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This recipe for Instant Pot Spanish Rice is one of the easiest things that you will ever make in the Instant Pot. It’s a quick and easy side dish that is flavorful, healthy and saves well during the week for meal prep.
Spanish Rice Ingredients
I really wanted this to be as simple of a recipe as humanly possible. To make this Instant pot Spanish Rice, you will only need a few key ingredients:
- Uncooked white rice
- Chicken or vegetable broth
- Your favorite chunky salsa
- Chopped onions and Garlic
- Frozen Peas
- Basic seasonings (cumin, garlic salt, chili powder)
My favorite part about using salsa in this recipe is that the veggies are already right in there so there isn’t much you need to add. I love using a thick and chunky salsa since you will get more chunks of tomato, jalapeño and onions. Plus, with salsa, you get to determine your spice level. You can use a mild, medium or hot depending on your preference. And if you aren’t necessarily into the chunks of veggies, you can use a different type of salsa or thinner texture. That’s what makes this recipe so easy!
If you don’t happen to have salsa on hand you can substitute a can of crushed or diced tomatoes and add in some diced chiles as an alternative. When it comes to the broth, any broth will do but I personally love using bone broth (my favorite is Kettle & Fire). I just find it makes the rice so flavorful and you get the added benefits of bone broth including additional protein.
How To Make Spanish Rice
One important step you don’t want to skip is rinsing your uncooked rice in a colander. I’ve skipped this step before and it absolutely makes a difference. This step helps get rid of some of the starch and it makes for a fluffier rice texture.
Once your rice is rinsed, flip your Instant Pot on to sauté mode and a little oil when hot. Sauté the chopped onion and minced garlic for a couple minutes then turn the pot off of sauté mode. From here, you will add in your chicken broth and rice making sure everything is mixed throughly. Lastly, add your salsa to the top of the rice without mixing it in.
Just let it sit on top of the rice and then set your Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Once your rice has cooked, let it vent manually before opening. This will allow for the best texture and for the liquid to be fully absorbed. Then you can mix it all up with the salsa and fluff with a fork before adding the frozen peas. The peas will warm up quickly to the temperature of the rice.
What Pairs Well With Spanish Rice?
I love making this as a side dish to just about anything but here are a few ideas:
- Add Spanish rice to Meal Prep Burrito Bowls
- Taco salads
- With Instant Pot Shredded Beef as a side
- Add as a side to Mexican Stuffed Peppers or even inside the peppers themselves!
- Add as an alternative to potatoes in a California Burrito Bowl
- Add as a side to Air Fryer Flautas
Instant Pot Spanish Rice
- Prep Time: 2 Minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Sides
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This recipe for Instant Pot Spanish Rice is one of the easiest things that you will ever make in the Instant Pot. It’s a quick and easy side dish that is flavorful, healthy and saves well during the week for meal prep.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup chunky salsa
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- 1/3 cup frozen peas
- 1 tbs avocado oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté mode and when hot, add in avocado oil minced garlic and chopped onion. Sauté for 1-2 minutes
- Turn off sauté mode and add broth and seasonings, scraping up all the garlic and onion from the bottom of the pot
- Add uncooked rice and mix everything together. Top rice mixture with salsa WITHOUT mixing it in (see picture in recipe post)
- Set Instant Pot valve to “Sealing” and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes
- Allow Instant Pot to release naturally. This will take about 15 minutes. Then open Instant Pot and add frozen peas, mixing everything together.
- Fluff rice with a fork and cilantro, jalapeño or avocado for garnish
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
*Natural release will allow the liquid to absorb and give you a nice fluffy rice texture. Cook time does not include natural release or time for instant pot to build to pressure.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 191
- Fat: 2.5
- Carbohydrates: 38.7
- Fiber: 0.2
- Protein: 3.7
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