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Home » Recipes » Sides

Instant Pot Spanish Rice

By Erin · June 28, 2020 · Updated October 11, 2021 · 72 Comments

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Gluten FreeVegetarian
rice in a pressure cooker with text overlay

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclaimer. 

This Instant Pot Spanish Rice is incredibly flavorful and ready in just 25 minutes! It's made using broth, tomato sauce, and spices and is the perfect side dish to any meal. 

rice in a pressure cooker

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by USA Rice and The Feedfeed (links). As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that help run this site!

Instant Pot Spanish rice is the ultimate side dish to any meal. While you can absolutely eat it as-is, it's really delicious alongside these tofu enchiladas or in this taco salad.

As with all of my USA Rice recipes, this Spanish rice was made with U.S.-grown rice because of its flavor and texture. I used long grain white rice, which works perfectly for this recipe.

Why you'll love this recipe

  • It's a super flavorful side dish and an exciting way to eat rice
  • It can be made in the Instant Pot OR over the stovetop

ingredients with text overlay

Ingredient notes:

Rice - the recipe was tested using U.S.-grown long grain white rice, so that's what I recommend using

Oil - I like using olive oil or avocado oil to coat the bottom of the Instant Pot, which will prevent the rice from sticking to it

Broth - vegetable or chicken

Tomato sauce - I definitely recommend using canned tomato sauce, and going for a brand that has some other flavors in their sauce, like garlic and/or onion

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Rinse the rice. Rinsing rice removes the starch from it and only takes a few seconds. Simply pour the rice into a mesh sieve or strainer and run water over it for 10 seconds or so.

Step 2: Add oil, butter, rice, and garlic to the Instant Pot. Adding oil to the bottom will prevent the rice from sticking, but the butter helps to add a nice flavor to the whole dish. So, add butter, along with the rice and garlic and sauté for 1 minute.

rice and butter in a pressure cooker

Step 3: Add all other ingredients. Pour everything EXCEPT the cilantro into the pot, then close the lid and make sure the knob on top is set to "seal".

rice and broth in a pressure cooker

Step 4: Pressure cook for 4 minutes.

Step 5: Natural release for 10 minutes. Then, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. You might notice the tomato sauce sitting on top, and that's ok! Simply stir and fluff the rice until everything is combined. Last, stir in the chopped cilantro.

rice in a pressure cooker

FAQs and Tips

Substitutions:

  • Butter: if you want to omit the butter, simply add a total of 3 tablespoon of oil instead
  • Broth: you can use vegetable or chicken--whatever you have on hand

Can I use jarred sauce?

I wouldn't. Most canned sauces use very simple ingredients, which is what we want, and many jarred sauces have spices like oregano and basil, which we want to avoid since this is Spanish rice and not an Italian dish.

How should I store this, and how long will it last?

Store rice in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. It'll last for up to a week, though it tastes best if consumed within 48 hours.

large bowl of rice

Related recipes

  • Cilantro Lime Brown Rice
  • Baked Zucchini Fritters
  • Easy Vegetarian Fajitas

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!

rice in a pressure cooker

Instant Pot Spanish Rice

This Instant Pot Spanish Rice is incredibly flavorful and ready in just 25 minutes! It's made using broth, tomato sauce, and spices and is the perfect side dish to any meal. 
4.92 from 48 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Erin

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups long grain white rice
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups broth vegetable or chicken
  • 1 ¼ cup canned tomato sauce
  • 3 tablespoon cilantro chopped
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

instant pot:

  • Pour rice into a mesh sieve and rinse for 30 seconds or until the water is no longer cloudy.
  • Press "sauté" on your Instant Pot and set it for 3 minutes (it will take about a minute to warm up). Add the butter; once it starts melting, add the oil, rice and garlic and sauté continuously for the remaining time. Then, turn your Instant Pot off.
  • Add chili powder, cumin, salt, broth, and tomato sauce and give mixture a gentle stir, making sure the rice is completely covered with the broth (if you need to, use a spoon to press it down). Place lid on the Instant Pot, making sure the knob on top is set in the "seal" position. Pressure cook rice for 4 minutes, then naturally release for 10 minutes before manually releasing the rest of the pressure and removing the lid.
  • Fluff rice with a fork and stir in the cilantro.

stove top:

  • Pour rice into a mesh sieve and rinse for 10 seconds.
  • Add oil and butter to a large dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Once melted, add the rice and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
  • Then, add chili powder, cumin, salt, broth, and tomato sauce and stir. Increase heat to high and bring rice to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and place a lid on the pot. Simmer for 12-14 minutes or until the rice has absorbed the liquid.
  • Remove the lid, fluff rice with a fork and stir in the cilantro.

Video

Notes

Substitutions: Butter - can omit the butter and just use 3 tablespoon oil instead; Broth - chicken OR vegetable will work
*Make sure to use canned tomato sauce (not jarred) and try to find one that has other spices in it, like garlic and/or onion

Nutrition

Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 614mg | Potassium: 173mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 490IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you Make this Recipe? Tag me Today!Leave a comment below and tag @thealmondeater on Instagram!
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About Erin

Erin is the recipe developer, writer and photographer behind the healthy food blog, The Almond Eater. She's been blogging since 2014 and loves to create food for many different diets, including vegan, gluten free and/or Whole30 recipes.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jackie says

    August 19, 2023 at 2:18 pm

    5 stars
    Love this. Very good side dish I made it first time in the pressure cooker. Next time I’ll try the stove top version

    Reply
    • Erin says

      August 20, 2023 at 8:59 am

      Thanks Jackie, I'm glad you enjoyed the rice!

