Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
This Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice is our pressure cooker copycat of Chipotle’s white rice. Lime and cilantro give this rice a bright, fresh flavor that pairs perfectly with your favorite tacos, burritos, and salads.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This is one of the most popular recipes on our site! It’s a great side dish, burrito filling, or base for a salad or burrito bowl, and it freezes well in individual portions.
We first published this amazing Mexican rice recipe 13 years ago, and it’s still a reader favorite!
It’s quick to toss together, it pairs well with most Mexican flavors, and it’s easy to make a double or triple batch without changing the cook time.
After all these years, we still keep a steady supply of the dish on hand in the freezer at all times!
Updated 2025: We’ve updated this post with more helpful tips, tricks, and serving suggestions.
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, Cosori, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
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!
Instant Pot rice is hands-off, easy cooking. No worrying, no babysitting the stovetop, just set it and walk away.
Even better, you get consistent results when you use the pressure cooker! Once you master cooking rice in your Instant Pot, you can get rid of your rice cooker altogether.
(See my how to cook rice guide for everything you need to make all kinds of rice in a pressure cooker.)
How to Freeze and Reheat Cilantro Lime Rice
Cilantro lime rice freezes beautifully, which means that you can 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.
I’ve found that ½ cup portions are just the right amount for individual servings for my family. However, use the portion size that works best for you.
I like to freeze the rice in pre-portioned trays or ziplock bags. (When using ziplocks, I’ll scoop the rice into the small snack-size, then put all of those inside a freezer-safe gallon-sized ziplock to ensure they stay fresh.).
To reheat: If I’ve planned ahead, I’ll let the rice defrost overnight in the fridge, then warm it up with the main dish I’m cooking. Usually, however, I’ll just transfer the frozen rice to a small bowl and microwave it at 50% power in 30-second intervals until hot and ready.
Frequently Asked Questions about Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
This recipe is really flexible—it works with any kind of white rice, including long-grain, short-grain, or even basmati or jasmine rice.
When we make it, we nearly always use long-grain white rice.
Our current altitude is a little above 4000 feet above sea level. At this altitude, a 3-minute cook time yields a rice that still has a bit of a bite to it. (In a nice way.)
If I make this recipe with friends who live in the foothills, just a few hundred feet elevation increase, I’ve found that I do need to increase the cook time to 4 minutes.
To learn how to adjust this recipe to your altitude, see our High Altitude Pressure Cooking Guide for our cook time formula and other helpful information.
While you could skip the oil for this recipe if you like, we highly recommend keeping it in the recipe. The oil helps the finished dish taste more like Chipotle’s, and it helps reduce the foam that could sputter out on a pressure release. Plus, it keeps your rice grains flavorful and moist, rather than sticky.
Recipe Variation: Cilantro Lime Brown Rice
You can absolutely make Cilantro-Lime Rice with brown rice!
Brown rice just takes longer to cook that white rice, so be sure to plan ahead.
We’ve tested it, and it tastes just like Chipotle’s Brown Rice.
Use 1 cup brown rice and 1½ cups water (12 ounces). Keep all the other ingredients the same. Set the cook time for 22 minutes, and allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes.
Want more in-depth information about making this recipe? You can now find it below the recipe card.
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Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
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.
- While the rice is coming to pressure, in a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Set aside.
- 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. Add the cilantro-lime mixture and toss until thoroughly mixed. Serve immediately
Video
Notes
Nutrition
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED
This side is easy to make and has just 5 ingredients:
- Long-grain white rice: Any long grain rice will work in this recipe. We love it best with Jasmine rice when we can get it on sale; otherwise, we’ll use regular white rice.
- Vegetable oil: Adding a bit of oil helps improve the texture and flavor of the cooked rice, plus it’s a convenient way to evenly distribute the lime juice and cilantro throughout the finished dish. .
- Salt: We just use regular table salt. It’s a small amount, but it makes a really big difference in the finished dish. I don’t recommend skipping it.
- Fresh lime juice: If I have time, I’ll toss in some lime zest as well.
