Arroz Con Gandules, or rice with pigeon peas, is a delicious Latin Caribbean dish made with rice, pigeon peas, and vegetables. See how easy it is to prepare with this recipe.
Arroz con Gandules (Pigeon Peas Rice) is a delicious side dish of choice at every Dominican and Puerto Rican holiday dinner. Made with pigeon peas and a mixture of Latin seasonings, this popular rice dish is perfect for Nochebuena (Christmas Eve).
Since I can remember, my entire family in the Dominican Republic would get together on Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) to celebrate. I have a very big and very loud family. On that day and night, we would eat. We would dance. We would tell stories. We would make jokes. We would play family games. We would cook all day and party all night.
One of my favorite things about Nochebuena is the food. Those traditional dishes that always taste better on Nochebuena like Pernil and those that you can only find during the holidays like these Pasteles en Hoja.
Arroz con Gandules (Pigeon Peas Rice) is one of those dishes that is a crowd favorite and is always present at a Hispanic’s home table during the holidays.
This Pigeon peas and rice is a staple Dominican and Puerto Rican rice dish. It is really one of those dishes constantly being served in a Hispanic home, some may say it’s a national dish!
What are Gandules (Pigeon Peas)?
Pigeon peas are a pea-type legume used in the Caribbean, West Indian and Spanish cooking.
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Ingredients
- Red Onion
- Green Bell Pepper
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Vegetable Oil
- Tomato Sauce
- Chicken Bouillon
- Oregano
- Adobo Seasoning
- Black Pepper
- Alcaparrado
- Gandules Verdes (Green Pigeon Peas)
- Medium Grain Rice
How to Make Arroz con Gandules
- In a food processor, pulse the onion, bell pepper, garlic and cilantro until all is chopped very small to make the sofrito.
- In a large cast-iron pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute the sofrito mixture, tomato sauce, chicken bouillon cubes, sazon, oregano, adobo, black pepper and alcaparrado for about 2-3 minutes until vegetables begin to release aroma.
- Add the pigeon peas with it’s liquid and 2 cups of water. When the water begins to boil, add the rice, stirring occasionally to avoid from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Once the rice has soaked up all the water and begins to dry up, lower the heat to low. Cover with a lid and let cook for 25 minutes. Then, stir the rice carefully and cover for an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Arroz con gandules is best cooked in a caldero. The caldero is a pot similar to the Dutch Oven but instead of being made out of cast iron, it is made of aluminum.
There is a caldero in every Dominican household because without using a caldero, rice would never be cooked right. This is according to every Dominican abuela in the world.
If you don’t have one, a Dutch Oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan will work well.
If you can’t find the traditional pigeon peas, you can use black beans or kidney beans in their place.
Pigeon peas rice is traditionally made with white rice. You can make it with brown, or even wild rice but be aware that the cooking time will need to be slightly longer. I’ve also seen variations made with quinoa.
Leftovers can be stored, covered in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, and it will keep well frozen for up to 3 months. As the rice sits, it will absorb moisture, so when you reheat it, stir in a little stock or water to loosen it back up.
Cooked rice and pigeon peas keeps really well and will keep fresh for up to 4 days. I always make more than I need to enjoy with other meals and for easy-to-grab lunches.
Serve this as a side dish with all of your favorite meals. It’s great served alongside stewed and roasted meats for a wonderful feast!
Recipe Notes and Tips
- If you are meat-free or plant-based, simply swap the chicken bouillon for vegetable.
- Make this a full meal by adding in cooked pork, chicken, ham or beef.
- Stir the pot occasionally so that the rice doesn’t stick.
More Rice Dishes
- Dominican Rice with Sausage (Locrio de Longaniza)
- Black Beans and Rice
- Chicken and Rice Mexican Style (Arroz con Pollo)
- Fried Rice (Dominican Chofán)
Arroz con Gandules (Pigeon Peas Rice)
Author:Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red onion , chopped
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 2 cubes chicken bouillon (caldo de pollo)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon adobo
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon alcaparrado
- 15 oz can gandules verdes (green pigeon peas), with liquid
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups rice
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse the onion, bell pepper, garlic and cilantro until all is chopped very small to make the sofrito.
- In a large cast-iron pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute the sofrito mixture, tomato sauce, chicken bouillon cubes, sazon, oregano, adobo, black pepper and alcaparrado for about 2-3 minutes until vegetables begin to release aroma.
- Add the pigeon peas with it’s liquid and 2 cups of water. When the water begins to boil, add the rice, stirring occasionally to avoid from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Once the rice has soaked up all the water and begins to dry up, lower the heat to low. Cover and let cook for 25 minutes. Then, stir the rice carefully and cover for an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- If you can’t find pigeon peas, you can use black beans or kidney beans in their place.
- Leftovers can be kept for up to 3 days covered in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stovetop. You may want to add in a little extra stock when reheating as the rice will have absorbed a lot of the excess liquid.
- Serve with stewed and roasted meats for a wonderful feast!
Nutrition
The nutritional information of this recipe and all recipes on mydominicankitchen.com is only an estimate. The accuracy of any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Terri Ingham-Bollin says
Tostones are my favorite
Lisa says
The ARROZ CON GUANDULES (PIGEON PEAS RICE) looks fantastic — have you ever tried adding some olives? I may have to give this one a try. Thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
joe gersch says
my favorite is the ARROZ CON GUANDULES
Aaron says
My favorite Nochebuena dish is pasteles.
Julie Ikeda says
We make mochi soup every new year for good luck. I think it’s a Japanese tradition. It’s a savory soup like chicken noodle but with mochi inside also
Denise Parker says
Tostones for me! They look amazing!
Nancy Baez says
My favorite Noche Buena dish is Pozole!
Mindi Eden says
The Tostones look good!
Shawna says
Your ARROZ CON GUANDULES looks so delicious that I wish I could eat some right now! I’ve never had it before. My favorite Nochebuena dish is tamales. My mother in law makes homemade tamales every year for Christmas. No matter how many she makes, there never seems to be enough. In fact, at least half of them seem to get eaten before Christmas…lol 🙂
Valerie Ann C. says
Pasteles en Hoja looks wonderful!
Valerie L says
flan for me
Lesley F says
The tostones looks delicious
Ani says
Hamonado and Macaroni Salad.
Sierra Ingram says
Peacan pie
Teri says
My favorite desert is lemon crunch cake it’s soooo delicious