Delicious Puerto Rican Rice (Arroz con Gandules)

Equipment & Tools

Kitchen Scissors: To cut the bacon I find using kitchen scissors to be easiest, however, a sharp knife will also get the job done.

Caldero: A 10-quart caldero is the type of pot you want to use in this recipe. It’s a wide, shallow metal pot with a tight fitting lid. It’s similar to how a dutch oven looks, but it’s used in a lot of Caribbean rice recipes. If you don’t have one, you can use any wide, shallow pot, but make sure that it has a well-fitted lid.

Wooden Spoon: You will need a sturdy spoon to mix the rice before, during, and after cooking. I like to use wooden spoons, as wood has natural antibacterial properties, they won’t damage pots and pans, and they look pretty cute in my kitchen!

Ingredients Needed

Bacon: It’s a universal law that bacon makes everything better. In this recipe, that’s just the case. It helps to bring a rich, salty, meaty flavor to the rice, without being overpowering. Plus, the grease is used to help cook the sofrito in place of olive oil. Thick cut bacon works best in this recipe so you make sure you have enough bacon bits and flavor in the dish!

Gandules (Pidgeon Peas): Despite their name, pidgeon peas are not all that similar to green peas, aside from the shape. They’re actually from the legume family, and they’re more closely related to chickpeas or peanuts! They bring a nice, nutty flavor to this rice.

Tomato Sauce: Tomatoes are essential in this recipe, in the form of tomato sauce! It helps to bring that acidic, tomato-ey flavor to the rice.

Green Olives: Green olives bring a salty kick to the rice, and while they are traditional, they are optional for families who are not olive-fans. When I cook this rice, I tend to make sure all of the olives make their way into my husband’s bowl, and I don’t find a lack of flavor in my bowl at all! I do cut these in half, as that’s my husband’s preference, but feel free to leave them whole, as well!

Sofrito: Sofrito is a very common addition to Latin, Spanish, and Mediterranean cooking. It usually consists of tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, herbs, and olive oil. It typically serves as the base to a lot of recipes.

Salt: Salt is an essential seasoning in any recipe, and you especially don’t want to miss it in this one. It helps to bring out a lot of the flavors, and it helps to cut through the acidic tomato, as well.

Adobo Seasoning: Adobo seasoning is another common addition to Latin American and Caribbean cooking. It typically consists of a variety of spices, including onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, ground cumin, salt, and ground black pepper.

Sazon: Sazon is another spice blend that is common in Puerto Rican cooking. It typically contains salt, dried oregano, ground coriander, ground cumin, garlic powder, and ground annatto seeds.

Black Pepper: Like salt, black pepper is a staple in cooking all over the world!

Cumin: Cumin is a savory spice that is a staple in cuisines all across the world. It helps to deepen the flavor of this rice. Though the Adobo and Sazon will contain cumin, you really need the extra punch of this spice.

White Rice: This recipe uses a standard medium-grain white rice. You will want to rinse excess starch from the rice before cooking. I like to put the rice in a mesh strainer and rinse it under cold water until the water runs clear.

How to Make Puerto Rican Rice (Arroz con Gandules)

Chop Bacon: Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, chop the bacon slices into small pieces.

Cook the Bacon: To a unheated caldero, add the bacon pieces then turn the heat on to medium, cook until crispy. Remove and set aside. Do not drain the grease from the pot, as you’re going to want to use in the next step! It’s all about keeping that delicious flavor in the pot!

Cook the Sofrito: Directly into the hot bacon grease, add the sofrito, salt, adobo seasoning, sazon, pepper, and cumin. Combine and cook for about 2 minutes, or until hot and aromatic.

Add the Sauce and Veggies: Add the tomato sauce, stirring to combine well. Then, add the gandules, bacon and green olives, making sure to fully combine it into the sofrito mixture. Let cook about a minute to heat through.

Add Water & Boil: Add the water to the pot, increasing your heat to high until the mixture is boiling. Once it is boiling, add the rice. Stir well so that the rice is fully submerged and the gandules and olives are evenly distributed throughout.

Reduce Heat: Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover tightly with your lid, and let it cook for 12 minutes. Do not open the lid during this time.

Stir and Resume Cooking: Open the lid and stir the rice, making sure to scrap any rice stuck to the bottom of the pot. Then, let cook for another 12 minutes. Again, do not open the lid during this time.

Remove From Heat: Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit for an additional 30 minutes, covered. Once again, do not open the lid. Sensing a theme here? You really want to make sure that the lid stays closed during cooking as much as possible to reduce the amount of steam that leaves, as it will affect the texture of the rice after cooking.

Fluff the Rice: After the rice has rested for the full 30 minutes, open the lid and make sure that all water is absorbed. If it is not, merely give it another 5 minutes, then check again. Once all of the water is fully absorbed into the rice, fluff and stir it.

Serve: Serve warm and enjoy! We love to eat this with our Puerto Rican Pork Shoulder. It’s the meal that my husband requests the most!

Storage: To store the rice, put it in an air tight container. It can stay in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. This rice freezes very well, and the recipe makes a lot, so it is a great recipe to make and store the leftovers for future meals!

Reheating: To reheat the rice, merely heat a pan with a little bit of oil, then add the thawed rice. You may need to add a little bit of water to keep it from drying out, but you’re not trying to re-cook the rice, only heat it up, so be sure to not add too much water.