Packed with the tangy and spicy Mexican flavors and super easy to put together- this Instant Pot Mexican rice recipe might just become your next go-to one pot meal to whip up for the entire family, even when you’ve got just a few minutes of kitchen time.
But before you jump right onto the recipe, here’s everything you need to know about making it the right way.
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Ingredients For the Recipe
Here’s everything you’ll need to make the Instant Pot Mexican rice.
- Rice (soaked for 30 minutes): 1 cup
- Oil: 1 tbsp
- Garlic (minced): 2 tbsps
- Red and yellow bell pepper (chopped): ½ cup
- Mushrooms (chopped): ½ cup
- Red paprika powder: 1 tbsp
- Cumin powder: 2 tsps
- Taco seasoning: 1 tbsp
- Salt: 1 teaspoon or as per taste
- Kidney beans (cooked): 1 cup
- Tomato puree: ½ cup
- Chicken broth: 2 cups
- Sweet corn: ½ cup
How to Make the Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here’s what you need to do to put the dish together.
Turn the instant pot to saute and add oil. Add the minced garlic and saute.
Next, add all the vegetables one by one and saute.
Add the powdered spices next and mix well. Let it cook for 2 minutes.
Next, add in the cooked beans, tomato puree, and rice.
Add the chicken broth. Stir together.
Sprinkle the corn on top and give one last stir.
Put the lid on, close the steam valve and set to high pressure for 9 minutes with a 2 minute natural release. Then let out the rest of the steam quickly.
Lift the lid and fluff the rice mixture.
Serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
While this version of the Mexican rice already has quite a lot of veggies thrown in, you can also add some more veggies of your choice if you want to.
Chopped zucchini, celery, green beans, green peas and even broccoli florets can be added to the mix to bump up the nutritional value of the rice. 
The key to getting the rice grains to stay fluffy and separate even after being cooked is to choose the right kind of rice. You can stick to using Basmati rice (a long grained variety commonly used in Indian recipes) or use any other long grained rice, or aged rice in general.
If you don’t have any of these, you can just stick to using whatever you have- just make sure you cook it until it is 85-90% done, drain off all the excess water and then use it for the recipe. Remember that if you’re doing this, you’ll need to add the rice towards the end, after all the ingredients are done cooking, and then give it a quick saute.
Your leftover Instant Pot Mexican rice can easily be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Just remember to use an airtight container and you should be good. Your leftover Mexican rice can be a great filling for your tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. 
Tips & Tricks to Make the Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Ready to give the recipe a shot? Wait up! You might want to keep these little tips and hacks in mind before you begin.
- Love the tanginess tomatoes bring into the picture? You can make the rice extra tomato-ey by adding in a tomato bouillon or some tomato paste.
- Want to make this dish healthier? Use brown rice instead of white rice.
- Mexican rice should have a fluffy texture. You can do that by fluffing the rice with a fork right before you serve.
- Make sure you wash the rice thoroughly before you add it to the Instant Pot. Ideally, you should wash it several times until the water runs clean- this process helps remove the excess starch, and keeps the rice grains separate.
- To lend the dish a more nutty and toasty aroma, you can also add the rice into the pot and let it saute for a couple of minutes along with the spices and aromatics, and then proceed to add the chicken stock.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
This flavorful Instant Pot Mexican rice can easily be served as a main- all on its own. To give it a little extra effort, you can team it up with some tacos on the side, or serve it with some guacamole.
Loved how easy it was to make this meal? Looking for some more such rice based recipes that you can recreate? Here are a few good ones you might want to check out.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Mexican Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rice , (soaked for 30 minutes)
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 2 tablespoon Garlic , (minced)
- ½ cup Red and yellow bell pepper , (chopped)
- ½ cup Musrooms , (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Red paprika powder
- 2 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 tablespoon Taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Kidney beans , (cooked)
- ½ cup Tomato puree
- 2 cup Chicken broth
- ½ cup Sweet corn
Instructions
- Turn the instant pot to saute and add oil. Add the minced garlic and saute.
- Next, add all the vegetables one by one and saute.
- Add the powdered spices next and mix well. Let it cook for 2 minutes.
- Next, add in the cooked beans, tomato puree, and rice.
- Add the chicken broth. Stir together.
- Sprinkle the corn on top and give one last stir.
- Put the lid on, close the steam valve and set to high pressure for 9 minutes with a 2 minute natural release. Then let out the rest of the steam quickly.
- Lift the lid and fluff the rice mixture.
- Serve hot after garnishing with chopped onions and chopped raw mango pieces.
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