      Reply
  2. Leo Anderson says

    August 08, 2023 at 9:07 am

    Maybe I missed it, what size can of tomato sauce is used?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      August 08, 2023 at 3:11 pm

      One 14 oz. can should be enough for 1 1/4 cups 🙂 I'd still measure it out though just to be safe.

      Reply
      • Leo Anderson says

        August 08, 2023 at 3:27 pm

        Great- thanks...

  3. Cindy Hoskinson says

    July 18, 2023 at 10:53 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! I don’t know why I tried a new recipe when I was under pressure to get dinner done, but it definitely did not disappoint! Fire. 💯 Will be making this again!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      July 19, 2023 at 7:50 am

      Thanks so much Cindy -- I'm glad the rice was a hit!

      Reply
    • Paula says

      July 26, 2023 at 8:47 pm

      How big are the servings? I am looking to make this for a very large group. I have this recipe before but it was a while ago and I don't remember! BTW it was delicious😋

      Reply
  4. R. Hager says

    May 27, 2023 at 12:06 pm

    5 stars
    Awesome recipe! I used 2 cups of rice and upped the chicken broth by 2/3 cup, didn't increase the tomato sauce used around a cup. didn't turn out mushy at all, the easiest Spanish rice I've ever made in my life , so good.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      May 30, 2023 at 3:25 pm

      So glad you found this recipe easy and delicious!

      Reply
  5. Alicia says

    May 03, 2023 at 12:35 pm

    Ugh rice has been the hardest thing I cook in my instant pot. Normal white rice preset is 12 min high, then I natural realease for 15-25. If I add tomato sauce, the rice is still crunchy. I tried your recipe at 4 min high and the rice was still way crunchy. I can't seem to figure out he correct time for rice.

    Reply
  6. Pamela says

    May 02, 2023 at 10:53 pm

    I was looking for an easy Spanish rice recipe using the instant pot, this is it! The only thing I did different was sauté an onion in with the rice and garlic. It was so simple and delicious, I will never go back to the boxed stuff again.

    Reply
    • Erin says

      May 03, 2023 at 8:34 am

      I'm so glad this was a hit!

      Reply
  7. kerns says

    April 30, 2023 at 12:13 am

    3 stars
    Followed instructions to a tee and rice came out mushy and there was too much tomato sauce leftover at the end. Too wet for Spanish rice!

    Reply
    • Erin says

      April 30, 2023 at 7:39 am

      Hi! Yes, there will be SOME tomato sauce at the top of the rice once it's done cooking, but as soon as you mix everything together everything should be good and the rice shouldn't be wet.

      Reply
  8. Summer says

    March 29, 2023 at 4:25 pm

    The saute feature automatically sets the timer to 30 minutes. How do you adjust to get 3 minutes?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      March 30, 2023 at 10:08 am

      You should be able to press the up and down arrows to adjust the time.

      Reply
    • Bo says

      September 03, 2023 at 6:52 pm

      turn it off after 3 minutes

      Reply
  9. Rita says

    March 06, 2023 at 8:03 am

    5 stars
    Easy and delicious! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Emily says

      July 15, 2023 at 9:28 pm

      3 stars
      Easy recipe to follow. However, I double the recipe and followed it exactly. But the rice wasn't cooked through and there was way too much tomato sauce. Maybe the recipe for double the rice doesn't require double the tomato sauce? Mine looked nothing like the picture. Unfortunately, was a flop for me.

      Reply
  10. Chris says

    January 08, 2023 at 8:28 pm

    5 stars
    Very good! Very simple.

    Reply
  11. Andi says

    January 06, 2023 at 8:33 pm

    5 stars
    Simple, quick and delicious!! A great addition to our dinner tonight!

    Reply
  12. Barbara Jordan says

    November 06, 2022 at 6:58 am

    Can I use the rice setting on my insta pot?
    Barbi

    Reply
    • Erin says

      November 06, 2022 at 11:04 am

      That should work!

      Reply
  13. Shannon says

    October 16, 2022 at 9:49 pm

    Can you make this with brown calrose rice? How long to cook?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      October 18, 2022 at 9:31 am

      I haven't tested this with brown rice, but brown rice typically takes longer to cook than white rice. I'd try pressure cooking it for closer to 20 minutes, and I'd use long grain brown rice.

      Reply
  14. Brenda says

    August 09, 2022 at 7:36 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious

    Reply
    • Erin says

      August 10, 2022 at 10:45 am

      Thanks Brenda!

      Reply
  15. Gkentru says

    August 02, 2022 at 10:28 pm

    Can you double this recipe in a 6 quart?

    Reply
    • Erin says

      August 03, 2022 at 9:02 am

      Yes, but I think the cook time will still be the same.

      Reply
    • Erica says

      January 29, 2023 at 10:46 pm

      Definitely not same cook time for doubling. I’ve added two more minutes of cook time 3 times now which has taken I’ve 30 minutes total and it’s still not cooked.

      Reply
      • Kristy Rasmor says

        July 10, 2023 at 1:06 pm

        Hi Erica, I need to double it too. Did you the correct time for it? Thank you!

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