This Instant Pot Mexican Rice recipe is my favorite side-dish for any Mexican food we eat! I perfected this recipe while living in Mexico– it's completely authentic– and I've adapted it to cook perfectly in the Instant Pot! The end result is Mexican rice that is so perfect, easy and delicious I may never go back to the stove-top version!
If you're a follower of TBFS you may already know that I'm a crazy huge fan of Mexican food. I have soooo many delicious Mexican recipes on my site–probably more than any other type of cuisine–because I LOVE it!
My husband and I lived in Puebla, Mexico for a few months when we were first married. I learned to make several authentic recipes while we lived there, but this Authentic Mexican rice is the one I use the very most. (You can check out some photos from our time there, and the story, here).
I've adapted my recipe to make Instant Pot Mexican Rice, and it turns out PERFECT. I love the way the instant pot cooks rice. You don't have to worry about mushy or gloopy rice. It's fluffy and tender, and exactly how rice should be!
Mexican rice is made of long-grain white rice, tomato, onion and garlic. In Mexico it is also often cooked with diced peas and carrots.
The chef who taught me to make Mexican rice used Tomato bullion cubes for extra great flavor, and to get that perfect orange color that you’re looking for. They should be easy to find at your local grocery store, in the Mexican food aisle.
You could even buy the granules instead of cubes (use 2 teaspoons). I buy tomato boullion at Walmart, in the Mexican food aisle or you can find them on Amazon.
How to make Mexican Rice in the Instant Pot:
Rinse the rice under water until the water runs clear. Drain well.
Turn instant pot to the saute setting. Add oil and rice and stir often, until the rice starts to get slightly golden.
Add tomato sauce, minced garlic, onion, tomato boullion and diced carrots.
Stir well. Add water and stir, making sure the boullion cubes are dissolved.
Turn instant pot off. Secure lid and turn valve to sealed position.
Turn on to Manual or High Pressure, and cook for 3-4 minutes (3 minutes for tender to the bite, or 4 minutes for softer rice).
When timer beeps, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes.
Remove lid and add peas. Gently fluff the rice with a fork (don't stir it).
Place IP lid over the bowl and allow rice to rest for a few more minutes before serving.
Can I substitute brown rice?
Yes! To substitute brown rice, add ¼ cup additional water and cook on high pressure for 22-24 minutes (22 for low elevations, 24 for higher). Once the timer beeps allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes before removing the lid and fluffing with a fork.
Don't own an Instant Pot? No Problem!
If you don’t own an instant pot yet, you can make Authentic Mexican Rice on the stovetop with this recipe.
FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!
Recipe
Instant Pot Authentic Mexican Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
- 1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
- 1 teaspoon garlic , minced
- 1/4 medium onion , finely diced
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce , or 2 pureed tomatoes
- 2 tomato bouillon cubes ,finely chopped*, or 2 teaspoons granulated
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 carrot , diced
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/3 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Drain well.
- Turn Instant Pot to saute. Once hot, add oil to the bottom of the pot.
- Add rice and saute, stirring often, until lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, onion, tomato sauce, salt, tomato bullion and carrots and stir to combine.
- Add water and stir well, making sure the bullion cubes are dissolved.
- Turn instant pot off. Secure lid and turn valve to sealed position.
- Turn on to Manual or High Pressure, and cook for 3-4 minutes (3 minutes for tender to the bite, or 4 minutes for softer rice).
- When timer beeps, allow pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes.
- Remove lid and add peas. Gently fluff the rice with a fork (don't stir it).
- Place IP lid over the bowl and allow rice to rest for a few more minutes before serving.
Notes
Don't own an Instant Pot? No Problem!
If you don’t own an instant pot yet, you can make Authentic Mexican Rice on the stovetop with this recipe. Find my tips (and step-by-step photos) for cooking perfect mexican rice, above in the post.Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE this recipe and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
This post contains affiliate links. I love sharing my favorite products and cooking tools with you all!
This post contains affiliate links.
I got the burned error twice with the high manual setting. I switched over to the Rice setting andhad no burn error. I also used the drippings/broth from the instant pot seasoned tri tip I made shredded beef with ..The rice and shredded beef make yummy great burritos!!!
This recipe looked like it had great reviews, so I gave it a shot and like many others, I got a burn error. Something with the ratio of liquid to rice is not correct. I do not recommend. And I don’t know why there are 5 star reviews with the burn error as well.
Sadly my first attempt at this recipe resulted in a burn error and the rice didn’t seem to be cooked enough to eat. Any suggestions for avoiding the burn error?
I had made this easily in the past, but have been getting the burn warning. Today I sauteed everything on the stove hoping that would eliminate the problem. It still went to burn, and I don’t know how to continue the pressure cooking after that. What have others done that get the burn warning? Will it continue to cook even with the warning? Or do I need to add something? There is burned rice stuck to the bottom.
Did you figure out how to fix it? Just wondering about the 5 star rating when it seems like you didn’t get a good result?
This rice is PERFECT. Just like you’d get at a Mexican restaurant. I never leave reviews, but I had to leave one on this recipe because I keep coming back to it. The one change I make is that I brown the rice in a separate pan instead of the instant pot because I am prone to getting a burn error otherwise. If you’re worried about it burning, try that instead. It’s worth it because, like I said, this rice is absolutely perfect.
Julia, I am going to try your tip as I’ve gotten a burn error two times out of three when I’ve made this recipe. Thanks!
I have been making this recipe twice a month for at least the past year! It’s a family favorite!
I’ve tried this recipe three times. Only substitute I made was stock in lieu of water. Burn notice every time. First two times I thought maybe my using a 3qt. Ip was the issue. Nope. Same issue with the 6qt. This is just a bad recipe
Big hit last night! An Hispanic dinner guest said the rice was very good. Super side dish!
This is a new family favorite! We will have this every Taco Tuesday from now on!! Very authentic. Taste EXACTLY like what I get at my local Mexican restuarant.
Tried it tonight for first time and it was awesome! I was going to say I followed the recipe without changes, but I guess I hadn’t read it closely. Out of habit, I used the rice setting and not manual or pressure cook. . I think that’s why it didn’t burn. And I used chicken “better than bullion”.
Will make again!