Instant Pot Mexican Rice is the perfect side dish to serve at your fiesta! This pressure cooker Mexican rice recipe is a quick cooking, very flavorful version of restaurant style Mexican rice. Serve this Instant Pot rice recipe for Cinco de Mayo!
Updated 5/2/19
Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Cooking rice in the Instant Pot® is easy and versatile. You can make all kinds of flavors, Pilafs, and even Rice Pudding!
Mexican rice is different because you will sauté the rice in oil before cooking it. This brings out a nutty flavor and gives the rice a little more body to stand up to pressure cooking.
This Instant Pot Mexican rice is not a very spicy recipe. Though it does have jalapeños, they are deseeded, and that takes out most of the heat.
There are good flavors in this rice, and the tomato flavor comes forward. It tastes so good! You can make this rice easily, and make it your own way!
You may have heard of Spanish rice, and wondered if it is the same thing as Mexican rice. Not exactly, but close! The names are often used interchangeably.
What is the difference between Mexican Rice and Spanish Rice?
Both rice dishes are very similar. They both are cooked in a broth (often chicken), and have tomatoes and onions in them. One big difference is that Spanish rice uses saffron, while Mexican rice uses cumin.
Spanish rice is called Paella, and Mexican rice is called Arroz Roja (red rice).
The Spanish colonizers originally introduced Asian rice to Mexico, so it often gets called Spanish rice. Also because Mexicans speak Spanish.
The modern day Spanish or Mexican rice recipes are very flexible and delicious!
We have so many ingredients at our disposal, so a lot of experimentation can happen!
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Instant Pot Mexican Rice is the perfect side dish to serve at your Cinco de Mayo fiesta! This pressure cooker Mexican rice recipe is a quick cooking, very flavorful version of restaurant style Mexican rice.
- 4 Tbsp Olive Oil (or lard)
- 2 cups Long Grain White Rice (or Basmati) unrinsed
- 1 sm Onion, diced
- 2 Jalapeños, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced or pressed
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Coarse Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 1/4 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
- 1 cup Water
- 1 (7 oz) can Diced Mild Green Chiles or 2 (4 oz) cans
- 1 (14 oz) can Diced Tomatoes (fire roasted or regular) with juice
- 1 cup Tomato Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- Lime Juice
- Cilantro
- Avocado Slices
- Jalapeño Slices
Have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you begin cooking! Rice measured, veggies cut, spices measured into a cup, broth and water measured, etc. It goes much smoother.
Turn on the pot's Sauté setting. When it is hot, add the olive oil. Wait until the oil just starts to shimmer, then add the rice. Cook the rice, stirring almost constantly, until the grains turn a very pale tan color (not brown!).
Add the jalapeños and onions. Cook, stirring frequently, for a minute.
Add the and garlic. Sauté for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Add the spices, diced chiles, and the can of diced tomatoes. Stir.
Add the broth and water. Stir.
Cancel the Sauté setting.
Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste on top, but do not stir.
Place the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 4 minutes. High Pressure.
Stay with the pot until pressure is reached. This mixture is a little thick, so if it gives you the burn message you are right there to add a little more broth.
When the cook time is finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 10 minutes (10 minute natural release). Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to release any remaining pressure/steam.
When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid.
Give the rice a stir and taste to make sure the grains are cooked. If they are a little chewy, put the lid back on and let the pot sit for several more minutes while you get the rest of the meal ready. The rice will continue to soften in the residual heat.
Serve with any garnishes you like.
RESOURCES TO MAKE Instant Pot Mexican Rice recipe and more
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I know these questions are always a bit unfair because its not part of the recipe and you have not had a chance to test it, but would you have any suggestions if you wanted to add corn to this recipe? I was thinking just add after the release and let the residual heat warm the corn. However, I have had much better results getting the rice out of the pot as soon as possible after the natural release. Do you think it would be an issue to have it in with the rice for the pressure cook?
I often just add the corn before pressure cooking if I need to get the food out of the pot quickly. I prefer canned corn for this, I think because it is juicier than frozen. Frozen will still work though.
Hi Sandy,
First off, let me tell you that I’ve tried numerous recipes from your site and every single one of them has been absolutely delicious!
This Mexican Rice was so tasty as well! However, I wanted to ask about the initial cook time. I followed the directions carefully (3 min high pressure, 10 min NR) and my rice (I used Basmati) was not even close to being cooked. I ended up re-cooking in a few 5-minute batches, checking each time. Turned out fine after this. Would be interested in your feedback.
Carry on the excellent work – love your recipes and inspiration!
Hi there, I’m sorry to hear this. I think a longer cook time initially would solve this. Usually basmati is pretty soft. I also think keeping the sauté time of the rice to about a minute or two, as it gets harder the longer you cook it.
I went back over the recipe notes and made a few small changes. So I made yet another batch today! My rice came out pretty soft at 5 minutes, so I settled on 4. I’m not having you rinse the rice as I don’t think there was a benefit to it, and the rice toasted better being dry. The other small changes are in the order. I hope that helps.