The Best Instant Pot Spanish Rice

This is the Best Instant Pot Spanish Rice – it’s super flavourful and comes together in one pot with pantry staples and frozen vegetables.

Ingredients and substitutions

• Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil such as canola oil.
• Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would also be good.
• Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
• Smoked paprika – plain paprika or cayenne will work in place of smoked paprika.
• Chili powder – make your own using a combination of cumin, paprika and cayenne.
• Cumin – coriander will provide a similar flavour.
• Salt & pepper – to taste.
• Canned diced tomatoes – a can of crushed or whole peeled tomatoes would also work.
• Chicken broth ­– vegetable broth would be the best substitute here.
• White rice – you can use brown rice, but you’ll need to increase the cooking time to 22 minutes.
• Frozen veggies – use any frozen veggie combo of your choice. I typically use a mixture of peas and carrots, but corn would be delicious too.
• Cilantro – leave this off altogether if you’re not a fan of cilantro.
• Lime wedges – these are optional so you can leave them off if you don’t have any limes.

How to make Spanish rice in the Instant Pot

Step 1: Add everything to the Instant Pot.

Add everything but the frozen veggies and cilantro to the pot in the order listed.

Step 2: Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.

Step 3: Defrost the veggies.

Microwave the veggies until defrosted.

Step 4: Do a quick release of the pressure.

Step 5: Stir in the veggies and cilantro.

Step 6: Serve and enjoy!

Garnish with lime wedges and serve.

Tips and Tricks

• Spice up the seasonings: Stir in some cinnamon or nutmeg, or add in some cayenne pepper for more of a kick. If you really like spice, stir in some diced jalapenos!
• Add some protein: If you want to turn this Spanish rice into a full meal, you can stir in some cooked protein before serving like chicken, shrimp or steak.
• Try out different veggies: This recipe is great for using up any leftover veggies you may have kicking around the fridge. Feel free to stir in any cooked veggies of your choice like bell peppers and corn.
• Don’t toast the rice first: Some Spanish rice recipes call for toasting the rice first, but when making it in the Instant Pot, I’d avoid that, as it could lead to the burn setting being triggered while pressure cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing and reheating

This Instant Pot Spanish rice recipe is great for meal prep! Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. I like to make a large batch and serve it for dinner one night, then reheat the leftovers for lunch later in the week. From there, it’s easy to add on some extra protein.

You can reheat the rice in a pot on the stovetop or in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. I recommend stirring in some water, broth or tomato juice before reheating so the rice doesn’t dry out.

Can you freeze Spanish rice?

This recipe is great for meal prep! Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. I like to make a large batch and serve it for dinner one night, then reheat the leftovers for lunch later in the week. From there, it’s easy to add on some extra protein.

More Instant Pot rice recipes

• Ultimate Instant Pot Rice Guide
• Creamiest Instant Pot Chicken & Rice
• Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice

Meal prep tools for this recipe

• Order some smoked paprika if you want a more authentic taste.
• Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this recipe into leftovers.
• Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.