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro adds a lovely flavor to this recipe. In a pinch, we have used Freeze-Dried Cilantro, and the taste is good but not quite the same. (Note: We generally follow America’s Test Kitchen’s advice about cilantro. Rather than taking the time to separate the leaves and stems, we’ll just rinse the bunch well, then chop off the top part of the bunch and dice them all together.)
How to make Cilantro Lime Rice in an Instant Pot
Cilantro Lime Rice is SO easy to make in an Instant Pot—just a simple three-step recipe:
- Stir the white rice, water, salt, and oil into your pressure cooker pot, set the cook time for 3 or 4 minutes, and walk away!
- While the rice is cooking, stir together the fresh lime juice, oil, and chopped cilantro. Set it aside.
- Wait 7 minutes after the cook time ends, then release the remaining pressure, and fluff the rice. Add the cilantro lime mixture and stir until it’s all incorporated.
That’s it!
NOTE: Do not forget to add the salt BEFORE pressure cooking. It infuses into the grains as it cooks, and it will not taste the same if you forget this step. (Several years ago, I forgot the salt twice in a row when making this dish, and my family still brings it up—it’s that noticeable.)
What to Serve with Cilantro-Lime Rice
This dish really pairs well with just about any Mexican entrée. And we have plenty of Instant Pot Mexican recipes to serve it with! Here are some of our favorites:
- Cilantro Lime Chicken Taco Salad is one of our favorite healthy meal prep recipes with creamy dressing you’ll make on repeat.
- Creamy Chipotle Chicken features a zesty cream sauce and crunchy corn.
- Shredded Chicken Tacos are made complete with a side of Cilantro-Lime rice.
- Shredded Beef Enchiladas include moist, shredded beef wrapped in a soft tortilla for a comforting Mexican main dish.
- Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers with Cilantro-Lime Cream Sauce are a light, but satisfying vegetarian option.
- Ground Beef Tacos can cook from fresh or frozen ground beef to make Taco Tuesday easy.
- Green Chile Pork Carnitas are tender, moist and so flavorful. Wrap them in tortillas or simply serve them over rice.
- Carne Asada from Paint the Kitchen Red makes a tender beef filling for tacos or rice topping.
- Café Rio Sweet Pork Tostadas are a crunchy and kid-approved weeknight dinner.
- While it’s not a pressure cooker recipe, but I had to mention my Crispy Chicken Tacos from Barbara Bakes. (You hang the tortillas over the oven rack to crisp them up.)
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You guys are the bomb. Love your vids/recipes.
The Chipotle Rice is outstanding
The serving size says 1 g. That’s surely not an accurate number, right? That’s the weight of 1 paper clip, to my knowledge. Please explain…
Hi Mame – no, that wasn’t accurate. The nutrition information is automatically computer-generated. I’ve updated the nutrition information. Thanks!
Can this recipe be used in a Zojirushi rice cooker?
Hi Rob – I’ve never owned a Zojirushi but I assume it would work well in a rice cooker, just use the manufacturer’s suggested cook time and rice to liquid ratio.
I made this recipe and doubled everything. However, the rice was a little too soft and a little sticky. Would you say less water or oil next time?? Thanks in advance. My family loved it!
Hi Angela – glad your family loved it. Just try small changes until you get it just the way you want it. A little less water may do the trick. Also, rinsing the rice before cooking can make it less sticky.
I made this last night and it worked perfectly. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will never make rice the old way again.
That’s great – thanks Linda!
The flavor in this is really good! My only complaint is the rice was a bit too oily for me. I did end up making a second batch without the oil and mixing it all together to spread it out. I did use brown rice instead of white so I don’t know if that played a part. (24 minutes for me for brown rice)
Thank you for a delicious recipe!
Thanks for sharing Shawna – definitely important to change it up to suit your tastes.
I have the largest instapot and have to make rice for approx 25 people so was thinking I needed about 5 cups of uncooked rice. Could I do this all at once by just taking the recipe by 5?
Hi Ruth – yes, if you have the 8 quart, you can make 5 times the recipe. Enjoy!
