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    Home » Recipes » Christmas Recipes

    Dec 9, 2021 · Modified: Nov 23, 2023 by Zoe Forestier Villegas · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas)

    ↓ Jump to Recipe

    Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules is a dish that marks a season. For Puerto Ricans, that season is the Christmas season and the "Octavitas." Christmas is not Christmas without the holy trinity. No, not the Three Kings, at least not until January. But the trinity of Arroz con Gandules, Instant Pot Pernil (Puerto Rican Pork Roast), and Coquito.

    A table setting of two bowls filled with arroz con gandules. the large pot all of arroz is also on the table.

    This Puerto Rican Rice goes beyond the Holiday season. It would be the National Side Dish of Puerto Rico if it were up to me. Rice with Pigeon Peas is available at eateries, restaurants, and homes across Puerto Rico all year round. But it is a traditional celebratory dish, especially during the Christmas season.

    Jump To
    • Why you will love this recipe
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Quick Gandul (pigeon pea) Fun Fact
    • Variations and Substitutions
    • How to make Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules
    • Expert Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Puerto Rican Christmas Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Comments

    Why you will love this recipe

    • Tradition: Whether you are Puerto Rican or not, this is one of the most sought-after recipes. Why? Because it is a signature Puerto Rican recipe. Rice with Pigeon Peas is synonymous with festivities, and this dish has inadvertently become the introductory dish to many non-Puerto Ricans.
    • Crowd-Pleasing: This side dish is full of flavor that has won the hearts of many who have tried it. It is one of the recipes I get the most questions about and the most requested.
    • Make ahead: Because it is a side dish made by volume, it can also be easily made the night or day before the festivities and reheated the day of the celebration. It keeps well under refrigeration, allowing you to concentrate on the main course.

    Ingredient Notes

    Ingredients used for arroz con gandulez, including and not limited to pigeon peas, onion, and seasonings. rice not in picture
    Ingredients used for arroz con gandules; tomato sauce, onion, gandules, liquid (water or broth) achiote (annatto)oil, tocino (fatback) or summer sausage, sofrito, salon, adobo, paprika, and bay leaves. Rice not in picture
    • Gandules: Gandules come in different varieties and colors, but the most popular is the green gandules. You may purchase them dry or canned. I prefer dry because I can control the pea's flavoring and cooking.
    • Achiote Oil (Annatto Oil): This is my mother's little secret. A tablespoon of achiote oil or so goes a long way to impart both flavor and color to this yellow rice dish.
    • Sofrito: Sofrito is an herb and aromatic vegetable blend in many Puerto Rican recipes. This ingredient adds depth of flavor to this dish. It is one recipe to learn, make, and always have in your pantry.

    See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

    Quick Gandul (pigeon pea) Fun Fact

    The gandul is a tiny greenish-brown pea with tremendous nutritional value. It is an excellent source of B vitamin complex and vitamin C, manganese, iron, and phosphorus. In addition, gandules are packed with potassium, protein, folate, and dietary fiber. These great vitamins and minerals help digestion, growth, bone density, anemia, energy, and immunity. All in a tiny pill-sized pea!

    Variations and Substitutions

    • Fatback: Growing up, we always used fatback as a source of fat and flavor, especially for rice. If you do not want to use fatback, substitute with summer sausage (salchichón), chorizo, or ham.
    • Other beans: Ideally, the process is the same, so you may use red beans, pinto beans, black beans, navy beans, or garbanzo beans.
    • Brown Rice: Use brown rice to keep this recipe a healthy update.
    • Banana Leaves: Banana leaves give this rice a flavor infusion. We use Banana leaves to cook many Puerto Rican recipes, providing the food with an indescribable flavor.

    How to make Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules

    Here are the step-by-step instructions to make Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules.

    pot with tocino for browning
    1. Heat your pot. Add fat back and allow it to render its fat.
    Adding onions to the pot with browned tocino or fatback.
    1. Once the fat is rendered, the option to add extra olive oil if needed. Warm oil through then add onions to soften. Add garlic, if using, to soften after the onions are soft and tender.
    Adding achiote oil to softened onions and garlic.
    1. Add about a tablespoon of achiote (Annatto) oil for coloring.
    Adding rice.
    1. Add sofrito and quickly incorporate. Then, add gandules, whether rehydrated or drained from a can. Sauté lightly to integrate flavors, then add rice. Sauté rice until all grains are coated with oil.
    Adding water or liquid.
    1. Once rice grains are coated, add tomato sauce and liquid. Liquids could be water or your favorite flavored broth.
    Adding seasoning to rice and liquid.
    1. Add Sazon, Adobo, paprika, and bay leaves—mix pot. Bring liquid to a heavy simmer for about 10 minutes, uncovered. Option to cover with plantain leaves for added flavor. Cover, bring the heat to a minimum, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
    Finished rice. There is a forkful of rice over the pot.

    After 15 to 20 minutes, turn the heat completely off. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.

