Do you love Mexican food as much as I do? If so, you’re going to love this easy Instant Pot Mexican Rice recipe. It’s quick and simple to make, and it tastes amazing! This rice is perfect for serving with tacos, enchiladas, or any other Mexican dish.
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Mexican food is one of my favorite cuisines, and I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy it. I was so excited when I discovered you can make Mexican rice in the Instant Pot, and it’s just as delicious as the restaurant versions. If you’re a fan of Mexican food, you need to try this recipe!
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❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This side dish recipe is quick and easy to make.
- Plus, it’s perfect for serving with Mexican dishes
- And, it’s made with simple ingredients that can help keep your food budget costs low.
If you’re looking for an easy and delicious side dish to serve with your favorite Mexican food, look no further than this Instant Pot Mexican Rice.
🛒Ingredients
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- olive oil
- onion, chopped
- garlic, minced
- vegetable or chicken stock
- salt
- ground cumin
- black pepper
- long grain white rice
- tomato paste
See the recipe card below for quantities.
🔪 How to Make Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Heat the electric pressure cooker using the saute function until hot. Add the olive oil and onion, stirring often and sauteing until the onion is tender. Stir in the garlic.
Add the broth to the electric pressure cooker and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to remove any cooked on pieces. Stir in the seasonings and cancel the saute function.
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Stir the rice into the broth. Over the rice, dot with tomato paste. Do not stir.
Cover the electric pressure cooker and program it to manual or pressure cook for 7 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
Open the pressure cooker and stir to mix and fluff the rice with a fork.
Hint: Do not stir once you add the tomato paste otherwise you may get a burn notice.
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Add some heat: Add a diced jalapeno pepper to the onion and garlic while sauteing.
- Make it vegetarian: Use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.
- Add beans: Stir in a can of black beans or pinto beans when you add the rice.
- Add corn: Stir in a can of corn when you add the rice.
- Make it cheesy: Stir in a cup of shredded cheddar cheese when you add the rice.
If you love mexican recipes, you may also enjoy this Air Fryer Tacos recipe.
🥄 Equipment
- measuring cup
- pressure cooker or Instant Pot
- colander or strainer
- wooden spoon or spatula
🥫 Storage
Leftover rice can be stored in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove top before serving.
You can also freeze this rice for up to six months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat before serving.
💭 Tips
- Do not stir once you add the tomato paste otherwise you may get a burn notice.
- Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pressure cooker well after you saute the onions. You want to get all cooked on bits up before adding the rice and water.
- Do not use the rice setting on your Instant Pot. You want to cook for seven minutes on manual high pressure.
- Allow the pressure to naturally release until the pin drops. This takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Do not skip the step of rinsing the rice. This removes the starch and gives the rice a little extra moisture. If you skip this step, you might have burnt or undercooked rice.
- You can add more heat to this rice by adding in a dash of cayenne pepper or chili powder.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
If your rice is mushy then there was too much liquid in the pressure cooker. You can fix this by removing the lid and turning the pot on saute mode until some of the water evaporates.
Yes, there is a difference between the two. Mexican rice is usually made with white rice and has a tomato flavor. Spanish rice is usually made with brown rice and has a more robust flavor.
I don’t recommend adding butter to the rice while it’s cooking because it can cause a burn notice in your pressure cooker. However, you can melt some butter on top once the rice has finished cooking.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy mexican inspired recipes, try these delicious recipes:
🧾Instant Pot Mexican Rice
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Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Equipment
- Measuring cup
- Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot
- colander or strainer
- wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
Instructions
- Heat the electric pressure cooker using the saute function until hot. Add the olive oil and onion, stirring often and sauteing until the onion is tender. Stir in the garlic.
- Add the broth to the electric pressure cooker and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to remove any cooked on pieces. Stir in the seasonings and cancel the saute function.
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Stir the rice into the broth. Over the rice, dot with tomato paste. Do not stir.
- Cover the electric pressure cooker and program to manual pressure or pressure cook (normal pressure) for 7 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Open the pressure cooker and stir to mix and fluff the rice.
Notes
Disclaimer:
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
Nutrition
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