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Mom’s Authentic Puerto Rican Rice & Beans (Arroz con Gandules)

An authentic, from-scratch recipe for Puerto Rico's national dish. Features homemade sofrito and sazón for perfectly fluffy, flavorful rice with pigeon peas.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Latin American, Puerto Rican
Calories: 420

Ingredients
  

For the Homemade Sofrito
  • 1 large green bell pepper roughly chopped
  • 1 large red bell pepper roughly chopped
  • 1 large yellow onion roughly chopped
  • 1 head garlic cloves peeled (8-10 cloves)
  • 1 large bunch fresh cilantro stems and leaves
  • 1 large bunch recao (culantro)
  • 1-2 ajíes dulces sweet chili peppers
  • 0.25 cup extra virgin olive oil
For the Homemade Sazón
  • 2 tbsp ground coriander
  • 2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp ground annatto (achiote) powder
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
For the Arroz con Gandules
  • 0.25 cup olive oil or achiote oil
  • 0.5 cup diced ham steak or tocino optional
  • 1 cup homemade sofrito from above
  • 0.25 cup tomato sauce
  • 2 tbsp homemade sazón from above
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups medium-grain white rice rinsed until water runs clear
  • 4 cups water or chicken broth
  • 2 15 oz cans gandules (pigeon peas) drained and rinsed
  • 0.5 cup pitted green olives
  • 1 tbsp capers drained, optional
  • 1 large potato peeled and cubed, optional

Equipment

  • Food processor
  • Large Caldero or Dutch Oven (6+ quarts)
  • Wooden spoon
  • Measuring Cups/Spoons

Method
 

  1. Make the sofrito: In a food processor, pulse bell peppers, onion, garlic, cilantro, recao, and ajíes dulces into a coarse paste. Stream in olive oil. Set aside 1 cup.
  2. Make the sazón: Whisk all sazón ingredients together in a small bowl. Store extra in a jar.
  3. Toast the rice: In a large caldero, heat oil. Add rinsed rice and toast for 3-4 minutes, stirring. Remove rice to a bowl.
  4. Cook ham (if using) in the same pot for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup sofrito and cook for 8-10 mins until darkened and fragrant.
  5. Stir in tomato sauce, 2 tbsp sazón, oregano, and bay leaves. Cook for 2 more minutes.
  6. Add water/broth, gandules, olives, capers, and potato (if using). Bring to a rolling boil. Taste and adjust salt.
  7. Stir in the toasted rice. Return to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low. Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes WITHOUT PEEKING.
  8. After 20 mins, fluff the top layer of rice with a fork. Re-cover and cook on low for another 10-15 mins to form the pegao (crispy bottom).
  9. Turn off heat. Let rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Gently mix some pegao into the rice if desired. Discard bay leaves. Serve hot.

Notes

Sofrito and sazón make more than needed. Freeze sofrito in ice cubes. Store extra sazón in a pantry for 6 months. Don't skip rinsing or toasting the rice!