Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice

Ever since Chipotle came on the scene, I’ve had an obsession with cilantro lime rice!

It’s got so many amazing flavors going on, and it goes so well with just about any Tex-Mex style meal.

And, it’s incredibly easy to make at home! Especially in the Instant Pot.

If you’ve never made rice in your pressure cooker, you’re in for a treat. Cooking rice on the stovetop certainly isn’t complicated, but it requires a little bit of babysitting.

You have to make sure the heat is just the right temperature, and sometimes, despite your best intentions, the rice can get stuck to the bottom of the pot. Major bummer!

With the Instant Pot, you set it and forget it, and it’s perfectly fluffy every single time. I’m obsessed!

My version of cilantro lime rice uses other citrus juices as well, to really round out the flavors, and it’s definitely a family favorite recipe!

How to make cilantro lime rice in the Instant Pot?

This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.

1. Pressure cook. No need to saute anything, just add the rice, water and bay leaves.
2. Natural pressure release. Let the pressure release on it’s own for 10 minutes (by doing nothing), then release any pressure after that point.
3. Fluff and stir in add-ins. Give it a good stir and fluff with a fork.
4. Serve.

Variations of this recipe

• Broth – for an extra flavor boost, try replacing the water with reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth. You can use all broth, or half broth and half water.
• Only lime – we love using the additional types of citrus in this recipe for added depth of flavor, but if you’d like to stick to just lime, you can. Use 3 1/2 Tbsp of lime juice, and the zest of 1 or 2 limes.
• Butter – to add extra richness, feel free to substitute the oil for unsalted butter.
• Rinsed – I’ve never had a problem with mushy rice, but if you normally rinse your rice before cooking, you certainly can do that in this recipe if you’d like.
• Toasted – to add a bit of a nutty flavor, as well as ensure the rice doesn’t end up too sticky, add a drizzle of oil to the Instant Pot on “saute” mode. Cook the rice for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until about half of the grains of rice are lightly golden. Then hit “cancel” and proceed with the recipe.
• Spicy – while not traditional, sometimes we like to add a minced jalapeño pepper to the rice after it’s been cooked.

Making cilantro lime rice ahead of time

I think that rice tastes best when made fresh, since it can dry out.

However, you can make it ahead of time if you’d like. Just when reheating, add a splash of water/chicken broth to liven it back up.

Freezing

Rice can also be frozen for long-term storage. Let it cool completely, then add to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Thaw, then reheat as desired.

Storage

Leftover rice should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 3-5 days.