Copycat Café Rio Cilantro Lime Rice [+ Video]

Craving the fresh, zesty flavor of Café Rio’s cilantro lime rice? This copycat recipe brings the perfect balance of fluffy rice, tangy lime, and aromatic cilantro, making it the ideal side dish for tacos, burritos, or even just a delicious bowl on its own. With a few simple ingredients, you can recreate that vibrant, savory taste at home.

*This is a sponsored post due to my partnership with the Utah Dairy Council.

I’ve found that when I make Mexican food lately I really want rice and beans with it, just like the restaurants do. I didn’t used to care, but I’ve really grown to like the rice and beans. We especially love how easy this rice is. There’s a touch of butter in the rice too. Let’s not forget that. A little dairy can totally change a dish for the better. True story.

I’ll include a whole section below for recreating a whole Café Rio meal that includes this easy rice recipe! Mmmm…now I’m craving some Café Rio!

Ingredients for Cilantro Lime Rice

Whether you’re planning to eat this rice as a side dish for some chicken fajitas or as the base for burrito bowls, you’re family is going to love it! Let’s jump further into the all the ingredients you will need!

• Rice: Just regular long-grain white rice will work great. Jasmine rice and basmati rice would also work.
• Water: used to cook the rice
• Unsalted Butter: adds richness and flavor
• Chicken Bouillon: Adds flavor to the rice as it simmer.
• Garlic: Fresh minced garlic will give you the best flavor.
• Cilantro: You can’t have too much fresh cilantro in my opinion, so grab a bundle from the produce section of the grocery store and chop it up.
• Lime: Fresh lime juice is definitely preferred, but if you don’t have lime, the bottled lime juice will work.
• Diced Green Chiles: I like to leave the juice in for added flavor. You can dial up the spice here with medium or hot canned chiles. We stick with mild in our house.

The measurements and details for each recipe can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice on the Stove Top

I almost always cook rice on the stove top these days. I used to be loyal to the rice cooker, but as time has gone on, I’ve found myself enjoying being a little more hands on with rice. It takes a tiny bit more work, but for me, it’s worth it. Here are the steps for making this cilantro lime rice recipe including a photo of each s

Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Burrito Bowl

Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Burrito Bowl is a quick and easy dinner recipe the whole family loves. A bright cilantro lime rice with flavorful Tex-Mex chicken, beans and lots of gooey cheese!

When we’re short on time and ingredients, this is a go-to meal at our house, and yes, you can totally swap any meats, beans or add-ins that you’d like! It’s like making a delicious Chipotle burrito bowl in the comfort of your own kitchen!

I’m finding that the older my kids get the more I desperately need quick and easy dinner ideas as we pretty much live a life of errands lately. It’s soccer, piano, clothes shopping because heaven forbid anyone stay the same size for more than a month and on and on. Anyone feel me?

Ingredients for Chicken Burrito Bowls

• Chicken Breasts: You want boneless, skinless chicken breasts and then chop them into bite-size chunks
• Oil: used to sauté the chicken
• Seasonings: Cumin, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Kosher Salt and Chili Powder
• White Rice: just simple long-grain white rice works great
• Garlic: adds flavor
• Chicken Broth: cooks the rice and adds more flavor
• Green Chiles: adds flavor
• Cilantro: adds bright herby freshness and flavor
• Lime: You’ll want to use the zest and juice for maximum flavor.
• Pinto Beans: Keep it simple by using canned beans. Swap for black beans if desired.
• Colby Jack Cheese: You can’t have a burrito bowl without the melty cheese! Colby jack is our favorite, but you can also go with Monterey jack or pepper jack.

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card down below. Once you serve up the chicken and rice, top with all your favorite burrito toppings. See section below for ideas.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Burrito Bowls

• Step 1: Chicken

Start by seasoning your chicken (onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper and chili powder) and then cook it in a little olive oil in your Instant Pot in “sauté mode”. You won’t need to cook it long, just enough to get a little sear on the outside, about 3 minutes.

• Step 2: Everything Else

Add the rice and garlic and stir it with the chicken for about 20-30 seconds. Then you add the rest of the ingredients (broth, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice and pinto beans) and change your Instant Pot to “high pressure”. Give everything a good stir and place the lid on the Instant Pot. Set the valve to “seal” and cook for 7 minutes.

Rice Pilaf makes an ideal side dish for any main course! This simple recipe lets the flavors of garlic and onion shine along with the tender rice and buttery orzo pasta. Learn how to make rice pilaf and you’ll have the perfect side dish at your fingertips for just about any meal!

What is Rice Pilaf?

Rice Pilaf is a dish made from rice and grains cooked in chicken broth and seasoned with onion and spices. Pilafs can also be more elaborate like my Mushroom and Pepper Rice Pilaf or this Indian Pulao. Pulao is a traditional pilaf dish enjoyed throughout India as an everyday staple and it can be dressed up with vegetables or with meat.

