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.
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Sonia says
Hi Ms. Vanessa. Thank you for all your Dominican recepies. Looking at these dishes reminds me of all the great foods my Dominican mother made. I was born in D.R. but grew up in NYC. However every meal at home was Dominican. As I am an older adult now I follow a vegan diet for health reasons.
But I love to continue to cook Dominican meals. Could you post more vegan Dominican dishes on your website. Thank you so much! , best regards Sonia.
Amber Townsend says
Sounds delicious! I’m doing a DR inspired dinner with friends on Thursday. In the recipe ingredients, there is no sazon listed, but it’s in the directions to add it. How much and what kind of sazon is supposed to be used?
Vanessa says
We used one packet of sazon culantro and achiote.
Natalie says
I see the green larger pigeon peas in this recipe but what is the smaller, roundish brownish ingredient?
Vanessa says
We only used regular pigeon peas in this recipe, they appear brown when cooked. You might be looking at the olives.
Eugenia says
I’m making this now. But, your recipe doesn’t include how much oil to add and it mentions nothing of the Sazon. 1 Packet? Thanks!
Eugenia says
Sorry. It does mention the oil amount. Sorry!
Becky says
Looks beautiful. Would love to see a vegan version of this.
Silvia Martinez says
I still remember the first time I tried arroz con gandules, delicious!
Ale says
I have never tried this recipe before, I will try it for sure!
Enriqueta Lemoine says
I haven’t had gandules. Bucket list!
Rajee Pandi says
Love Tostones and Flan
Heather says
I have never made flan before. I would like to try the Leche Flan.
Trisha McKee says
Flan is definitely my favorite.
Leslie Carcaise says
Rice with corn
connie k says
Going to try the Tostones.
Pam Flynn says
Latin Style Turkey with Mojo and Sazon Achiote is amazing. Juicy and sophisticated with a touch of bohemian.