Yellow Rice Recipe (Arroz Amarillo) (2024)

Yellow Rice Ingredients

• Olive Oil. For cooking. Spanish olive oil is ideal for this recipe.
• Vegetables. Onion, garlic, and bell pepper. I like to use spicier peppers for a bit of a kick, but it is not traditionally spicy.
• Long Grain White Rice. You can use medium grain rice, though long grain rice is ideal. Use your favorite brand of Spanish rice. Jasmine rice is a good option as well.
• Tomato Sauce. You can also use pureed fresh tomatoes, as you prefer.
• Chopped Pimientos. You can find these in your local grocery store.
• Chicken Stock. Chicken broth or bouillon is good here, or bouillon with tomato. Use vegetable stock or broth for a vegetarian version.
• SEASONINGS
• Bay Leaf.
• Salt and Pepper.
• Bijol. Bijol is a traditional Latin American seasoning made with annatto, which offers the yellow color. See the Recipe Notes for substitutions.

How to Make Yellow Rice (Arroz Amarillo)- the Recipe Method

Cook the Vegetables and Brown the Rice. Add the oil to a large pan and heat to medium high heat. Add the rice, onion, and peppers.

Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and the rice is lightly toasted brown.

Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.

Add Tomato and Spices. Add the tomato sauce, chopped pimientos, bay leaf, salt, and bijol (or substitute). Season with black pepper to taste. Cook 2-3 minutes.

Add Stock and Simmer. Pour in warmed chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover.

The mixture will look very soupy/watery at this point.

Simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed, cooking the rice, about 15 minutes.

Do not stir during this time, and keep covered.

Finish Cooking Off Heat. Remove from heat. Let the rice sit another 5-10 minutes, covered.

You can see how all of the rice has absorbed the liquid, and is nice and light. And very yellow.

Fluff the Rice. Fluff with a fork and serve. A fork works best for fluffing rice.

Using a spoon or something similarly blunt can make the rice clumpy.

Recipe Tips & Notes

Bijol Substitutions. Bijol is a traditional Latin American seasoning made with annatto. As a substitute, use any of the following: Sazon Seasoning with Saffron, annatto powder, crushed saffron threads, or turmeric.

Curried Yellow Rice. You can also make a version of yellow rice with the flavors of curry, which is more common in Indian cuisine. See my Curried Rice Recipe to learn more.

Yellow Rice Serving Ideas. Yellow rice is perfect as a simple side dish with just about any meal.

However, I love to add proteins to make it more of a full meal. Consider adding chopped chicken, pork loin or ham, seafood like whitefish or shrimp, or vegetables like potato or sweet potato, or beans (black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans).

Storage

This recipe will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can easily reheat it gently in a hot pan, or in the microwave.

You can also freeze it for 2-3 months.

Cookbook Recommendations

If you enjoy Cuban cuisine, I recommend the following cookbook, which I used to adapt this recipe. It has a lot of great recipes.

• Memories of a Cuban Kitchen, by Mary Urrutia Randelman and Joan Schwartz (affiliate link, my friends!)

Ingredient Recommendations

• Buy Bijol Seasoning (affiliate link, my friends!)
• Buy Saffron Threads (ffiliate link, my friends!)

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

• Chicken Fried Rice
• Kimchi Fried Rice
• Shrimp Fried Rice
• Mexican Rice
• Jollof Rice
• Jamaican Rice and Peas
• Arroz Verde (Green Rice)
• Charleston Red Rice
• Paella Recipe
• See all of mySpicy Rice Recipes