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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
★4.7(978)
6 recipes using rice — Ropa vieja, moros y cristianos, lechón — bold, slow-cooked Caribbean flavours.
These 6 cuban rice recipes are ready in about 120 minutes on average, with 280–540 kcal per serving, and 50% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
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, steaming and caramelising.
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, bay leaves, onion, garlic, ground cumin and dried oregano. The dishes here span cuban classics ready in as little as 50 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
Reader favourite: Ropa Vieja (Cuban Shredded Beef) is the highest-rated dish in this collection at 4.9★ from 1,640 ratings.
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.
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.
Cuba's national dish — slow-braised flank steak shredded into tender strands in a vibrant tomato, pepper and olive sauce.
Cuban black beans and rice cooked together in one pot with sofrito and spices — the essential side dish of Cuban cuisine.
Cuba's national dish — shredded flank steak braised with onion, bell pepper, tomato, olives, and capers in a deeply savory sofrito.
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.
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.
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.
A gluten-free carbohydrate staple; brown and wild varieties keep the bran for extra fibre, B vitamins and minerals.
Most of these 6 Cuban rice recipes are ready in around 120 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Arroz con Leche, takes about 50 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 205 minutes.
Across this collection they range from about 280 to 540 kcal per serving, averaging 420 kcal — Arroz con Leche is the lightest option at 280 kcal.
Moros y Cristianos is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 60 minutes. 50% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
In these recipes, rice is most often paired with olive oil, bay leaves, onion, garlic, ground cumin and dried oregano. Cuban kitchens also lean on its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends.