Arroz con Gandules Dominicano (Moro de Guandules)

Arroz con Gandules Dominicano, flavorful rice that my Dominican family shares and enjoys at every special occasion. It’s seasoned with Latin spices and tossed together with pigeon peas and cooked to fluffy perfection.

Close up of a bowl of rice, avocado, tofu and tostones.

One of my biggest challenges when I went vegan was trying to gain the courage to tell my mom. My main concern was that she would think I was crazy, but instead, the day I told her, I remember that she just looked at me with a lot of confusion.

She’s Dominican. There really aren’t any vegans that she ever encountered. So her instant conclusion to me sharing this news with her was that I didn’t want her food anymore. This thought really broke her. And I had to quickly explain that it wasn’t the case at all! If anything, I assured her that her food and our culture was still something I wanted to be apart of. We just had to make a few modifications so I could enjoy it.

Since then, she’s been amazing and super considerate. A lot of things I already enjoyed were pretty easy to make vegan. And I made sure to extend as many compliments to her for the amazing food as possible. One of my favorites that she makes is her Arroz con Gandules, which we normally call Moro de Guandules. It simply means, rice with pigeon peas. It might sound simple, but it is the most delicious rice and the thing I request most when I’m home.

A Tradition

My mom makes me this rice whenever I stop by, but in truth, this rice is connected with a lot of a special occasions and tradition. We eat it during the holidays, big events like birthdays or family gatherings, or when we’re trying to impress.

I think my favorite part about it is that no one recipe is the same. My tias (aunts) and friends all make it different, and I love being able to enjoy everyone’s special take on it. Even my mom makes hers differently now compared to when I was younger.

The elements are the same, just different splashes of love. And while this is a Dominican tradition, you can see this Caribbean inspired rice in other places like Puerto Rico and they have their own style and flavor too.

A bowl of arroz con gandules paired with avocado, tostones and pan fried tofu.

Why You’ll Love This Special Rice Recipe

  • My mother specifically worked to find a way for me to enjoy this rice. This rice is vegan, gluten-free and naturally nut-free as well.
  • This rice is a call to my Dominican culture. It’s pretty special to me honestly. The rice simmers in a flavorful broth filled with a blend of adobo, sazon, olives and cilantro. It’s a comforting and nourishing meal I’ll never tire of.
  • It might sound intimidating, but the process for making this rice is pretty simple. I am providing a step by step so you feel comfortable making it yourself.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

  • White Rice: My mother used to make her rice with regular white long grain rice. Overtime, we tried this recipe with white Jasmine rice and loved it even more. Between my family and everyone we have shared this trick with, we haven’t gone back to using a different rice.
  • Pigeon Peas: In English, “gandules” means pigeon peas. You can typically find canned pigeon peas in the Latin section of your grocery store or in the same aisle with other beans.
  • Adobo Seasoning: This is an equivalent to a Latin style seasoning salt. I generally use the brand Loisa, but you can find it in the Latin section of your grocery store as well. If you’d like to make your own, you can follow the instructions here.
  • Sazon con Achote: Sazon is another seasoning blend popular in Latin cooking and is typically found where the adobo is. I use the Loisa brand, but most often you will find it in a box as a little packet. Achote is what gives the rice it’s beautiful orange hue. You can make a similar version of yourself here.
  • Vegetable Bouillon: Most traditionally, this rice is made with chicken bouillon or “sopita”. It’s very easy to replace this with regular vegetable bouillon cubes.
  • Tomato Sauce: Many recipes will use different forms of tomato. My mom personally uses caned tomato sauce. It’s a little less intense then using tomato paste.
  • Cilantro: My mom doesn’t always add a lot of cilantro to her rice, but one of my aunt does. She will cook the stems with the rice too as the stems do provide a lot of flavor.

How to Make Arroz con Gandules

Heat up a large heavy bottomed pot on the stove, then add in your oil to warm it through. Now add in your onions and bell pepper along with a pinch of salt and sauté until the onion has become translucent.

