Colorful, packed with Spanish flavors and so easy to make- that’s what this Instant Pot rice recipe is all about. Go try it out!
Table of contents
- Supplies used to make this recipe
- Ingredients used for Spanish or Instant Pot Mexican rice
- Different types of rice and water to rice ratio and cooking times
- Dry to Cooked Rice
- Cooking rice at high altitude
- What Else Can I Mix In Instant Pot Spanish Rice Recipe?
- Instant Pot Size Comparison
- Pressure Cooker Safety
- My Spanish Rice is Hard. What Do I Do?
- More SW Inspired Instant Pot Recipes
- My Instant Pot Rice recipe Gets Mushy. What Should I Do?
- Serving Suggestions & Ideas
- Is Spanish rice the same as a Mexican rice recipe?
- Recipe
- Instant Pot Dinner Recipes
Perfect for those weeknights when you’re not in the mood to cook something elaborate, but still want a healthy dinner for you and your family, here’s a Spanish rice recipe for Instant Pot that’s super easy to make.
What’s best is the fact that you’ll need just a handful of ingredients to get started on this, and you probably already have most of them in your pantry.
Ready to give this a shot? Here’s what you need to know before you go ahead!
Check out all our rice recipes.
New to cooking with a pressure cooker? Try out the Be the Boss of Your Instant Pot Video Course! It'll help take the pressure off and ease you into cooking with your Instant Pot.
Supplies used to make this recipe
- Rice paddle | Otherwise known as a rice spatula, this handy tool helps to fluff the rice consistently.
- Rice calculator | Check out our ratio list below to figure out how much rice to water you will need for your recipe.
- Organic white rice bulk | If you cook a lot of rice, this is a delicious rice to have on hand.
- Steam diverter | Move that steam out from under your cabinets, point it away from people, etc., with this handy silicone steam diverter.
Ingredients used for Spanish or Instant Pot Mexican rice
- Rice
- Chicken broth
- Diced tomatoes or tomato sauce
- Olive oil
- Onion and garlic
- Seasonings
Different types of rice and water to rice ratio and cooking times
There are many varieties of rice. The pressure cooking time varies between types of rice, as does the rice to water ratio.
| Type of Rice | Rice to Water Ratio | Cooking Time |
| Jasmine rice | 1:1 | 4 minutes |
| Brown rice | 1:1 | 20-22 mins |
| Basmati rice | 1:1 | 4 minutes |
| Wild rice | 1:2 | 20-25 mins |
| Red rice | 1:1.25 | 20-22 mins |
| Short grain rice | 1:1 | 6 minutes |
| Medium grain rice | 1:1 | 5 minutes |
| Long grain white rice | 1:1 | 4 minutes |
| Sushi rice (Calrose rice or other Japanese rice) | 1:1 | 0 minutes, 20 min natural release |
Dry to Cooked Rice
Question: 1 cup uncooked rice equals how much cooked rice?
Answer: 3 cups. So, if you want to make 2 cups of uncooked rice, that will net 6 cups of cooked rice.
Cooking rice at high altitude
You will want to increase the pressure cook time by 5% for every 1000 feet above sea level over 3,000.
| 3,000 feet | 5% more |
| 4,000 feet | 10% more |
| 5,000 feet | 15% more |
| 6,000 feet | 20% more |
As with all cooking, increased elevation means cooking time will be longer. Adjust your Instant Pot cook time accordingly.
What Else Can I Mix In Instant Pot Spanish Rice Recipe?
Spanish rice is actually just an excellent example of how you can make use of items in your pantry to whip up a perfectly delicious rice based meal, and if you’ve got a few other items in your refrigerator waiting to be put to use, you could do that too.
You could throw in veggies like green peas, broccoli, cauliflower florets, green beans, bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, chopped spinach, beans or even scrambled eggs into the mix.
Instant Pot Size Comparison
There are many versions of instapots. Here are a few Instant Pot models for size comparisons.
Instant Pot 6 qt vs 8 qt
A 6 quart Instant Pot is perfect for a smaller household. There is plenty of room in a 6 quart pressure cooker for most meals.
If you have a larger family or do a bit of entertaining, the 8 quart Instant Pot is a good choice. It also works well for making cheesecakes.
Instant Pot largest size
The Instant Pot Duo Nova 7-in-1 comes in a 10 quart capacity, making it the largest Instant Pot size currently available.
Instant Pot Lux vs Duo
The Instant Pot Lux is the standard, basic Instant Pot model. It does everything most people need to have a pressure cooker do, except it does not have a yogurt function or a low pressure function. It comes in a variety of sizes, from mini to 8 quart.
The Instant Pot Duo is a step up from the Lux and also offers the yogurt function and the low pressure function. It comes in sizes from mini to 10 quart, like the Duo Nova mentioned above.
Pressure Cooker Safety
A common question we get is are pressure cookers dangerous. When used according to manufacturer instructions, electric pressure cookers are safe.
