Instant Pot Mexican Rice Recipe {Restaurant Style} (2024)

Published: May 24, 2023 · Last Modified: Feb 29, 2024 by Kanan Patel / 5 Comments

Are you ready for restaurant style Mexican rice made right at home? Plus, it’s a quick method, as it is cooked in electric Pressure cooker.

This instant pot Mexican rice as a side dish goes well with tacos (like potato tacos), fajitas, enchiladas (like vegetarian enchilada casserole).

❤️ About This Recipe

Is this authentic Mexican rice? NO, it’s not. It’s similar to what you get in Mexican restaurants here in the USA.

It’s super easy to make the one-pot recipe.

It gets ready quickly as it’s made in Instant pot.

This Mexican rice tastes delicious with a good tomato-based flavor.

This instant pot Mexican rice recipe gives nice, fluffy, tender and separated rice grains. No more clumpy, sticky and wet rice.

It is vegan and gluten-free.

🧾 Ingredient Notes

Here is the pic of the ingredients required to make instant pot Mexican rice. All of them are pantry staples and easily available in any grocery store.

• Rice: Long grain rice is a good choice to get fluffy texture with separated grains. Here I have used basmati rice as that’s what I have always on hand.
• Plus, rinsing the rice to get rid of the excess starch is a MUST step. The starch could make the rice sticky hence rinse well.
• Jalapeno: Adjust the amount as per your liking spice level in the rice. To reduce the spice level discard the seeds and veins of the jalapeno.
  • (a note to my Indian audience) Chili powder: This is not the Indian red chili powder. This is American chili powder which is the mixture for few chilies with the addition of salt and other seasonings. Hence it is mild vs Indian red chili powder (which pure chilies only).
• Vegetable broth (stock): Most restaurants use chicken broth to cook Mexican rice. But as being vegetarian, I use vegetable broth. Instead of buying veggie stock packs, I prefer to use ‘Better than Bouillon vegetable base’. I always keep a jar of it in the refrigerator. You just have to mix it up in hot water and your vegetable broth is ready.

👩‍🍳 How To Make Instant Pot Mexican Rice?

Prep: Take rice in a colander and rinse under running cold water by rubbing gently using your fingers. Rinse until the water runs clear.

1) Turn on the Instant pot with saute mode and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add onion, garlic and jalapeno.

2) Saute for 2-3 minutes or until onions start to soften and there is no more raw garlic smell.

3) Then add rinsed rice and saute for 4-5 minutes with stirring constantly. Make sure that rice is not sticking to the bottom of the liner. Now turn OFF the saute mode.

4) Then add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste.

5) Mix well.

6) Add salt, pepper, cumin powder, chili powder and oregano.

7) Also, add vegetable stock and stir well. Scrape the bottom of the pan if anything is stuck to it otherwise, you’ll get burn notice.

8) Close the instant pot with a lid, keep the valve to sealing. Pressure cook on manual (high pressure) for 4 minutes. Let it NPR (natural pressure release) for 5 minutes then do QPR (quick pressure release).

9) Fluff up the rice gently and garnish with cilantro.

💭 Expert Tips For Instant Pot Mexican Rice

• Rinsing the rice is an important step. This makes sure to get rid of the excess starch resulting in separated rice grains instead of sticky and mushy.
• Toasting rice is also an important step. It maximizes the taste of the dish. In this step, rice grains are coated with olive oil and toasted to get a nutty aroma. It takes around 4-5 minutes and it quickly enhances the flavor.
• After toasting the rice turn off the saute mode of Instant pot. Otherwise, it starts to stick to the bottom and you may get burn notice.
• To avoid burn notice, do scrape and deglaze the bottom of the instant pot liner after adding vegetable broth.

🥣 Storage & Reheating

This can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days (depending on the climate where you live).

It can be frozen for one month only. The longer it is stored the rice grain starts to lose moisture and becomes dry.

Reheating: Take out the required amount in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp paper towel and reheat in the microwave until piping hot. The damp towel helps to retain the moisture in the rice grains and prevents them from drying out.

The frozen rice can be reheated directly into the microwave or you can defrost it in the refrigerator and then reheat.

🍽 Serving Ideas For Mexican Rice

• This Mexican rice can be served as a side dish with tacos (e.g. crispy potato tacos, paneer tacos), salad (e.g. vegetarian taco salad), enchiladas, empanadas, fajitas, air fryer quesadillas, casseroles (e.g. vegetarian enchilada casserole), etc.
• It can be used as a stuffing for your burritos or use in making burrito bowls.

PS Tried this restaurant style mexican rice recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comment section.

📋 Recipe Card