Puerto Rican Rice and Beans

Puerto Rican Rice and Beans or “Arroz y 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!

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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.

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!)
• Arroz con Pollo (Yellow Rice and Chicken)
• 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

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 an 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 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.

Stir.

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).

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 dried out.

Like so….

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!

For more delicious Puerto Rico dishes, you may also enjoy these:

Rellenos de Papa (Stuffed Potato Balls)

Sorullitos-Cornmeal Fritters

Arroz Mamposteao

Garlic Tostones (Fried Garlic Plantains)

Pastelón (Puerto Rican Plantain “Lasagna”)

Coquito-Coconut Eggnog

5 from 6 votes

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Puerto Rican Rice and Beans

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

Puerto Rican Rice and Beans or "Arroz y 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!

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Keyword: Puerto Rican Food, Puerto Rican Rice

Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Calories: 510 kcal

Author: Mexican Appetizers and More

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 tbsp 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 tbsp of vegetable oil

Instructions

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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)
   

5. 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.
   

6. Cook for about 5 minutes on high heat or until liquid has dried out.

7. 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!)

8. 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.

9. Top with chopped fresh cilantro.  Enjoy!
   

Recipe Notes

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.

Nutrition Facts

Puerto Rican Rice and Beans

Amount Per Serving (6 g)

Calories 510 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 8g 12%

Saturated Fat 3g 15%

Cholesterol 13mg 4%

Sodium 659mg 27%

Potassium 135mg 4%

Total Carbohydrates 94g 31%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Protein 10g 20%

Vitamin C 5.5%

Calcium 0.7%

Iron 28.6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.