Pressure cooker Mexican rice is a great side dish made in your Crockpot Express, Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot. Tender Spanish rice everyone will love with dinner.
If you haven’t tried pressure cooker Mexican rice yet it is easy to throw together as an Instant Pot recipe and full of flavor. You don’t have to have this brand though, any electric pressure cooker will work for something like this or if you wanted to add other ingredients together like our Instant Pot red beans and rice.
Table of Contents
- Ninja Foodi Option
- How long does it take to cook pressure cooker Mexican rice?
- Ingredient Notes
- Variations
- Pressure Cooker Mexican Rice Recipe
- How to make restaurant style Mexican rice in Instant Pot
- Is there a difference between Spanish rice and Mexican rice?
- Is Mexican rice healthy?
- Can you double this pressure cooker recipe?
- Other pressure cooker meals you’ll love
Ninja Foodi Option
It’s on our list of easy Ninja Foodi recipes too. It doesn’t really matter what brand of machine you have. We have a Crockpot Express as well and that works too. You are going to use the high pressure function and those all have that function to use. Most have the rice button too which automatically sets to 12 minutes.
Serve it with air fryer flautas or with chicken on the side. Any way you serve it up it’s just wonderful.
When it comes to great Mexican food you don’t always have to go to a restaurant to get it. It’s actually kind of fun to learn to make things on your own like the Instant Pot refried beans we made recently too.
How long does it take to cook pressure cooker Mexican rice?
7 minutes with a 10 minute natural release. The reason why I love making it this way is that it is totally hands off. All you need to do is pay attention to the beep once it is done. Then watch the timing on the screen as it needs some time for a natural release to fluff up. On the stove you’d need to gently stir a few times so it doesn’t burn but just cook long enough for rice to be tender.
Ingredient Notes
- Long grain white rice is what you start with. I haven’t made this with brown rice yet but I have made Rice a Roni in Instant Pot and they have a Mexican variety which would not be homemade but works as a faster side.
- Tomato sauce will make it thicker but red enchilada sauce gives it a pop of heat so choose either one.
- Chicken broth or water but broth has a lot more flavor so I would recommend that for the liquid needed to get the grains tender and fluffy
- Onion and garlic powde, Salt and pepper are used for seasonings as well as some Cumin
Variations
Optional add ins would be 1/2 cup of diced onion and a can of diced chiles are great as well. Like I said, if you don t have an Instant Pot you can use any brand. We have a Mealthy we use too. Many times we use a few to make an entire meal.
Use the onions, tomato sauce and broth instead of water to make it have a lot of flavor. If you make Instant Pot Pinto Beans you could fold some of these in at the end too.
Pressure Cooker Mexican Rice Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cup white rice, uncooked, long grain
- 1 cup tomato sauce, or red enchilada sauce
- 2 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 small onion , diced, optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients other than your onions and rice and stir. Add onions and stir. Then sprinkle uncooked rice on the top and gently submerge into the liquid. Do not stir or you may receive the burn message.
- Close the pressure cooker lid and set the valve to sealing, then select the pressure cook setting to high for 7 minutes.
- Allow to naturally release steam for 10 minutes when done, then release pressure valve and lift lid.
- Use a fork to fluff rice, stir and serve. Turn pot off. Best if served immediately.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to make restaurant style Mexican rice in Instant Pot
We make Instant Pot white rice all the time! BUT it is sure nice to mix things up a bit. This one offers a wallop of flavor with the same grains used than the “normal” bowl at the Chinese restaurant. Served with shredded beef or tacos it is a must in our house not just on Tuesdays.
Is there a difference between Spanish rice and Mexican rice?
Not really. The only main difference is that Spanish rice typically uses saffron vs. cumin which is added here. Main ingredients are basically the same. Of course everyone has their own tweaks they make and you’re free to call this whatever you’d like. 😉
Is Mexican rice healthy?
Yes!! It is a healthy low-fat side dish for sure. Added to our list of cheap Instant Pot recipes it costs very little too. You can adjust the heat as you like making it hot if that is a must for you or keep it mild as directed below.
Can you double this pressure cooker recipe?
I prefer to make 2 batches, I think it comes out better. Would only work in an 8 quart pot. Remember to never fill past 3/4 full max mark on inside of pot. Some things are ok, like taco meat but this can get mushy if it doesn’t have enough room to really get fluffy.
Now if you wanted to make spicy mexican rice you could do that. The best bet is to add red pepper flakes in at the beginning with the liquids so it can dissolve and really permeate the grains. Beware that a little goes a really long way with this. Start small like 1/8 tsp and see what you think of that. Add more next time if it is not.
Other pressure cooker meals you’ll love
Done in just about 15 minutes it’s perfect way faster than making it on the stove top and popular for pot lucks or pairing with Instant Pot tacos!
Of course we love steaming tamales in Instant Pot. Instant Pot Mexican chicken and rice is a great duo. You can alter our pressure cooker chicken taco bowls to include this rice instead of white rice. Serve with Instant Pot Mexican pizza is great
Then if you’re looking for more, our pressure cooker Mexican casserole is great too. Something new is in town!!
This was so good and sooo easy. Perfect to start while you’re preparing the main disb
This is one my of go-to’s for my kids. They LOVE it!
yeah
Made it! Always looking for a Mexican rice recipe and found it! Had to tweak it because I had only brown rice, and no sauce. So…. I used brown rice and increased cook time to 25 minutes, substituted 1 cup Rotel with tomatoes and chiles and omitted the onion. Delicious!
I’m normally not a fan of using the Insta pot, but I was in a pinch for a quick dinner. This was so easy and turned out really tasty. Definitely keeping this recipe in the rotation!
The Mexican restaurant here doesnt use any form of tomato in their rice. So I have always considered that Mexican rice and the one with tomato Spanish rice. Either way, its all good!
How can I make this in a crockpot I don’t have an instant pot?
This turned out amazing!!!!! Made it at work for taco Thursday. Perfect!
Yay for the win!
@Nicole, DID YOU MAKE THAN 2 CUPS AT A TIME? WHAT TIME LIMIT ON TO FOODI i WANT TOMAKE 10 CUPS AT A TIME
Finally! No “burn” message. Love this recipe. Followed it exactly as written. Came out perfect!
I dont see the measurements for this recipe?
Recipe card is at the bottom with everything you need
So I made this and doubled it in my 8qt pot and kept getting a burn warning. Do you have any tips for this?
This sounds great! Only thing I would do differently is to sauté the rice and onion to brown it before adding everything else and pressure cooking.