This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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!
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 cloves garlic 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.
I made this recipe and it was amazing! Cut the recipe in half and it still came out perfect.
So happy you liked it!
I LOVE this recipe and it’s kid approved! Thank you!
You're very welcome! So glad you liked this recipe!
Really good! Nice and simple. We added some avocado at the end as well, which enhanced the flavor even further.
So glad you liked it! The addition of avocados sounds so good!
I'm glad I came across this! As a vegetarian, dishes like this tend to be main dishes. It's so easy to make! And with two children under 4, I need quick and easy! Thanks!
Chelsea, I am so glad you liked this recipe. Thank you for your great review!
This is my new favorite side dish! Amazingly light and delicious. Thank you.
So glad you liked it! 🙂
I made this as is and it was delicious. However, In trying to keep a lower carb diet, I made it another time and substituted 2 c riced cauliflower for the regular rice, 1 c of chicken broth, and only used half the black beans. The cauliflower cooks faster than the regular rice so adjust the cooking time to about half and don't overcook or it will be mushy, more like mashed potatoes. I left all the other herbs and spices as is. It is delicious as a rice substitute.
Thank you, Linda, for sharing your tips how to reduce calories and how to use cauliflower rice in this recipe. So many useful tips and pointers! Thank you so much! 🙂
This is my absolute favorite go-to recipe! I makes y whenever we have fajitas (or breakfast tacos... my friends and family request these on a regular lol)
Cilantro lime rice and beans go perfectly... and the leftovers are perfect to put a poached egg over the next morning. 🙂
Thank you so very much for sharing this recipe!
You are very welcome! So glad you've been enjoying this recipe. Thank you for stopping by and leaving such a sweet comment. 🙂
So is a serving size considered 1 cup? Was trying to confirm my macros for this!! Thanks!
The whole dish makes 4 servings, so whatever is 1/4th of the whole dish is a single serving.
How many cups total does this recipe make? I'd like to bring it to a taco party, but am not sure how many times I'll need to multiple the recipe to ensure I'll have enough for everyone.
I believe the recipe makes about 4 cups of cooked rice and black beans.
I just made this. It was easy and delicious. A great side. I toasted the rice in some butter before boiling it. It just gives an extra layer of flavor.
Thank you for the great recipe!
You're very welcome! I am glad you've enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
Love your recipe, but the Knorr ad was annoying
Made this just now and it came out perfectly! I doubled the recipe so we have some for dinner and then my kiddos can take this for warm lunches at school. I plan to add some fresh chopped green and red pepper when serving. Yummy recipe!!
Happy to hear you liked it! 🙂
I've always made cilantro-lime rice sans broth (using only water) and heated up the beans separately. I followed your recipe exactly except I added 1 tablespoon of butter and some fresh pepper. I also just squeezed a whole lime right into the pot but it was very tasty and MUCH easier than cooking everything separately. Beautiful picture by the way!
Can this be cooked in a rice cooker?
Made this last night and it's delicious. I agree with Julia that you should add in the lime juice slowly and taste until you like it. For me it ended up being only about 4 teaspoons. I made this as a side for this shrimp taco recipe and both were delicious together. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/2017/06/26/spicy-sriracha-shrimp-tacos/
Thank you for your feeback, Don. And I am glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I just tried this and it turned out delicious, had to fish out the black beans because I mistakenly added them while I was about to cook the rice.
Glad you liked it, Irene! 🙂