Published:
Oct 20th 2022
by 
Last updated: Jan 4th 2026
Arroz con Maiz is a delicious dish that is the perfect side. This Latin-style corn with rice is easy to make and pairs with many dishes. To make the Arroz con Maiz, onions, bell peppers, and garlic are sautéed in oil, then corn is added.
Next, the rice is added and cooked until it's lightly toasted. We added vegetable stock instead of water to give the Arroz con Maiz additional flavor, then cooked it until it was firm but tender, and finished it off with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.
Serve Arroz con Maiz with your favorite vegan or gluten-free dishes, such as our Vegan Tacos or Fiesta Chicken, and you will have a delicious dinner that receives a round of applause.
When you’re eating yellow rice like a Puerto Rican, what are your options for making and serving it? Well, this dish makes an excellent side for almost any type of main dish. Most often, it’s used as an accompaniment to some kind of meat or vegetable-heavy dish.
Pan-Seared Ribeye with Garlic Butter is one ideal option, though if you’re looking for something more traditionally Puerto Rican, you might consider serving it alongside a Saltfish Accra.
To completely seal the deal, you can serve the meal with some delicious Cremas, a drink enjoyed throughout the Caribbean.
- Olive Oil - Olive oil is the perfect choice for sautéing onions and bell peppers. It’s heavy enough to serve well but light enough to be a healthier option.
- White Onion - The onion provides a perfect base flavor for Puerto Rican yellow rice, especially once thoroughly sautéed.
- Red Bell Pepper - Red bell pepper gives this dish a bit of extra flavor, and sautéing it helps to bring out the wonderful depth of flavor that makes arroz con maiz so popular.
- Garlic - Garlic is one of the base flavors that makes Puerto Rican yellow rice so fragrant and flavorful. By mincing the garlic, you give it the opportunity to spread evenly throughout the dish and to meld with the rest of the ingredients.
- Corn - The alternate name for arroz con maiz is Puerto Rican yellow rice with corn. Obviously, corn is an essential ingredient of this dish and helps to give it both its distinct color and unique flavor.
- White Rice - White rice contributes a fluffy, soft texture to the crunchiness of the corn and other ingredients. This helps to give it a variety of texture and flavor profiles.
- Vegetable Broth - Vegetable broth is a far more flavorful option than water for cooking your rice and other ingredients. It adds a certain savory, umami flavor to the recipe that would otherwise be absent.
- Salt and Black Pepper - These necessities help to elevate this dish from good to extraordinary.
- Cilantro - The perfect garnish, adding a lovely twist of flavor to an already excellent dish.
- Lime - When you’re making Arroz con Maiz from Puerto Rico, lime wedges elevate the dish by adding a sour twist. They’re the perfect way to complete this wonderful recipe.
Where is arroz con maiz from?
Arroz Con Maiz is a Latin dish that is common in Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.
How do you store arroz con maiz?
Arroz con Maiz can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 days.
Is it OK to freeze arroz con maiz?
Yes, you can freeze Arroz con Maiz. Place the Arroz con Maiz onto a sheet pan, and spread it into an even layer until it cools completely. Place the Arroz con Maiz into Ziploc bags, label them with the date and the type of rice, and freeze them. The Arroz con Maiz will last for 2 months.
How many carbs does arroz con pollo have?
One serving of Arroz con Pollo contains 87.2 grams of net carbs.
How to make Arroz con Maiz
This traditional South and Central American dish is ridiculously easy to make.
This arroz con maiz recipe starts with cooking your onions and bell peppers in a little olive oil till they’re deliciously soft and fragrant. Do the same with the garlic and corn, and then the rice. This part of the process helps to unlock the fragrance and flavor of each of these base ingredients.
Next, comes adding the vegetable broth (don’t forget to stir, so the ingredients don’t stick). Allowing most of the water to evaporate from the dish as it cooks helps make the ingredients soft and succulent, giving the dish its unique texture. This usually takes less than ten minutes.
Now, put the lid on, so the rice can cook. If your rice isn’t perfectly cooked after ten minutes (soft, but not soggy), you can cook it for another five minutes.
Once your rice is perfectly cooked, the dish is more or less done. Just stir in the remaining ingredients and serve with lovely fresh lime wedges.
That’s it, you’ve made the zesty taste of Central and South America in the comfort of your kitchen!
Time & Serves
Ingredients
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 large White Onion, diced
1 medium Red Bell Pepper, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 cups fresh, frozen, or canned Corn
2 cups Long Grain White Rice
3 cups Vegetable Broth
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
3 tablespoons Cilantro, minced
1 Lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
To a medium pot, add the olive oil and set it over medium-high heat.
Add the onions and red bell peppers and cook them for 3-4 minutes until tender.
Next, stir in the garlic and corn, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the long-grain rice and cook it for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the vegetable broth to the Arroz con Maiz, turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook it for 5-8 minutes, often stirring to keep the Arroz con Maiz from sticking to the bottom of the pot until most of the water evaporates. Cover the Arroz con Maiz and cook it for an additional 10 minutes.
Test the Arroz con Maiz by taking a bite; the rice should be tender but firm. If it is not tender, cook the Arroz con Maiz for an additional 5 minutes and test it again.
Stir in the cilantro, salt and pepper, removing the Arroz con Maiz from the stove. Serve the Arroz con Maiz with fresh lime wedges.
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