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Cuban Rice Recipes

17 recipes using rice — Ropa vieja, moros y cristianos, lechón — bold, slow-cooked Caribbean flavours.

These 17 cuban rice recipes are ready in about 75 minutes on average, with 260–620 kcal per serving, and 53% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.

17
recipes
75 min
average time
395 kcal
avg per serving
53%
easy recipes

How Cuban cuisine cooks with rice

Cuban cuisine — Ropa vieja, moros y cristianos, lechón — bold, slow-cooked Caribbean flavours — brings its own distinctive techniques and seasonings to every ingredient it touches. When Cuban cooks work with rice, they reach for its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, boiling, baking and steaming.

The everyday grain for half the planet — a neutral base that soaks up the flavours around it, from pilafs to fried rice. In this collection it's most often cooked with olive oil, garlic, ground cumin, onion, fine sea salt and dried oregano. The dishes here span cuban classics ready in as little as 15 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.

17 Cuban Rice Recipes

Dinner

Moros y Cristianos

Cuba's beloved black beans and rice dish — cooked together in the same pot so the rice absorbs the dark, earthy flavour of the beans, aromatics and cumin.

⏱ 60 min🔥 380 kcalEasy
Dessert

Arroz con Leche

Cuban rice pudding — creamy, cinnamon-scented rice cooked low and slow in whole milk until meltingly soft, served warm or cold with a dusting of ground cinnamon.

⏱ 50 min🔥 280 kcalEasy
Dinner

Congri (Arroz Moros y Cristianos)

Cuban black beans and rice cooked together in one pot with sofrito and spices — the essential side dish of Cuban cuisine.

⏱ 65 min🔥 320 kcalEasy
✨ NewDinner

Ropa Vieja (Cuban Shredded Beef in Sofrito Tomato Sauce)

Cuba's national dish — flank steak slow-cooked then shredded into a deep, garlicky sofrito-and-tomato sauce with peppers, olives and capers, served over fluffy white rice with sweet plantains.

⏱ 205 min🔥 540 kcalMedium
✨ NewLunch

Cuban Farmhouse Golden Garlic Rice Bowl (Moros y Cristianos Bowl)

A garlicky Cuban black beans and rice bowl built the way Cuban farmhouse kitchens actually make Moros y Cristianos.

⏱ 60 min🔥 420 kcalMedium
✨ NewLunch

Cuban Homestyle Black Bean and Onion Wraps

Warm tortilla wraps filled with garlicky Cuban black beans, caramelized onion and rice, built for a fast homestyle lunch.

⏱ 37 min🔥 410 kcalEasy
✨ NewDinner

Cuban Golden Cumin-Tomato Stuffed Peppers (Ajies Rellenos)

Bell peppers stuffed with a spiced ground beef, rice and tomato filling, based on ajies rellenos, a Cuban home-cooking classic.

⏱ 65 min🔥 400 kcalMedium
✨ NewSalads

Cuban Weeknight Rice and Herb Salad with Yogurt Dressing

A quick Cuban-inspired rice salad tossed with fresh herbs and a garlicky yogurt dressing, built for using up leftover rice.

⏱ 15 min🔥 260 kcalEasy
✨ NewSnacks

Cuban Sunday Charred Pepper Rice Noodle Snack

Charred sweet peppers tossed with garlic-lime rice noodles, a quick Sunday street-snack riff built on Cuban char and citrus flavors.

⏱ 35 min🔥 290 kcalMedium
✨ NewDinner

Cuban Midnight Green Herb Chickpea Rice

A one-pot herb-flecked rice and chickpea dinner, a green, garlicky late-night Cuban-inspired comfort bowl.

⏱ 45 min🔥 380 kcalEasy
✨ NewLunch

Cuban Black Bean and Rice Bowl (Moros y Cristianos Style)

Smoky black beans and garlicky rice piled into a bowl with a bright lime-herb finish.

⏱ 50 min🔥 420 kcalEasy
✨ NewDinner

Cuban Shrimp and Rice (Arroz con Mariscos)

Shrimp simmered into saffron-orange rice with peppers, tomato and a gentle chile kick.

⏱ 55 min🔥 410 kcalMedium
✨ NewLunch

Cuban Lentil Stew Bowl (Potaje de Lentejas)

A hearty Cuban lentil stew with chorizo, potatoes and pumpkin, spooned over rice.

⏱ 60 min🔥 460 kcalEasy
✨ NewDinner

Cuban Picadillo-Stuffed Peppers

Bell peppers filled with sweet-savory Cuban picadillo -- ground beef, olives, raisins and a hint of lime.

⏱ 65 min🔥 390 kcalMedium
✨ NewDinner

Cuban Ropa Vieja Casserole

Slow-shredded beef in a smoky tomato-pepper sauce, baked into a comforting family casserole.

⏱ 140 min🔥 480 kcalMedium
✨ NewDessert

Cuban Rice Pudding (Arroz con Leche)

Creamy cinnamon-spiced rice pudding simmered slowly in milk, finished with a dusting of ground cinnamon.

⏱ 55 min🔥 260 kcalEasy
🍽
✨ NewDinner

Cuban Holiday Plate: Mojo Pork with Rice, Beans and Yuca

Citrus-garlic mojo-marinated roast pork served with black beans, rice and boiled yuca for a Cuban holiday spread.

⏱ 210 min🔥 620 kcalHard

Choosing & preparing rice

How to choose

Choose by use: long-grain (basmati, jasmine) for fluffy, separate grains; short-grain for risotto and sushi where stickiness is wanted. Aged basmati cooks longer and fluffier.

Prep & storage

Rinse until the water runs clear to wash off surface starch and prevent clumping. The absorption method — a fixed water ratio, lid on, then a 10-minute steam off the heat — gives reliable results.

Nutrition

A gluten-free carbohydrate staple; brown and wild varieties keep the bran for extra fibre, B vitamins and minerals.

Classic flavour partners: onion, garlic, saffron, peas, soy sauce, cumin

Cuban Rice Recipes — FAQ

How long do Cuban rice recipes take to make?

Most of these 17 Cuban rice recipes are ready in around 75 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Cuban Weeknight Rice and Herb Salad with Yogurt Dressing, takes about 15 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 210 minutes.

How many calories are in Cuban rice dishes?

Across this collection they range from about 260 to 620 kcal per serving, averaging 395 kcal — Cuban Weeknight Rice and Herb Salad with Yogurt Dressing is the lightest option at 260 kcal.

What is the easiest Cuban rice recipe for beginners?

Moros y Cristianos is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 60 minutes. 53% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.

What goes well with rice in Cuban cooking?

In these recipes, rice is most often paired with olive oil, garlic, ground cumin, onion, fine sea salt and dried oregano. Cuban kitchens also lean on its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends.

More Cuban Recipes by Ingredient

Rice Recipes from Other Cuisines