Can I use this same recipe, but instead of the instant pot I cook the rice in a pot on the stove and then mix in the cilantro and limes etc after it is cooked? Would it cook differently or would it be the same?
Hi Peter – yes, you can cook the rice on the stove, but you’ll need to use 1 cup rice to 2 cups water. Then finish with the cilantro and lime. Enjoy!
Hi, I was wondering, if I am going to do 2 cups instead, do I have to double the rest of the recipe?
Hi Giselle – yes, double all the ingredients and use the same cook time. Enjoy!
If I want to double or even triple the recipe, what does that mean for the cook time in the instant pot?
Hi Peter – the cook time is the same when you double or triple a rice recipe.
Just made this recipe and it’s fabulous! Mine came out a little more al dente than when I typically cook rice on the stovetop–but I am totally fine with that. I liked the bite. I followed the instructions exactly. Thank you!
Thanks Caitlin – glad you loved it. You could add 1 minute to the cook time next time if you want it a little softer.
I have a power pressure cooker XL and have yet to cook anything in it. I want to make rice . Your recipe states to set the time at 3 minutes but my cooker automatically has it set at 6 minutes. Which time should I use?
Hi Hope – I prefer to use 3 minutes with a 10 minute natural release which steams the rice. You’ll just have to set a timer and cancel the cycle after 3 minutes and then do then 10 minute natural release.
Unfortunately this recipe did not work for me — the rice was way under cooked. I have a classic instapot. Do you have to change anything at a higher altitude or for different types of rice? THANK YOU!
Hi Ellie – yes, you do need to adjust for high altitude Add 5% to the cook time for every 1,000 feet above 3,000 feet. Most white rices will cook in this amount of time, but brown rices need additional time. https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-brown-rice-and-a-giveaway/ However, it sounds like you may not have had a good seal if it was way undercooked. Did you use a natural release?
In the recipe it states to add 1 Tablesppon of oil to the pot, but in your video it doesn’t show adding the oil? Are you suppose to add the oil prior to pressure cooking?
Hi Jeanette – I hire someone to do my videos and she just neglected to film that part. Always follow the recipe directions. Enjoy!
About the only thing different in stove top p cooker and insta pot cooker , the stove top p cooker, is a couple notches higher in the temperature it would be a slight quicker in cooking , but your not going to nottice at 3 minuites , if you had a full pot and five servings of some thing , to be equal you may have to add 5 or so miniutes to the instapot to get the same cooking out look , as the stove top pot will . And as far as adding more liquid to a doubled , yes of course ,you know that a pot under pressure is pressure driving every thing in
That pot to where it can , and in the case of rice the hot steam water will fill the rice as much as ir can , just say
You only put enough water for one cup , what do you think would happen , burned rice , burned pot, half cooked ,or maybe all those things, all that pressure that is released out of the vent is the same pressure that is trying to get inside your rice
The pressure cooker method made me cook it twice. So, I thought to myself, ” why didn’t I just cook on the stovetop in the first place? I still have to master that pressure cooking. This has nothing to do with her recipe, I suppose.
This looks delicious Barbara & so easy! Thank you also for sharing how your daughter doubles to freeze, what a great idea. I cook for 1-2 in a 3-qt. & would end up eating the whole thing by myself, not good, lol! Great to know this recipe freezes & reheats well, thanks!
Hello,
For the cilantro lime rice–when you say “cups” do you mean actual US imperial measured cups or the standard small rice cooker cups?
Please advise–
Thank you in advance
TJ
Hi TJ – standard US cups. I don’t use the smaller rice cup ever. Enjoy!
Thank you, time to start cooking!
Don’t forget that cileranto is only put on for looks ,mostly ,
Maybe in your house Fred. In our house we use cilantro because we love the flavor.
Fred, you might be thinking of parsley. Many people substitute parsley if they don’t like cilantro flavor. Parsley is just for looks. Not me.
I’ve seen some questions about doubling the recipe and am I reading correctly that you can add more rice but keep the water ratio the same?
Hi Karla – if you double the rice, you’ll double the water as well. Some people reduce the water slightly but I haven’t found it necessary.
