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Home » Side Dishes » Dominican White Rice (Arroz Blanco)

Dominican White Rice (Arroz Blanco)

Published: August 29, 2023 Last Modified: September 5, 2024 by Greta Talas

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Dominican White Rice or Arroz Blanco is a delicious fluffy traditional side dish that is really easy to make. It is known for its versatility because it can be used in a variety of recipes. Its flavor also pairs well with many flavors that span multiple cultures. If you want to eat authentic Dominican food, this is the first recipe you should start with.

delicious white rice in a brown bowl

When I think about Dominican food in general, the first thing that comes to my mind is white rice. Arroz Blanco is an important element of the traditional Dominican lunch, La Bandera Dominicana. If you love to discover and make yourself at-home Dominican food, white rice is the basic first thing you have to make.

This basic cooked white rice is fundamental for so many dishes and that’s the reason for its versatility. For Hispanic cultures in general, especially in Dominican culture rice is king. Almost in any dish, you find rice in it. The traditional Dominican lunch is the typical white rice, Dominican beans, and meat. “Tostones” (Fried Plantains) are also a popular side dish served with white rice in DR.

Then there are a lot of different rice dishes, for example, the traditional chicken and rice dish “Locrio de Pollo” or “Moro con Habichuelas” a mixture of rice, and beans. So many rice dishes and all of them are perfectly delicious.

White Rice in Different Cultures

White rice is versatile, which means it can be paired with so many dishes. In other countries, especially in Asia, and Africa, it’s a staple food. Particularly Japan was the one, who has structured its diet around rice. China, Korea, India, Indonesia, Spanish, and all the Hispanic countries indeed.

Here are some traditional dishes from Asia that are served on white rice: Beef Bulgogi, Kung Pao Chicken, and Sesame Chicken.

In Indian cuisine, there is the Brown Lentil Curry (Whole Masoor Dal) which is the perfect match with this white rice.

white rice

Let’s go back to Dominican cuisine which personally, I love so much. I am not Dominican, but my husband is, and you guys know when the suegra (mother-in-law) comes over, she will do all the favorite rice dishes… and I can tell you, I learned it from the best!

Why You’ll Love It

  • Delicious fluffy rice
  • Easy to make
  • Just a few ingredients
  • It’s versatile. Can be used with so many different dishes.
  • Ready less than 30 minutes

There are so many tips I want to share with you, so let’s dive in…

Ingredients

  • Long Grain Rice – can be replaced by basmati or jasmine rice if you don’t have long grain rice.
  • Onion Powder – Fresh small onion is also good to use. Don’t chop the onion. Just add it to the oil in whole. Make sure you’ll take it out when the rice is done.
  • Garlic powder – 2 cloves of garlic can be substituted for the powder. Don’t mince it. Just add it to the oil in whole. Make sure you’ll take it out when the rice is done. This ingredient can also be left out. When I don’t have it at all, I just leave it out, and still, you’ll have delicious white rice.
  • Salt – add to taste
  • Vegetable oil – You can replace it with olive oil. Helps the rice become fluffy, tasty, and less sticky.
  • Water
ingredients for white rice

How to Make the Dominican White Rice

Rinse the Rice

  • Rinse the rice with water in a large mixing bowl to remove the rice grain’s starch, then carefully strain the water from the rice.

Toasting the onion and garlic

  • Add the vegetable oil over MEDIUM-HIGH heat in a caldero (or Dutch oven or Aluminum pot) and place the onion powder, garlic powder, and salt to toast. NOTE:. Make sure you don’t burn it!
  • When the onion powder and garlic powder start to change to a toasty color, (which is close to a dark yellowish-orangish color, NOT BROWN) add 2½ cups of water.
  • When the water starts boiling, add the perfectly rinsed rice and cook on HIGH heat, while stirring regularly with a large spoon to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

Steaming The Rice

  • When the water has evaporated, lay a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil over the rice. Press the pot’s lid down onto the foil firmly.
  • IMPORTANT! Reduce the cooking temperature to LOW, and steam the rice for 20 to 25 minutes without removing the lid or stirring. 
  • Uncover the pot after it’s ready. Turn the heat off. Use a large spoon to fluff the rice in the pot. Don’t mix it too much just break it up a bit. The rice will be separated and fluffy once you move it around.
  • Ready to serve!
step by step dominican white rice
instructions for dominican white rice

Tips and Tricks

The “Caldero”

  • The Dominican Rice Pot is a must to have if rice dishes are in your daily diet. This pot is typically a cast aluminum pot “caldero” with a lid. This is the traditional non-stick pot for any Hispanic kitchen. It heats evenly much faster than the others and allows your food to be ready in less time.

You can use this pot for more than just rice. It’s used to cook rice, beans, braise meat, and simmer stews and soups in it. It makes the perfect “concon” on its bottom.

Of course, if you don’t have caldero, you can make the rice in any non-stick pan, like cast iron, Dutch oven, or any non-stick aluminum pot with a lid. It’s important to have its own lid.

Concon

What is “Concon”? Concon is a crispy rice crust formed at the bottom of the pan, during the make of white rice. It’s not a dish itself but it’s loved from all around the Hispanic Kitchen. It’s a cooking method to make rice.

Personally, I love concon so much. But before, growing up in my country, (Romania) if the rice got burned or crusty on the bottom of the pan, we threw it out in the garbage, not knowing that it was hiding a delicious treat.

But after my mother-in-law showed me what really “concon” is, and how tasty it is, I never threw it out again.

how to make white rice

Water – Rice Ratio

  • You have different ratios for any different rice dish. The ratio for white rice is 1:1.5. Which means for 1 cup of rice, you add 1.5 cups of water. For other rice dishes, like Moro, the ratio is 1:1

Rice Portions

  • Generally, I count the portions of 1/2 cup of raw rice per person. Measure the rice raw.

