Easy Instant Pot Mexican Rice Recipe
If you’re looking for a delicious, easy side dish to add to your next Mexican-themed dinner party, look no further than this Instant Pot Mexican Rice. The best part? You only need a few simple ingredients, and you can have it on the table in less than 30 minutes!
If you would prefer a simple rice dish, then be sure to check out this Sticky Rice Recipe too! For my low carb friends, be sure to try this Easy Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe.
Table of Contents
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
I’m not sure what’s more impressive – the fact that this Mexican rice is made in the Instant Pot or the fact that it’s so delicious. Either way, you’re going to love it! This recipe is perfect for serving with tacos or burritos, and it’s also great as a side dish. Best of all, it’s super easy to make. You’ll have dinner on the table in no time!
- This Mexican rice recipe is so easy and quick to throw together, and it tastes amazing.
- You only need simple ingredients that you may already have on hand for this easy instant pot recipe.
- It’s perfect for serving with tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or as a side dish.
- Skip your favorite Mexican restaurant and make this great side dish at home.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
You’ll only need a few kitchen tools to help you make this recipe. Even if you’re a beginner cook, you can make this dish with ease. All you need are a few simple utensils and some key ingredients. So grab your apron and get ready to cook up something delicious!
- measuring cup
- measuring spoon
- Instant Pot
- fork
- large wooden spoon
INGREDIENTS
You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to whip up this delicious Mexican inspired side dish. With just a handful of pantry staples, you can have a tasty and healthy side on the table in no time
- olive oil or any other neutral tasting cooking oil.
- onion, chopped
- cloves garlic, minced
- vegetable or chicken stock – I use a concentrate.
- salt
- ground cumin
- black pepper
- long-grain white rice
- tomato paste or tomato sauce
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT MEXICAN RICE
Making this Instant Pot Mexican Rice is a breeze! Just follow these simple steps and you’ll have a delicious, authentic meal in no time.
STEP 1: RINSE THE RICE
In a medium size mixing bowl add the rice and add cold water. Stir with your fingers releasing the starch. Rinse water until the water is clear. Drain and set aside.
STEP 2: SAUTE THE ONIONS UNTIL TRANSLUCENT
Turn the electric pressure cooker to saute mode. Add the olive oil and onion, stirring often and sauteing until the onion is tender and translucent. Stir in the garlic.
STEP 3: DEGLAZE THE BOTTOM OF THE PRESSURE COOKER
Add the broth (and tomato sauce if using instead of paste) to the electric pressure cooker and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to deglaze and loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Stir in the cumin, salt, pepper to evenly distribute through the rice, and then cancel the saute function.
STEP 4: ADD THE REMAINING INGREDIENTS TO THE INSTANT POT
Stir the rinsed rice into the broth. Over the rice, dot with tomato paste. It’s not necessary to stir.
STEP 5: PRESSURE COOK THE SPANISH RICE
Cover the electric pressure cooker and program it to manual or pressure cook for 7 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for about an additional 10 minutes.
STEP 6: FLUFF RICE AND SERVE
Open the pressure cooker and stir distribute the tomato paste evenly and fluff the rice. Top with chopped cilantro and diced tomatoes if desired.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH MEXICAN RICE
This Instant Pot Mexican Rice is the perfect side dish for any Mexican food recipes that you love. Serve it with any of the delicious ideas below for a complete meal.
- tacos
- burritos
- enchiladas
- burrito bowls
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
While this recipe is delicious as written, there are a few ways you can change it up to suit your tastes. Here are some ideas:
- Add a can of black beans, rinsed and drained, for extra protein.
- Don’t have tomato paste? No problem, add 6 tablespoons of tomato sauce instead (stir in with the broth).
- Stir in a cup of drained corn or thawed frozen corn.
- Top with shredded cheese, diced avocado, or diced tomatoes before serving.
- For a spicier dish, add diced jalapeno pepper, chili powder, or some crushed red pepper flakes.
- Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to the top of the rice for a bright citrus flavor.
TIPS
Making Instant Pot Mexican Rice is easy, but there are a few things you can do to ensure it turns out perfectly every time. Here are a few tips to help you make the best authentic Mexican Rice:
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. This removes extra starch and adds a little extra water to the rinsed rice. Skipping this step might cause the rice to burn or be undercooked.
- The traditional Spanish Rice recipe requires the rice to be toasted before adding the the broth. That method doesn’t work well when using the Instant Pot.
- Do not stir the tomato paste into the rice prior to cooking to avoid getting a burn notice.
- If you don’t have vegetable broth or chicken stock on hand, you can use water. However, the stock does add more flavor to the dish.
- To make this dish vegetarian, use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock.
- After 10 minutes manually release the remaining pressure, if there is any after the natural pressure release.
- Add more flavor with the addition of garlic powder, onion powder or even taco seasoning.
HOW TO STORE
Leftover rice can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through.
You can also freeze Mexican Rice for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat as desired.
FAQS
Do you have questions about this Instant Pot Mexican Rice recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions about this easy recipe.
To cook Mexican Rice in an Instant Pot, program it to manual or pressure cook for 7 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
Yes. You can use short grain rice in place of long grain rice and it will give you the same flavor. However, the texture will be slightly different. Short grain rice will not absorb all the broth the same way and will be mushier.
I prefer to use white long grain rice when making Mexican Rice, but you can also use brown rice or basmati rice. Just keep in mind that the cooking time will be different if you use a different type of rice.
No, you need to use the manual pressure button for this recipe, not the rice button.
OTHER DELICIOUS INSTANT POT RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY
- Easy Mexican Pinto Beans – Simple Crock Pot recipe is cooked without pre-soaking the beans. Save some of the beans to make refried beans!
- Instant Pot Carnitas – This is a small batch recipe. Perfect for a mid-week meal.
- Mexican Soup with Hominy – This soup can takes hours on the stove top. Once you cook pozole in an Instant Pot it’ll be your new favorite way to make this soup.
- Instant Pot Pork Stew – Low carb pork stew recipe the whole family will love.
Instant Pot Mexican Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 small onion diced or 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Cilantro & diced tomato for garnish
Instructions
- Rinse the rice in a medium size bowl with cold water. Stir the rice with your fingers to release the milky starch, Repeat until the water is clear. Drain the water and set aside.
- Turn the pressure cooker to the saute mode to heat the insert. Add the olive oil and saute with the diced onion stirring often, sauteing until the onion is tender. Stir in the garlic.
- Add the broth to the electric pressure cooker and deglaze the bottom with a wooden spoon to remove any cooked on pieces. Stir in the salt, pepper and cumin, then cancel the saute function.
- Stir the rinsed rice into the broth. Over the rice, dot with tomato paste. Do not stir.
- Cover the electric pressure cooker and program to manual or pressure cook for 7 minutes, then natural release for 10 minutes.
- Open the pressure cooker and stir to mix and fluff the rice.
- Place in a serving bowl and top with chopped cilantro and a fresh diced tomato if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.