Instant Pot Mexican Rice (2024)

FAQs

How long should you cook rice in an Instant Pot? ›

Pressure cook the rice on HIGH.

Lock the lid in place and set to cook at HIGH pressure for the following times: White rice (basmati, jasmine): 5 minutes. Long-grain brown rice: 10 minutes. Wild rice: 15 minutes.

1:1 – While you generally use 1 cup rice to 1 ¼ cups water for stovetop rice, in the Instant Pot, that ratio drops down to 1:1, aka 1 cup of water for every one cup of rice.

The rice should be a tiny bit on the dry side (but still soft and fluffy). If your rice is really wet and mushy, you probably added too much water and/or overcooked it.

Why Rice Needs Less Water in a Pressure Cooker. In tests, we've found that all varieties of rice hydrate properly with a 1:1 ratio of rice to water; additional water is added to account for evaporation. In a conventional covered pot, where water evaporates during the entire cooking time, we add an extra ½ cup water.

Mushy Rice – When cooking long-grain white rice you want a 1:1 ratio. That means you should add a cup of water for every cup of rice. Too much water or liquid can cause mushy rice. Overcooking can also make the rice mushy.

You most likely used too much water. 1:1 water to rice ratio is essential for all rice types. Use the exact same container to measure both rice and water. Some cups are standard American (236ml), others are metric (250ml) and the little plastic cup that comes with the Instant Pot is neither (160ml).

If your Instant Pot rice is mushy, that means you added too much water. It's not the end of the world; drain out any excess water and eat the rice as is.

Your Instant Pot needs liquid to work. If there's not enough, your pot won't be able to create enough steam to build pressure. About 1 cup is the minimum amount of liquid, so if you're cooking a recipe that will absorb water, like rice or beans, you'll need even more.

One of the main differences between these two rice dishes is that Mexican rice is fluffier and tends not to stick together. Whilst Spanish Rice is known for that rich yellow color, Mexican Rice is best known for its reddish orange hue that it gets from being cooked with cumin.

Why does my Mexican rice turn out crunchy? ›

Maybe you took the lid off of the pot too early, letting the steam escape. Maybe you didn't add enough liquid to begin with. Whatever the case, if your rice is looking dried out, or the texture is still hard or crunchy when all the liquid has been absorbed, add up to ½ cup water and return to a simmer with the lid on.

The method used to make Mexican rice involves lightly frying the uncooked rice in oil which helps it absorb more flavor from the seasoning and cook to a perfect consistency. In addition, a traditional blend of spices and diced vegetables and potatoes create unique flavor.

Our general rec for long-grain white rice is a ratio of 1:1 so for 2 cups of rice, add 2 cups of water. Following our ratio for brown rice (1:2 1/4), you would start with 2 cups of brown rice then add 4 ½ cups of water.

Wild rice and brown rice will require more time than white rice, for instance. Any variety can be cooked at either high or low pressure; it comes out a little fluffier at low pressure, and a little chewier at high pressure.

What is the ratio of water to rice? For basmati and all kinds of white rice, we recommend a ratio of 1:2 when cooking on the stove. So this would mean for every 1 cup of rice, you add 2 cups of water.

Instant Rice can also be cooked in an Instant Pot or rice cooker by following the same rule of thumb for the liquid to rice ratio – learn how: Stir water and rice. Use the “Manual” setting with High Pressure. Set the timer for 1 minute (white rice) or 5 minutes (brown rice).

Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer and cover. Ensure it's simmering and not boiling or the rice can cook too quickly. Simmer until water is completely absorbed and rice is tender – about 15-25 minutes (will depend on size and freshness of rice).

Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the steam release knob to "sealing." Press the RICE button. The Instant Pot will say "Auto" at first while it automatically determines the cooking time based on the weight of the rice and water you have put in the pot (which usually ends up to be 12 minutes at low pressure).

In general, Instant Pots can cook rice faster than traditional rice cookers, thanks to their pressure cooking capabilities. However, the texture of the rice may be slightly different.