This recipe for Instant Pot Mexican Rice (Spanish Rice) will quickly become your go-to side dish for Taco Tuesday. It's a quick & easy side dish...ready in 15 minutes!
Set the Instant Pot to saute mode. Once hot, add butter.
Once butter is melted, add chopped onion. Brown onion for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add rice and garlic to butter/onion mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until rice is just starting to brown.
Add Rotel, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes; stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. After about a minute, add chicken broth, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Stir well and lock on Instant Pot lid.
Set the Instant Pot to manual, high pressure, for 7 minutes. Once cook cycle is up, fluff rice with a fork and add in half of the chopped cilantro.
Serve topped with a sprinkle of remaining cilantro.
Notes
Don't skip the part where you scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot liner. The rice won't cook properly if there is food stuck to the bottom of the pan.
This recipe can also be made on the stovetop. Saute the onion, garlic, and rice as directed. Then, add the remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer, turn heat to low, and cook (covered) for 15-20 minutes, until rice absorbs the cooking liquids.
This recipe can be halved or doubled without changing the cooking time. Warning though: it already makes a lot of food, only double if you need to feed a football team!
I like to store my leftover rice in an airtight container to prevent outside flavors from seeping in. This rice can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days after cooking. When you're ready to enjoy leftovers, just pop in the microwave.
Make this a vegetarian dish by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. If you want to go vegan, you can also substitute olive oil for the butter.
Add toppings! You could top this dish with a sprinkle of cheese, a dollop of sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips. A dash of lime juice would give it a fresh kick.
Make it a whole meal by adding a protein, like rotisserie chicken or grilled steak.
Make it cheesy! After cooking, add a cup of shredded cheese into the rice. Cheddar, pepper jack, or queso cheese would be yummy.