Puerto Rican Rice and Beans or “Arroz y Habichuelas” or “Arroz con Habichuelas” is a traditional rice dish made with medium or long grain rice, red beans and seasoned with Puerto Rican seasonings. Excellent side dish to practically any meal!
If you have never had a plate of Puerto Rican Rice and Beans you may quite certainly be missing out on another delicious rice dish in your life.
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In spanish this delicious rice dish is known as “Arroz y Habichuelas” or “Arroz con Habichuelas” and is a dish made several times a week in many Puerto Rican homes, including my own.
We have almost an obsession with rice because it is served with practically every meal we have. It really doesn’t matter whether you’re serving chicken, pork, steak or seafood, rice finds it’s place on the table. We just love our rice! 😋
Some Traditional Puerto Rican Rice Dishes
Here are just a few rice dishes we enjoy and love, just to name a few.
- Arroz con Maiz (Yellow Rice with Corn)
- Arroz Blanco y Habichuelas (White Rice and Stewed Red Beans)
- Arroz y Habichuelas (Yellow Rice with Beans or Puerto Rican Rice and Beans…this recipe!)
- Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice (Arroz con Pollo)
- Arroz con Gandules (Yellow Rice and Pigeon Peas)
- Arroz Mamposteao (“Dirty Rice” with Stewed Beans)
and there are many more!
We All Have Our Own Way and Method but Still Keep it Authentic
(Grab your FREE list of 47 Puerto Rican Recipes of Authentic Dishes, here!)
Although every Puerto Rican home has their own way of making “Arroz y Habichuelas” we all still at the very least use the same basic ingredients for this iconic Puerto Rican rice dish.
In other words, we still are creating an authentic Arroz con Habichuelas.
For example…
♦ Some Puerto Rican homes prefer to use long grain rice while others prefer medium grain.
*Medium grain is what I grew up with and is absolutely my favorite!
♦ Some will use tomato sauce or tomato paste to color their rice, while others such as myself will use a packet of “Sazón Goya con Culantro y Achoite” or a combination of one and the other.
♦ Other homes also flavor their arroz con habichuelas with fresh cilantro and culantro while others don’t because they may not like cilantro or culantro.
♦ We also normally prefer to add pork fat (tocino in spanish), ham hock or cubed ham steak to flavor the rice even more!
♦ Olives are also usually added to Puerto Rican rice and beans.
*With the exception of the long grain rice (I prefer medium grain), I normally use as much flavoring as I have available in my fridge or pantry at the moment.
Ingredients to Make Puerto Rican Rice and Beans
- Medium or long grain rice (I use Goya medium grain rice)
- Red beans
- Pork fat (cubed)
- Ham steak (cubed)
- Sofrito (Seasoning base sauce for many Puerto Rican dishes)
- Sazón con culantro y achoite
- Chicken bouillon
- Pimiento filled green olives
- Cilantro (and normally culantro as well but I didn’t have any when I made my rice)
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
Note: Key to making any Puerto Rican rice is to use a “caldero” or a cooking cauldron. A caldero is made of cast iron and allows the rice to cook uniform and also creates a crispy bottom layer to caldero known as “pegao.” Do not use a non stick saucepan to make Puerto Rican rice as it will not cook the same at all. If you do not have a caldero, use a dutch oven instead.
- For a basic sofrito recipe, follow this simple sofrito recipe in my arroz mamposteao recipe (very easy to make). For a more detailed authentic sofrito recipe, please check out my Puerto Rican sofrito recipe.
Basic condiments to make Arroz y Habichuelas or Puerto Rican Rice and Beans
How to Make Puerto Rican Rice and Beans (Arroz con Habichuelas)
In a cauldron (caldero) or dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, saute pork fat for 3 minutes.
Add ham and saute for 2 minutes.
Add 3 tablespoons of sofrito and stir. Cook together with ham and pork for 3 minutes.
Add sazón packet and chicken bouillon to pot. Stir, lower heat and cook for 3 more minutes.
Add the can of red or pink beans.
Note: No need to drain beans, however, I do for my Puerto Rican Rice and Beans.
Stir.
Fill the same can the beans came in with water (15.5 ounces of water) and add to pot.
(NOTE: This is when you would add the pimiento olives, cilantro and culantro as well).
Saute for 3 minutes on medium high heat.
While beans are sauteing, rinse two cups of white rice in water until water runs pretty clear, about 3 rinses.
(This removes the talc coating (peril) that helps preserve the rice)
Add rice to pot and stir with a large spoon.
Add salt to taste. (I use about a teaspoon)
*TIP: You know you have added enough water to rice when a large spoon is almost fully covered by the liquid in pot.
