Instant Pot Mexican Rice

Published February 18, 2018. Updated October 17, 2018

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Instant Pot Mexican Rice will likely become a new go-to side dish to your favorite Mexican food! It’s easy to make and cooks quickly in the pressure cooker, plus it has that delicious, authentic tomato based flavor. I’ve already made this four times and I plan to make it many more, my family loves it!

Instant Pot Mexican Rice

Mexican Rice in the Instant Pot

Don’t ask my why it took me so long to start using my Instant Pot. My mother-in-law gave me one for Christmas over a year ago and I kept waiting to use it. I thought it might be tricky or something.

But now I’ve started using it on a regular basis. I just love how quickly things cook in it, plus I love that it has a saute feature so you aren’t using two pots.

This Mexican Rice really is unbelievably easy to make and it tastes like the rice you’d get from a restaurant. This recipe uses white rice but sometime in the future I’d like to figure out how to make it with brown rice.

Instant Pot Mexican Rice

This recipe comes from Barbra Shieving’s new cookbook The Electric Pressure Cookbook.

I’m loving this cookbook and have bookmarked so many things to make. It already has 4.8-star ratings from an average of 134 reviews on Amazon!

If you own a pressure cooker you need this book!It’s filled with 200 fast and foolproof recipes so you can put your new pressure cooker to great use!

It also has an introductory section with information about how to get the most of of your pressure cooker which is awesome because how many of us aren’t pros with a pressure cooker?

Instant Pot Mexican Rice

How to Make Mexican Rice in the Instant Pot

  • Saute onions and garlic on saute setting then select cancel.
  • Pour in chicken broth, water, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste, stir. Mix in rice.
  • Lock the lid in place, make sure valve is set to “sealing” position, select manual (or high pressure) and 4 minutes cook time.
  • When the cook time ends, turn the pressure cooker off and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
  • Once steaming stops finish using the quick pressure release method according to manufacturers instructions. Fluff rice with a fork and serve warm.

Instant Pot Mexican Rice

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Instant Pot Mexican Rice
4.15 from 21 votes

Instant Pot Mexican Rice

This Instant Pot Mexican Rice will likely become a new go-to side dish to your favorite Mexican food! It's easy to make and cooks quickly in the pressure cooker, plus it has that delicious, authentic tomato based flavor.
Servings: 8
Prep5 minutes
Cook20 minutes
Ready in: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Select saute/browning on pressure cooker, once it reads "hot" add vegetable oil and onions, saute 2 - 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer (if using garlic powder add along with other spices).
  • Press "cancel" then pour in chicken broth, water, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste, stir. Mix in rice. 
  • Lock the lid in place, make sure valve is set to "sealing" position, select "manual" mode and 4 minutes cook time. 
  • When the cook time ends, turn the pressure cooker off and let the pressure release naturally for 10 - 15 minutes
  • Once steaming stops finish using the quick pressure release method according to manufacturers instructions. Fluff rice with a fork and serve warm.
  • Recipe source: recipe adapted from The Electric Pressure Cookbook by Barbara Shieving
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Amount Per Serving
Calories 222 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 176mg8%
Potassium 222mg6%
Carbohydrates 41g14%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 275IU6%
Vitamin C 3.4mg4%
Calcium 26mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.
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59 Comments

  • Bud

    I made this today. It turned out very well. I added a couple of cubes of Caldo de Tomate and a can of diced jalapenos.

    I want to thank you for including specific measurements for things like oil, diced onions and cilantro. That makes things much easier for a novice cook like me.

  • Kristy C.

    Made this for our work potluck which was Mexican themed, everyone LOVED it! Ate it all gone! ??

  • Margo

    I’ve made this recipe approximately six times since Christmas and it has turned out perfect for me following the directions above every time. I think it’s so much better than Spanish rice. Thanks for the recipe.

  • Peggy Kendall

    I made this to take to a family with little kids. I was surprised at how hot it was. I had to make another batch from another recipe without the chili powder and cayenne. I added only a few grains of the cayenne and it was too much. This would be good if you like hot spicy food but it’s not family friendly.

  • Squid

    I made this and it turned out great…really loved the flavor. My only comment is that the rice was really wet and I prefer a drier rice….any suggestions to reduce the moisture? Less water or stock?

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      You could try a little less but it would run the risk of scorching. Instead I’d try making a day ahead then reheating and serving the next day, it absorbs more moisture as it rests.

  • Kaitlin

    You need to be sure to scrape up all the sautéd onions when you mix in the rice and liquid. Bits stuck to the bottom are what cause the burn issues.
    This is the perfect rice!!

    • jordi

      I’ve tried that and it doesn’t seem to help at all. I’m wondering if it’s the type of rice. Plain white rice, parboiled white rice. I don’t know enough about rice to figure it out but I’ve tried sautéing the onions and then taking the pot out and letting everything cool and then doing the actual cooking cycle and nothing works.

  • Scott

    4 minutes on pressure was only half done. I did standard rice setting (I think it was 10 minutes) and it was perfect. Little burn on bottom actually gave it some good flavor.

    • Katie

      This did not work for me. Got a burn notice and when i tried again the rice wasn’t all the way done.

  • Jo Ann

    DO NOT cook this on HIGH pressure. BURN, BABY BURN! UGH! It started burning before it hit the 4 mins.
    I released the steam, stirred it and put it on rice program. Awful recipe. My pot is a burnt mess, not to mention the burned taste. I don’t think this is meant for an Instant Pot.

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      Sorry that happened! I wonder why some are having issues while others aren’t. I’d maybe try the rice setting or low pressure with more time.