Instant Pot Spanish Rice, otherwise known as Mexican Rice, tastes like the rice from an Authentic Mexican restaurant. Full of flavor and perfectly cooked, this recipe is made with pantry staples, extremely easy to make, affordable, and incredibly delicious.
Spanish Rice is my go-to side dish for meals like tacos, bean burritos, chicken enchiladas. This Mexican Style Rice is also great as abase for delicious burrito bowls.
Spanish rice, otherwise known as Mexican Rice or arroz rojo is a classic side dish made with garlic, onions, tomato sauce, and of course rice.
It is a staple side dish, along with refried beans, at most Mexican restaurants, and while so simple, it is downright delicious!
The Instant Pot is my preferred way to prepare this Spanish style rice. It works a lot like a rice cooker, in that every grain of rice cooks evenly and rice turns out fluffy and tender.
And while plain Instant Pot Rice is a staple in my kitchen, Instant Pot Mexican Rice is a favorite! It is perfectly seasoned and is delicious served as a side dish to any Mexican meal.
Key Ingredients
- Rice: Long grain brown or white rice can be used. The cook time is different for the brown and white, so be sure to follow the appropriate cook time for the time of rice you use.
- Onions and Garlic: Help to build delicious flavor to this simple recipe.
- Jalapeno: The jalapeno adds flavor, not just heat. If you don't care for spicy foods, be sure to remove the seeds and ribs from inside the jalapeno and use half a small jalapeno instead of a full jalapeno. If you love spicy foods, keep half the seeds--but be warned, it will be spicy if you happen to get a spicy jalapeno. And of course, you can omit the jalapeno altogether, but I do find that when left out, the rice is nowhere near as flavorful.
- Seasonings: I use the same blend of spices that I use in my homemade taco seasoning. Cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and salt all combine to give the rice just the right flavor.
- Stock: Use either chicken stock or vegetable broth. I do not recommend water, as it will not be as flavorful.
How to Make Instant Pot Spanish Rice
- Measure rice into a colander and rinse well. Rinsing the rice helps to remove starch and will improve the flavor and texture of this Mexican rice.
- Turn Instant Pot to Saute and allow to heat up.
- Once heated, add in oil, onion, jalapeno and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Turn Instant Pot OFF.
- Add in stock and scrape up any browned bits on bottom of inner pot. This is a really important step to prevent a burn warning.
- Add in seasonings and stir well.
- Add in rinsed rice and gently push the rice down to submerge in stock.
- Top with tomato sauce, but DO NOT stir in the tomato sauce.
- Place lid on pressure cooker and set to cook on high pressure for 3 minutes for white rice and 22 minutes for brown rice.
- Once cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally all the way. This is so important when cooking rice. Natural pressure release will allow the rice to absorb the excess liquid and finish cooking perfectly. It also will prevent a starchy mess if you do a quick release.
- Remove lid and fluff rice with a fork, while stirring in the tomato sauce.
How to Store Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Mexican rice is best served immediately. To store any leftovers, let rice cool for 20 minutes and then place in a sealed container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat the rice, add in a splash of water or stock to loosen up rice and heat in 1-minute intervals in the microwave until warmed through.
Serve Instant Pot Spanish Rice with
- Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
- Black Bean Tacos
- Copycat Chipotle Sofritas
- Vegetarian Fajitas
- Honey Lime Chicken Fajitas
Pick your favorite Mexican entree to make and then don't forget to make this Instant Pot Mexican Rice and Instant Pot Refried Beans for a meal that is reminiscent of your favorite Mexican restaurant.
Instant Pot Spanish Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup small onion diced
- 1 jalapeno seeded and minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups long-grain rice see notes
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ⅔ cup tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter optional
Instructions
- Place rice in a colander and rinse really well.
- Turn Instant Pot to saute and let heat up.
- Once heated, add in oil, onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn Instant Pot OFF.
- Add in stock and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
- Add in seasonings and stir well. Add in rice and gently push down with a spoon to submerge in stock. Top with tomato sauce.
- Place lid on the Instant Pot and be sure vent knob is pointed to sealed.