Cook for about 5 minutes on high heat until liquid has almost completely dried out.
Like so….
Stir rice with a large spoon, cover immediately with a lid and lower heat to medium low. (Do not worry about the “pegao” that has built on the bottom of the pan, avoid stirring so hard as to remove pegao from bottom, we do not want the pegao to be distributed into the rice) Cook for 15 minutes on medium low.
(Note: Once you have stirred and covered rice DO NOT REMOVE lid to check on rice until it is time to check on it again or rice will stun and remain hard grain and pretty much never cook the right way!)
After 15 minutes, remove lid and stir again (rice will be even drier now, which is good!), cover pot and cook for another 15 minutes.
Remove lid and stir again. Rice is done and should be dry, not wet and sticky.
Top with chopped fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
For more delicious Puerto Rico dishes, you may also enjoy these:
Rellenos de Papa (Stuffed Potato Balls)
Sorullitos-Cornmeal Fritters
Garlic Tostones (Fried Garlic Plantains)
Pastelón (Puerto Rican Plantain “Lasagna”)
(Grab your FREE list of 47 Puerto Rican Recipes of Authentic Dishes, here!)
📖 Recipe
Puerto Rican Rice and Beans
Ingredients
- 2 cups medium or long grain rice I used Goya brand medium grain rice
- 1 15.5 ounce can of red or pink beans I use Goya
- 3 tablespoon sofrito
- 1 ounce pork fat cut into small cubes
- 2 ounces ham steak cut into small cubes
- 1 packet of Sazon with Culantro and Achoite found in the Latin section of most supermarkets
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 8 green pimiento olives optional
- handful of fresh chopped cilantro
- 2-3 sprigs of chopped fresh culantro optional but flavors rice deliciously if you can find in your area
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a cauldron (caldero) or dutch oven over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, saute pork fat for 3 minutes.Add ham and saute for 2 minutes.Add 3 tablspoons of sofrito and stir. Cook together with ham and pork for 3 minutes.
- Add sazón packet and chicken bouillon to pot. Stir, lower heat and cook for 3 more minutes.Add the can of red or pink beans (save can of beans). Stir.Note: No need to drain beans, however, I do for my Puerto Rican Rice and Beans.
- Fill the can the beans came in with water (15.5 ounces of water) and add to pot.(NOTE: This is when you would add the pimiento olives, cilantro and culantro as well if using).Saute for 3 minutes on medium high heat.
- While beans are sauteing, rinse two cups of white rice in water until water runs pretty clear, about 3 rinses.
(This removes the talc coating (peril) that helps preserve the rice) - Add rice to pot and stir with a large spoon.Add salt to taste. (I use about a teaspoon)*TIP: You know you have added enough water to rice when a large spoon is almost fully covered by the liquid in pot.
- Cook for about 5 minutes on high heat or until liquid has dried out.
- Stir rice with a large spoon, cover immediately with a lid and lower heat. (Do not worry about the “pegao” that has built on the bottom of the pan, avoid stirring so hard as to remove pegao from bottom, we do not want the pegao to be distributed into the rice) Cook for 15 minutes on medium low.
(Note: Once you have stirred and covered rice DO NOT REMOVE lid to check on rice until it is time to check on it again or rice will stun and remain hard grain and pretty much never cook the right way!) - After 15 minutes, remove lid and stir again (rice will be even drier now, which is good!), cover pot and cook for another 15 minutes.Remove lid and stir again. Rice is done and should be dry, not wet and sticky.
- Top with chopped fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Gina says
Cathy,
Love this recipe and have made it numerous times but sadly my husband has to cut white rice out of his diet due to diabetes. If I use brown rice, do I have to increase the liquid and cooking time?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Cathy says
Hello Gina! Thank you! That’s great to hear you are loving this recipe! By far one of my favorite rice dishes! Sorry to hear about your husband having to cut back on certain dishes but know there is always a delicious work around and alternative! To make this recipe with brown rice, a few things to keep in mind. First, depending on the type of brown rice you are using, there are different methods (will be making a post soon on brown rice actually) you will have to adjust cooking time and water. Assuming you are using long grain brown rice, first allow the rice to soak in water for at least 10 minutes to 1 hour before cooking (1 hour is better) and double the water. So for example, if you’re making 3 cups of brown rice rinse rice then soak the rice for 10 minutes to an hour. Then begin with the normal steps in recipe and when it is time to add the water, add 6 cups of water. Because brown rice is harder than white rice, soaking it first produces the best results. I hope this helps! It may take a few times to get it just right but be patient, you will get it! 🙂
Gina says
Wonderful, I can’t wait to try. The cooking time should be the same because of the soaking period?
