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Make this Instant Pot Mexican Rice for a fast side dish that the whole family will love! This copycat restaurant rice pairs well with so many dishes. No pressure cooker? You’ll also find stovetop instructions in the recipe.
This Instant Pot Mexican Rice is one of our favorite sides for just about any main dish. It’s super tasty, is made in a flash, and can also easily be made vegan/vegetarian.
This delicious dish is based on my friend’s mother-in-law’s stovetop Mexican rice recipe. She is from Guadalajara and was nice enough to share it with me so that I could adapt it to the Instant Pot.
How to Make Instant Pot Mexican Rice
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Press saute on your Instant Pot and allow it to get hot. Add the olive oil and let it sit for a few minutes until it is shimmering.
Add the rice and stir to combine with olive oil. Cook on sauté, stirring occasionally, until the rice is toasted (~9 minutes). You can skip this step if you’re in a rush, but it really develops the flavor and I highly recommend trying it out.
When the rice is starting to brown/toast, add the onion and stir until it starts to soften ~2 minutes. Once the onions are softening, add the garlic and give it a good stir. Press “off/keep warm” to turn the Instant Pot off.
Add chicken stock and salt. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any stuck-on residue off the bottom of the Instant Pot. This process is called deglazing, and now you know a super useless fact and can crush your next trivia night.
Add the tomato juice but do not stir it into the rice mixture. Don’t do it! Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the vent to sealing. Press Manual>High Pressure>6 minutes.
The Instant Pot will take ~5-8 minutes to get up to pressure. When the rice has finished cooking, the Instant Pot will beep. Press the “keep warm/off” button to turn it off.
Allow the Instant Pot to sit for 5 minutes and then flip the switch to “venting” to do a pressure release and release the remaining pressure. When the vent has dropped, carefully open the lid and fluff the rice to incorporate the tomato juice.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT
Storing Leftovers: Allow the rice to cool and store covered leftovers in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Reheating Leftovers: To reheat, cover, and microwave individual servings for 35-60 seconds.
Freezing Leftovers: Rice freezes very well, making it a great meal prep dish. Allow it to fully cool and then transfer to freezer-safe storage.
I love freezing leftover rice in these reusable silicone bags because you can actually microwave the frozen rice directly in the bag!
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! Many people/restaurants use the term interchangeably, but typically, Spanish rice includes saffron.
No, not for this recipe. Most of my other Instant Pot rice recipes recommend you rinse the rice to remove the excess starch.
This recipe was taught to me using unrinsed rice, and so that is how I have kept it.
Tomato products are notorious for causing a burn notice when they touch the bottom of the insert of Instant Pots.
It is recommended to increase the cooking time by 5% for every 1,000 feet above 2,000 feet.
Since this recipe just needs 6 minutes of active cooking time, start by increasing the cooking time by 1 minute and then test to see if the rice is cooked to your liking.
You’ll also want to increase the liquid by 1-2 tbsp and make sure you perform a 10-minute natural release before doing a quick release.
What to serve with this recipe
Try it alongside Air Fryer Taquitos, Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas, or Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos, top with Pickled Shallots, and combine with some Spicy Instant Pot Black Beans as a tasty base for our Baked Tortilla Bowls.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Do NOT stir the tomato juice into the rice before cooking. Instead, pour it on top without combining, and then cook. If the tomato makes contact with the bottom of the Instant Pot insert, you will likely get a burn notice.
- Try adding in 1-2 tsp of ground cumin for a smokier flavor.
- If you want to double the recipe, the cooking time will remain the same. However, because there is more food, the Instant Pot will take longer to come to pressure.
- If you use short-grain rice, you’ll need to increase the cooking time by 2 minutes.
- To make this a faster weeknight meal, use frozen onions and frozen minced garlic.
- I freeze any leftover tomato juice in Souper Cubes to use in Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup, Ravioli Soup, Ground Beef Vegetable Soup, and Whole30 Beef Stew.
More great Instant Pot Rice Recipes
Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cups Jasmine rice {or other long-grain white rice}{do not rinse}
- 1/4 cup onion {diced}
- 3 cloves garlic {minced}
- 1.5 cups chicken stock {use vegetable stock to make plant-based}
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup low-sodium tomato juice
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Allow it to get hot and add the oil.1/4 cup olive oil
- Add the rice and stir to combine with olive oil. Cook on sauté, stirring occasionally, until the rice is toasted (~9 minutes).2 cups Jasmine rice
- Add onion and sauté until slightly softened (~2 minutes). Add garlic and stir.1/4 cup onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Press “off/keep warm” to turn the Instant Pot off.
- Add chicken stock and salt. Use chicken stock and a wooden spoon to deglaze the insert if any rice is stuck to it.1.5 cups chicken stock, 1 tsp salt
- Add the tomato juice but do not stir it into the rice mixture.3/4 cup low-sodium tomato juice
- Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”.
- Press Manual>High Pressure>6 minutes. It will take ~5-8 minutes to get up to pressure.
- When the rice has finished cooking, the Instant Pot will beep and switch to ”keep warm". Turn it to "off".
- Allow it to sit for 5 minutes and then flip the switch to "venting" to remove any remaining pressure.
- When the vent has dropped, carefully open the lid and fluff the rice to incorporate the tomato juice throughout.
Notes
- Do NOT stir the tomato juice into the rice before cooking. Instead, pour it on top without combining, and then cook.
- Do not rinse the rice for this recipe.
- Select low-sodium tomato juice if it is available.
- Heat olive in a heavy saucepan (like a dutch oven) and stir in rice. Toast until lightly browned.
- Add onion and sauté until slightly softened. Add garlic and stir.
- Add chicken stock, tomato juice, and salt. Stir.
- Bring mixture to a boil, reduce to low, and cook for 20 minutes with the lid on. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes with the lid on.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oops, I spoke too soon! I did add a ts of cumin BUT once i mixed the rice in a bowl and all the flavors were combined – It is delicious and I am looking forward to serving it at my taco bar dinner. Please delete my previous comment. I’m filing this recipe for future use. thank you!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Delicious and six thumbs up from my family of three! I made this in the Aroma brand rice cooker with all the buttons from Costco since I don’t have an Instant Pot. It came together super fast using simple ingredients that I had on hand. We are serving it alongside familiar staples for suburban taco night. As usual, delicious, easy, and no single use ingredients!
So glad you all enjoyed it, Erin! Thanks as always for being so proactive and kind at leaving reviews.
Thank you, thank you, thank you – I will no longer have to endure my husbands clumpy, tasteless attempts to make Mexican rice! The whole family loves this Mexican rice and I love how quick and easy it is to make. A perfect accompaniment to our fajita and burrito nights. Plus, I now know what often causes a burn notice with my Instant Pot, tomato based ingredients, who knew. Side note, I pureed a can of diced tomatoes as I didn’t have any tomato juice, which worked well.
The start of this made me laugh! So glad to have “saved” you from clumpy tasteless rice. 🙂
Great tip about the diced tomatoes! They’re such a versatile ingredient to have in the pantry.
This was delicious! I had to modify because I didn’t have tomato juice, but tomato sauce mixed with some seasonings worked great. It was perfectly cooked—thanks, Sarah!
So glad you enjoyed it, Alicia! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. 🙂
Sounds delicious. Do you think a blob of tomatoe paste with some water would be an adequate substitute for tomatoe juice?
Yes, as long as the volume is the same. The flavor will be a bit low-key but still tasty.
Just make sure you don’t stir it in until after it cooks. 🙂