This Easy Instant Pot Mexican Green Rice is absolutely delicious! Perfect side dish for a quick weeknight meal. It requires no fuss and very little effort. WIN-WIN. Make a big batch and freeze leftovers for later.
If you’ve followed along for a while, you know my family is a HUGE fan of rice and this Easy Instant Pot Mexican Green Rice is a hit every time I serve it.
What I love more about this Easy Instant Pot Mexican Green Rice recipe is that makes enough to serve a little army. Meaning that I can freeze pre-portioned packets and have it handy at any time. So, no more waiting for the rice to cook while your family prowls hungrily around the kitchen. Just pull a package out of the freezer and reheat it.
WHAT IS GREEN RICE?
Mexican Green Rice is a classic Mexican side dish made with long-grain rice, which is cooked in chicken stock with poblano chiles, cilantro, onion, and garlic. It’s also called Arroz Verde.
HOW DO YOU MAKE GREEN RICE?
- Blend in a blender water, cilantro, poblano, green onion, and garlic until well blended and smooth. You can also use a food processor.
- Place rice in a fine mesh colander and rinse it under cold running water until the water runs clear.
- Add oil to your pot. When hot, add the rinsed rice. Toast rice for 2 – 3 minutes until most of the moisture is absorbed and the rice starts to look a little toasted and coated with oil, stirring constantly.
- Add water-cilantro mixture, salt, cumin, and vinegar; mix to combine. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over the stovetop or pressure cooker. See the detail in the recipe card below.
- When the rice is tender, sprinkle lime juice over the cooked rice.
- Fluff rice with a fork and serve.
CAN YOU FREEZE RICE?
Yes, you can freeze rice up to 3 months.
HOW TO FREEZE RICE?
Let the rice cool completely after cooking. Then, use a measuring cup to portion the rice into freezer bags. Press out as much air as possible and seal if you have a vacuum sealer, even better. Freeze the rice for up to 3 months.
HOW TO REHEAT FROZEN RICE?
Place rice in a microwave-safe container. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of water and loosely cover the container with a damp paper towel. Warm 1-minute, stir and repeat until the grains are hot.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH MEXICAN GREEN RICE
You can serve Easy Instant Pot Mexican Green Rice with so many delicious main dishes including:
- Slow Cooker Spicy Pork Carnitas
- Chicken and Corn Enchiladas
- Instant Pot Black Beans with Chorizo
- Instant Pot Cuban Pulled Pork
- Mexican Short Ribs
- Mexican Pork Tenderloin Adobo
Happy Cooking!!!
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Easy Instant Pot Mexican Green Rice
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups water or chicken stock
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 large poblano chile, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1 green onion, cut into pieces
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 cups long grain white rice
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- Salt to taste, if needed (see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Important
Don’t forget to check out the step-by-step photos above in the post—they’ll guide you through the process and make everything super clear!
Instructions
- Blend in a blender water, cilantro, poblano, green onion and garlic until well blend and smooth. You can also use a food processor.
- Place rice in a fine mesh colander and rinse it under cold running water until the water runs clear.
- Turn on the Instant Pot and select “Sauté” adjust to more. Add oil. When hot add the rinsed rice. Toast rice for 2 – 3 minutes until most of the moisture is absorbed and rice starts to look a little toasted and coated with oil, stirring constantly.
- Add water-cilantro mixture, salt, cumin, vinegar; mix to combine. Bring to boil. Secure the lid to the Instant Pot. Close pressure release valve. Select “manual”, or “pressure cook”, and adjust cooking time to 8 minutes.
- When the time is over, let the pressure release on its own for 5 minutes. Then, carefully turn the valve to “Venting,” to release any extra pressure that might still be in there. Then remove the lid. Press “cancel”.
- Sprinkle lime juice over the cooked rice.
- Fluff rice with a fork and serve.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
