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Instant pot Spanish Rice is an excellent side dish for just about any meal and so much tastier than boxed, and it comes together with just a few ingredients and minimal effort. If you’re looking for something new to spice up your ordinary dinner routine, then our Quick and Easy and Way Better than Restaurant Spanish Rice is just what you need.  You’ll have a stress-free dinner on the table in no time! 

Hola! So here we are TGIF so by now you must have guessed that we at The Belly Rules The Mind are obsessed with our instant pot :). You can make everything in it and in SO LITTLE TIME. If you don’t have a pressure cooker yet, TRUST me you need to buy one.

WHY SHOULD I MAKE  SPANISH  RICE IN THE INSTANT POT?

The electric pressure cooker is perfect for making rice dishes  It takes a fraction of the time than it takes to make rice on the stovetop. Most importantly the Instant Pot makes cooking this flavorful and healthy spinach rice dish easy and reliable.

If you’re an Instant Pot beginner, take a deep breath and don’t let yourself be afraid of your Instant Pot. We break down exactly how to use it and what all those buttons do on our complete beginner’s guide to the Instant Pot, called Master the Instant Pot with 3 Buttons. If you are looking at easy recipes to try, check out our 15+ Quick and Easy Instant Pot Recipes for Beginners. Also check out our 100+ Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes for all your instant pot recipe needs. From soups to pasta to desserts everything under one umbrella!

Do you love dishes made of Rice?

If you are a Rice lover you are at the right place! The one item I always have in my pantry – is RICE. It can be pulled out and added or mixed with so many other meals. If you are looking to perfect your rice in instant pot, look no further we have got you covered. Check out our Perfect Instant pot Rice ( Basmati rice, jasmine rice & Brown rice ). It’s the best way to make rice, and we prefer to not use the dedicated rice button as we feel this is probably a more reliable way of making rice. We have tried multiple settings to provide these recommendations. It’s the best rice, each grain has just the right amount of bite, and please no mush. Now that we had a solid base to play with, you could tweak and adapt it to your personal tastes like our 

Love easy rice dishes? Here are a few more:

• Yellow turmeric  rice
• Instant Pot Mushroom Rice
• Instant pot Lemon herb rice
• Mexican Rice and Beans
• Vegan Burrito bowl
• Mujadara ( rice & lentil ) cooked together.

EASY INSTANT POT SPANISH RICE 

Now I can’t say if this recipe is anything close to authentic (probably not), but I do know that it’s pretty DARN good. To be honest, My family and friends liked it way BETTER than the original no flavored rice usually served when you dine out. I like to keep the spices very simple in our Spanish rice. My Easy Spanish Rice recipe or Mexican rice whatever you want to call it is so super simple to make. It’s a perfect side dish with your tacos. burritos, Charro beans, and more.A Perfect filling meal!

the secret ingredient drumrolllllllll…………. is SALSA and not just any Salsa it’s homemade Roasted Salsa with fresh ingredients and no preservatives. It cannot get healthier than this. 

What’s the difference between Spanish rice and Mexican rice?

Well, GUESS what? ALMOST NOTHING !! Spanish Rice aka Mexican rice or Arroz Rojo (literally red rice). They are just different terms for the same dish. Depending on where you are located, it will be called something different, but they both refer to the exact same thing. There are minor changes in ingredients and flavors, however, they are used interchangeably.  

Pro Tip 
Rinse the rice thoroughly to remove the starch. The key to this recipe is to sauté the rice in oil until toasted and golden brown. This helps the grains keep some of their texture after they are cooked.

How to avoid The DREADED BURN Message:

Please note if your IP has the problems of getting BURN message, guess what, most probably the Tomatoes you added to the dish are the culprit. To reduce the chances of BURN notice,  add everything else and then add Salsa at the very end. Do not stir after adding it!

Ingredients to need to make  Instant pot Spanish rice

One of the main reasons we love this recipe (other than the fact that it’s simple), is because we always have the ingredients on hand. Here are the Spanish rice ingredients you’ll need to make this delicious side dish:

• long grain rice
• oil
• homemade salsa or your favorite store-bought salsa
• minced garlic
• vegetable broth/water
• cumin powder
•  salt
• paprika/chili flakes        

WHICH RICE IS BEST FOR SPANISH RICE?

