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    Restaurant-Style Spanish Rice in the Instant Pot

    Jan 25, 2021 · 3 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    Restaurant-style Spanish rice is so easy in the Instant Pot! It's flavorful, so satisfyingly fluffy, and uses easy-to-find pantry ingredients. It's a perfect side dish for all your favorite Mexican meals!

    bowl of spanish rice close up

    Spanish rice, AKA Mexican rice, is a highlight of Mexican restaurants for me. Whatever I'm ordering, you can bet I'll want it on a hot skillet with some deliciously tomatoey, slightly spiced rice.

    plate with spanish rice and quesadillas

    As it turns out, perfect Spanish rice is so easy to make at home in the Instant Pot. I've been making this at least twice a week for the past month and can personally attest that it makes all Mexican nights feel even more exciting. It is so good!

    I love using my Instant Pot for making rice. The texture is always spot on (fluffy, not at all mushy), and you can set it and forget and then have perfectly cooked rice when you're ready to eat. There's no monitoring water levels on a stovetop or remembering to turn the burner off at the right time - just set the timer and carry on with the rest of your meal prep!

    THE SEASONING

    This Spanish rice gets its flavor from tomato sauce, chicken broth, fresh garlic, and just a dash of cumin. It's so simple and so flavorful!

    It's delicious all on its own but also compliments so many other Mexican foods - the perfect side dish!

    spanish rice ingredients from above

    THE RICE

    what kind of rice to use

    The most important element of this recipe is - of course - the rice. You'll want to use long grain white rice here. Avoid short grain rice as the cook time will vary.

    Don't use brown rice for this recipe! The cook times will be way out of whack. (Also, if we're leveling with one another, brown rice is so finicky in the Instant Pot and requires such a long cook time that I really don't find it advantageous to use the Instant Pot vs stovetop.)

    toasting rice

    This recipe starts off with toasting the rice in a bit of oil. This step adds a subtle nutty flavor that is so good in the final product! The oil will also help the rice to not stick together (something that is undesirable in Spanish rice).

    toasting rice in the instant pot

    You can do this step in the Instant Pot by setting it to the sauté function. Make sure your pot says "hot" before adding the rice - otherwise it will just absorb the oil instead of toasting.

    how to keep rice warm in the instant pot

    Keep the lid on tight and your rice will stay warm for up to an hour. To keep it warm any longer, set your Instant Pot to "warm."

    Be sure to keep the lid on if you're leaving the rice in the Instant Pot - otherwise, it will dry out.

    fluffing cooked spanish rice in the instant pot

    Eat this with:

    Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
    Stovetop Black Beans
    Restaurant-Style Salsa
    Sheet Pan Quesadillas
    Smashed Black Bean Tacos

    plate of spanish rice with quesadilla and pico
    bowl of spanish rice close up
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 10 votes

    Instant Pot Spanish Rice

    Restaurant-style Spanish rice is so easy in the Instant Pot! It's flavorful, so satisfyingly fluffy, and uses easy-to-find pantry ingredients. It's a perfect side dish for all your favorite Mexican meals!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Course: Dinner, Side Dish
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Servings: 6
    Author: Mandy Jackson

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 2 cups long grain white rice
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/8 teaspoon cumin
    • 2 cups chicken broth
    • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

    Directions

    • Set Instant Pot to sauté and heat the oil. Once hot, add rice and toast 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and beginning to brown. Add garlic and cumin and cook 1 minute more. Stir in chicken broth, tomato sauce, and salt. Make sure all the rice is submerged in the liquid. Secure the lid and set to seal. Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes, then natural release for 18 minutes. Remove lid, fluff, and serve.
    rice dished out from bowl

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rebecca says

      October 23, 2021 at 7:54 am

      5 stars
      Very easy and delicious. Made this for a large party last weekend and I am making it again this weekend for a smaller gathering.

    2. Linda says

      December 26, 2021 at 8:39 pm

      5 stars
      This really is restaurant style Spanish rice! Made it for a family dinner over Christmas break and everyone loved it! Delicious!

    3. Mandy Jackson says

      December 27, 2021 at 11:23 am

      Love to hear that! This is one of our favorites 🙂

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    Mandy Jackson

    hi, i'm mandy.

    A regular Midwest homebody. Here, I share recipes we love, and how we're thoughtfully renovating our 100-year-old American foursquare.

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