Arroz Con Habichuelas (Rice with Pinto Beans)
An authentic Puerto Rican style Arroz con Habichuelas (Rice with Pinto Beans) recipe that’s loaded with Caribbean flavor from sofrito, adobo, sazon, and more. This family favorite has been tested dozens of times and is perfect for enjoying on its own, or alongside stews and roasted meat.
Like the super popular Arroz con Gandules (rice with pigeon peas), this rice and pinto bean dish is a Puerto Rican staple recognized all around the world.
You can find variations of this dish in nearly every Puerto Rican restaurant on the island, as well as treasured family recipes in every household.
Growing up, my mom would always serve this as a meal on its own (usually topped with sliced avocado and pique), but it makes a fabulous side paired with meat forward dishes like carne guisada, chicharrones de pollo, and pernil.
While I grew up eating variations of this dish made with different colored beans (kidney, pink, etc.) the version you’re seeing today took dozens of recipe tests to perfect.
The standards are super high when you’re trying to replicate family favorites!
What You’ll Need to Make Arroz con Habichuelas
Many arroz con habichuelas recipes use some form of red beans whether it be pinto, kidney, or pink. In my family we prefer pinto beans for their softer, creamier texture.
Step by Step Instructions
Dried Beans: If you plan to use dried kidney beans instead of a can, make sure to cover them with water and soak overnight the day before you plan to make your rice. See recipe card for additional details.
Nailing the Perfect Texture
The most important part of any Puerto Rican rice recipe is nailing the rice to liquid ratio. It’s what determines that perfectly fluffy texture in the end result.
No one likes mushy rice, just like no one likes gritty, undercooked rice.
Follow my ratios outlined in the recipe card bellow and you should be good to go.
If your rice turns out mushy for whatever reason, it’s because you’ve added too much liquid. This can usually be fixed by turning the heat up to medium and cooking your rice uncovered for a few more minutes, until most of that moisture dries out.
If the rice is dry and gritty, add a splash of water or broth and continue to cook covered on low until it turns fluffy and light.
Perfect Pairings
As mentioned above, this dish can totally stand alone as a meal. It also goes great with meat forward dishes. Here are a few of my family’s favorites:
Buen Provecho,
Arroz Con Habichuelas (Rice with Pinto Beans)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entree, Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish
- Method: Stewed
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin, Caribbean, American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
An authentic Puerto Rican style Arroz con Habichuelas (Rice with Pinto Beans) recipe that’s loaded with Caribbean flavor from sofrito, adobo, sazon, and more. This family favorite has been tested dozens of times and is perfect for enjoying on its own, or alongside stews and roasted meat.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp achiote oil or olive oil
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tsp (or 1 cube) chicken bouillon
- 2 tsp salt (add less alt if using salt added sazon & adobo)
- 2 tsp adobo seasoning (salt free)
- 1 tsp sazon seasoning (salt free)
- 1 or 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups white Jasmine rice
- 3 cups water
- 2 15oz can pinto beans and their liquid (see note if using dried beans*)
- 1/4 cup pimento olives (optional)
- 4–5 springs of cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the oil, sofrito, tomato sauce, and chicken bouillon. Warm the oil in a caldero or dutch oven over medium heat before adding the sofrito, tomato sauce, and chicken bouillon.
- Add spices and rice. Once the sofrito becomes fragrant, add the adobo, sazon, salt, bay leaf, and rice. Mix while the rice toasts for a few minutes, making sure each grain is coated with the seasonings.
- Add the water, beans, and olives. Add the water, beans and olives and turn the heat up to high. Stir and let everything boil for a few minutes before topping with cilantro sprigs and covering the pot with a tight fitting lid and lowering the heat to low.
- Cook, fluff, and enjoy. Cook for 25 minutes before killing the heat and letting the rice sit covered for another 10-15 minutes. Fluff the rice and enjoy!
Notes
If using dried red beans: Soak 7oz dried red beans in a bowl of water overnight and drain before using. Add an additional ½ cup of water to the original 3 cups of water listed in the recipe above.
It’s my first time trying to cook this rice. I followed the recipe, but my rice came out mushy. I am not sure what went wrong? But the flavor was on point.
Hi Jazmin, thanks for your review! So glad you enjoyed the flavor and sorry to hear the texture wasn’t 100%. I usually encounter this problem when I don’t give the rice enough time to rest before uncovering. It’s really important to let the rice sit after turning off the heat before removing the lid for at least 10 minutes (the longer, the better). If that doesn’t help, you could try using a quarter cup less water next time.
Thank you, Salima for your recommendation i will definitely keep trying until i get. Despite not having the right texture the rice was delicious.