Mexican rice is almost always eaten as a complement to other dishes such as mole, refried beans, rotisserie chicken, carne asada, picadillo, tacos, fried fish, fried chicken, chiles rellenos, or vegetable soup.

[2][3] If the Mexican rice includes chopped vegetables such as carrot, corn, or pea, the vegetables are usually added while the rice is being toasted in the oil, before adding tomato sauce or broth, to get them soft and cooked well, and they can be seasoned with salt, finely chopped coriander, and/or ground cumin.

Cumin, oregano, cayenne, and chili powder can be added to the tomato sauce blend to give it a unique flavor.

The dish is most commonly referred to as arroz rojo in Mexico (and the direct translation "red rice" is sometimes used in English).

The term "Spanish rice" is sometimes used in the context of Tex-Mex cuisine, but is not used by Mexicans or Spaniards since this recipe is not part of Spanish cuisine, although it can be considered a simplified version of Spain's paella valenciana (with tomato rather than saffron, turmeric, or calendula, and thus having a red rather than yellow color).