15 Minutes Instant Pot Mexican Rice

fluffy mexican rice instant pot recipe in a light blue plate with a spoon

15 Minutes Instant Pot Mexican Rice

15 minutes Instant Pot Mexican Rice results in fluffy Mexican Rice with awesome good flavors just like your favorite Mexican restaurant. This is the easiest & the best instant pot Mexican rice you'll ever make.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: 15 minutes instant pot Mexican rice, Best Mexican Rice, Cabbage Curry in Pressure Cooker, Easy Mexican Rice, Fluffy Mexican Rice Instant Pot

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Servings: people

Calories: 308kcal

Author: Meghna

Cost: $2

Equipment

Instant Pot DUO 6 quart

Ingredients

2 cups long grain white rice **rinsed very well. For Jasmine & Basmati Rice options check NOTES below.
1 cup onion **finely chopped. Use yellow onion.
½ tbsp garlic **minced
8 ounce tomato sauce **226 g. For Rotel, tomato paste or fresh tomato options check TIPS & TRICKS above in the post body.
¼ tsp chili powder **optional
¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper **optional.
3 tbsp Avocado oil **or use any neutral oil. Find list in NOTES below.
Salt **use according to your personal taste preference.

Liquid

2 cups Water **warm. Use this to stir the better than bouillon (chicken base) to make an instant stock. **READ NOTES BELOW.
1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon **stirred well in the 2 cups warm water for an instant chicken stock with best flavor.

Instructions

Saute aromatics: Set the instant pot on SAUTE & set it on HIGH heat. Add oil and when the oil becomes moderately hot gently release the onion and garlic and saute until the onion begins to turn limp. Add salt to quicken the process of sautéing.
Rinse Rice: While the onion and garlic are being sautéed rinse the long grain white rice several times under running tap water (Cold or normal temp.) until absolutely clear water runs through. This is super important & will help rinse out the surface starch from the rice. As a result you'll have fluffy Mexican rice, no more gummy/mushy rice & NO burn error! Drain the rinsed rice in a colander to remove excess water. DO NOT soak the rice in water, this will alter the cook time!
Toast rinsed rice: Add the rinsed & drained rice back to the pot & toast the rice for 1-2 mins stirring continuously with a spatula. You'll notice the rice will begin to turn opaque, some grains might pop, that's absolutely fine. Toasting the rice will enhance the depth of flavor & take the dish to the top. TURN OFF the instant pot.
De-glaze pot: Now pour the chicken stock into the pot and de-glaze the pot very well by scrapping the sides and the bottom of the pot to loosen any stuck food particles. This will prevent the BURN! Add the chili powder, the cayenne pepper (both optional) and the tomato sauce and give everything a quick stir. READ NOTES BELOW #7 (It's important).
Pressure cook: Now, secure the lid of the instant pot, seal the valve and PRESSURE COOK on HIGH for 6 mins for al dente rice or 8 mins for softer rice. Once, the cooking cycle is over the instant pot will begin to beep. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 mins and than release the rest of the pressure manually by turning the valve from the sealing to the venting position. Open the lid carefully and TURN OFF the instant pot immediately.
Fluff Rice & serve: With the help of a pair of fork fluff the rice gently and immediate remove the steel insert of the instant pot and keep it on the counter top to prevent the rice from getting over cooked by the residual heat & getting stuck at the bottom of the pot. Or you may transfer the fluffed Mexican rice into a serving bowl. Serve hot with your favorite Mexican dishes and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Can I use Jasmine rice? Yes you can use white Jasmine rice. The recipe would remain the same. However, the cook time would be 3 mins on HIGH PRESSURE followed by 10 mins natural pressure release.
Can I use white Basmati rice? Yes, you can use white basmati rice. The recipe would remain the same. However, the cook time would be 5 mins on HIGH PRESSURE followed by 10 mins natural pressure release.
Is the recipe spicy? No today's Instant pot Mexican rice recipe is not spicy at all.
Spicy Mexican rice option: Add 1-2 finely or roughly diced Jalapenos white sautéing the aromatics. You'll have a pot full of fluffy and spicy Mexican rice.
Read the Variations & Tips section of the post for more options.
Better than Bouillon substitution: If you do not have better than Bouillon chicken base at home than do use 2 cups chicken stock (store bought or homemade) for todays Pressure cooker Mexican rice recipe. Better than Bouillon chicken base would add lots of depth of flavor. We highly recommend it!
Burn Error: Some new models of instant pot might trigger a burn error with 1:1 rice : water ratio. Hence, if you bought an instant pot which is a new make or model than use 1.25 cups of liquid for every 1 cup of rice.

Calorific details are provided by a third party application & are to be used as indicative figures only.

Nutrition Facts

15 Minutes Instant Pot Mexican Rice

Amount Per Serving

Calories 308 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 208mg9%

Potassium 241mg7%

Carbohydrates 54g18%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 229IU5%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 32mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Read our privacy policy - Calorie information is provided as a courtesy only and should be leveraged as an estimate rather than a guarantee.Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition