Instant Pot Mexican Rice Recipe

Instant Pot Mexican Rice is a great side dish, topping for Taco Tuesday celebrations, and base for your favorite protein. You can make this tasty rice quickly and easily thanks to the Instant Pot. It makes a great side dish recipe.

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We are no strangers to Taco Tuesday. You know it’s one of our favorite things to do for a quick weeknight meal. This Mexican rice compliments that so well!

The rice makes a great side dish or topping. I’ve been known to use it as a base for my tacos and skip the tortilla shells altogether. You can even add this to your traveling tacos! 

Instant Pot Mexican Rice

I’m going to show you how easy it is to make this Mexican rice in the Instant Pot. You do not have to be a pro with the pressure cooker to make this recipe work. Rice in the Instant Pot is pretty much foolproof! 

This particular recipe serves 5. You can double that or even triple it if you want to make more for leftovers, lunches, or meal prep. The time doesn’t need to be changed just make sure you bump up all of your ingredients by the same amount and you will be all set. 

My Instant Pot Mexican rice recipe takes about 35 minutes total. You need to factor in that time for the pressure cooker to come to pressure and then the actual cooking time! Here’s the breakdown: 

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Pressurizing time: 15 minutes

What will I need to make spicy rice in my Instant Pot? 

Here is the list of ingredients for this Mexican style rice. It’s pretty simple and I love to use individual spices so I can tweak them to suit our flavor preferences. I’d imagine this would work well with a taco blend of seasonings as well if that is easier for you! 

Don’t forget if you spot something on the list that you don’t think you will like you can leave it out or substitute something else. Maybe try just putting in half the amount first as well! You might surprise yourself and realize that you enjoy the flavors when they work together! 

• Vegetable Oil
• Long Grain Rice
• Onion
• Minced Garlic
• Ground Cumin
• Chili Powder
• Paprika
• Chicken Broth
• Tomato Sauce
• Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles

How to make Mexican rice in the Instant Pot: 

1. Set Instant Pot to saute mode and add vegetable oil. Allow the oil to heat up for a few minutes, then add the rice, onion, and garlic.
2. Saute until the rice is fragrant and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Turn off the Instant Pot and season rice with cumin, chili powder, and paprika.
4. Add the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula to remove any stuck-on rice or onion.
5. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes with chilies. Stir to combine.
6. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and seal the valve.
7. Set the pot to pressure cook for 12 minutes or use the rice setting on the Instant Pot.
8. When the cook time is up, do a quick release.
9. Remove the lid from the Instant Pot and stir to fluff the rice before serving.

Do you have any other Instant Pot recipes I can try? 

I have been slowly adding more Instant Pot recipes as I find ones that I really enjoy and ones that seem to work well with no issues! Here are some Instant Pot recipes I think you will enjoy trying as well! 

• Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers
• The Easiest Crockpot Pineapple Chicken
• Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
• Sausages In The Instant Pot

Printable Instant Pot Mexican Rice Recipe: