Arroz Blanco (Puerto Rican White Rice)

A batch of arroz blanco cooked in a caldero (dutch oven pot). Beside it is a white plate with a serving of rice and avocado slices and a small bowl of habichuelas guisadas (stewed beans).

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4.87 from 15 votes

Arroz Blanco (Puerto Rican White Rice) is fluffy, versatile, and comforting. Quick, easy and perfect with any meal!

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Dinner, Side Dish

Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Servings:

Calories: 556kcal

Author: Catherine Arena

Ingredients

3 cups medium grain rice rinsed I use Goya brand
2¾ cups water
2 tablespoon vegetable oil If not using tocino, use 2 tbsps otherwise use 1 tablespoon of oil
2 teaspoon salt this amount is an approximate amount, use more or less to suit your preference

Optional

½ cup tocino (fatback) cut into ½ inch pieces

Instructions

Add oil to a caldero or dutch oven pot and heat over medium heat. If using the tocino (fatback), add the pieces now and stir. Cook for about 5 minutes or until slightly golden brown, stirring in between cooking.
Add the water and salt and stir. Bring the water to a medium boil.
While water is boiling rinse the three cups of rice in water until the water runs clear, usually about 3 rinses.
Strain the water using your hand or through a colander.
Add the rice to the pot and stir with a large spoon.
*TIP: You know you have added enough water to rice when a large spoon is almost fully covered by the liquid in pot.
Cook rice for about 5 minutes on medium-high heat until the water has almost completely dried out.
Stir the rice with a large spoon and then cover immediately with a lid. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes.
TIP: When stirring the rice, do not disturb the “pegao” that has built on the bottom of the pot. You do not want to distribute the pegao into the rice.
Note: Once you have stirred and covered the rice, DO NOT REMOVE the lid to check on it until it is time. Doing so will cause the rice to "stun" causing it to remain raw and will never cook properly.
After 15 minutes, remove the lid and stir again (rice will be even drier now, which is good!), cover the pot and cook for another 15 minutes.
Remove the lid and stir again. Rice is done and should be dry, not wet and sticky.

Notes

Recipe Notes:

Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.

Cooking Pot: The key to making any Puerto Rican rice dish is to use a “caldero.” A caldero is made of cast aluminum and allows the rice to cook uniformly. Using the proper pot also creates a crispy bottom layer known as “pegao.”

Do Not Use: Do not use a non-stick pot as it will not cook the rice the same way at all. If you do not have a caldero, use a dutch oven pot instead.

Rice: This recipe was made using medium-grain rice. If you would like to use long grain instead, make sure to add an additional cup of water. For example, if you're making 2 cups of rice, use 3 cups of water, if making 3 cups of rice, use 4 cups of water. Do not use parboiled or instant rice for this recipe.

Nutrition