Instant Pot Mexican Rice

Flavorful, fluffy Mexican rice just like your favorite taco shop made quick and easy in the Instant Pot. The perfect side dish for tacos, enchiladas, or any Mexican dinner.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• There’s so much flavor in this simple rice recipe, it’s almost unbelievable. Sautéed garlic, a dash of cumin, rich and slightly-sweet tomato sauce, a little salt? So easy, with such an impact. You probably didn’t even realize you could make an incredible Spanish rice with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
• It’s much faster and more foolproof than stovetop Mexican rice methods. Seriously, once you make Spanish rice in the Instant Pot, you’ll never go back. No watching the pot for the water to boil without letting it boil over. No simmering for just the right amount of time, risking the rice being under- or over-cooked if your timing is off just a little. Just perfect, fluffy, flavorful rice in roughly 15 minutes.
• Whether you cook it on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot, Mexican rice is deliciously versatile. Use it in burrito bowls, add it to tacos, or even just drizzle a little queso on top and serve it next to fajita veggies and refried beans.

Chef’s Tips

• It’s important that you stir the rice constantly when you first add it to the Instant Pot, otherwise it can stick. If any of the rice sticks, it’ll throw a burn notice when you try to bring the pot to pressure. To avoid that, stir it constantly, and then when you add the chicken broth, use the spatula to scrape up any rice that might have stuck despite the stirring.
• You don’t have to toast the rice, but I highly recommend it. It’s a simple step that adds a great flavor-depth to the rice overall. I think it makes a real difference.
• Be sure to fluff the rice, rather than stir it. Stirring it will give you soft, mushy Mexican rice that still tastes delicious, yes, but isn’t quite the texture we’re aiming for. Instead, use a fork and fluff the rice, gently turning it over and breaking up the grains.

More Recipes to Fill Up Your Instant Pot

• Instant Pot Chicken Breast
• Whole30 Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla-Less Soup (Paleo)
• Instant Pot French Onion Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken Wings
• Perfectly Cooked Instant Pot Lobster Tails

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot Mexican Rice

Prep 15 minutes minutes

Cook 10 minutes minutes

Total 25 minutes minutes

The perfect side dish for tacos, enchiladas, or any Mexican dinner, made quick and easy in the Instant Pot.

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8 servings

Cook Mode(toggle on to prevent screen dimming)

Equipment

• Instant Pot or other pressure cooker
• rubber or silicone spatula
• Fork

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or other neutral oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ▢ 2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice rinsed
• ▢ 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cumin
• ▢ 1 scant cup tomato sauce
• ▢ fresh cilantro chopped, for garnish

Instructions

• Set Instant Pot to Sauté mode, low heat. Add oil and warm over low heat until oil is hot and shimmering.
• Add minced garlic to hot oil. Cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly, or until garlic is fragrant.
• Add uncooked rice to Instant Pot. Cook, stirring constantly, until rice is coated in oil and lightly browned.
  
• Add chicken broth, salt, and cumin to Instant Pot. Stir well to combine ingredients, then pour in tomato sauce and do not stir.
  
• Secure lid on Instant Pot with vent in Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure for 7 minutes. Instant Pot will come to pressure, then 7-minute cook time will begin.
• Once cook time is up, carefully Quick Release pressure inside Instant Pot, but do not remove lid. Let Instant Pot sit, covered, 1 to 2 minutes, then carefully remove lid and set aside.
• Run spatula gently around side of Instant Pot to loosen rice. Fluff rice with fork then garnish with chopped cilantro and serve as desired.

• When you add the rice to the Instant Pot, stir it constantly so none of it sticks to the bottom of the pot. If any rice sticks, you’ll likely end up with a burn notice during cooking, so make sure to scrape it up with the spatula when you add the chicken broth.
• Make it Vegetarian/Vegan: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Nutrition Info

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 189calProtein: 5gFat: 0.3gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 610mgPotassium: 116mgTotal Carbs: 40gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gNet Carbs: 39gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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