about those fluffy, soft, zesty grains that keep you coming back for more! With this Chipotle brown rice recipe, you can recreate the restaurant’s healthy side dish without leaving your house!

Overhead view: Serving dish filled with Chipotle brown rice.

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Why We Love This Recipe

It’s a flavorful alternative to a usually plain dish.
Rice is an inexpensive, easy-to-make, gluten-free grain to bulk up any meal. With this Chipotle Mexican Grill® copycat recipe, you can make it a part of the meal to look forward to!
Healthy, filling, and delicious!
Packed with heart-healthy nutrients, brown rice is so much better for you than white rice. Now you can make the switch without sacrificing flavor!
Goes well with everything.
Regardless of the proteins or vegetables on your plate, this side dish will complement every forkful. We think it tastes the best with Tex-Mex and Mexican dishes, like fritos taco casserole and smash burger tacos.

Chipotle brown rice and beef on a dinner plate next to dish with lime wedges and chopped cilantro.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Brown Rice – Use either short-grain or long-grain, though long-grain is certainly best. It results in a much fluffier texture that is most similar to the original Chipotle brown rice recipe. Short-grain, on the other hand, comes out very soft and sticky.

Broth – Vegetable and chicken broth are both good choices! You could also use only broth for your liquid, omitting the water entirely, if desired. You need 2 cups of liquid for every 1 cup of rice. Whether that’s a combination of broth and water or just broth is up to you!

Labeled ingredients image for cilantro lime brown rice

Lime Juice and Zest – Fresh ingredients yield fresh-tasting results. To get enough juice and zest, you’ll need 1-2 limes depending on their size. One large lime will do the trick.

Cilantro – Are you a member of the unlucky 8% of the population that thinks cilantro tastes like soap? Even if you’re not, maybe you just don’t like the taste of cilantro. If that’s the case, it’s okay – you can use flat-leaf parsley instead.

🎯 TFN Pro Tip

Rinse the rice so it’s not overwhelmingly starchy, clumpy, and gummy.

Season the water with herbs and spices, or use broth instead of (or in addition to) water.

Finally, stay hands-on while cooking — keeping an eye on the liquid — so that it doesn’t end up either undercooked and crunchy or drowned and mushy.

Know how much you’re making.

Keep in mind that long-grain yields more than short-grain. While 2 cups of uncooked long-grain rice yields 5 cups cooked, the same amount of uncooked short-grain yields just over 4.5 cups cooked.

Overhead view of large stock pot with chicken stock, butter, and uncooked brown Basmati.

Brown rice takes a bit of hands-on moderation.

Cooking brown rice on the stovetop isn’t a walk-away affair. Once the water boils, the heat needs to be reduced.

Then, after a good 35 to 40 minutes of simmering, the temperature might need to be reduced more if the cooking liquid is reducing too quickly. In this case, you may need to add more water.

Finally, a bit more seasoning is done just before serving. However, all of the effort is worth it! You’ll taste it with that first bite.

If you’re looking for something a bit more hands-off, try our Instant Pot brown rice instead!

Season to taste at the end.

While this recipe uses a few seasonings at the beginning, more lime and herbs are added at the end. This gives you the chance to increase the lime and cilantro flavors to your liking. Don’t throw in a ton of seasonings to begin with! Wait and taste it first.

Serving Suggestions

Here are a few ways to enjoy this recipe:

As an easy side dish with Dutch oven carnitas, cajun chicken tenders, or baked chicken street tacos
Alongside crockpot or Instant Pot pinto beans recipe
In a copycat burrito bowl with some avocado crema recipe, shredded chicken, pulled pork, or steak, plus toppings like cheese, diced tomatoes, and black olives.

Overhead view: Bowl of cilantro lime brown rice with plated serving in front of it.

Recipe FAQs

Is the brown rice at Chipotle cilantro lime?

Yes. Like the restaurant’s white rice, Chipotle’s brown rice is also a cilantro lime recipe.

The biggest difference between our recipe and the restaurant is the addition of bay leaves while steaming, as well as a combination of both lime and lemon juice. But the same process is done with white and brown rice!

How many calories are in this?

Our Chipotle brown rice recipe has a total of 220 calories per half-cup serving. It can vary a little bit, depending on the exact ingredients you use.

How do I store and reheat leftovers?

It’s very important to store it in an airtight container so that it doesn’t dry out too much. Stored well, leftover brown rice lasts for 5 days in the fridge.
To reheat, microwave it with a bit of water, or cover the bowl with a damp paper towel to return some moisture to the grains.

Love Copycat Recipes? Here’s More…

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