Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
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Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice is made with just 5 ingredients. An easy and flavorful Mexican-inspired side dish that pairs well with most main course meals.
If you’ve been here for more than 5 minutes then you know my love of Mexican food runs deep. I could eat tacos just about any day of the week, and carnitas on the rest of those days.
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We’re sharing tips to help you get the best results with this recipe. If you don’t need the tips, scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and a printable recipe card.
If you’re a fan of the Chipotle or Cafe Rio restaurants, you’ll definitely fall in love with our cilantro lime rice recipe. This copycat version is so close to the real thing, and you’ll save a little coin by making it at home.
Speaking of Chipotle, another favorite of mine is their burrito bowls, but I don’t have it very often because I live 2 hours (HOURS!) from the nearest store (sadness). So I created the Copycat Chipotle Chicken Bowl that I drizzle with my homemade Southwestern dressing. So delicious and it satisfies the cravings.
Ingredients Needed
- long-grain rice – long grain, extra long grain, or basmati rice works best for this recipe (my go-to is Three Ladies Jasmine rice). These types of rice react best in the Instant Pot, which is why we recommend them.
- water
- sea salt
- limes – grab fresh limes because we are going to use the juice and zest. Buy some extras and use them to make Coconut Lime Sugar Cookies.
- cilantro
- butter – you can use salted or unsalted.
How to Make Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice (Chipotle Copycat)
Pour the rice into the inner pot, add some water and swirl it around to remove the starch. You may need repeat this step a couple of times, until the water isn’t cloudy.
After you have finished rinsing, add the water and salt. Stir together and place the lid on.
Move the valve to the Sealing position, and cook for 13 minutes on High pressure.
In the meantime, zest one of the limes then juice the other two. Then mince the cilantro.
Once the rice has finished cooking, and the timer goes off, allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10, then quickly release any remaining pressure.
Stir in the cilantro, lime juice and zest, butter, and salt.
How Long Does It Really Take to Make Rice in a Pressure Cooker?
Although the actual cooking time for this cilantro lime rice recipe is only 13 minutes, it will take about 10 minutes to come to pressure and another 10 minutes to naturally release pressure. I plan on a total of 33 minutes for the entire cooking process.
What To Serve With Cilantro Lime Rice
Meat: Crockpot Taco Meat (then add your favorite toppings), Crockpot Carnitas, Italian Grilled Chicken, Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas, Air Fryer Navajo Tacos
Salads: As a side with Homemade Taco Salad
Kid Friendly Meal: Goes perfect with Taco Bell Copycat Crunchwrap Supreme
How to Store
The leftover rice can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If you choose to freeze the rice, let it thaw in the fridge overnight. To reheat add a little water and microwave or use low heat on the stovetop.
Can You Make a Double Batch?
You can make a double batch if you have a larger model Instant Pot. You don’t want to exceed the fill line on your pot (usually about ⅔ of the way full), so make sure to check that before proceeding.
How do I keep my Instant Pot rice from getting mushy?
For starters, don’t skip the step of rinsing out the starch and straining the water.
Also, when you measure your water, use the same cup you used to measure the rice. The most common mistake causing mushy rice is too much water added.
Is it okay to use brown rice instead?
I would not recommend using brown rice for this recipe. It normally takes longer to cook and when you make rice in the Instant Pot, it may burn on the bottom if you need to add more time.
MORE eASY
Instant Pot Recipes
**Save Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice for Later**
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain rice
- 2 ½ cups water + additional to rinse rice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 limes
- ¼ cup cilantro, minced
- 4 Tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Place the rice in the Instant Pot liner and rinse to remove some of the starch (add water, swirl it around and drain; repeating until the water clears).
- Combine the water, salt, and rice in the Instant Pot liner. Give it a stir, place the lid on top and turn the lid to close. Set the valve to the “Sealing” position.
- Select Manual/High pressure and set the timer for 13 minutes. It may take up to 10 minutes for the pot to pressurize before the timer starts counting down.
- While the rice is cooking, juice 2 of the limes and zest the 3rd one. You’ll need about 2 Tablespoons of lime juice and 1 Tablespoon of lime zest. Mince the cilantro.
- When the timer beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before manually releasing any remaining pressure.
- Add the remaining ingredients and gently stir to combine.
Notes
- We use Jasmine rice for this recipe but you can use any long grain, extra long grain or basmati rice if preferred.
- You can substitute 2 Tablespoons of oil in place of the butter if desired.
Nutritional Estimate
Nutritional information is provided as a reference, using an online calculator. We recommend verifying the information independently for accuracy.
