Instant Pot Mexican Rice and Beans Recipe

Name: Instant Pot Mexican Rice and Beans
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 24 min
Total time: 29 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 onion (, small (about ½ cup) finely minced); 2 garlic cloves (pressed); 1 cup basmati rice (, rinsed (200 grams), see note 2); 1 teaspoon salt; 1.5 teaspoon paprika; ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (, or to taste, see note 3); ½ cup pureed tomatoes ((130 milliliters)); 1.5 cups vegetable broth ((360 milliliters), see note 4); ½ cup red beans (, cooked and drained (90 grams), see note 5); ½ cup green olives (, pitted, sliced, see note 6)

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Instant pot Mexican rice and beans is a simple yet tasty recipe, perfect for meal prep. This fluffy red rice can be enjoyed as a main, side or lunch.

Instant pot Mexican rice and beans with wooden spoon

Below are included more recipes for an instant pot that use rice as the main ingredient as well as pro tips, answers to FAQs and meal-prep information.

What is Mexican rice?

Mexican rice is also known as arroz rojo Mexicano or Spanish rice (note that this name is only used in the US and it did not originate in Spain).

In traditional Mexican recipes, rice is sautéed in a skillet until golden brown. Then, some kind of liquid is added (water, broth, stock) as well as tomatoes – chopped or pureed and cooked until soft.

Ingredients you need to make rice and beans

How to make Mexican rice and beans in the instant pot?

In a pressure cooker, saute onion with little oil. Add garlic and stir until fragrant. Add rice and saute until lightly browned. Season with salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper.

You want to stir everything well, then add pureed tomatoes and broth/stock. Give it one more stir and cover with lid.

Unlike my fried rice which is pressure-cooked for 3 minutes, now choose the RICE function. It will automatically choose the cooking time so you don’t need to worry about this.

After the time is up, you can wait either 5 minutes or until the pressure drops itself before you open the lid. Long grain rice will come out extra fluffy. At this stage, stir in beans and olives and you are ready to serve (a complete recipe in the recipe card below this post).

Instant Pot Mexican Rice and Beans:
Frequently Asked Questions

What else can I add to Spanish rice and beans?

These tasty add-ons will elevate rice and beans even more: a dollop of sour cream on top, a sprinkle of cheese, avocado, lime or lemon wedges, chopped fresh cilantro or parsley,…

How many calories in Mexican rice and beans?

There are 272 calories per serving.

Can I use different beans?

Yes, you can. Use pinto or black beans with rice, instead of kidney beans.

Steps how to make Mexican rice and beans in the instant pot

Expert tips for making rice and beans:

I find that pressed garlic releases the most aroma and adds a ton of flavor to your dishes. For that reason, I always prefer pressing to mincing it with a knife. Instead of a garlic press, a fine cheese grater can be used. It works perfectly!
Broth or stock (of any kind) does wonders here. When using a regular one, you don’t need to add much salt, if any (depending on your taste of course). With the low-sodium one, you will have to use more salt, unless you are on a low-sodium diet.
If you don’t like olives, use canned sweetcorn instead. They would go in at the same stage as olives.

Mixing rice and beans with wooden spoon in an instant pot

Meal prep, make-ahead & freezer instructions

Spanish rice is the perfect dish to make in advance. It keeps well in the fridge as well as freezer.

To reheat, simply pour a little olive oil in a skillet/frying pan and sauté any rice and beans leftovers until warm. Stir from time to time to quicken the heating process.

Rice and beans will keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days when stored properly in an airtight container (always reheat only as much as you will eat).

To freeze it, divide it into several freezer-friendly Ziploc bags, spread the rice evenly around, as flat as possible – this will also speed up the thawing process. Lay flat on a tray or shelf in your freezer.

Label it with time, date and size (I like to package it into 2 or 4 portions and write it on the bag, so I know how much I have there).

When ready to serve, thaw first, then heat up. For best results, use stovetop with a little oil and/or splash of water.

Mexican rice can also be prepared for the freezer without the extras – beans or olives as these can be easily added at a later stage – when you decide to serve it. That way you will be able to prepare it in advance even when you don’t have those ingredients on hand.

Fluffy rice and beans made in the instant pot

More instant pot recipes with rice:

Instant pot Mexican rice and beans recipe

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