So would the cooking time be the same 3 min. if you double the amount?
Yes – the cook time will be the same 3 minutes.
I like this with the zest of one lime before the cooking begins. I also put half of the cilantro in before cooking.
After cooking I provide everyone with a lime wedge and some chopped cilantro.
I do not use oil.
This is a recipe that turns out perfect if you double, triple or quadruple it. No additional cooking time.
Thanks for sharing your changes Jamie. So glad you enjoy it!
Chipolte uses Jasmine Rice not regular white rice..
The cook time is the same in the pressure cooker, so feel free to use whichever you prefer.
Can I cook the rice ahead and serve the next day? How would I reheat it?
Hi Julie – yes, this rice will reheat very well. Some like to reheat pot in pot. Put an oven safe dish on a trivet with a cup of water below and just steam it for about 3 minutes. Or, if you prefer, just microwave it perhaps adding a tablespoon of water.
i made this last night and we loved it, wouldn’t change a thing for the white rice! Have you tried this with brown rice or would you have any suggestions for variations if we wanted to try brown? I can find other posts for the brown rice, but I really think the oil in your recipe is huge part of what makes the texture and I cannot find anything with oil for the brown rice.
Is there anything different in this recipe if it is done on a cooktop (Fagor) pressure cooker?
Hi Candace – you shouldn’t have to do anything differently if your pressure cooker has very little liquid loss as it cooks. If you know your stove top pressure cooker loses liquid, you may want to increase the liquid.
If I use 3 cups rice and keep the same ratios of other ingredients. Will I need to change amount of time?
I have an instant pot and I am hoping I can do 3 cups at once?
Anyone know about that?
Hi Karen – yes, you can do 3 cups of rice at one time and keep the same ratios and cook time. All the recipes on Pressure Cooking Today will work great in the Instant Pot. I only use electric pressure cookers. Enjoy!
I used jasmine rice and butter in the place of vegetable oil. This turned out phenomenally! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m new to the pressure cooking world and was wondering if I can substitute basmati rice for the long grain rice? Thank you for all of your effort!
Hi Cindy – yes, basmati rice will work fine in this recipe. Thanks!
Is this the same for minute rice or something different?
Hi Dawn – no, this is for long grain white rice. Minute rice would have a very short cook time and I haven’t tried it in this rice.
Delicious!!!! I doubled it, did high pressure 3 minutes. 10 minutes NPR. then QR about 5 minutes. The rice turned out perfect. Flavors spot on. Thank you!
Thanks Stephanie! One of my favorite rice recipes for sure 🙂
How many people does this recipe serve? I’m needing to make enough for twelve. What ratios would you do?! Thanks!
Hi Elease – if there are other sides 1/4 cup dry rice per person. If it’s part of the main dish, then 1/2 cup per person uncooked rice. I wouldn’t change the ratios. Enjoy!
I don’t have fresh cilantro, could you use dried for this recipe? Thanks so much!
You could, but I’d reduce it to 1 to 2 teaspoons and you might need to add more lime juice or a little water if the dried cilantro absorbs all the water.
I just got my first pressure cooker today, and I have to say I absolutely love this website and all the recipes I’m finding. This will be the first thing I fix in my pressure cooker and I will be fixing it tonight 😀
Hi Raymond – this will be a great first recipe to try. Have fun!
Could you double this in a 6 qt pressure cooker? Thank you.
Hi Kim – yes, you can double or even triple this recipe without any increased cooking time. I’d probably increase the natural pressure release time to 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Hello
I’m curious as why you don’t increase cooking time?
Hi Reila – there’s no need for additional time. Even if you were making rice on the stove the traditional way, you wouldn’t increase the cook time.
I am still having a problem with the bottom layer of rice pretty much burning to the pan(not burnt, but a solid stuck layer) and am wondering what I am doing wrong or is that normal to have a layer of grains stuck to the bottom?
Hi Darlene – no, it’s not normal to have a layer of rice stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Are you using long grain white rice? Having you tried adding additional water or a longer natural release time?
I made this last night and it turned out wonderful! I even doubled the recipe. Tasty stuff!
