This Instant Pot Mexican Rice or Spanish Rice is easy to make, tastes like your fav Mexican restaurant and comes together in under 30 minutes in one pot. Make this delicious and flavorful rice as a side dish for tacos, burritos or wraps.
Looking for more Mexican recipes for your weekend brunch, try these – Mexican Couscous, Guacamole, Hot & Cheesy Mexican Corn Dip, Mexican Cornbread and Loaded Nachos.
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About This Recipe
I always keep experimenting with different cuisines to put a variety on the dining table for my everyday meals. Besides Indian, Mexican is my another go to cuisine for everyday meals and one of my go to recipe is Mexican Rice, which is also known as Spanish Rice, Red Rice or Arroz Rojo.
Quick, easy prep and less ingredients, Mexican Rice makes for a perfect lazy weeknight dinner. It became even easy the day I started making it in my Instant Pot. A one pot recipe, that just gets ready in less than 30 minutes.
I used to always make Mexican Rice in a pot over stove top which also came out awesome but preparing it in an Instant Pot has now become my favourite way of cooking it. This method gives me perfectly fluffy, tender and separate rice, without making it mushy or gloopy. But make sure you use correct ratio of rice and water to get this result.
Mexican Rice in an Instant Pot uses minimal ingredients such as rice, vegetables, tomato puree and a few spices, which I am sure will already be available in your pantry. You can also squeeze a lemon juice at the end, it tastes yum too.
This Instant Pot Mexican Rice is,
- Delicious
- One Pot Recipe
- Vegan
- Gluten Free
- Flavourful
- Perfect for everyday meals
Ingredients
Rice – You can use any white rice to make this Mexican Rice. For healthy alternatives, you can even try this recipe using brown rice.
Vegetables – This rice is loaded with vegetables such as red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, corn, peas, and carrot. You can add more vegetables as per your taste.
Jalapeno – Jalapeno adds a perfect spicy twist to this rice and also gives it that authentic traditional touch. Adjust the amount as per your taste.
Tomato Puree – It adds tanginess in this mixed rice recipe. Use canned puree or paste for this recipe.
Oil – I prepare the Mexican Rice recipe in light olive oil, but you can even use vegetable oil or butter to prepare the same.
Paprika – You can adjust the amount of paprika according to your taste and preference. Along with Jalapeno, it gives the perfect heat to this easy Mexican Rice recipe.
Stock – You can use any vegetable stock or chicken stock for this recipe. If you do not have both of them, you can use water instead. But stock adds a great flavor too.
Others – Apart from the above ingredients, we will need garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and cumin powder.
If you have access to Tomato Bullion Cubes, add one cube or the powder for added flavor and a lovely orange color.
How to make Instant Pot Spanish Rice?
Press the SAUTE button of the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add 4 tbsp of light olive oil and let it heat up for 30-40 seconds. You can use any oil of your choice if olive oil is not your thing.
Once the oil is hot, add 2 tsp of chopped garlic and 1 cup of chopped onion and fry till onion turns pinkish. It will take -3 minutes for the onions to fry. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
Rinse 1 and ½ cups of white rice well with water. Drain the water and add the rice to the pot and fry for 3-4 minutes, until it absorbs the oil. Keep stirring gently.
Add 1 chopped Jalapeno pepper, 1//4 cup chopped red bell pepper, ¼ cup chopped yellow bell pepper, ¼ cup peas, ¼ cup corn, and ¼ cup chopped carrot and cook for 2-3 minutes. You can adjust the amount of jalapeno pepper according to your taste.
Add ½ cup of tomato puree (or ¼ cup of tomato paste), salt to taste, ½ tsp pepper powder, ½ tsp cumin powder, and ½ tsp paprika along with 2 cups of chicken or veg stock.
Press the CANCEL button. Close the lid of the Instant pot and set the valve to the sealing position. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 4 minutes on high pressure. It will take 10-15 minutes for the pressure to build up and the timer to start. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
Release the remaining pressure manually by moving the valve to the venting position (QPR). Use a kitchen cloth to move the value to avoid steam burn. Once the pressure is released, open the lid of the pot.
Let the rice rest for 5 minutes and then fluff it gently using a fork. Serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
To prepare Instant Pot Spanish Rice with brown rice, you need to change the ratio of water. Brown Rice needs more liquid to cook as compared to white rice. So instead of adding double water/stock, make the quantity of liquid 3 times that of rice. Time will increase to 22 minutes.
The remaining ingredients and the process will remain the same.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Instant Pot Spanish Rice on its own for a weeknight dinner or as a side dish with your Mexican brunch meal.
Instant Pot Refried Beans pairs well with this rice.
You can also use it as a filling for Burritos, Tacos, Wraps, Fajitas or add in Burrito Bowls.
Storage Suggestions
This Instant Pot Spanish Rice stores beautifully.
Let the rice cool down to room temperature. Then transfer it to an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 4-5 days. You can also store it in individual containers for meal prep.
To freeze the rice, transfer the cooled rice to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw for 4-5 hours,. Then reheat and serve.
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Recipe Card
Instant Pot Mexican Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon light olive oil
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1-½ cup white rice
- 1 Jalapeno pepper (chopped)
- ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
- ¼ cup chopped yellow bell pepper
- ¼ cup peas
- ¼ cup corn
- ¼ cup chopped carrot
- ½ cup Tomato Puree
- 2 cups chicken or veg stock
- salt (to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Press the SAUTE button of the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add 4 tbsp of light olive oil and let it heat up for 30-40 seconds. You can use any oil of your choice if olive oil is not your thing.
- Once the oil is hot, add 2 tsp of chopped garlic and 1 cup of chopped onion and fry till the onion turns pinkish. It will take 2-3 minutes for the onions to fry. Keep stirring at regular intervals.
- Rinse 1 and ½ cups of white rice well with water. Drain the water and add the rice to the pot and fry for 3-4 minutes, until it absorbs the oil. Keep stirring gently.
- Add 1 chopped Jalapeno pepper, 1//4 cup chopped red bell pepper, ¼ cup chopped yellow bell pepper, ¼ cup peas, ¼ cup corn, and ¼ cup chopped carrot and cook for 2-3 minutes. You can adjust the amount of jalapeno pepper according to your taste.
- Add ½ cup of tomato puree (or ¼ cup of tomato paste), salt to taste, ½ tsp pepper powder, ½ tsp cumin powder, and ½ tsp paprika along with 2 cups of chicken or veg stock.
- Press the CANCEL button. Close the lid of the Instant pot and set the valve to the sealing position. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 4 minutes on high pressure. It will take 10-15 minutes for the pressure to build up and the timer to start. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Release the remaining pressure manually by moving the valve to the venting position (QPR). Use a kitchen cloth to move the value to avoid steam burn. Once the pressure is released, open the lid of the pot.
- Let the rice rest for 5 minutes and then fluff it gently using a fork. Serve hot.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!