Easy Instant Pot Spanish Rice
Instant Pot Spanish Rice is an easy recipe using pantry staples. A delicious side dish that tastes like it’s from your favorite Mexican restaurant, but made at home!
Spanish Rice, or Mexican Rice, is the perfect side dish for meals such as Chicken Enchiladas, Tacos or Burritos with refried beans.
This classic side dish originating from Mexico is made with fluffy rice, garlic, onions, tomato sauce, jalapeno, and a blend of spices.
This spanish rice recipe is such a simple side dish to make, yet when made in an Instant Pot – it’s even easier and I’ve found the best way to cook spanish rice.
This recipe takes 10 minutes of prep and just 4 minutes of cook time!
For your next Taco Tuesday or Mexican meal, try this delicious side and see why it’s such a popular dish to make at home.
🍚 Ingredients You’ll Need for Instant Pot Spanish Rice
Long-grain white rice: We love long-grain white rice for this delicious recipe; it is perfect for this yummy dish.
You can also use long-grain brown rice, but it must cook under high pressure for 20 minutes and allow pressure to release naturally.
Extra virgin olive oil: For easy spanish rice made in an instant pot, we chose to saute the sweet onions in extra virgin olive oil for its depth of flavor.
You can also use another grade of olive oil or use vegetable oil.
Sweet onion: We love to cook homemade spanish rice with sweet onions! You can also use a white or yellow onion for this recipe.
Jalapeno: One average-sized jalapeno is enough to bring just a hint of heat and a unique flavor profile to this rice dish!
If you don’t like heat in your rice, substitute half a green pepper instead. For heat lovers, double the jalapeno!
Be sure not to touch your face or eyes, and wash your hands after handling the jalapeños!
Fresh garlic cloves: Fresh garlic enhances the flavor of this yummy rice dish.
Low-sodium vegetable broth: The broth you use makes a big difference in the flavor of this recipe. Low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth is a wonderful choice.
Purified water: Clean water adds additional moisture to prevent burning in the instant pot. Yet use ordinary water if you must.
Spices: Kosher salt, paprika, chili powder, ground cumin, and oregano enhance the flavor of this recipe.
🥣 How to Make Instant Pot Spanish Rice
- Rinse the long-grain white rice in cold water. Pour off the starchy water until the water is nearly clear. Set aside.
- Press saute and allow the instant pot to heat. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and allow to heat.
Then add diced onions, minced garlic, and finely chopped jalapenos. Saute until onions are translucent, about 2 – 3 minutes.
Turn off the saute function.
- Add the low-sodium vegetable stock and water. Scrape down the sides. Next, add the kosher salt, paprika, chili powder, cumin, and oregano.
Stir until the spices are mixed. Add the rinsed rice and stir to combine. Finally, add the tomato sauce and stir until all ingredients are combined.
- Place the lid on your Instant Pot, press the pressure cook button, and set the timer for 4 minutes cook time.
Let the steam release from the pressure cooker entirely on its own (pressure release naturally). Carefully remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
Add the unsalted butter and blend in with the rice (fluff rice). Add chopped cilantro as an optional garnish! - Serve and ENJOY!
Tips
- How to Keep Spanish Rice from Getting Mushy:
If you find that your rice gets mushy in the Instant Pot, you most likely added too much water or cooked it for too long. When done, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork immediately to prevent overcooking.
❄️ How to Store Spanish Rice
Store your leftover rice in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
To reheat your leftover spanish rice, place it in the microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl) or on the stove for a few minutes.
The best method when reheating rice, is to add a small amount of broth or water to return some of the moisture removed during refrigeration.
❓Can I Freeze spanish rice?
You may freeze your Spanish Rice by allowing the rice to cool completely to room temperature.
Then transfer the cooled rice to a freezer bag or freezer-safe container.
Remove the excess air in the container or bag to reduce the chances of freezer burn. You can freeze for up to 3 months.
Don’t forget to label your frozen rice container with an expiration date!
SUBSTITUTIONS
- Long-grain white rice: You can substitute brown rice for white in equal amounts. Long grain brown rice requires a longer cook time, so you must cook it for 20 minutes and allow the pressure to release on its own.
- Extra virgin olive oil: You may use other grades of olive oil or vegetable oil if that is what you have in your kitchen.
- Sweet onion: You can use a yellow or white onion.
- Jalapeno: If you are averse to heat in your dishes, you can substitute ½ of a green pepper (finely chopped) instead of a jalapeno. If you love heat in your food, double the jalapeno measurement!
- Fresh garlic cloves: You can use pre-minced garlic if that is what you have on hand.
- Low-sodium vegetable broth: You may use low-sodium chicken broth instead. It is good to use low-sodium broth as the regular broth is incredibly high in sodium and may result in a salty rice dish.
Serving Suggestions:
This easy Mexican rice recipe is an easy side dish to accompany any Mexican-type main dish.
We love to use it in Bell Pepper Stuffed Tacos.
Instant Pot Spanish Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups long-grain white rice rinsed
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1/2 sweet onion diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- cilantro for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Rinse the long-grain white rice in cold water. Pour off the starchy water until the water is nearly clear. Set aside.
- Press saute and allow the instant pot to heat. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and allow to heat. Then add diced onions, minced garlic, and finely chopped jalapenos. Saute until onions are translucent, about 2 – 3 minutes. Turn off the saute function.
- Add the low-sodium vegetable stock and water. Scrape down the sides. Next, add the kosher salt, paprika, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Stir until the spices are mixed. Add the rinsed rice and stir to combine. Finally, add the tomato sauce and stir until all ingredients are combined.
- Place the lid on your Instant Pot, press the pressure cook button, and set the timer for 4 minutes. Let the steam release from the instant pot entirely on its own. Carefully remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Add the unsalted butter and blend in with the rice. Add chopped cilantro as an optional garnish!
- Serve and ENJOY!
Notes
- Be sure not to touch your face or eyes, and wash your hands after handling the jalapenos.
- Store your leftover rice in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. To reheat your rice, place it in the microwave or on the stove for a few minutes. Add a small amount of broth or water to return some of the moisture removed during refrigeration.
- You may freeze your Spanish Rice by allowing the rice to cool completely. Then transfer the cooled rice to a freezer bag or freezer-safe airtight container. Remove the excess air in the container or bag to reduce the chances of freezer burn. You can freeze for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to label your container with an expiration date!
