Arroz con Gandules Recipe is the dish you need for a true Puerto Rican Holiday table. This rice and pigeon peas dish kicks off the Christmas season in Puerto Rico and stays on the table through Octavitas. Pernil, coquito, and arroz con gandules are the Three Kings of the Puerto Rican holiday table.
Arroz con Gandules is more than a seasonal staple or side dish; it's often considered Puerto Rico's national dish. You'll find it at restaurants, lechoneras, birthday parties, and any family gathering all year long. Still, nothing beats the big holiday pot at Christmas, served alongside Pernil Asado (Instant Pot Pernil) and a little Coquito to toast with. If you're planning a Puerto Rican-inspired Christmas this year, my 15 Puerto Rican Christmas Essentials will help you put the whole feast together.
Here are a few more Puerto Rican Christmas Recipes you could use to round out the table. Guineitos en Escabeche, pickled green bananas, Puerto Rican Mofongo, mashed fried green plantains with garlic and pork rinds, and Authentic Tembleque de Coco, a no-bake coconut custard.
Jump To
Why you will love this recipe
- It's pure Puerto Rican comfort. Whether you grew up with it or you're making it for the first time, this rice and pigeon peas dish is the heart of our holiday table.
- It feeds a crowd effortlessly. A pot of arroz con gandules is aromatic, flavorful, and expected at every celebration, from Nochebuena to birthdays.
- It's make-ahead friendly. It reheats beautifully, so you can cook it earlier in the day (or even the night before) and focus on everything else.
new recipe!
Bacardi Gold Cookies and Cream Coquito
Christmas in Puerto Rico would not be complete without Coquito.
Ingredient Notes
- Gandules: Green pigeon peas are the most common. You can use canned or dry. Dry gives you more control over flavor and texture. Canned are far more efficient.
- Achiote (annatto) oil: Just a tablespoon of achiote oil gives the rice its signature golden color and that warm, earthy flavor Puerto Ricans expect from arroz con gandules.
- Sofrito: The soul of the dish. Homemade Sofrito is best, and it's worth keeping it stocked in your freezer.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
A Fun Gandules Fact
Gandules, also known as pigeon peas (Cajanus cajan), come in several colors: green, brown, black, and even purple, though green and brown are the most commonly available varieties. Pigeon peas may be tiny, but they're loaded with good stuff, like fiber, potassium, B vitamins, and folate. They support energy, digestion, and heart health, all while tasting like pure Puerto Rican comfort.
Variations and Substitutions
- Fatback: The classic option, but you can swap in chorizo, salchichón (summer sausage), ham, or another smoked meat.
- Other beans: This method works with red beans, pinto beans, black beans, navy beans, or garbanzos.
- Brown rice: Arroz con gandules is just as tasty with brown rice; just be mindful of the longer cook time. Brown rice needs a little more liquid, usually ¼ to ½ cup extra water or broth, and it will take almost twice as long to cook compared to white rice. Let it rest after cooking so the grains soften fully.
- Banana leaves: No banana leaves? No problem. Banana leaves add a lovely earthy aroma and flavor, but if you don't have any on hand, skip them; the dish will still come out great.
How to make Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules
Here are the step-by-step instructions to make Puerto Rican Arroz con Gandules.
- Heat your pot. Add a small amount of olive oil and cooking ham. Allow it to render its fat. Cook ham until is golden brown and any fat has rendered and crisp.
- Add onions and sauté until soft.
- Add sofrito garlic with tomato paste and quickly incorporate.
- Add gandules and sazón or adobo. Sauté lightly to integrate flavors.
- Then add rice and achiote oil. Sauté rice until all grains are coated with oil.
- Coating and toasting the rice grains helps to deliver a loose grainy end product.
- Add olives, liquid 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.
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's plenty of debate over whether rice should be rinsed. Rinsing removes excess surface starch from the grains, which helps the rice cook up fluffier. I grew up rinsing rice, though I've cooked it both ways, and I consistently find that rinsing gives a better final texture.
- Broth with water: Using broth adds flavor, but full-strength broth can make the rice heavier or slightly sticky. Mixing broth with water lightens the liquid and helps the grains cook up more evenly and fluffy.
- Crisping the rice: Letting the rice toast briefly in the fat before adding liquid helps the grains stay separate and fluffy once cooked.
- Cooking time: Rice cooks for about 20 minutes total. A good rule of thumb is to subtract the uncovered cooking time from the covered time. For example, if the rice simmers uncovered for 5 minutes at moderate heat, it should finish cooking covered for about 15 minutes at low heat.
- Don't mush the rice: Always check for doneness by fluffing the rice with a fork. A large spoon can crush the grains, while the fork tines gently lift and separate them.
- Rice troubleshooting: If the rice isn't fully cooked, let it rest covered for a few minutes first. If it still needs more time, add about ¼ cup of water, cover, and cook on very low heat for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
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.
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.
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.
More Puerto Rican Christmas Recipes
- Peanut Butter Blondies
- Puerto Rican Guava Cakes (Panetela de Guayaba)
- Arroz con Habichuelas (Puerto Rican Rice with Beans)
- Gandules (Pigeon Peas)
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
Arroz con Gandules Recipe (Puerto Rican Rice and Pigeon Peas)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 oz Cooking Ham or summer sausage
- 1 Onion Small, or half of a medium or large onion. Peeled and diced.
- 1 teaspoon Garlic paste
- 2 tablespoon Achiote OIl
- 1 can Pigeon Peas
- 2 tablespoon Sofrito
- 2¼ cups Water or broth
- 2 cups Rice
- 1 tablespoon Adobo
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 12 Olives
Instructions
- Heat your pot. Add a small amount of olive oil and cooking ham. Allow it to render its fat. Cook ham until is golden brown and any fat has rendered and crisp.
- Add onions and sauté until soft.
- Add sofrito garlic with tomato paste and quickly incorporate.
- Add gandules and sazón or adobo. Sauté lightly to integrate flavors.
- Then add rice and achiote oil. Sauté rice until all grains are coated with oil.
- Coating and toasting the rice grains helps to deliver a loose grainy end product.
- Add olives, liquid 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.
Notes
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.
- 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.