    Expert Tips

    • Rinse the Rice: there is much debate about whether to use rice or not the rice. Rinsing the rice removes the excess starches covering the grains or rice. I grew up rinsing the rice, but I have also cooked my rice without rinsing. I have found that rinsing the rice provides a grander final product.
    • Broth with water: Adding a little water to your broth would help to keep the rice from getting too sticky.
    • Crisping the rice: Crisping the rice before we add the water helps to make the rice grainier and loose.
    • Cooking Rice: Rice cooks for about 20 minutes in total. There is some simple math involved, though. For example, if cooking uncovered took 5 minutes, the rice would cook covered for 15 minutes. So adjust your covered time depending on how long it takes to cook uncovered.
    • Don't mush the rice: Check rice for doneness by fluffing rice with a fork. I have used a spoon before, but the big cooking spoon squashes the rice. The tines of the fork are far more delicate and allow you to lift the rice without smashing it.
    • Rice troubleshooting: If, by any chance, the rice is not entirely done, let it rest covered for a few minutes. If the rice is still undercooked, add about one-quarter cup of water, cover and set the burner to the lowest setting, and cook for another five to ten minutes.

    Recipe FAQs

    Can you freeze arroz con gandules?

    You have a few options. You may freeze the rice by itself. I place them in freezer-friendly zip-lock bags. I then flatten the bags for both freezer space and faster cooling. The option is to make a complete dish with meat on the side in freezer-friendly containers. This way, you have a complete meal when you reheat the container. Frozen rice would last in the freezer for 3 to 6 months.

    What does Arroz con Gandules go with?

    Everything. My favorite rice and pigeon peas partner is roast pork or Pernil, but this dish goes great with pork chops, chicken thighs, pinchos (kabobs), and lamb.

    What type of rice is used to make arroz con gandules?

    Traditionally, medium grain rice. I like Jasmine rice, and that is what I use. I have not found any significant issues with using Jasmine. Ultimately, use the rice you are accustomed to cooking. Each rice has its times and quirks, so use the available rice.

    A table setting of two bowls filled with arroz con gandules. the large pot all of arroz is also on the table.

    More Puerto Rican Christmas Recipes

    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.

    📖 Recipe

    two bowls of arroz con gandules.

    Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pigeon Peas)

    Zoé Forestier
    Arroz con Gandules is one of those dishes that mark a season. And for Puerto Ricans, that season is the Holidays or any special celebration.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 45 minutes mins
    Course puerto rican christmas recipes, Puerto Rican Inspirations, Side Dish
    Cuisine Puerto Rican
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 209 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 oz Fatback or summer sausage
    • 1 Onion Small, or half of a medium or large onion. Peeled and diced.
    • 1 clove Garlic minced
    • 2 tablespoon Achiote OIl
    • 1 can Pigeon Peas or two cups of rehydrated peas
    • 2 tablespoon Sofrito
    • 2¼ cups Water or broth
    • 2 cups Rice
    • 1 tablespoon Loisa Sazon
    • 1 tablespoon Loisa Adobo
    • 1 teaspoon Paprika
    • 2 Bay Leaves

    Instructions
     

    • Heat your pot. Add fat back and allow it to render its fat.
      1 oz Fatback
    • Once the fat is rendered, the option to add extra olive oil if needed. Warm oil through, then add onions to soften. Add garlic, if using, to soften after the onions are soft and tender.
      1 Onion, 1 clove Garlic
    • Add about a tablespoon of achiote (Annatto) oil for coloring.
      2 tablespoon Achiote OIl
    • Add sofrito and quickly incorporate. Then, add gandules, whether rehydrated or drained from a can. Sauté lightly to integrate flavors, then add rice. Sauté rice until all grains are coated with oil.
      2 tablespoon Sofrito, 1 can Pigeon Peas
    • Once rice grains are coated, add tomato sauce and liquid. Liquids could be water or your favorite flavored broth.
      2 cups Rice, 2¼ cups Water
    • Add Sazon, Adobo, paprika, and bay leaves—mix pot. Bring liquid to a heavy simmer for about 10 minutes, uncovered. Option to cover with plantain leaves for added flavor. Cover, bring the heat to a minimum, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
      1 tablespoon Loisa Sazon, 1 tablespoon Loisa Adobo, 1 teaspoon Paprika, 2 Bay Leaves
    • After 15 to 20 minutes, turn the heat completely off. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.

    Notes

    • Rinse the Rice: there is much debate about whether to use rice or not the rice. Rinsing the rice removes the excess starches covering the grains or rice. I grew up rinsing the rice, but I have also cooked my rice without rinsing. I have found that rinsing the rice provides a grander final product.
    • Crisping the rice: Crisping the rice before we add the water helps to make the rice grainier and loose.
    • Broth with water: Adding a little water to your broth would help to keep the rice from getting too sticky.
    • Cooking Rice: Rice cooks for about 20 minutes in total. There is some simple math involved, though. For example, if cooking uncovered took 5 minutes, the rice would cook covered for 15 minutes. So adjust your covered time depending on how long it takes to cook uncovered.
    • Don't mush the rice: Check rice for doneness by fluffing rice with a fork. I have used a spoon before, but the big cooking spoon squashes the rice. The tines of the fork are far more delicate and allow you to lift the rice without smashing it.
    • Rice troubleshooting: If, by any chance, the rice is not entirely done, let it rest covered for a few minutes. If the rice is still undercooked, add about one-quarter cup of water, cover and set the burner to the lowest setting, and cook for another five to ten minutes.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cupCalories: 209kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 4gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 99mgPotassium: 95mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 127IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?If you try this recipe, I’d love to see it! Tag me on Instagram @girlmeetsfire_puertoricancookn/ so I can check it out and share your creation!

    « Puerto Rican Rice with Beans
    Ají-li-mojíli »
    5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)
    Zoe standin in the kitchen smiling

    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 →

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    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.

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