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!
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.
This post may contain affiliate links; I'll earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase.
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.
And while some of us like the occasional side dish of sticky rice, most members of my family prefer their rice be more flavorful (like my sausage, spinach, and mushroom risotto).
We eat a lot of Mexican food and it seemed a shame to miss out on homemade Spanish rice.
Related: Pulled Pork Tacos
Related: Spicy Black Bean Dip
Instant Pot Spanish Rice
Turns out, my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker is the secret to easy Spanish rice that turns out perfectly.
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.
Easy Spanish rice recipe
While I used brown rice, you can alter this Instant Pot Spanish rice recipe by using white rice easily enough.
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.
We serve this Instant Pot Spanish rice with tacos or roll it up in a tortilla with my refried beans for burritos.
★ 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!
Ingredients
- 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup onion finely chopped
- 1/4 cup green bell pepper diced
- 3 cups brown rice
- 1 cup salsa
- 2 2/3 cups water
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
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. Add remaining ingredients.
-
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 pressure.
Recipe Notes
Serve this Instant Pot Spanish rice alongside tacos, wrapped up in burritos, or with homemade enchiladas.
Common Plant Diseases & Problems to Look For
Reader Favorites from Attainable Sustainable
Sonia (foodiesleuth)
February 2, 2016 at 8:15 AMI love Spanish Rice. My aunt used to add browned ground beef to hers, so the rice and a salad was a whole meal for the family.
I’m going to have to look for and “instant pot” – (for some reason that term sounds weird to me… 😉
Kris Bordessa
February 6, 2016 at 9:13 AMIt’s an electric pressure cooker, Sonia. –> https://amzn.to/20Aanwj
Kay
August 20, 2016 at 9:32 AMOh my goodness… This is so good… Thanks for sharing… 🙂
Jodey
October 4, 2016 at 1:10 PMHow would I convert this to use Basmati rice?? Would it be the same cook time & amount of liquid??
Kris Bordessa
October 5, 2016 at 11:00 AMShould be no problem to use basmati.
Jodey
October 16, 2016 at 2:07 PMThank you!! Going to try it right now!! 🙂
Kari Ann
November 19, 2016 at 9:10 AMCan I just use canned diced tomatoes instead of the salsa?
Kris Bordessa
November 19, 2016 at 10:57 AMSure! I’d just add some extra spice in that case.
Brenda
November 29, 2016 at 8:53 AMIf I use white rice, how will the cooking time change?
Kris Bordessa
December 12, 2016 at 8:45 AMHere’s a table for various rice/grains: https://instantpot.com/cooking-time/rice-and-grains/
Karen Laurvick
December 22, 2016 at 3:11 PMDid you use long, medium or short-grain brown rice? Would it make a difference in the recipe?
Kris Bordessa
January 5, 2017 at 8:35 AMIt depends what I have on hand. 😉 Shouldn’t make a difference.
KC
February 4, 2017 at 5:34 PMThis recipe is fantastic!!! So easy and so delish….I’ve made it twice now, i use arborio rice and made no adjustments to the cook time and it was perfect. I am going to try the refried beans recipe next!! Thanks for sharing!
Connie Ellis
April 7, 2017 at 6:23 PMHow many does this feed? Do I need to double it for about 12 people?
Kris Bordessa
April 9, 2017 at 4:40 PMYes, I’d double it!
Jen
April 27, 2017 at 4:02 PMDelicious and easy! The rice was perfect.
Michelle
March 24, 2018 at 7:11 PMDelicious recipe!
Yvonne
December 9, 2018 at 8:49 AMThe easy way is just use a jar of store bought salsa, medium hot…..and cook the rice with the salsa in it…..when the rice is done it is good…..side of pinto beans and buritto bread good eating….or put the salsa rice mixture and the beans inside a buritto, fold and eat….. could add a little hamburger meat that has been scrambled into chunks…..with hot sauce and cheese…..
Kris Bordessa
December 19, 2018 at 7:54 AMOr use home canned salsa in your recipe: https://www.attainable-sustainable.net/preserving-tomatoes-as-salsa/
christina
December 18, 2018 at 7:29 AMdo I need to rinse the rice? is it instant rice that I use?
Kris Bordessa
December 19, 2018 at 7:49 AMYou can rinse it if you like. (That seems to be a personal preference.) And no, not instant rice.
Carol L
March 10, 2019 at 10:24 AMI came to this article as in another post you mentioned that you used your cauliflower rice to make this. Since cauliflower will become mushy easily, how would you sub it for the rice in this recipe?
thanks for this! I am on KETO for type 2 diabetes.