Chipotle Copycat Cilantro Lime Rice
Updated Jan 17, 2026
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Skip the trip to the restaurant and make Chipotle Copycat Cilantro Lime Rice right at home in just 30 minutes. This easy copycat recipe uses long-grain white rice, fresh citrus juice, and cilantro to recreate the light, fluffy rice you love from Chipotle.
It’s the perfect base for burrito bowls and meal prep and is naturally gluten-free and vegan. Pair it with Chipotle copycat chicken or build the full Chipotle experience at home below.
🐝 Quick Look: Chipotle Copycat Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
- ⏱ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 25 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽 Servings: 12 (1/2 cup servings)
- ⚡ Calories: ~113 per serving
- 🍳 Cook Method: Stovetop in pot
- 🧂 Main Ingredients: Long-grain white rice, fresh cilantro, lime juice, lemon juice, neutral oil
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Fresh citrus, bright cilantro
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy. Mostly hands-off.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It tastes just like Chipotle’s rice: This copycat cilantro lime rice is light, fluffy, and perfectly seasoned with fresh citrus and cilantro, just like the restaurant version.
- Simple ingredients with big flavor: You only need a handful of pantry staples to recreate Chipotle’s signature rice at home without any special equipment or hard-to-find ingredients.
- Ready in 30 minutes: From stovetop to bowl, this rice comes together quickly, making it ideal for busy weeknights or easy meal prep.
- Perfect for burrito bowls: Use this rice as the base for a homemade Chipotle-style bowl with copycat Chipotle chicken, copycat Chipotle black beans, and Chipotle copycat fresh tomato salsa.
- Easy to scale and prep ahead: This recipe makes enough rice for multiple bowls and reheats well, which makes it great for planning meals throughout the week.
- Versatile beyond bowls: Serve it alongside tacos, wrap it into burritos, or pair it with other favorites like Mexican Inspired Salmon with Avocado Salsa.
Table of Contents
How to Make a Chipotle Bowl at Home
Once you’ve made the rice, you can turn it into a complete Chipotle-style bowl at home. Start with a base of cilantro lime rice, then add your favorite protein, beans, salsas, and toppings. Mix and match based on what you have, or recreate your exact Chipotle order.
Try it with Chipotle Copycat Chicken, Chipotle Copycat Black Beans, Chipotle Copycat Fresh Tomato Salsa, Chipotle Copycat Corn Salsa, Chipotle Copycat Tomatillo-Green Chili Salsa, Chipotle Copycat Guacamole, and Chipotle-Style Sour Cream.
Key Ingredients
See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients with exact quantities.
- Basmati Rice: Chipotle uses long-grain white rice so make sure to use a long-grain white rice such as Basmati for a similar flavor and texture. Jasmine rice also works well, but avoid short grain or sticky rice.
- Avocado Oil: Chipotle traditionally uses rice bran oil, but avocado oil is a great at-home substitute with a neutral taste and similar cooking properties. Use the neutral oil you prefer.
Tips and Substitutions
- Don’t skip the resting step. Letting the rice steam off the heat (covered) finishes the cooking process and helps excess moisture evaporate.
- Add the oil before fluffing. Drizzling the oil onto the rice while it’s still warm helps coat the grains and prevents clumping.
- Fluff before adding the finishing ingredients. Fluffing first keeps the rice light before mixing in the cilantro, citrus juice, and salt.
- Season like Chipotle. The rice should taste lightly salty on its own. Don’t be afraid to season generously with kosher salt for that signature restaurant-style flavor.
- Adjust the citrus to taste. Add more lime juice just before serving if you prefer a brighter, tangier finish.
- Make it your own. Lime-only or lemon-only both work, but using both creates the most balanced flavor.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice
See the recipe card below for full instructions and exact amounts.
- Combine the rice, water, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt in a pot and bring to a gentle boil to start cooking evenly.
- Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook. Once the water is absorbed, remove from heat and let it steam.
- Drizzle the oil over the warm rice, then fluff gently. Stir in the chopped cilantro, lime juice, lemon juice, and salt.
- Adjust the citrus and salt to taste before serving.
Chipotle Copycat Cilantro Lime Rice FAQs
Chipotle’s cilantro lime rice is made with long-grain white rice, oil, fresh cilantro, citrus juice (lime and sometimes lemon), and salt. The rice is cooked first, then finished with oil, citrus, and cilantro for a light, fluffy texture.
Chipotle keeps their rice simply seasoned with salt and citrus. There are no spices added. The flavor comes from properly seasoned rice, fresh cilantro, and lime juice.
The green ingredient in Chipotle rice is fresh cilantro. It’s finely chopped and mixed in after cooking so it stays bright and fresh.
Yes, you can cook the rice in a rice cooker or Instant Pot, then finish it with oil, cilantro, citrus juice, and salt after cooking. The flavoring method stays the same regardless of how the rice is cooked.
More Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Copycat Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups Basmati Rice
- 3 cups Water
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 tablespoon Neutral Oil, avocado or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup Fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Lime Juice, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice, plus more to taste
- Kosher Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the rice (optional): Place the rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cool water until the water runs mostly clear. Drain well.
- Cook the rice: In a medium pot, combine the rice, water, bay leaf, and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat.
- Simmer: Cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce heat to low, and cook for 12 minutes without lifting the lid.
- Steam: Remove from heat and let the rice sit, covered, for 5–10 minutes. Remove the lid, drizzle with the oil, and let sit uncovered for another 5 minutes.
- Finish: Remove the bay leaf and fluff the rice with a fork. Add the cilantro, lime juice, lemon juice, and additional salt to taste. Stir gently and adjust citrus and salt as needed before serving.
Notes
- Rice type: Long-grain white rice works best for a fluffy, separate texture. Basmati or jasmine both work well. Avoid short-grain rice, which will be too sticky.
- Rinsing: Rinsing the rice is optional, but it helps remove excess starch and results in lighter, fluffier rice similar to Chipotle’s.
- Seasoning the water: Lightly salting the cooking water is key. The rice should taste seasoned on its own before adding the citrus and cilantro.
- Oil: Chipotle uses rice bran oil, but avocado oil or another neutral oil works well at home. Add the oil after cooking so it coats the grains without making them greasy.
- Citrus balance: Using both lime and lemon juice gives the rice a brighter, more balanced flavor. Start with the listed amounts, then adjust to taste once the rice is fully fluffed.
- Cilantro: Add the cilantro after the rice has cooled slightly to preserve its fresh flavor and bright green color.
- For bowls: A typical burrito bowl uses about ½ cup cooked rice per serving. This recipe makes enough rice for multiple bowls depending on portion size.
- Make-ahead: The rice can be made up to 4 days in advance. Reheat gently in the microwave or stovetop.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The cilantro lime rice is my favorite part of a Chipotle burrito bowl. Luckily it’s so easy to make at home and tastes exactly like the restaurant!
What can I say… tastes exactly like chipotle haha. Great recipe!!