Thanks Jeannette! My daughter makes this about every week to go with whatever Mexican dish she’s serving.
i saw this recipe and I purchased an electric Cuisinart pressure cooker (next day air) to make it. Although I grew up with my mother using a first gen cooker, I was so nervous that I was actually sweating. I even left the room while it cooked! The manual says to cook one cup of rice with six and a half cups of water! I rinse my rice very well and drain it before cooking, so I used only one cup of water. I didn’t use oil or salt (I put them in after cooking).
It was a smash hit with my husband who manages four Mexican restaurants. The only criticism was that the grains were a smidge hard. I loved it, it was perfect, but if I wanted to soften the grains a bit, would I increase cooking time to four minutes or extend the release time? Thank you for a beautiful recipe!
I made a mistake, six and a half cups of water was for two cups of brown rice, and one and a half cups of water for one cup of white rice (according to the Cuisinart manual).
Hi Michaela – so glad you and your husband who manages four Mexican restaurants loved the rice! Yes, I thinking extending the release time may give you just that little bit softer rice you’re looking for. You may need to add just a little additional water too. Oil is often added to rice when pressure cooker not necessarily to add flavor, but to help prevent foaming. I haven’t had much problem with foaming with this recipe, but if you were to double or triple it, there may be a problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
So glad I found your blog! I’ve been using my pressure cooker just a little bit now, and I have question. The instruction book that came with it says to not cook grains unless they’re in a bowl with aluminum foil covering them, because they tend to froth, but I don’t have a good bowl for doing that in and I see you don’t do that in this recipe. Is it really necessary?
Hi Katy – glad you found me too. I haven’t had a problem with foaming in my pressure cooker when cooking rice. Just be sure and rinse your rice well, don’t over fill the pressure cooker, and you can add a bit of oil to help prevent foaming. Also, using a natural pressure release for a while before opening the pressure cooker is important when cooking things that tend to foam. Have fun!
From what I’ve read, rice and pasta will foam if you don’t add any fat.
Hi, I have a BIG (10 qt) stove top pc. Should I attempt rice?
I would double the recipe if making it in a 10 qt stove top pressure cooker, but as long as you don’t get a lot of evaporation when you normally use it, I think rice would work out fine.
I’ve tried to duplicate the Chipotle rice a number of times with minimal success. This one was a big hit with my teenagers. One even asked me to make it again the next day. Thanks for posting this recipe.
That’s so great. Thanks for letting me know.
I love cilantro lime rice! And a pressure cooker is on my Christmas wish list. 🙂
I was wondering about brown rice also but did not see the ‘link’ in your reply.
Have tried almost all your recipes and they have been a big hit! Thanks so much
Thanks LeAnn – so glad you’re enjoying my recipes. I added the link. Thanks for the heads up.
Barbara
What changes would you make to the cooking time and water quantities if you used brown rice.
I have not cooked rice in my stove top pressure cooker. Thank you for sharing your recipes.
Here’s a link to the brown rice recipe. Just add double the lime and cilantro or divide the recipe in half. Enjoy! https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/2012/11/pressure-cooker-brown-rice-and-a-giveaway/
I’ve gotta get an electric pressure cooker so I can try rice-my stove top one is SO tempermental. I’d be leery cooking rice in it-afraid it would turn into mush. I’m still working on getting my timing down for this foolish thing down……one of these days I’ll get it right!
In the meantime-that rice looks DELICIOUS Barbara. 🙂
Thanks Carol! I hope you get one soon. I know you’d love it.
How wonderful is this recipe! This would go perfectly with my Cafe Rio Chicken recipe! Thank you! BTW, I tried your lovely beef stew recipe two nights ago, and it was a hit! The addition of the corn starch and water thickener was brilliant since my husband much prefers a stew-ish consistency to a soup-y consistency, and that was just the ticket! I’m loving my new electric pressure cooker from Costco–thanks to your recommendation, Barbara!
I’m so excited you got one. You’ll have so much fun. Glad you enjoyed that stew. This would go perfectly with Cafe Rio. Enjoy!