Stir in your garlic and continue to cook it until golden and fragrant. At this point, pour in your tomato sauce and simmer before adding your adobo, sazon, and pepper.

Make sure to sauté your tomato mixture for a few minutes just to make sure you cook it down and make it more flavorful. Once you have sautéed your tomato mixture, crumble in your bouillon cube and add in your olives and cilantro stems. Then, add in your can of pigeon peas with the liquid. Make sure to stir it well into the tomato mix. Pour in your water and bring everything to a low boil.

Pour in your rice and allow it to cook, stirring on occasion to prevent your rice from sticking to the bottom. Once most of the liquid has absorbed into the rice (about 10-15 minutes), stir in your remaining cilantro leaves, lower your heat to the lowest setting and cover your pot with a lid and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Once the cooking time elapses, remove the rice from the heat. Remove the cover and give the rice a nice stir. Cover the pot back up and allow to sit for 5 minutes to fluff up before serving.

Expert Tips for Making This Recipe

  • Rinse your rice. Make sure to wash your rice well under running water before using in this recipe. I recommend rinsing at least 4 or 5 times or until the water runs clear.
  • Use a heavy bottomed pot. Normally for this recipe, Dominicans will cook their rice in a caldero. It’s an aluminum pot that many Dominicans own and I think it really makes a big difference with the outcome of the rice. Obviously, I know not everyone can get their hands on it, so if anything, just make sure you are using a heavy bottomed pot when making this rice.
  • When your rice has fully absorbed it’s liquid after cooking, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to sit covered for an additional 5 minutes. This will help continue to steam it, but also help fluff it up a little more before serving.
  • Choose your favorite mix ins. My favorite combo combines ingredients that my Tia uses (olives) and what my mom likes to use (cilantro). You can also use capers too or leave those out too. My mom sometimes would do just a very basic Moro with the seasonings and no add ins, so feel free to experiment with your favorite combo.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I replace the pigeon peas with anything else?

You can actually make this rice with a variety of different beans just like my mother does. It will change the taste of this rice slightly as the flavor of the beans does impact the flavor of the rice. But it still comes out delicious! For certain beans with thicker canned liquid (black beans, red beans or white beans), I recommend rinsing well and adding an extra 1/2 cup water to the pot to replace it.

Why is my rice still hard after cooking?

You may have cooked off too much liquid before covering the rice or your heat was too high as it was simmering. It should still be fixable. What you will need to do is add a small amount of water, start with 1/4 cup, cover the pot again with your lid and cook for an extra 6-8 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat and allow rice to sit for 5 minutes before removing lid.

How long will the rice last?

Allow the rice to cool completely. Once cooled, place in an air tight container and place in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the rice for up to 3 months, just make sure to thaw before reheating.

To reheat, just take out the amount of rice you wish to enjoy and reheat in the microwave with 1-2 tsp of water, then cover and place in the microwave for about 1 minute.

Is this dish healthy?

I have had many people criticize Dominican food as being “unhealthy”, but many of the ingredients used in Dominican meals and even within this dish call for ingredients that can provide nourishment both physically and mentally. Pigeon Peas are nutrient-rich and provide protein, fiber, as well as B vitamins, Vitamin C and K, potassium, iron, folate and zinc. Cooking this rice with our fresh “sofrito” of vegetables, spices and cilantro also provides additional fiber and antioxidants.

How to Serve

When I am visiting my mother, normally we enjoy her arroz con gandules along with a side of tostones and some fresh avocado slices. She’s also gotten into the habit of preparing some tofu and some extra vegetables like salad or just some sautéed broccoli 5o enjoy with it.

More Vegan Dominican Recipes

Plate of rice and pigeon peas with tofu, avocado and tostones.
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Plate of rice and pigeon peas with tofu, avocado and tostones.

