Easy Spanish Rice in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Try this Instant Pot Spanish Rice recipe as a side for tacos, burritos, or enchiladas. This easy Spanish rice is budget friendly and flavorful — the perfect combination!

Originally published in February 2016; this post has been updated.

I grew up in California, where Mexican restaurants were prolific. The food that came out of some of those family style restaurants were some of the best meals I’ve had.

Replicating the Spanish rice that was served alongside the enchiladas was a challenge for me, though. Try as I might, my efforts generally resulted in a sticky mess. While the flavor was good, the rice itself was kind of a clumpy and lumpy mess. It was just not appealing.

But! I’m not one to give up. Rice is inexpensive and easy to keep on hand.

We eat a lot of Mexican food and it seemed a shame to miss out on one of my favorite rice dishes. 

Instant Pot Spanish Rice

Turns out, my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker is the secret to easy Spanish rice that turns out perfectly in slightly less time than a stove top version.

This version gets a thumbs up from my in-house recipe critic who always lets me know when I haven’t quite nailed it. (He’s an incredibly honest aspiring chef. We’ll cut him some slack.)

And it gets my thumbs up because it is so stinking easy.

Super. Easy.

Ingredients

Rice — While I used brown rice, you can alter this Instant Pot Spanish rice recipe by using white rice easily enough.

Salsa — Using salsa in the recipe provides flavor along with tomatoes and other chopped veggies. If you have a pantry full of home canned salsa, use that. Or use your favorite salsa, mild or spicy — your call. If you don’t have salsa on hand, you can use diced tomatoes instead. You’ll need to add some spices to flavor it up, though. I like chili powder and cumin.

Onion — You can use any kind of bulb onion you have on hand — white, yellow, or red.

Garlic — Finely chopped garlic adds that spicy zing we all love so much. Can you use powdered? You could, but…

Bell pepper — Opt for a green pepper here. In a pinch you could use a red pepper, but it will add a little sweetness to the recipe.

Olive oil — Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for sautéing. 

Making Easy Spanish Rice

Because the Instant Pot has a sauté function, you can do this part right in the pot. Easy peasy. Combine the oil, peppers, and diced onions in the pot. Cook and stir to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. When they are beginning to turn transparent, then add the remaining ingredients.

Cook on high pressure, and then let it rest for 10 minutes once cooking time is up. 

Serving

This rice is a great side dish to serve with tacos or roll it up in a tortilla with my refried beans for burritos, but it’s a great addition to any Mexican meal.

To serve it as a main dish, add a little bit of protein, like kidney beans or some cooked ground beef.

FAQs

What type of rice should I use?

Regular long grain brown rice. So any bag of rice at the store that is simply brown rice. This isn’t white and it isn’t parboiled/parcooked. And yes, it still takes a decent amount of time in the “instant” pot but it is foolproof compared to the stovetop! You cannot substitute white rice at this cooking time or you will have a bowl of mush.

How do I store leftovers?

Stored in an airtight container, this Mexican rice recipe is good for a couple days in the fridge. I recommend reheating only the portion you will be eating, and not the entire bowl. You can also freeze leftover rice for an easy side dish on busy days. 

★ Did you make this Instant Pot Spanish rice recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!

Easy Spanish Rice

Totally hands-off rice is yours in the Instant Pot! Serve this Instant Pot Spanish rice alongside tacos, wrapped up in burritos, or with homemade enchiladas. 

4.24 from 21 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Author: Kris Bordessa

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup onion finely chopped
• ¼ cup green bell pepper diced
• 3 cups brown rice
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 ⅔ cups water or broth
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons garlic minced

Instructions

• Measure oil, onion, and pepper into the Instant Pot liner. Choose "sauté" and cook until onions are transparent, stirring often for about five minutes.
  1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup onion, 1/4 cup green bell pepper
• Add remaining ingredients.
  3 cups brown rice, 1 cup salsa, 2 2/3 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 2 teaspoons garlic
• Lock lid in place. Using the "manual" setting, set the Instant Pot to cook for 25 minutes. 
• Let rice rest for ten minutes once cooking time expires, then carefully release remaining pressure.

Notes

• You can use water or the broth of your choice in this recipe. Stewed tomatoes or tomato sauce are a fine substitute for the salsa if you don't have that ingredient on hand, but you'll want to add some extra seasonings for flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 184kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 116IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

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