Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice

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Pressure Cooker / Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice is the perfect side dish to pair with your favorite Mexican dinner recipes! Lime and cilantro give this rice a bright, fresh flavor that’s even better than Chipotle’s popular dish.

Instant pot cilantro lime white rice in a wooden bowl topped with fresh lime and cilantro

This amazing Mexican rice recipe is a MUST have on-hand at all times. It is a perfect side dish or base for a salad bowl, and it freezes well. 

Once you try it, you might end up like us, with a steady supply of the dish on hand at all times!

Update: I’m updating this post with helpful tips, tricks and serving suggestions. Plus, a how-to video that shows how easy this Pressure Cooker Chipotle’s Cilantro Lime Rice is to make. 

How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice in an Instant Pot

This Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL. It’s my pressure-cooker adaptation of Skinny Taste‘s popular copycat recipe for Chipotle’s Cilantro Lime Rice.

Get ready for this simple two-step recipe: 

  1. stir white rice, water, salt, and a bit of oil into your pressure cooker pot, set a 3 minute cook time, and walk away!
  2. Fluff the rice, then add fresh lime juice, a little more oil, and cilantro to complete the dish. 

ℹ️ Note: While you could skip the oil for this recipe if you like, it helps reduce the foam that builds up while the rice cooks. Plus, it keeps your rice grains flavorful and moist, rather than sticky. 

Bowl of cilantro lime white rice in front of an electric instant pot pressure cooker

Why Is the Instant Pot the Best Way to Cook Rice?

There are so many reasons to make rice in a pressure cooker instead of on the stovetop. (See my how to cook rice guide for everything you need to make all kinds of rice in a pressure cooker.)

The first reason to make your rice in an Instant Pot is that white rice has just a 3-minute cook time!

Even better, the pressure cooker makes perfect rice every time. In fact, after I started using my Instant Pot, I got rid of my rice cooker altogether because it was always burning the bottom of the rice. 

Instant pot cilantro lime white rice in a wooden bowl topped with fresh lime and cilantro

Can I Freeze Instant Pot Rice?

This is a perfect make-ahead Instant Pot recipe! It freezes beautifully and you’ll always have a homemade side dish on hand to round out your meals.  

I often make a double or even a triple batch of the recipe and divide it into individual portions for freezing.

Then I simply let the rice defrost overnight in the fridge or on the counter and reheat before serving. 

Can I Use Brown Rice?

You can make Cilantro-Lime Rice with whatever kind of rice you have on hand. Just be sure to follow my cooking times for Instant Pot rice. (For example, brown rice needs a little more liquid and a longer cook time.) 

You can also try this recipe with any kind of grain, including quinoa, farro, and forbidden black rice.  

Instant Pot Cilantro ime Rice in a brown wooden bowl with a grey background and fresh lime and cilantro for garnish

How to Serve Cilantro-Lime Rice

This dish really pairs well with any Mexican entrée. And we have plenty of Instant Pot Mexican recipes to serve it with. Here are some of our favorites:


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Instant pot cilantro lime white rice in a wooden bowl topped with fresh lime and cilantro

Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice

Servings: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Additional Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Fluffy white rice, bright lime juice, and cilantro make Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice better than Chipotle! It’s the perfect Mexican side dish.
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup long grain white rice
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 3 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions

  • Add the rice, water, 1 tablespoon oil, and salt to the pressure cooker pot. Stir. Lock lid in place. Select high pressure and 3 minutes cook time. 
  • When the cook time ends, turn the pressure cooker off and use a natural pressure release for 7 minutes, followed by a quick pressure release. Carefully remove the lid. 
  • Fluff the rice with a fork.
  • In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon oil. Add the rice and toss until thoroughly mixed

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 533mg

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