It's always important to read the manual that comes with your pressure cooker, and follow a few simple safety suggestions:
- Use enough liquid in your recipe
- Check your equipment prior to cooking
- Properly clean the pressure cooker
- Do not overfill
- Don't place on stovetop
- Consider a steam diverter to point steam away from cabinets
My Spanish Rice is Hard. What Do I Do?
If you’re making Spanish rice for the first time or just experimenting with a rice dish in your instant pot, it can get a bit tricky, and you might end up with rice that’s hard and undercooked.
Fixing this is actually pretty simple.
Add just a little bit of water in there- around ¼ cup or so- enough to create a little steam, close the lid and allow the rice to cook on very low heat for another 5-7 minutes.
More SW Inspired Instant Pot Recipes
- Tilapia with Fruity Southwestern Salsa
- Instant Pot Beef Queso Dip
- Instant Pot Taco Pasta — A New Take on Taco Tuesday
- Instant Pot Pinto Beans Recipe
- Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa Recipe
- Spanish Rice: Instant Pot Rice Recipe
- Chicken Fajita Soup in the Instant Pot
- Chicken and Rice Burrito Bowl Instant Pot Recipe
- Homemade Salsa Recipe Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Salsa Chicken Tacos
My Instant Pot Rice recipe Gets Mushy. What Should I Do?
In contrast, if your Spanish rice (or any other rice dish for that matter) keeps getting mushy no matter what you do, there’s actually an easy way to fix that too.
The secret is to not stir- at least not as often as you'd been doing.
You might be tempted to stir the dish frequently to ensure that all the ingredients have incorporated well, but in most cases, rice that isn’t stirred doesn’t end up mushy and has those perfectly intact, long grains of rice.
Another cool tip to try out is to saute the dry rice in a bit of oil for a few minutes before you add the water in to cook it.
Serving Suggestions & Ideas
If you’re preparing Spanish rice to feed a crowd, and need a side or two to go along with it, we’ve got you covered there too. Here are a few good options to get started with.
- Chicken enchiladas
- Shrimp tacos
- Instant Pot Lobster Tail Recipe
- Mexican stuffed bell peppers
- Mexican avocado & chicken burgers
- Fajita bake
- Stuffed sweet potatoes
- Seafood paella
- Hand-tossed green salad
- Roasted & spiced corn
- Stir-fried green beans
- Shrimp fritters
- Gazpacho
- Spinach and chickpea stew
Is Spanish rice the same as a Mexican rice recipe?
A Mexican rice Instant Pot recipe is similar to Spanish rice, but there are also differences. Traditional Spanish rice also includes saffron threads. The names Spanish and Mexican rice are often used interchangeably.
Since this recipe doesn't have saffron, it would technically be more of an easy Mexican rice recipe.
Recipe
Instant Pot Spanish Rice
Colorful, packed with Spanish flavors and so easy to make- that’s what this instant pot rice recipe is all about. Go try it out!
Ingredients
Supplies
- Steam diverter
- Rice paddle
- Organice bulk rice
- Instant Pot Duo
- Tempered Glass Lid
- Non-Stick Inner Cooking Pot
Mexican or Spanish Rice Ingredients
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute mode. Once the pot gets hot, add the oil, and onions. Cook the onions about 4 minutes until they become soft.
- Add in the garlic and cook with the onions in the pot for about 2 minutes.
- Add in the rice and mix well to incorporate the onion and garlic to each grain. Allow the rice to brown for about 5 minutes.
- Add the stock, diced tomatoes, cumin, and chili powder to the Instant Pot. Stir well.
- Scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any food that has stuck to the bottom of the pot. Press the cancel button.
- Close the Instant Pot by twisting on the lid. Close the valve, and set the Instant Pot to High Pressure for 8 minutes.
- After it has cooked for 8 minutes, release pressure manually.
- Stir and fluff the rice. Plate on a dish or in a bowl alongside your favorite dish, or by itself. Garnish with cilantro.
Recommended Products
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Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer, Includes Free App with over 1900 Recipes, Stainless Steel, 6 Quart -
Instant Pot Tempered Glass Lid, 10" Stainless Steel (8 Qt/ 8L model) -
Instant Pot Ceramic Non Stick Interior Coated Inner Cooking Pot 8 Quart -
McCabe Organic White Rice, 12-Pound -
Gonioa 2 Pack Premium Wood Rice Paddle -
Silicone Steam Diverter
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 188Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 3mgSodium 155mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 1gSugar 4gProtein 5g
Andy
Saturday 29th of May 2021
I made this instant pot spanish rice recipe a couple nights ago and it turned out very delicious. It was a big hit at the dinner table. I made a couple modifications that added even more flavor to the dish. I diced a couple of roma tomatoes instead of the can of tomatoes, and I added a couple spoonfulls of Marsala wine to the liquid and I also added a little bit of saffron.
Rosa Salvaje
Friday 12th of February 2021
Never, never, never... put cumin in Mexican or Spanish rice... My dead Mexican grandmother would come out of the grave to get you.