Instant Pot Mexican Rice | Cookies and Cups

By: Shelly
Posted: Jul 6, 2025

This Instant Pot Mexican rice is a festive side dish made foolproof! The Instant Pot takes the guesswork out of cooking perfectly fluffy rice. Meanwhile, onion, garlic, and tomato paste pack this easy recipe full of flavor.

I love this Instant Pot rice recipe as a side to our favorite Mexican dinners, from cheesy oven-baked chicken enchiladas to pork carnitas (also quick and easy to make in the Instant Pot!). Check out my skillet taco rice for an easy stovetop recipe!

A bowl of Instant Pot Mexican rice with a plate of lime wedges, a bowl of refried beans, and flour tortillas in the background.

Why This Instant Pot Recipe Works

Making Mexican rice in my Instant Pot is the weeknight life hack I can’t live without! This recipe levels up your typical white rice into a festive side dish. It’s packed with zesty, tomato-y flavor and veggies. Not to mention, it pairs great with my favorite Mexican recipes. Here’s why this Instant Pot recipe makes it easy:

It’s super quick. Pressure cooking locks in a lot of flavor in a short amount of time. This rice cooks in minutes! There’s a bit of waiting in and around that while the pot comes to pressure, but that leaves my hands free to whip up some taco monkey bread for a starter.
It cooks the rice perfectly. The Instant Pot takes the guesswork out of perfectly cooked rice. If you follow the recipe as directed, this easy Mexican rice is all but guaranteed to come out tender, fluffy, and full of flavor.
It needs minimal ingredients. Just a few pantry ingredients go a long way in the Instant Pot. Tender rice soaks up the savory, tangy flavors of chicken broth and tomato paste, plus onion, carrots, and garlic. I barely have to lift a finger!

Ingredients for Instant Pot Mexican rice with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Mexican Rice Ingredients

Mexican rice is a bit different from its cousin, Spanish rice. While Spanish rice is bright yellow, cooked with saffron, Mexican rice gets its signature red hue from tomato paste.

I make this Instant Pot Mexican rice with just a handful of ingredients. You’ll find my notes below, and be sure to scroll to the recipe card for a printable list with amounts.

Olive Oil – Or another cooking oil, like canola or avocado oil.
Rice – You’ll want to use long-grain white rice and not instant rice for this recipe.
Onion – Yellow or white onion, diced.
Carrots – If you’d like, swap out the carrots for another veggie with a similar cooking time, like broccoli.
Garlic – Freshly minced, or you can replace each clove with ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.
Tomato Paste – Or tomato sauce.
Broth – This can be chicken broth (store-bought or homemade chicken stock) or vegetable broth.

How to Make Instant Pot Mexican Rice

Cooking perfect Mexican rice in the pressure cooker is super simple. Here’s an overview of the steps. Scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.

Rinse the rice. First, rinse the rice under cold water to remove the excess starch. This way, the grains are more separate, and less sticky when cooked.

Water added to rice inside the Instant Pot. — Toast the rice.

Toast the rice. Next, with the Instant Pot set to sauté, add the rice and a bit of oil. Stir and let the rice toast for about 10 minutes (similar to how you’d toast the rice for risotto).
Add the veggies. Stir in the onion, carrot, and garlic and sauté until the veggies are soft and fragrant.

Broth poured over Mexican rice inside the Instant Pot. — Add tomato paste and broth.

Combine. Lastly, stir in the tomato paste and pour over the broth.
Cook. Seal and set the Instant Pot to cook on High Pressure for 3 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural release. Afterward, release the leftover pressure, fluff the rice, and serve.

Close up of a spoonful of Mexican rice held over the Instant Pot.

Tips and Variations

What to do if you get a burn notice: It happens! If your IP throws a burn notice, switch off the cook mode and release the pressure before opening the lid. Then, just use a (non-metal) spatula to scrape any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pot. Seal and restart the pot afterward.
Rinse the rice. Cooked rice can become sticky if it’s not rinsed beforehand. It’ll be clumpy and chewy instead of separated.
Serve right away. It’s when this Mexican rice is at its freshest! If you’re not serving your rice right away, I don’t recommend leaving the rice inside the Instant Pot on Warm. It’ll overcook and become mushy. See further in the post for make-ahead and storage details.
Add veggies. You can add frozen peas or bell peppers at the same time as you add the broth or stock.

Overhead view of a bowl of Instant Pot Mexican rice.

A spoon resting in a bowl of Instant Pot Mexican rice.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

Refrigerate. Store any leftover Mexican rice airtight and refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking. It’ll last in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat. Warm the rice in portions on the stovetop, or in the microwave until it’s nice and hot throughout.
Freeze. You can freeze leftover rice for up to 1 month. Freeze the cooled rice airtight and thaw it in the fridge before you reheat it.

More Mexican-Inspired Recipes

Description

This foolproof Instant Pot Mexican rice is a flavorful side dish made with pantry staples, including fluffy rice, onion, garlic, and tomato paste.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups long-grain white rice
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Kosher salt to taste

Rinse the rice well with cool water.
Turn the instant pot to saute mode. Add the oil and rice to the pot. Stir constantly until golden, about 10 minutes.
Add the onions, carrots, and garlic and continue to cook for 5 more minutes while stirring. Make sure to scrape off any bits that stick to the bottom of the instant pot.
Turn off the instant pot. Add the tomato paste and stir.
Pour in the broth. Place the lid on the pot and set to the sealed position.
Cook on manual high pressure for 3 minutes. Once the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes.
Release the remaining pressure. Season to taste. Fluff the rice and serve.

Notes

If you get the burn notice while cooking, turn off the cook mode. Release the pressure valve and open the lid. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pot and then reseal and restart cooking. Sometimes the rice will get sticky if it isn’t rinsed well enough.
Do not leave the cooked rice on warm mode because it will get mushy.
Feel free to add other vegetables, like frozen peas at the same time the broth is added to the pot.