Instant Pot Mexican Rice

bowl of mexican rice with a wooden spoon

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican/Tex-Mex

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 30

Servings:

Calories: 90kcal

Author: Nikole Berg

This Instant Pot Mexican Rice is flavored with tomato bouillon for an authentic Mexican taste. It cooks up perfectly and is a great side dish to all your favorite Tex Mex recipes!

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Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

¼ cup mild flavored oil such as canola olive or vegetable oil
2 cups long grain white rice rinsed until water runs clear
1 clove garlic peeled and crushed
½ onion quartered
1 cube tomato bouillon, crushed caldo de tomate
½ cup tomato sauce or 2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

Instructions

Rinse rice under cold running water until water runs clear. Set aside.
Peel and crush garlic. Peel and quarter an onion. Reserve half the onion for another use.
Turn Instant Pot to Sauté function (medium heat). Once hot, add oil to heat then add rice. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until rice turns very white and some of the grains turn slightly golden. If pot is too hot and rice is sticking to the bottom, lower heat to low.
Press cancel. Add garlic, onion, bouillon, tomato sauce, salt, and chicken broth. Be careful of any steam. Stir rice mixture being sure none of it is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Close and lock the lid. Be sure the valve is in the sealing position.
Select Manual or Pressure Cook at high. Use the dial to set the time for 4 minutes. Set Keep Warm function to Off.
When the cooking cycle ends press cancel (if you don’t it’s ok, it will turn off automatically since the keep warm function is off). Allow the IP to release naturally for at least 10 minutes. If all the pressure has been released, the float valve will sink back into the lid. If the float valve is still up, use the end of a wooden spoon to press the pressure release valve to allow the remaining steam to release.
Remove lid. Fluff with a fork. Stir in any additional vegetables like peas and carrots. Season with salt and pepper.

Video

Notes

Due to reader feedback, this recipe was updated on 12/21/22. The updated recipe calls for an additional 2 tablespoon of oil, an additional one cup of chicken broth, ½ cup reduction of tomato sauce, and one additional minute of pressure cooking time. The original version was foolproof in my kitchen, but some were getting a burn warning. Hopefully this will help resolve the issue!

Be sure you are familiar with your brand of pressure cooker before making this recipe. Read the safeguards and understand the controls and features. I made this recipe with the Instant Pot Ultra 60 (6 quart).

It's important to have enough liquid. While less broth can produce a firmer rice, it may also result in a burn warning. This recipe follows the Instant Pot recommendation of a 1:1 ratio of rice to liquid, with the addition of ½ cup of tomato sauce for a slightly moister rice.

Why is my rice mushy? Perhaps you added more liquid then what was called for. Try letting the rice "rest" with the lid off so it can dry out a bit.

Substitute chicken broth with vegetable broth if desired. Note that tomato bouillon in not vegetarian. If you want to make this dish vegetarian, use a vegan or vegetarian bouillon or simply omit.

Long grain rice will produce fluffy, separate grains. I don't recommend short grain or any glutenous types of rice.

No tomato sauce (puree) on hand? You can make your own tomato sauce by combining one 6 ounce can of tomato paste with ½ cup water. Sir vigorously with a whisk. Use ¼ cup of this mixture in place of tomato sauce.

Add traditional ingredients like peas and carrots. In a skillet, lightly sauté fresh, diced carrots and frozen peas (about ½-1 cup) in a little butter and season with salt and pepper. Cook until crisp-tender. Add to the finished rice dish for added color and flavor. You can also add some fresh corn if it's in season. Frozen or canned corn works too.

Nutrition