Girl Meets Fire

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Traditional Puerto Rican Classics
  • About me
  • Subscribe

subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Traditional Puerto Rican Classics
  • About me
  • Subscribe

×
Home » Rice, Pasta, and Grains

11 Puerto Rican Rice Dishes you'll make on Repeat

Portrait of a smiling woman chef in a home kitchen, used for the “About Me” section of Girl Meets Fire.
Modified: Aug 20, 2026 · Published: Aug 20, 2026 by Zoe Forestier Villegas · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

Sharing is caring!

  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

Puerto Rican rice dishes are the backbone of almost every meal on the island, from the simplest weeknight bowl to the dish that anchors a holiday table. Rice shows up in more forms in Puerto Rican cooking than in almost any other cuisine, plain, seasoned, stewed with beans, simmered into soup, dressed up with seafood, or turned sweet for dessert. This roundup moves from everyday basics to special-occasion dishes, so whether you need something on the table in twenty minutes or you're planning something bigger, there's a rice dish here for it.

Arroz Blanco (Puerto Rican White Rice)
White Rice is a super versatile staple loved by cultures all around the world. Whether it's a simple side dish or the star of a meal, its quick 20-minute cooking time makes it a kitchen favorite everywhere!
Arroz Blanco
Bowl of cooked white rice with a jar of uncooked rice behind it.
Arroz Amarillo (Puerto Rican Yellow Rice)
Arroz Amarillo, or Puerto Rican yellow rice, is a flavorful staple in Puerto Rican cuisine, known for its vibrant color and savory taste. This versatile dish is a go-to for everyday meals and special occasions alike.
Arroz Amarillo
Large pot with cooked yellow rice.

Before diving into the rice dishes themselves, one companion deserves a mention: stewed beans. They're the faithful sidekick to almost every rice dish on this list, and beans and rice together aren't just tradition; they form a complete protein, which makes this pairing as practical as it is classic. Make extra beans at the beginning of the week; you will have plenty to keep on hand to pair with any of the following dishes, and you can freeze what you don't use for next week or work lunches.

Habichuelas Guisadas (Stewed Red Beans)
Rice and Beans go together like ham and cheese. And today, we learned to make Puerto Rican Beans. Fall in love with this delicious recipe.
Habichuelas Guisadas
A serving bowl of beans with a spoonful of beans hoving over it.
Mamposteao
Mamposteao is Puerto Rican comfort food at its best. This quick side dish transforms leftover rice and beans into a flavorful, satifying meal in minutes.
Mamposteao
Hands holding a clay bowl of Puerto Rican arroz mamposteao, rice mixed with beans and olives, garnished with fresh herbs.
Arroz con Habichuelas (Puerto Rican Rice with Beans)
Golden, deeply flavored, and impossible to put down. This is the Puerto Rican Arroz con Habichuelas you'll make on repeat.
Arroz con Habichuelas
Close-up of arroz con habichuelas in a ceramic bowl with serving spoon, avocado half, and individual serving with avocado slices visible.
Arroz con Chorizo and Habichuelas Blancas
Arroz con chorizo y habichuelas blancas is a one-pot dinner that doesn't apologize for being rich. It's built for a Tuesday when you want something that tastes like it simmered all day but takes only about 40 minutes.
Arroz con Chorizo
Two bowls of arroz con chorizo y habichuelas blancas served beside the Dutch oven, with forks and a green polka-dot napkin.
Arroz con Gandules (Puerto Rican Rice and Pigeon Peas)
Arroz con gandules is a must for any Puerto Rican holiday table. From Christmas through Octavitas, this rice and pigeon peas dish sits alongside pernil and coquito as one of the Three Kings of the season.
Arroz con Gandules
Spoon lifting arroz con gandules with rice, pigeon peas, olives, and pork from a pot.

So far, we've been talking about rice mixed with beans, but rice pairs just as well with meat. The following dishes explore that combination.

Asopao de Pollo
Asopao de Pollo is the one dish that brings comfort to Puerto Rican homes. This hearty chicken and rice stew is packed with flavor, filling enough to be a complete meal, and perfect for cozy family dinners.
Asopao de Pollo
Bowl of asopao de pollo.
Arroz con Pollo (Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice)
An original one-pot wonder.  Arroz con pollo combines rice and chicken in one pot.  Add a few sides like a slice of avocado and some stewed red beans to complete and satisfying meal.
Arroz con Pollo
Green Dutch oven filled with cooked arroz con pollo. There is a wooden spoon resting on the handle of the Dutch oven as well as a black kitchen towel on the other handle.
Arroz con Jueyes (Puerto Rican Crab Rice)
Crab Rice is a one-pot Puerto Rican dish made with sofrito, achiote oil, and crab meat. It's simple to make, full of flavor, and a classic on the island's northeast coast-especially in Loíza.
Arroz con Jueyes
Overhead view of Puerto Rican Crab Rice (Arroz con Jueyes) in a red Dutch oven, showing rice simmered with crab meat, olives, red peppers, and sofrito. A wooden slotted spatula rests beside the pot on a terrazzo countertop.
Puerto Rican Chicken Paella with Sausage and Plantain
Puerto Rican Chicken Paella with Sausage and Plantain is a hearty, one-pot twist on classic Valencian paella, made with longaniza, bone-in chicken, pork chunks, pigeon peas (gandules), and green plantains. It's packed with island flavor and perfect for feeding a crowd.
Puerto Rican Paella
Close-up of Puerto Rican chicken paella with bone-in chicken thighs, longaniza sausage, pigeon peas, and sliced plantains, garnished with fresh cilantro in a large paella pan.

