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Arroz Blanco

By Illyanna Maisonet

Published on September 23, 2025

Time

45 minutes

Yield

Makes 5 cups

Arroz Blanco

Ingredients

2 cups medium-grain white rice 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2½ cups water ¼ teaspoon table salt

Before You Begin

We developed this recipe with Calrose rice, but any medium- or short-grain white rice will work.

Instructions

  1. Place 2 cups medium-grain white rice in fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water, stirring occasionally, until water runs clear, about 1½ minutes.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until edges of grains are translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2½ cups water and ¼ teaspoon table salt and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until liquid falls below surface of rice and small holes form, 5 to 7 minutes.
  3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 17 minutes. Off heat, let rice rest covered until tender, at least 10 minutes. (If rice is slightly underdone, let sit, covered, until fully tender, 5 to 10 minutes longer). Fluff rice with fork and season with salt to taste. Serve.
Arroz Blanco
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Joy Howard.

Arroz Blanco

Headshot of Illyanna Maisonet
By Illyanna Maisonet

Published on September 23, 2025

Save

Time

45 minutes

Yield

Makes 5 cups

Ingredients

2 cups medium-grain white rice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2½ cups water
¼ teaspoon table salt

Ingredients

2 cups medium-grain white rice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2½ cups water
¼ teaspoon table salt

Ingredients

2 cups medium-grain white rice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2½ cups water
¼ teaspoon table salt

Why This Recipe Works

Arroz blanco is a daily staple in Puerto Rican cooking, and the common denominators are medium-grain rice, water, olive oil, and salt. We toasted the grains in fat before steaming them, which added a slight nutty flavor and prevented them from clumping so they’re easier to break up the next day for arroz mamposteao. We cooked the rice until it was mostly tender, then allowed it to rest off heat for about 10 minutes so that the grains gently finished hydrating.

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Before You Begin

We developed this recipe with Calrose rice, but any medium- or short-grain white rice will work.

Instructions

  1. Place 2 cups medium-grain white rice in fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water, stirring occasionally, until water runs clear, about 1½ minutes.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until edges of grains are translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2½ cups water and ¼ teaspoon table salt and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until liquid falls below surface of rice and small holes form, 5 to 7 minutes.
  3. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 17 minutes. Off heat, let rice rest covered until tender, at least 10 minutes. (If rice is slightly underdone, let sit, covered, until fully tender, 5 to 10 minutes longer). Fluff rice with fork and season with salt to taste. Serve.

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