Instantaneous Pot Mexican Rice | Cookies and Cups

By: Shelly
Posted: Jul 6, 2025

This Instantaneous Pot Mexican rice is a festive facet dish made foolproof! The Instantaneous Pot takes the guesswork out of cooking completely fluffy rice. In the meantime, onion, garlic, and tomato paste pack this simple recipe filled with taste.

I like this Instantaneous Pot rice recipe as a facet to our favourite Mexican dinners, from tacky oven-baked chicken enchiladas to pork carnitas (additionally fast and simple to make within the Instantaneous Pot!). Try my skillet taco rice for a simple stovetop recipe!

A bowl of Instant Pot Mexican rice with a plate of lime wedges, a bowl of refried beans, and flour tortillas in the background.

Why This Instantaneous Pot Recipe Works

Making Mexican rice in my Instantaneous Pot is the weeknight life hack I can’t reside with out! This recipe ranges up your typical white rice right into a festive facet dish. It’s full of zesty, tomato-y taste and veggies. To not point out, it pairs nice with my favourite Mexican recipes. Right here’s why this Instantaneous Pot recipe makes it simple:

It’s tremendous fast. Stress cooking locks in a variety of taste in a brief period of time. This rice cooks in minutes! There’s a little bit of ready in and round that whereas the pot involves strain, however that leaves my palms free to whip up some taco monkey bread for a starter.
It cooks the rice completely. The Instantaneous Pot takes the guesswork out of completely cooked rice. In case you comply with the recipe as directed, this simple Mexican rice is all however assured to come back out tender, fluffy, and filled with taste.
It wants minimal components. Just some pantry components go a great distance within the Instantaneous Pot. Tender rice soaks up the savory, tangy flavors of hen broth and tomato paste, plus onion, carrots, and garlic. I barely need to carry a finger!

Ingredients for Instant Pot Mexican rice with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Mexican Rice Elements

Mexican rice is a bit totally different from its cousin, Spanish rice. Whereas Spanish rice is vivid yellow, cooked with saffron, Mexican rice will get its signature pink hue from tomato paste.

I make this Instantaneous Pot Mexican rice with only a handful of components. You’ll discover my notes under, and remember to scroll to the recipe card for a printable record with quantities.

Olive Oil – Or one other cooking oil, like canola or avocado oil.
Rice – You’ll need to use long-grain white rice and never instantaneous rice for this recipe.
Onion – Yellow or white onion, diced.
Carrots – In case you’d like, swap out the carrots for an additional veggie with an identical cooking time, like broccoli.
Garlic – Freshly minced, or you’ll be able to change every clove with ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
Tomato Paste – Or tomato sauce.
Broth – This may be hen broth (store-bought or homemade chicken stock) or vegetable broth.

Tips on how to Make Instantaneous Pot Mexican Rice

Cooking good Mexican rice within the strain cooker is tremendous easy. Right here’s an outline of the steps. Scroll to the recipe card for printable directions.

Rinse the rice. First, rinse the rice below chilly water to take away the surplus starch. This fashion, the grains are extra separate, and fewer sticky when cooked.

Water added to rice inside the Instant Pot. — Toast the rice.

Toast the rice. Subsequent, with the Instantaneous Pot set to sauté, add the rice and a little bit of oil. Stir and let the rice toast for about 10 minutes (much like the way you’d toast the rice for risotto).
Add the veggies. Stir within the onion, carrot, and garlic and sauté till the veggies are smooth and aromatic.

Broth poured over Mexican rice inside the Instant Pot. — Add tomato paste and broth.

Mix. Lastly, stir within the tomato paste and pour over the broth.
Cook dinner. Seal and set the Instantaneous Pot to prepare dinner on Excessive Stress for 3 minutes, adopted by a 10-minute pure launch. Afterward, launch the leftover strain, fluff the rice, and serve.

Close up of a spoonful of Mexican rice held over the Instant Pot.

Ideas and Variations

What to do in case you get a burn discover: It occurs! In case your IP throws a burn discover, swap off the prepare dinner mode and launch the strain earlier than opening the lid. Then, simply use a (non-metal) spatula to scrape any stuck-on bits from the underside of the pot. Seal and restart the pot afterward.
Rinse the rice. Cooked rice can change into sticky if it’s not rinsed beforehand. It’ll be clumpy and chewy as a substitute of separated.
Serve straight away. It’s when this Mexican rice is at its freshest! In case you’re not serving your rice straight away, I don’t suggest leaving the rice contained in the Instantaneous Pot on Heat. It’ll overcook and change into mushy. See additional within the submit for make-ahead and storage particulars.
Add veggies. You possibly can add frozen peas or bell peppers similtaneously you add the broth or inventory.

Overhead view of a bowl of Instant Pot Mexican rice.

A spoon resting in a bowl of Instant Pot Mexican rice.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Refrigerate. Retailer any leftover Mexican rice hermetic and refrigerate it inside 2 hours of cooking. It’ll final within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
Reheat. Heat the rice in parts on the stovetop, or within the microwave till it’s good and scorching all through.
Freeze. You possibly can freeze leftover rice for as much as 1 month. Freeze the cooled rice hermetic and thaw it within the fridge earlier than you reheat it.

Extra Mexican-Impressed Recipes

Description

This foolproof Instantaneous Pot Mexican rice is a flavorful facet dish made with pantry staples, together with fluffy rice, onion, garlic, and tomato paste.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups long-grain white rice
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups hen or vegetable broth
Kosher salt to style

Rinse the rice properly with cool water.
Flip the moment pot to saute mode. Add the oil and rice to the pot. Stir continually till golden, about 10 minutes.
Add the onions, carrots, and garlic and proceed to prepare dinner for five extra minutes whereas stirring. Make certain to scrape off any bits that keep on with the underside of the moment pot.
Flip off the moment pot. Add the tomato paste and stir.
Pour within the broth. Place the lid on the pot and set to the sealed place.
Cook dinner on guide excessive strain for 3 minutes. As soon as the cooking time has elapsed, let the strain naturally launch for 10 minutes.
Launch the remaining strain. Season to style. Fluff the rice and serve.

Notes

In case you get the burn discover whereas cooking, flip off the prepare dinner mode. Launch the strain valve and open the lid. Use a spatula to scrape the underside of the pot after which reseal and restart cooking. Generally the rice will get sticky if it isn’t rinsed properly sufficient.
Don’t go away the cooked rice on heat mode as a result of it can get mushy.
Be at liberty so as to add different greens, like frozen peas on the similar time the broth is added to the pot.