This Guamanian red rice recipe gets its color the old-fashioned way: whole achiote seeds simmered in oil until it turns a deep orange-red, then used to cook the rice with onion, garlic and broth. It takes about 40 minutes, one pot and one small pan, and it’s the side dish you’ll see next to barbecue at almost any Chamorro gathering.
The rice itself isn’t red. That surprises people. The color comes from annatto, the seed of the achiote tree, and it tints everything it touches a warm brick orange. The flavor is mild and a little earthy, with a faint peppery edge. Nothing about it is spicy.
Seeds or Powder for Your Guamanian Red Rice Recipe?
You can do either, and honestly the rice comes out good both ways. Here’s how I’d decide.
Use seeds if you have them, or can find them in the Latin or Filipino aisle of a grocery store. Infusing the oil takes only a couple of minutes, the color is deeper, and the flavor is rounder. The seeds are hard and not meant to be eaten, so you strain them out.
Use powder if you’d rather skip the extra pan. Stir it into the hot oil for about 30 seconds and carry on. The color is a little lighter, and the taste can be slightly flatter, but nobody at the table will complain. If you want that version with a seasoning powder and a simple one-pot method, the Chamorro red rice on this site is the one to follow.
Guamanian Red Rice Recipe Ingredients
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 2 tablespoons achiote seeds (or annatto powder)
- 3 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth works for a vegetarian version)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt, to taste
Taste your broth before you salt anything. Store-bought broth can be quite salty, and rice soaks up whatever you give it.
How to Make the Achiote Oil
Put the oil and seeds in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. You’re not frying here, just coaxing the color out. After about two to three minutes the oil will turn a deep red-orange and the seeds will look a shade darker. That’s your cue. Pull the pan off the heat.
Don’t walk away. Annatto goes from golden to scorched fast, and burnt seeds make the oil bitter. If you see smoke or the seeds start popping hard, the heat is too high. Start over with fresh oil, since you can’t fix a bitter batch.
Strain the oil into the pot you’ll cook the rice in, pressing the seeds lightly with a spoon to get every bit out, then throw the seeds away.
How to Cook Guamanian Red Rice on the Stove
- Rinse the rice in a strainer under cold water until it runs mostly clear. This washes off surface starch, so the grains cook up separate instead of clumpy.
- Cook the aromatics. Heat the strained achiote oil in the pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is soft and the garlic smells good, but isn’t browned.
- Coat the rice. Stir in the rinsed, drained rice and cook for a minute or two, so every grain gets a coat of orange oil.
- Add the broth. Pour in the 3 cups of hot broth, stir once, and bring it to a boil. Taste the liquid now. It should be a bit more seasoned than you’d like to eat on its own.
- Simmer. Turn the heat down to low, cover the pot tightly, and leave it alone for 18 to 20 minutes. Resist the urge to peek, because every time you lift the lid you let steam out.
- Rest and fluff. Turn the heat off and keep the lid on for 5 more minutes. Then fluff with a fork and add salt if it needs it.
Guamanian Red Rice Recipe Card
Guamanian Red Rice Recipe
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch oven
- Small saucepan
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 2 tablespoons achiote seeds or annatto powder
- 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth for a vegetarian version
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Achiote Oil: In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the achiote seeds and sauté for 1–2 minutes until the oil takes on a rich red color. If you're using annatto powder, skip this step and add it directly to the rice.
- Sauté the Aromatics: In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté until softened and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes.
- Add Rice and Achiote Oil: Stir in the rice, coating it well with the oil. Then add the achiote oil (or annatto powder), ensuring the rice is evenly colored.
- Simmer: Pour in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 18–20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed.
- Fluff and Serve: Remove from heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and season with salt to taste. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
When Your Guamanian Red Rice Doesn’t Turn Out
It’s still hard in the middle. Sprinkle in about ¼ cup of hot water, put the lid back on, and let it steam on the lowest heat for another 5 minutes. The usual cause is a lid that doesn’t fit well, so steam escaped.
It’s mushy or gluey. Too much liquid, or too much stirring. Measure the broth, rinse the rice, and don’t stir once it has come to a boil.
It tastes bitter. The seeds overheated. Next time use lower heat and take them off the burner as soon as the oil turns deep orange.
It’s pale. The oil wasn’t infused long enough, or you didn’t use enough seeds. Add a pinch of annatto powder to the pot to rescue it.
The bottom is stuck or burnt. Use a heavy pot and the lowest flame. If the bottom is only lightly browned, that’s actually a bonus, because the crispy bits are the best part.
Serving Guamanian Red Rice the Guam Way
On Guam, red rice usually shows up next to grilled meat: barbecue chicken, pork ribs or short ribs, with a little bowl of finadene on the side. Finadene is a thin, tangy sauce, usually soy sauce with lemon juice or vinegar, chopped onion and hot pepper. Spoon a little over the rice and meat, and the whole plate comes together.
For a less traditional dinner, it also works with a pan-seared protein. Try it with the chicken medallions in creamy Dijon sauce so the rice soaks up the sauce, or with seared redfish and lemon butter. A cold side helps, and the crunchy cucumber salad does that job well. Iced tea or sugar-free lemonade keeps the drinks simple.
Swaps That Work
Vegetable broth makes this Guamanian red rice recipe vegetarian. Brown rice works, but plan on about 40 to 45 minutes and a bit more broth, because brown rice is thirsty. If you can’t find achiote at all, sweet paprika gives you the color, though not the flavor, so treat it as a rescue plan and not a replacement. Peas, diced bell pepper or carrot stirred in during the last 5 minutes add color and a little sweetness.
Leftovers
Rice is one of those foods where timing matters. Get leftovers into the fridge within two hours of cooking, because cooked rice left on the counter can grow bacteria that reheating doesn’t fully remove. Leftover Guamanian red rice keeps 4 days in a sealed container. Reheat with a splash of water or broth, covered, until it’s steaming all the way through. Frozen in flat bags, it keeps about 3 months. See FoodSafety.gov for storage guidelines.
Achiote is generally safe and widely used as a food coloring, though a few people are allergic to it. The recipe card has a calorie estimate, but it will shift with your broth and how much oil you use.
Quick Questions
Why isn’t my rice as red as the photos? Real annatto gives a brick-orange rather than a true red, and the shade depends on how much you use and how long the oil infused. If you want it deeper, add another teaspoon of seeds to the oil.
Can I cook this Guamanian red rice recipe in a rice cooker? Yes. Infuse the oil and cook the onion and garlic on the stove, stir in the rice to coat, then move it all to the cooker with the broth.
Do I have to strain out the seeds? Yes, they stay hard and gritty and don’t soften in the rice.
If your family makes red rice a little differently, with bacon, a different broth or extra vegetables, tell me in the comments. Those variations are what make a dish like this worth passing around.