Instant Pot Spanish Rice
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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.
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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
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.
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”.
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.
FAQs and Tips
Substitutions:
- Butter: if you want to omit the butter, simply add a total of 3 tbsp 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.
Related recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Instant Pot Spanish Rice
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cups broth, vegetable or chicken
- 1 1/4 cup canned tomato sauce
- 3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
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.
Notes
Nutrition
I added a diced onion while I was browning my rice and a can of Rotel turned out great
Everyone tells me how good my rice is…unsolicited compliments. 😁
Thanks so much! Glad everyone loves the rice!
I make this all the time! So easy and quick. My family likes A LOT of flavor though so I usually double the amount of seasoning (not the cilantro). I also add black beans just for a little extra. This recipe tastes great with or without my changes so I highly recommend trying it if you’re looking for a great recipe; thanks!
Great idea! Thanks so much!
Can I add rotel to the rice?
Yes, that should be ok, as long as the rice is fully submerged in liquid before cooking
Hi! Thanks for the recipe! It’s delicious! I keep getting the burn warning though. Is there a trick to avoid that? Does it need to cool off after sauté? Thanks!!
Hmm I’m not sure why that’s happening, but make sure to stir everything before pressure cooking to ensure the rice isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Love this. Very good side dish I made it first time in the pressure cooker. Next time I’ll try the stove top version
Thanks Jackie, I’m glad you enjoyed the rice!
Maybe I missed it, what size can of tomato sauce is used?
One 14 oz. can should be enough for 1 1/4 cups 🙂 I’d still measure it out though just to be safe.
Great- thanks…
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!
Thanks so much Cindy — I’m glad the rice was a hit!
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😋
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.
So glad you found this recipe easy and delicious!
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.
I had the same issue so I had to put it back in for another 10 hoping all the liquid is gone.