Leftovers

  • In the Dominican Republic, there is no waste of white rice. You can make any other rice dish with the already-made white rice. For example, “Arroz Con Leche” (Rice Pudding) is a good choice for leftovers.
dominican white rice in a coconut bowl

Dominican White Rice (Arroz Blanco)

Dominican White Rice or Arroz Blanco is a delicious fluffy traditional side dish that is really easy to make. It is known for its versatility because it can be used in a variety of recipes. Its flavor also pairs well with many flavors that span multiple cultures. If you want to eat authentic Dominican food, this is the first recipe you should start with.
5 from 12 votes
Print Pin Rate Save Saved Recipe!
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Dominican, Hispanic
Keywords: arroz blanco, Dominican dish, dominican lunch, dominican rice, dominican white rice, easy rice recipe, easy white rice recipe, hispanic white rice, rice, rice recipe, steamed white rice, weekday lunch, white rice
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 200kcal
Cost: $2

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp onion powder (or 1 small yellow onion)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves of garlic)
  • 2 tsp salt or to taste
  • 2 cups long grain white rice
  • 2½ cups water
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

Rinse the Rice

  • Rinse the rice with water in a large mixing bowl to remove the rice grain's starch, then carefully strain the water from the rice.

Toasting the onion and garlic

  • Add the vegetable oil over MEDIUM-HIGH heat in a caldero (or Dutch oven or Aluminum pot) and place the onion powder, garlic powder, and salt to toast. NOTE:. Make sure you don't burn it!
  • When the onion powder and garlic powder start to change to a toasty color, (which is close to a dark yellowish-orangish color, NOT BROWN) add 2½ cups of water.
  • When the water starts boiling, add the perfectly rinsed rice and cook on HIGH heat, while stirring regularly with a large spoon to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
    step by step dominican white rice

Steaming The Rice

  • When the water has evaporated, lay a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil over the rice. Press the pot's lid down onto the foil firmly.
    instructions for dominican white rice
  • IMPORTANT! Reduce the cooking temperature to LOW, and steam the rice for 20 to 25 minutes without removing the lid or stirring. 
  • Uncover the pot after it's ready. Turn the heat off. Use a large spoon to fluff the rice in the pot. Don't mix it too much just break it up a bit. The rice will be separated and fluffy once you move it around.
  • Ready to serve!

Notes

  1. Fresh onion and fresh garlic can also be used in the recipe. Don’t slice them, just add into the oil, as it is. Make sure, that when the rice it’s ready take them out.
  2.  Long-grain white rice can be replaced with basmati or jasmine rice.
  3. To replace the white rice in this recipe with brown rice, add 1/2 cup of water more, and increase the steaming time to 35 to 40 minutes. (or until it’s done)

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Dominican White Rice (Arroz Blanco)
Amount per Serving
Calories
200
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Filed Under: Side Dishes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mindy

    August 30, 2023 at 9:50 pm

    5 stars
    This came out perfect! So fluffy and soft and flavorful!

    Reply
  2. Julie Wunder

    August 30, 2023 at 6:47 pm

    5 stars
    What a fabulous way to make rice! It came out tender, fluffy and flavorful. I”m keeping this for my weekday dinners.

    Reply
  3. Glenda

    August 29, 2023 at 6:15 pm

    5 stars
    Fluffy white rice perfection! This recipe is the secret to no more gummy rice. It was fabulous and leftovers reheated so easily. Thank you for sharing all the great tips.

    Reply
  4. Jess

    August 29, 2023 at 5:16 pm

    5 stars
    Loving how easy this is to make!

    Reply
  5. Sage Scott

    August 29, 2023 at 4:58 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! The spices help take this rice beyond basic to something quite incredible.

    Reply
  6. Gina

    August 29, 2023 at 4:47 pm

    5 stars
    Such a simple way to take white rice to the next level. Love the added flavor from the spices. I made mine with chicken broth for even extra flavor and we all loved it paired with beans and steak.

    Reply
  7. Lima Ekram

    August 29, 2023 at 3:35 pm

    5 stars
    Love this lightly flavored rice! Goes well with just about everything.

    Reply
  8. Ali

    August 29, 2023 at 3:29 pm

    5 stars
    This was a great recipe — the rice turned out perfectly! Made an amazing side for some shrimp.

    Reply
  9. Catherine

    August 29, 2023 at 2:17 pm

    5 stars
    So simple and easy to make for a quick side and it goes with everything. Love this! Thank you for all the tips too.

    Reply
  10. Kushigalu

    August 29, 2023 at 2:02 pm

    5 stars
    This rice looks so perfectly cooked. Thanks for all the tips.

    Reply
  11. Rebecca Blackwell

    August 29, 2023 at 1:58 pm

    5 stars
    So, I kind of thought that rice was rice but saw this recipe and was curious about how different it would be from the super basic rice I usually make. It was so good! Like, so good I could happily eat a bowl of it all on its own instead of using it as a conduit for other flavors. Thanks for elevating my rice game!

    Reply
  12. Bec H.

    August 29, 2023 at 1:37 pm

    5 stars
    I’m usually reluctant to make rice recipes, because for whatever reason, they always end up mushy. Not this time! This recipe worked perfectly and the rice was delicious.

    Reply

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Welcome!

Hi. My name is Gréta, and I'm a Transylvanian girl who loves to cook and try new cuisines from all around the world. My recipes mostly are influenced by my Transylvanian heritage, but also includes some of my favorite copycats I love to make. So excited you're here, come to the kitchen with me!

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