Rice shows up at dessert too, spiced and sweetened into something worth saving room for.

Arroz con Dulce (Puerto Rican Rice Pudding)
Rice pudding is one of those desserts that stands the test of time. Extremely versatile, amazingly global, and always satisfying.
Arroz con Dulce
Servings of arroz con dulce.

More Puerto Rican and Global Inspirations

  • A hand holding a white bowl of funche topped with a dab of butter.
    Funche, Puerto Rican Grits
  • Overhead view of Puerto Rican arroz con habichuelas (rice and beans) in glass bowl and two white bowls with avocado slices and peach peonies.
    Arroz con Habichuelas (Puerto Rican Rice with Beans)
  • Cooked gandules (pigeon peas) with split skins draining in wire mesh strainer over a stainless steel pot.
    Gandules (Pigeon Peas)
  • Close-up overhead view of stuffed pasta shells filled with a ricotta and spinach mixture, arranged in a rich red meat sauce in a large skillet.
    Stuffed Pasta Shells with Meat Sauce

Sharing is caring!

  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

Comments

No Comments

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Woman holding a wooden spoon and smiling in a kitchen with hanging utensils and a vase of flowers on the counter.

Hola! I'm Zoe. I love all things food and enjoy cooking. I created this site to reconnect with my Puerto Rican heritage while living in the United States. This is a great place to reconnect if you are floating in the diaspora. I would love to hear from you!

About Zoe →

Summer Sizzlers

  • empanadas inside a paper towel lined bowl.
    Puerto Rican Empanadillas
  • Two highball glasses of sangria decorated with a fruit skewer of maraschino cherries, oranges, kiwi, and plums.
    Tropical Red Sangria with Rum
  • Whole Puerto Rican fried red snapper on a plate with tomato sauce, lemon slices, and plantains.
    Puerto Rican Fried Red Snapper, Chillo Frito
  • Close-up of a creamy pistachio limber topped with cinnamon, shredded coconut, and chopped pistachios, partially popped out of its plastic cup on an orange surface.
    Creamy Limbers de Pistachio, Homemade Ice Pops
  • Guineitos en escabeche served in a bowl with onions and green olives, a traditional Puerto Rican green banana salad
    Guineitos en Escabeche, Puerto Rican Pickled Green Bananas
  • Bowl lined with paper towels and filled with fried mero chunks. A small bowl with cut lemons and a small bowl with tartar sauce.
    Grouper Bites, Chicharrones de Mero

Popular Recipes

  • A plate of polvorones cookies with three semi-stacked cookies on top of the table resting in front of the plate.
    Puerto Rican Polvorones (Shortbread Cookies)
  • A blue and white dessert plate with a slice of bread pudding and caramel sauce on top of it.
    Budín de Pan (Puerto Rican Bread Pudding)
  • Large pot with cooked yellow rice.
    Arroz Amarillo, Puerto Rican Yellow Rice
  • Close-up of a Limber de Coco topped with cinnamon and shredded coconut in a clear plastic cup.
    Limbers de Coco, Creamy Puerto Rican Coconut Ice Pops
  • Whole Puerto Rican fried red snapper on a plate with tomato sauce, lemon slices, and plantains.
    Puerto Rican Fried Red Snapper, Chillo Frito
  • Overhead view of Puerto Rican arroz con habichuelas (rice and beans) in glass bowl and two white bowls with avocado slices and peach peonies.
    Arroz con Habichuelas (Puerto Rican Rice with Beans)

I’d love to hear from you! Did you try this recipe? Leave a review and rating below. Let’s connect on Instagram, and don’t forget to join my weekly email list for fresh new recipes.

Footer

Get new Puerto Rican recipes in your inbox every week!

Subscribe
↑ back to top

Explore

  • About Me
  • Firestarter Planner
  • Subscribe and eBook
  • Media Kit
  • Portfolio

About

  • Contact
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of service
  • Accessibility Statement

Copyright © 2025 Girl Meets Fire LLC • Powered by Feast+ • This website contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, we may receive a commission in return. Girl Meets Fire LLC participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

.