Classic rice pilaf is as simple as today’s recipe! This version includes orzo, a miniature pasta. Similar to rice in shape, the orzo adds a heartiness to the soft fluffy white rice.

This pilaf recipe is based on a recipe I found years ago over at Allrecipes.com. With just a few pantry-friendly ingredients this side dish comes together with just a few minutes effort. If you’re looking for an easy rice pilaf recipe without any frills or hard-to-find ingredients, this is the one for you!

How to Make Rice Pilaf

Rice pilaf is very simple! You’ll start by sauteeing orzo in a little melted butter with onion and garlic. Add broth and white rice. Simmer, fluff, and serve.

The result is a flavorful rice that doesn’t require a great deal of seasonings or spices. I typically just use a little salt and pepper to taste.

This is a great side dish for just about any meal. I served the pilaf with Spicy Honey Brushed Chicken and Roasted Bell Peppers, Broccoli and Summer Squash tonight and it was perfect.

My rice-loving son ate a double portion and still asked for more. There were no leftovers at all. I recommend doubling this recipe if serving more than 3-4 people. Especially if you have rice lovers in your family! Plus, leftover rice pilaf is never a bad idea.

Instant Pot Cheesy Ground Beef and Rice Casserole [+Video]

This Ground Beef and Rice Instant Pot Casserole takes only 10 minutes from start to finish! Perfect for busy weeknight dinners! Check out the video tutorial for step-by-step instructions!

Easy Instant Pot Casserole Recipe

Growing up, my mom called this “busy day casserole” because it was quick and easy to put together and throw in the oven to be ready at dinner time. With the Instant Pot, you can make this not only on a busy day, but on an ultra crazy insane day, which it seems like we are having more and more of here. Instant Pot Ground Beef and Rice Casserole for the win!!!!

Our original hamburger and rice casserole gets hundreds of pins every month. We just knew we had to create a recipe for the Instant Pot to make it an even quick and easier weeknight meal for your family.

Just like the original recipe, we have created two versions for this Instant Pot recipe. One is the super quick version, and one is the from scratch version. We like to make everything from scratch as often as possible, but sometimes life is crazy and you just need to open a can and pour it in to get dinner on the table.

I’ve mentioned several times that I was a picky eater growing up — sorry, Mom! Now my pickiness has come full circle and I have picky eaters of my own. Bless them! They love this Instant Pot casserole just like I did growing up. The flavors are kid-friendly and loved by everyone. It is the cure to picky eater syndrome, and it even is getting vegetables in their bodies! Woop woop! I only wish I could find 10 more recipes they all will eat! A girl can dream!

What’s Needed for Instant Pot Ground Beef and Rice Casserole?

As I mentioned above, we created two versions of this Instant Pot hamburger casserole recipe — one version uses some ingredient shortcuts, and one version is totally from scratch. For the quick and easy version, you’ll need:

• Ground Beef
• Onion
• Garlic Salt
• Cream of Mushroom Soup
• Long Grain White Rice
• Water
• Carrots
• Colby Jack or Cheddar Cheese

If making the from scratch version of this Instant Pot casserole recipe with ground beef, you’ll need to swap out the canned cream of mushroom soup for the following:

• Unsalted Butter
• Garlic
• Mushrooms
• All-Purpose Flour
• Chicken Broth
• Heavy Cream
• Salt and Pepper

The measurements for all the ingredients can be found in the recipe card down below so keep scrolling for all the details.

How to Make the Quick Version of This Instant Pot Casserole

I love using the Instant Pot to feed my family quick dinners, and the fact that we can now have this f

Tangy, sweet pineapple rice with cilantro and lime is a guaranteed win for any pineapple lovers. My family gives it two thumbs up around the table every time I make it.

This is a fun side dish that was originally inspired by this recipe for Hawaiian Huli Huli Chicken. I wanted something sweet and just a bit tangy, and the rice worked out beautifully.

Rice with Pineapple

To say that we’re a family of pineapple lovers just doesn’t even do justice to how much we all enjoy fresh, frozen, or canned pineapple. (And speaking of those options, any of them will work nicely in this recipe.)

The much-loved pineapple was a big hit when I added it to the cilantro lime rice. My family informed me that I should probably double the recipe the next time I make it.

If my boys are at home while I’m slicing a pineapple, the odds are good that it will disappear within moments. I’m just as guilty as they are though, seeing how I’ve been known to demolish a batch of pineapple salsa entirely on my own.

Pineapple rice would also be delicious with Sticky Chicken or Sweet and Spicy Glazed Salmon – or honestly, just about any other main dish imaginable. My boys went a little crazy over this rice and repeatedly told me how much they liked it.

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