Arroz con Gandules Dominicano (Moro de Guandules)

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  • Author: Catherine Perez
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Sides
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Dominican
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Arroz con Gandules Dominicano, flavorful rice that my Dominican family shares and enjoys at every special occasion. It’s seasoned with Latin spices and tossed together with pigeon peas and cooked to fluffy perfection.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1/2 medium white onion
  • 1/2 large bell pepper, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, mashed
  • 8 oz of tomato sauce
  • 2 tsp Adobo seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp Sazón
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup Spanish olives
  • 1/4 cup cilantro with stems, roughly chopped
  • 1, 15 oz can of gandules (pigeon peas) with liquid
  • 3 cups white Jasmine rice
  • 1 vegetable bouillon cube
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 tsp salt or to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat up a large heavy bottomed pot on the stove over medium heat and add in your oil. Now add in your onions and bell pepper along with a pinch of salt and sauté until the onion has become translucent.
  2. Stir in your garlic and continue to cook until golden and fragrant. At this point, pour in your tomato sauce and simmer it for 2 minutes before adding your adobo, sazon, and pepper.
  3. Continue to stir your tomato mixture for another 2 minutes then crumble in your bouillon cube, and add in your olives and cilantro stems.
  4. Add in your can of gandules along with the liquid, stirring well into the tomato mix. Now pour in your water and bring everything to a boil.
  5. Pour in your rice and stir it well to combine. Allow the rice to cook, stirring on occasion, until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid. At this point, stir in your remaining cilantro leaves, lower your heat to the lowest setting and cover your pot with a lid and cook for 25-30 minutes.
  6. Once the cooking time elapses, remove the rice from the heat. Remove the cover and give the rice a nice stir. Cover the pot back up and allow to sit for 5 minutes to fluff up before serving.

Notes

Rinse your rice. Make sure to wash your rice well under running water before using in this recipe. I recommend rinsing at least 4 or 5 times or until the water runs clear.

Normally for this recipe, Dominicans will cook their rice in a caldero. It’s an aluminum pot that many Dominicans own and I think it really makes a big difference with the outcome of the rice. Obviously, I know not everyone can get their hands on it, so if anything, just make sure you are using a heavy bottomed pot when making this rice.

When your rice has fully absorbed it’s liquid after cooking, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to sit covered for an additional 5 minutes. This will help continue to steam it, but also help fluff it up a little more before serving.

Choose your favorite mix ins. My favorite combo for this rice combines ingredients that my Tia uses (olives) and what my mom likes to use (cilantro). You can also use capers too. My mom sometimes would do just a very basic Moro with the seasonings and no add ins, so feel free to experiment with your favorite combo.

If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.

 Catherine

This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase from those links. I only recommend and share products that I know, trust and personally use myself!

8 Comments

  1. Loved it! My husband is from Panama and been asking me to learn to make this kind of rice. He loved it, had two bowls and asked me to make it again! Thank you!






  2. I always burn the rice or is undercooked. I can’t make my mom’s Mexican rice. The first time I made this recipe I burn it lol but the second time was perfect even my 12 year son loves it and he only eats grandma’s rice. I’m going to make it tonight… but how do you make the tofu?

    1. Awww so glad it came out the second time! I burn rice too cause I never pay attention, so you aren’t alone! Glad you’re making it tonight. For the tofu I pressed it then cut into cubes or slabs like this. I add about 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp adobo seasoning, 1 tbsp oil and 2 tsp of corn starch. I coat the tofu in this and then I pan fry it on both sides or bake in the oven at 400F for 20-25 minutes. Hope you guys have a great dinner. 🙂

  3. Although I am not Dominican,I grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, so this dish was served at basically every social gathering inside and outside of school. I loved it and have always wanted to make it. Well tonight I finally did. Thank you for bringing me back to my childhood. This was so, so delicious! I will be definitely making it again (like next week lol).

    1. Bre I can’t tell you how much this made my day to read. So glad you made this and grateful it could help relive some of these memories. My heart feels so full. Thank you! 🙂

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