Few things represent Puerto Rican culture as distinctly as a plate of Arroz con Gandules. This is a national dish that is super popular during the holidays but also served in almost every festivity you can think of from birthdays to weddings.
Arroz con Gandules is a Puerto Rican pigeon peas and rice. One of the most popular side dishes served during las Navidades from Thanksgiving Day to Three Kings Day.
This Rice is made with the Puerto Rican holy trinity of the authentic Puerto Rican sofrito which will fill your kitchen with the fragrance of herbs and vegetables: the Puerto Rican sazon, and an easy adobo seasoning.
This rice will almost always be served with a good portion of pernil no matter the occasion. But if it is around the holidays it will be served with a pastel de masa or yuca.
On top of that, you will have green bananas en escabeche, ensalada de papa, coditos, a Puerto Rican yuca en escabeche, or a little bit of all the above!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is a recipe where all the ingredients you’ll be able to find in any Latin supermarket or easily make on your own.
- It’s a recipe with true Puerto Rican flavors just like Abuelita used to make it.
Recipe Ingredients
- Oil- I use vegetable oil but you can use bacon fat or lard to add flavor.
- Sofrito- The sofrito is the base of this rice. It has vegetables like onion, peppers, garlic, and culantro leaves.
- Tomato sauce- ½ cup of tomato sauce is all you need for this recipe but you can substitute it with ¼ cup of tomato paste.
- Seasonings- I used sazon, adobo, and ham flavoring. See below for substitutions.
- Gandules- I used canned gandules but is typical in Puerto Rico to use fresh gandules because they’re widely available. You can also use dry gandules but you’ll have to cook them for about 1 hour or until soft before using them.
- Manzanilla olives- I always say that even if you don’t like olives, please add them. The flavor of the manzanilla olives goes well with this rice.
- Rice- I used medium-grain rice. This is the grain that is most used in Puerto Rican rice dishes. It is widely available in all supermarkets. A popular brand is arroz rico.
- Water- For this recipe, I use water, no need for stock.
Substitutions & Variations
- Achiote oil- You can substitute vegetable oil for oil made from achiote seeds. It will not only add color but also flavor. It can be a good option if you want to avoid using sazon. Learn what annatto is so you can use it to give color to your food.
- Sofrito- You can use red, green sofrito or recaito. But if you can’t get any, you can make your own Puerto Rican sofrito substitute.
- Ham Flavoring- If you don’t want to use ham flavoring you can also use vegetable bouillon and make this a vegetarian rice.
- Meat- I sometimes like to make my arroz con gandules and add ribs like I do to my rice with pork ribs. Try it and let me know!
- This is a twist on the classic recipe, a little controversial and a big no-no for some but it tastes really good. You just have to substitute the 13 ounces of water for one 13-ounce can of coconut milk.
How To Make Arroz Con Gandules
- Photo 1: In a large caldero add the oil, tomato sauce, sofrito, olives, pigeon peas, and seasonings. You are going to sofreir which means to sauté for 2 minutes.
- Photo 2: Add the water and wait for it to come to a boil. This part should take 3-5 minutes depending on how hot the water you just added was.
📓 Note: I always stir and taste the water. I do this to know exactly how my rice will taste and to know if it needs more seasoning.
- Photo 3: Once the water boils, add the rice and stir. You are going to cover the rice and let the water evaporate about 8-10 minutes. Some people like to do this step without covering the pot but I always do.
- Photo 4: Once there is no water left or very little, fluff the rice. I like to move all my rice to the middle and make a dome shape. Finish cooking for 20 minutes, no peeking, and enjoy.
📓 Note: If you find banana leaves in your local supermarket, you can use them to give your rice an amazing flavor. Clean the leaf and place it on top of the rice in step 4 once you stir the rice. Cover and finish cooking.
Recipe Tips
- This recipe is made to be fluffy and have loose grains. It has a water ratio of 1 ¼ cups per cup of rice. But if you want rice that has a more “mamposteado” texture which is more moist rice you add 1 ½ cups of water per cup of rice.
- To store rice in the fridge, use an airtight container or freezer bag for no more than 5 days or freeze for 3 months.
Frequently asked questions
Gandules are the Spanish term for pigeon peas. They are native to India and have spread across the globe. They grow in small green pods and come in shades from bright light green to dark green when fresh.
When cooked, gandules tend to have a beige-brown color.
I, like most Puerto Ricans, use a caldero to make rice. A caldero is a cast aluminum pot that is a multipurpose pot. The best to make rice, soups, stews and even to bake. But you can use any pot as long as you have a lid to cover.
More Puerto Rican Rice Recipes
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Arroz con Gandules
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large caldero or large pot over high heat add the oil, sofrito, tomato sauce, sazon, adobo, ham flavoring, manzanilla olives, and pigeon peas. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the water, stir and wait for it to boil. Rinse the rice and once the water starts boiling, add it in. Stir and cover. Let it cook for 10 minutes or until all the water on the surface has evaporated.
- Lower your heat to medium. Stir your rice and cover. Finish cooking for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
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Recipe Notes
- Oil- You can substitute regular oil for bacon fat, lard, or achiote oil.
- Ham Flavoring (cubito)- You can use chicken or vegetable bouillon.
- Sofrito- This is an essential component of a dish but you can use any kind of sofrito you can find. From recaito to red sofrito.
- Optional (Banana leaves)- If you have banana leaves cover your rice with it in the last 20 minutes. This gives the rice a very unique flavor.
Stephenie says
Hi Rosa, what you need is to half the recipe.
* 2 tablespoons oil
* 1/4 cup sofrito
* 1/4 cup tomato sauce
* 5 (about) manzanilla olives
* 1/2 teaspoon ham flavoring
* 3/4 teaspoon sazon
* 2 1/4 teaspoons adobo
* half can gandules
* 2 1/4 cup water
* 2 cups rice
Keep in mind the the serving suggestion is 1 1/2 cups of rice per person. I hope this helps, if you have anymore questions please let me know. Thank you for the visit.
Rosa says
Hi Stephanie:
My name is Rosa. I want to make Arroz con Guandules for 4 people. Can you please let me know how much I will need of each ingredient.
Thank you so much,
Rosa