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Cilantro lime rice in a serving bowl.

Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice

Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice comes together fast. It’s a fresh, bright, and filling side dish to serve with any Mexican-inspired recipe. We’ve honed in on the perfect Instant Pot cooking time for white rice and can’t wait to share this Chipotle-inspired rice recipe with you.

Yield: 3 cups cooked rice 1x
Prep: 2 minutesCook: 8 minutesTotal: 10 minutes (+ 10 minute NR)
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup long-grain white rice or jasmine (don’t worry about rinsing it first)
  • 1 1/4 cups water (use an additional 1/2 cup for an 8-quart Instant Pot)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon), or more to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, leaves and stems

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Instructions

Make It Now:

  1. Add rice, water, oil, and salt to an Instant Pot and stir. Note: If using an 8-quart, add an additional 1/2 cup of water.
  2. Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 8 minutes. Once cooking time is done, let the rice naturally release for 10 minutes. Then quick release the remaining pressure.
  3. Use a fork to fluff the rice. Then, stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Taste and season with more salt, as needed. (Freezing instructions begin here.)

Freeze For Later: Cool the cooked rice completely. Scoop portions into quart or gallon-size freezer bags. Be sure to squeeze all of the air out when sealing. Label your freezer bag with the type of rice, amount, and date. Stack your bags of rice on a flat surface in your freezer. 

Prepare From Frozen: Warm in the microwave with a little extra liquid (water or broth), if needed. Or toss frozen rice into a soup, like our Vegetarian Tortilla Soup.


Notes/Tips

Toasting the Rice: Before cooking the rice, you could brown the rice a bit to add more depth of flavor. Heat 2 tablespoons of avocado or olive oil in the Instant pot on the Saute function. Add the raw rice and stir to coat with the olive oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice has started to brown. Then, follow the cooking instructions in the recipe.

Stovetop Instructions: To make it on the stove, simply cook the rice according to the package instructions. Then, stir in the cilantro and lime juice at the end. Taste and season with more salt, if needed.

How to Make This Recipe With Brown Rice: Follow our Instant Pot Brown Rice instructions here. Double the amount of cilantro and lime juice (since that recipe is double the size of this one) and then stir it in at the end. Taste and season with more salt.

© Author: Polly Conner
Cuisine: Mexican Method: Instant Pot