- Cook on HIGH pressure for 3 minutes for long-grain white rice, and 22 minutes for long-grain brown rice.
- Let pressure release naturally all the way.
- Remove lid and fluff rice with a fork, while stirring in the tomato sauce.
- Stir in butter if desired and serve.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- This recipe works with both long-grain brown and white rice. The measurements remain the same regardless of which variety of rice you use, but the cook time will vary. White rice needs 3 minutes to cook, brown rice needs 22 minutes.
- If you don't care for spicy foods, be sure to remove the seeds and ribs from inside the jalapeno and use half a small jalapeno instead of a full jalapeno. If you love spicy foods, keep half the seeds--but be warned, it will be spicy if you happen to get a spicy jalapeno. And of course, you can omit the jalapeno altogether, but I do find that when left out, the rice is nowhere near as flavorful.
Samantha
Thank you for posting this. I didn’t have an onion but it still came out great. I’ve been trying to make Spanish rice on the stovetop but I keep getting crispy bits - this was perfect! So fluffy 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
Wonderful! So happy to hear you had the results you were looking for!
Linda
This rice was fantastic! I used very-well rinsed brown rice and subbed 1/2 can of chopped green chiles for the jalopeno pepper. Also added a bit of extra garlic but otherwise followed the recipe as written. The measurements and the IP times were spot-on. It also made enough rice for 2 meals which is an added bonus.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the rice, Linda! Thank you for taking the time to share your review.
Kay
Such a quick and easy recipe! So flavorful for only a few ingredients, love that! I added a diced mini orange bell pepper and it was great. Can’t wait to try it with a jalapeño next time. Sharing this with my friends and family!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks for sharing this recipe with your friends and for taking the time to leave a review.
Shatel
Made it and loved it! The rice came out perfectly cooked and yummy 😋
Kristen Chidsey
Fabulous Shatel! Thanks for sharing!
Jackie S
It is a simple recipe but full of flavor! I've been on a hunt for good Spanish ice and I have found it. This is it!!
Kristen Chidsey
Awesome!
Kelly
I followed it exactly twice and both time burn notices. Yes, I rinsed it... yes, I didn't mix the tomato sauce into it. I believe it has to do with the rice being too hot. I had a recipe before that never burned on me, but couldn't find it. The second time....I even used my non stock pot.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Kelly! First of all, I am so sorry this happened. This is not a complaint I hear for this recipe, nor have I had a burn notice happen myself and I make this almost weekly. Let me help troubleshoot so you can have success too 🙂 First, turn the Instant Pot OFF after sauteeing and then add the cold broth and be sure to scrape up the browned bits after sauteeing the onion. Also, check to be sure your lid the seal is on correctly and isn't damaged. One final question--what size instant pot are you using? If using an 8-quart model, you can not cut the recipe in half, or a burn notice will occur. I hope that helps!
Eva
The rice tasted very flavorful but I got the burn notice. I just let it stay in there and did a NPR. The rice was a bit undercooked but we ate it anyway. Any ideas why I got the burn notice? Thank you
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Eva! I am sorry you had a burn notice. Did you scraped up browned bits after sauteeing the onion? Did you rinse the rice? Did you layer the tomato sauce on top? Not doing any of those things could lead to burn notice.
Lori Greenwood
Hello , I thought that I would share the burn means that you don't have the seal on the lid properly.
Wendy
This recipe came out amazing! My 11 yo son even asked me to pack the leftovers for his lunch the next day. Thank you!
CJ
When you mean for the pressure to release fully naturally, do you mean to not switch the valve to release? Approximately how long would that take?
Kristen Chidsey
That is correct. I would leave it alone for at least 15 minutes, after that, feel free to release the remaining pressure.
Meghan
Great recipe with excellent flavors! Can this recipe be made in bulk (around 8 cups of rice) with a large insta pot, and would that impact the cook time?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Megan! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! You don't need to increase the cooking time to increase the volume, however it will take much longer to come to pressure and for pressure to release. You also want to not fill more than halfway full when cooking rice. I doubt more than 6 cups will work with 6 cups of liquid.