Cathy says
Hello Gina! Yes, cooking it for the same amount of time is going to help cut the “hardiness” of brown rice. Remember, soak for at least 10 minutes but best for at least an hour. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out!
Valeigh Davis says
Silly question, but where do I get the pork fat? Can you buy that?
Cathy says
Hello Valeigh! Thank you for your question! In case you are not familiar, pork fat is simply the fat skin of a pig and is used to flavor certain foods such as Puerto Rican rice and beans. Depending on where you live “pork back fat” “salted pork fat” can easily be found in your local super market. Also, if you have a Super Foods Walmart by you, you can usually find it by the smoked ham hocks. If you have a hard time finding it, try asking the meat attendant, he/she should be able to direct you. Please keep in mind, if you can’t find it, don’t worry the rice will still come out delicious!! If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. Happy cooking!
Tisha says
This looks like a perfect side dish for enchiladas or even taco night!
Cathy says
Thanks Tisha!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
OMG I would adore some of this! Amazing!
Cathy says
Thanks Jocelyn!
Caroline says
I remember having this when I was in Puerto Rico earlier in the year, it’s such a tasty side. Looks tasty and look forward to giving it a try at home.
Cathy says
Thank you Caroline!
Traci says
So much flavor in this recipe…and so easy too! Love the step by step and special instructions for specialty ingredients. Thanks for sharing!
Cathy says
Thank you Traci!
Gina says
Cathy, Can’t wait to make this. Just got finished making your sofrito and it tastes and smells amazon. One question though, do you drain and rinse your beans before adding them? Thank you so much for sharing these great recipes!!
Cathy says
Awww Gina thank you so much for such a nice compliment! So happy you love the sofrito!! To answer your question about the rice and beans, I was raised never rinsing the beans when added to the rice, however, I now do rinse the beans first before adding them to my Puerto Rican Rice and Beans (Arroz con Habichuelas) so really either way is fine. Thanks for pointing this out as I see I forgot to mention this in the recipe, I have now added this to the instructions. Please feel free to ask me anything else and let me know how you enjoyed it! Also, remember after you stir the rice the first time and cook for 15 min, do not lift the lid while cooking and again after the second stir or the rice will not cook correctly and remain hard. Hope this helps!
Gina says
Cathy,
It turned out perfect!!! Exactly what I have been looking for. I have tried a number of recipes and never as authentic as this. Thank you again for such great recipes. Oh, and you stuffed peppers were amazing also!!!
Cathy says
Oh thank you so much Gina, you are too kind, thank you, your comment humbles me. So happy you like it and the stuffed peppers as well! Hope you keep on trying and enjoying my recipes. Also, if you like Puerto Rican food, take a look at my Puerto Rican section where I have other rice dishes and recipes. I also will be posting a new one in the next day or so! Thank you again Gina!
LaWanda says
Omg, this rice was delicious. I’m looking forward to more tasty recipes from u. Thank you so much. 😊
Cathy says
Thank you!!! So happy to hear this! You made my afternoon knowing you really enjoyed it! Thanks for the great compliment! ☺️
Cookilicious says
We are crazy for rice and I would love to try a vegetarian version of this recipe.
Cathy says
Perfect just exclude the pork fat and ham and you are good to go! 🙂
Valentina says
I love rice and make different dishes with it a few times a week. I could never have to many delicious rice dish in my life, and this one sounds amazing. What a tasty combination of flavors and achiote is one of my favorites!
Cathy says
Thanks Valentina!
Natalie says
Looks so delicious! I love rice and beans – absolutely yummy!
Cathy says
Thanks Natalie!
Jenna says
Mmmm Mexican rice is the best. Excited to make this for a dinner party this weekend.
Cathy says
Awesome Jenna! Just a quick note tho, it’s Puerto Rican Rice and Beans but also have some Mexican rice dishes on the blog here too if you would like to check those out! 🙂 Thanks tho, I hope you give this one a try!
Adriana Lopez Martin says
Homey and so good that sofrito is what makes everything better, now I need a bowl. Looks so tasty and perfect combination with the beans. Goya has delicious product offerings. Always have some in my pantry,
Cathy says
Yes me too, I always have my Goya products at hand! 🙂 Puerto Rican rice and beans is total comfort food! And definitely cannot go without a jar of homemade sofrito!
Sabrina says
Thanks for breaking down the whole process. I really feel like I’m going to get this right and nail this dish! Such a must have side dish.
Cathy says
Oh that is great to hear Sabrina! Let me know how much you enjoyed it!