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cilantro lime rice in grey bowl garnished with lime slices
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5 from 7 votes

Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice

Soft and fluffy rice, flavored with bright citrus and herbs, made easily in the Instant Pot.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time3 minutes
NPR10 minutes
Total Time23 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: instant pot rice, rice side dish
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 182kcal
Author: The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

  • 2 cups long grain white rice
  • 2 cups water see note 1
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 - 3 tsp fresh orange juice not bottled OJ
  • zest of 1 - 2 limes
  • 1/4 - 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro

Instructions

Pressure cook

  • Add rice to Instant Pot insert, then pour in water and top with bay leaves.
  • Secure lid, and select “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” and hit the +/- buttons until you select 3 minutes (high pressure).

Natural pressure release

  • Once pressure cooking time has elapsed, don’t do anything and let the pot naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes, then turn the knob to release any remaining pressure.

Fluff and season

  • Fluff rice with a fork, then stir in oil, lime juice, lemon juice, orange juice, lime zest and cilantro.
  • Taste, and adjust seasonings and add more juice/zest/cilantro if desired.

Notes

  1. In place of water, an equal amount of reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth.
  2. Recipe can be doubled, the times remain the same.
  3. Recipe has only been tested with long grain white rice. If you want to use a different kind, you'll have to experiment with the cooking time.

Stovetop directions

  1. Increase water to 4 cups, keep all other ingredients the same.
  2. Add rice, water and bay leaves to a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
  3. Once boiling, reduce heat to LOW, cover, and simmer for approximately 20 minutes (check the time listed on your rice package - it may be slightly different).
  4. Uncover, remove from heat, and fluff with a fork.
  5. Stir in other ingredients as directed in the recipe above.

Nutrition

Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 442mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg