Spanish rice and beans, super easy to make and packed with good-quality vegan protein. It's ready in just 25 minutes with simple ingredients!

Spanish rice and beans, a super comforting, filling, and delicious Mexican recipe. It is loaded with good-quality vegan protein and it's made with simple and affordable ingredients. It tastes SO good!
To make it you only need 25 minutes of your time and I added ingredients like vegetable stock or salsa. It makes a perfect dinner for a weeknight!
Want more vegan rice recipes? Try my Vegan Fried Rice, Vegan Paella, and Vegan Red Beans and Rice for delicious plant-powered meals!
Spanish rice and beans recipe - Short video
How to make Spanish rice and beans - Step by step
- Heat the oil in a skillet and add the garlic and the onion (photo 1). Cook over medium-high heat until golden brown (photo 2).
- Incorporate the rice (photo 3), stir, and toast until the grains begin to turn golden brown (photo 4).
- Add the vegetable stock, salsa, and spices (photo 5), stir, cover and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed (photo 6).
- Stir in the beans and let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Serve your Spanish rice and beans immediately.
Ingredients and tips
- Extra virgin olive oil: I’m Spanish, so I use extra virgin olive oil to cook most of my dishes. However, any type of oil is okay. I always use extra virgin oils when possible because they’re healthier. If you don’t consume oil, just use some vegetable stock or water instead.
- Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic, but garlic powder is a good alternative.
- Onion: same as above. Onion powder is also a good choice.
- Long grain white rice: any type of rice will do, but keep in mind you may need to add more or less vegetable stock, and cooking time will vary as well.
- Vegetable stock or water: I prefer using vegetable stock because it enhances the flavor of this dish. However, water is okay too. Making your own vegetable stock at home is a good idea, but feel free to use a store-bought version if you want to.
- Salsa: store-bought salsa is a good choice, but homemade salsa is so delicious, inexpensive, and extremely easy to make. You could also use tomato sauce instead.
- Spices and herbs: I’ve used ground cumin, paprika, dried oregano, ground black pepper, and salt, but feel free to add your favorite spices or herbs.
- Kidney beans: any type of beans or legumes will do.
- If you would like to incorporate some greens into your meal, a good option is serving your Spanish rice and beans with a side dish of vegetable tempura or veggie stir fry.
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Spanish Rice and Beans
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 cups dry long-grain white rice
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 1 and ½ cups salsa
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a skillet and add the garlic and the onion. Cook over medium-high heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
- Add the rice, stir, and toast until the grains begin to turn golden brown, stirring frequently.
- Add the vegetable stock, salsa, and spices (cumin, paprika, oregano, pepper, and salt), stir, cover and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, for about 15 minutes.
- Stir in the beans and let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Add some greens by serving it with vegetable tempura or veggie stir fry as a side dish.
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Feel free to use your favorite veggies, spices, and herbs.
- Any type of oil, rice, vegetable stock, and beans will do, but keep in mind that if you use another type of rice you may need to add more or less stock, and cooking time may vary.
- Salsa can be replaced with tomato sauce.
- Prep time and cook time don’t include the 10 minutes you need to let the rice sit before serving. If you’re in a hurry you can serve it immediately though.
Trudi says
Loved it....added chilli flakes and halved kalamata olives.....delish!
Iosune Robles says
Sounds so good!
raysa sylvester says
This looks delicious!!! Can't wait to make this recipe and try out your other mouthwatering recipes.
Iosune Robles says
Hope you liked it ๐