This Instant Pot Mexican Rice recipe is so quick, easy, comforting and packed with flavor.
What You Need for Easy Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Related: Simple Instant Pot Rice (for classic white or brown rice!)
Mexican Rice Recipe Ingredients
Full ingredient quantities listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Long grain white rice: You can use regular long grain rice, jasmine or Basmati Rice. Related: How much rice per person?
- Olive oil: We use this to saute the onions, garlic, and pepper. It also helps toast the rice slightly before pressure cooking.
- Onion: Fresh onions add a sweet and savory depth to the dish. For extra flavor, add a little onion powder.
- Garlic: Fresh cloves garlic are best, but you could swap in garlic powder.
- Serrano or jalapeno pepper: These add a little heat to the dish. If you like your food spicy, feel free to add a bit more!
- Ground cumin: Swap with chili powder, a chili seasoning blend of spices, if you like.
- Tomato sauce
- Vegetable broth, chicken broth, or tomato bouillon with water: use low sodium if you prefer the taste.
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Fresh cilantro
Add some frozen peas at the end, if you like. They thaw right in the hot rice.
Grab these Tools
- Wooden spoon: Perfect for sautéing and mixing the ingredients inside the pot, ensuring they blend well together.
- Instant Pot: Or any pressure cooker (stove-top or electric).
- Sieve or colander: For rinsing the rice before cooking. This helps to remove excess starch, leading to fluffier rice.
Make the Best Instant Pot Mexican Rice: Easy Step-by-Step Guide
- Rinse the rice: Rinsing before cooking rice makes sure it comes out fluffy and not sticky.
- Sauté onion, garlic, and pepper. Add the rice to toast a little.
- Add the tomato sauce and broth.
- Pressure cook: Under high pressure.
- Natural release, then quick release: This ensures it is fully cooked and maintains its structure without becoming mushy.
- Fluff and serve.
Expert Tips for the Best Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Here are six tips to help you make perfect Mexican rice in the pressure cooker:
- Rinse the Rice: Always rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. This removes excess starch and helps your rice come out fluffy and not sticky.
- Sauté the Rice: Before adding the liquids and pressure cooking, sauté the rice in oil with the onions, garlic, and peppers. This step coats the rice in fat, which helps it stay separate and prevents stickiness.
- Use Broth for Flavor: Instead of just using water, cook your rice in vegetable or chicken broth. This adds an extra layer of flavor to the rice.
- Mind the Liquid-to-Rice Ratio: This amount of liquid allows the rice to cook fully without becoming mushy.
- Natural Release is Key: After the pressure cooking phase, allow the pot to naturally release pressure for about 10 minutes before doing a quick release. This resting period helps the rice to finish cooking gently, maintaining its structure.
- Fluff the Rice: Once the rice is cooked, fluff it with a fork to separate the grains before serving. This helps maintain the fluffy texture and prevents clumping.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
Mexican rice is great for meal prep or to make in a big batch.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
- When you’re ready to serve it, just reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding a splash of water if needed.
How to Serve my Mexican Rice Instant Pot Recipe
Instant Pot Mexican Rice is a perfect side dish for your favorite Mexican recipes. Serve it with:
- Chicken Street Tacos, Shredded Beef Tacos, or Tacos Al Pastor
- As a Mexican bowl with Shredded Beef, avocado, beans and baja sauce
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Steak Fajitas or with my favorite Chili con Carne recipe.
- It also pairs well with grilled chicken, roasted veggies, and other sides, like Mexican Street Corn Salad.
And don’t forget to garnish it with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro for that extra pop of color and flavor.
FAQs
Here are some common questions about making Mexican rice. It’s a fairly similar answer for each one.
To keep Mexican rice from getting mushy, be sure to rinse the rice thoroughly under cold water until the water runs clear before cooking. This removes excess starch which can lead to stickiness. Also, ensure that you’re using the correct liquid-to-rice ratio and don’t overcook the rice.
If your Mexican rice isn’t coming out fluffy, it could be due to several reasons. You may not be rinsing your rice enough before cooking, which leaves excess starch that makes the rice clumpy. Another reason could be that you’re using too much liquid or overcooking the rice.
Mexican rice can become clumpy if it’s not rinsed thoroughly before cooking, as the excess starch can cause the grains to stick together. Also, ensure you fluff the rice with a fork after cooking to separate the grains.
Other Delicious Mexican Recipes You’ll Love
- Crispy Baked Chicken Tacos: Serve with easy guacamole from scratch.
- Pulled Pork Tenderloin with Chipotle Barbecue Sauce: They are delicious with avocado crema.
- Chicken Fajitas: Wrapped in warm tortillas, these fajitas are a Tex-Mex favorite that never fails to satisfy.
- Chicken Street Tacos: Spicy, citrusy chicken tacos with a drizzle of Cilantro Lime Crema, a trip to Mexico in every bite!
Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- ½ a serrano or jalapeno pepper seeds removed and finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth or 1 tsp bouillon concentrate or powder + 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. This removes excess starch and helps the rice not stick together.
- Set your Instant Pot to sauté mode. Add a bit of oil, then add the chopped onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Sauté until the onion is translucent.
- Add the drained rice to the pot and stir for a couple of minutes until it's well coated and slightly toasted.
- Add the tomato sauce, vegetable broth, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Close the lid and set the Instant Pot to Manual or Pressure Cook for 6 minutes. Once done, let it naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
- Open the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and stir in the chopped cilantro. Serve warm.
Notes
- If you use unsalted broth, add an additional ½ tsp of salt.
- You can stick the other half of the serrano or jalapeno pepper in the freezer if you don’t have an immediate use for it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very tasty mexican rice! Thank you
I dont have a pressure cooker. Can i use a rice cooker?
Hi Paula, a rice cooker won’t work the same way as a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, but you can still make this recipe in it.
You’ll need to sauté the onion, garlic, and pepper on the stovetop first, since most rice cookers can’t do that properly. Then transfer everything into the rice cooker with the rice, broth, tomato sauce, and seasonings.
Cook it as you would regular rice. Once the rice cooker switches to “warm,” let it sit for 5–10 minutes before fluffing and stirring in the cilantro. It won’t be exactly the same texture as the Instant Pot version, but it’ll still turn out tasty.
Beautiful looking and beautifully tasty.