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Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Rice - easy, light, delicious, gluten free side dish.
Jasmine rice with black beans flavored with freshly squeezed lime juice and chopped fresh cilantro. Very refreshing, very light. This side dish will go well with grilled or baked meats (chicken, steak, pork), fish or any kind of seafood. It also works great as a stand alone meatless main course.
Easy, simple ingredients, but what a delicious flavor!
Enjoy!
Cilantro-Lime Black Bean Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 cup Jasmine rice , uncooked, or use any rice that says on the package that it takes 15 minutes to cook it
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice , freshly squeezed (use one 1 tablespoon first, before adding another)
- 15 oz black beans , rinsed, drained, from the can
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Use large, deep skillet or a large sauce pan.
- Add chicken broth, uncooked rice, ¼ teaspoon salt and minced garlic to the skillet (or pan). Bring to boil. Mix everything well. Reduce the heat to low boil simmer. Cover the skillet with the lid. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, covered, until the rice is cooked through.
- Remove the skillet from heat. Mix in 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lime juice, black beans (rinsed and drained), and fresh cilantro into the cooked rice. Taste, and add more salt and/or another small amount of lime juice (at most 1 extra tablespoon, try adding half of extra tablespoon first).
- Note: I think 2 tablespoons of lime juice (freshly squeezed only!) are just perfect, but the lime flavor might be too strong for some people, so you might use just 1 or 1.5 tablespoon instead of 2 that I used.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Made this last night for the family and they loved it. Great flavor. Paired it with hatch green chili chicken thighs and made burrito bowls. Definitely keeping this recipe.
I love your pairing, Kathy, thank you so much for sharing!! 🙂
Made this last night as a side to air fryer chicken thighs rubbed with Tajin. I threw feta cheese in just because I had to use it up. And not a bad addition. The only other thing I would do when I make this again is rinse the rice a couple of times to get rid of the starch. It was a little gluey. Other than that a perfect summer side dish.
Hi Loretta! Yum, that sounds SO good with air fryer chicken thighs and Tajin! And feta is always a win in my book! Thanks for sharing your tweaks and tips. 🙂
My husband hates cilantro, so can you leave it out,,,or substitute something?
You can use fresh parsley or fresh basil instead!
I loved this recipe!! 5/2025
I made my own homemade black beans instead of canned and served them on the side because my family doesn’t like black beans. I loved the beans with the rice and cilantro. The lime was such a great touch. The rice was delicious and I served it with a spicy chicken marinade that I had found on Pinterest. Thanks for sharing your recipe. It’s a keeper!!!
Hi Verena! Homemade black beans sound amazing, and I bet they were perfect with the rice and lime! And that spicy chicken pairing? Sounds like a winning combo. Thanks for sharing! 🙂