I love using long grain rice! It gets fluffy and does not get sticky like some of the short-grained rice. You can even make this with brown rice ( but the cooking time will change significantly ). Check out our Instant pot perfect rice post for more details.

Its made for awesome leftovers. I topped it with lettuce and tomato and later added a dollop of sour cream but that’s not necessary to make this taste outstanding. This would make a great filling for burritos too!

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT SPANISH RICE – STEP BY STEP RECIPE?

1. Set the Instant Pot on saute and when HOT pops up add in oil and the rice keep stirring it frequently to avoid rice sticking to the pot .
2. Saute the rice for about 3 minutes until they begin to turn a light golden color and then add in the garlic
3. Add in salt to taste, cumin, red Chili powder and vegetable stock or water .

1. Stir and mix well to insure that you remove all rice stuck to the bottom of the pot .
2. Add the Salsa and give it a light stir. ( tomatoes are big culprit and give BURN notice. AVOID stirring )
3. Close and lock the lid. Turn the Instant Pot to Manual for 5 minutes.
4. When 5 minutes is up and Instant Pot beeps, let it sit for 3-5 mins . Do a Quick release Be careful, it is very hot.
5. Lightly stir it with a fork and add chopped cilantro .
6. Serve in bowls. Garnish with whatever you desire and enjoy!

CAN YOU USE TOMATO SAUCE INSTEAD OF SALSA IN SPANISH RICE?

Yes Of course! It’s all about preference. I love adding Salsa as it adds more flavor and even a bit more spice.

If you like this recipe you may also be interested in some of our other favorite Mexican food recipes, CHECK OUT

• Best Charro beans
• Spicy Black Bean soup
• 3 Beans salad
• Veggie Enchilada 
• Tomatillo salsa verde 
• Mexican street corn
• Veggie Quesadilla 

Easy Spanish Rice (Easy Spanish Rice) Recipe

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 If you're looking for something new to spice up your ordinary dinner routine, then our Quick and Easy and Way Better than Resturant Spanish Rice is just what you need.  You'll have a stress-free dinner on the table in no time! Instant pot Spanish Rice is an excellent side dish for just about any meal and so much tastier than boxed, and it comes together with just a few ingredients and minimal effort.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Additional Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked long grain rice
• 2 cups vegetable stock or water
• 1 Tbsp Oil ( for plant based you can skip the oil )
• 2 garlic cloves / minced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• salt to taste
• 1 cup Salsa / If you are using store bought i would suggest cantina style salsa
• 1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and diced/garnish
• fresh cilantro / chopped / garnish
• Optional garnishes for serving
• Mexican blend cheese shredded
• avocado slices
• cilantro
• limes
• Greek yogurt or sour cream
• flour tortillas

Instructions

1. Instructions
2. Set the Instant Pot on saute and when HOT pops up add in oil and the rice. keep stirring it frequently to avoid rice sticking to the pot .
3. Saute the rice for about 3 minutes until they begin to turn a light golden color.and then add in the garlic.
4. Add in salt to taste, cumin, red Chili powder and vegetable stock or water .
5. Stir and mix well to insure that you remove all rice stuck to the bottom of the pot .
6. Add the Salsa and give it a light stir
7. Close and lock the lid. Turn the Instant Pot to Manual for 5 minutes.
8. When 5 minutes is up and Instant Pot beeps, let it sit for 3-5 mins . Do a Quick release Be careful, it is very hot.
9. Lightly stir it with a fork and add chopped cilantro .
10. Serve in bowls. Garnish with whatever you desire and enjoy!

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Instant Pot Ultra 6 Qt 10-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Yogurt Maker, Cake Maker, Egg Cooker, Sauté, Steamer, Warmer, and Sterilizer
• 
  McCormick Ground Cumin, 14 oz
• 
  Royal White Basmati Rice, 20 Pound
• 
  Royal White Basmati Rice, 2 Pound
• 
  MIRA Lunch, Food Jar, Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Lunch Thermos, 13.5 Oz, Sky
• 
  Pyrex 3-Cup Rectangle Food Storage Container (Value Pack of 6 Containers)

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