Instant Pot Lemon Rice
Instant Pot Lemon Rice is an incredibly easy, flavorful side dish for Greek recipes made with long-grain rice, chicken broth, and plenty of lemon.
❤️ Why You’ll Love this Recipe: Incredibly quick and easy, this flavor-packed lemon rice makes a delicious go-to side dish for any Mediterranean dish.
This lemon rice is based on a recipe that we’ve been making for over 40 years. We always pair it with our Greek Souvlaki, made with pork marinated overnight and quickly grilled.
When you make the rice in the Instant Pot, it cooks just as quickly as the grilled pork!
(We also have a stovetop version of lemon rice over on Barbara Bakes if your Instant Pot is busy making lemon cheesecake for dessert.)
Update: We make this sunny lemon rice recipe all the time at my house, so we’ve updated the recipe with new photos and tips.
How to Make Lemon Rice in an Instant Pot
This Creamy Lemon Rice recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
My family absolutely loves plenty of lemon in this recipe. We add a generous half cup. However, if you prefer a more subtle citrus flavor, you can add less.
The lemon zest adds a pretty color and flavor to the finished dish. For a bit of extra color and freshness, I also love using fresh parsley. However, you can easily substitute dried parsley in a pinch.
What to Serve with Greek Lemon Rice
This recipe has a distinct Greek flavor. We usually pair it with grilled pork souvlaki and a greek salad.
If you’re looking for love to serve it with these other Mediterranean-inspired dishes:
- Instant Pot Greek Beef Tacos feature soft, fluffy pita filled with herb-flavored ground beef cooked to perfection in an Instant Pot.
- Instant Pot Greek Pork Tacos take the amazing flavors of pork souvlaki and wraps it up in an easy-to-eat pita “taco.”
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Shawarma is tender, juicy and full of warming spiced flavors for a satisfying weeknight meal with lemon rice.
- Mediterranean Instant Pot Fish en Papillote is light, refreshing and delicious with any Instant Pot rice dish, especially with fresh lemon juice!
More Popular Instant Pot Rice Recipes
The Instant Pot is a wonderful way to make rice of all kinds, including these favorite recipes:
- Taco Rice is a fast one-pot recipe with Tex-Mex flavor and just the right amount of spice.
- Instant Pot Saffron Rice Pilaf with Almonds is a nutty and beautifully yellow rice dish with fragrant saffron flavor.
- Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole is a one-pot dinner with greens, protein and rice in a savory cheese sauce.
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Lemon Rice in the Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot Lemon Rice is an incredibly easy, flavorful side dish for Greek recipes made with long-grain rice, chicken broth and plenty of lemon.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups long grain rice
- 1 can (14.5 ounce) chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Select Sauté and add butter to cooking pot. When hot, add the rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until rice becomes opaque, about 2 minutes.
- Add broth, water, lemon juice, and salt. Cover and lock lid in place. Select High Pressure and set timer for 4 minutes.
- When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes and then use a Quick Pressure Release.
- When the valve drops carefully remove lid. Fluff rice with a fork and serve immediately. Optional, garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 122Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 444mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
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Can you double this recipe for dinner party? Or would you have to add more time?
Hi Desiree – yes, you can double this recipe with no change in cook time. Enjoy!
This looks amazing! Could i substitute the long grain rice with jasmine? Thanks!
Yes – I think that would work well.
Absiolutely, positively LOVED this lemon rice. So easy, so good, and so very quick to make. Making rice in the Instant Pot has been hit-or-miss for me with many of the recipes on Pinterest, but this recipe was spot on perfect! It has just the right amount of tang from the lemon juice, but doesn’t overwhelm, and the consistency was creamy, similar to a risotto. This one’s a keeper.
Thanks Pat – glad you loved it. You described it perfectly!
Love lemon rice. Could I make it by just adding water rather than chicken broth as I am vegetarian?
Hi Mina – definitely, using water will works just fine. Enjoy!
Yes, but I would just get a can of vegetable broth for a better flavor. You can also make it but it is too much trouble for making only 2 or 3 cups. The Instant Pot is also the easiest way to make any type of broth but you typically make about 7 or 8 cups worth when you make it yourself.
I see you have a recipe for brown rice using a stove top pressure cooker. I just bought my first electric pressure cooker today and haven’t used it yet. How do you do your long grain brown rice? Appreciate your advice and I’ve signed up for your newsletter.
Hi Barbara – how exciting! What brand did you buy? All my recipes are written for the electric pressure cooker. Here’s a link to the brown rice recipe I make all the time in my Instant Pot. https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-brown-rice-and-a-giveaway/ Let me know if you have any questions about making it.
It also work great for making wild rice in a reasonable time too. I usually use 50/50 mic of brown and wild rice.
First timer here- do I turn sauté off once I’ve added the liquid? And then do I manually set timer?
Hi Becky – yes, you have to press the cancel button to change cooking functions. Then you’ll use the manual button and the “-” button to change the time. This post will help https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-white-rice/
In this Lemon Rice recipe, you list 1 can chicken broth, which is about 14.5 oz, then 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and 1 cup of water. In the instructions, you do not say to add the water, only the broth and lemon juice. Should I leave out the listed cup of water? Thanks…
Hi Jocelyn – you add the water with the broth and the lemon juice. I’ve updated the recipe instructions. Thanks!
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Hi, I almost always use brown rice, but use white rice every once in awhile and have problems sometimes with the rice sticking? Never have the problem with brown rice though? Is there an easy way to get around this problem? Do you clean your rice? I’ve heard of adding vinegar helps?
Thanks for any suggestions you might have.
Darin
Have you tried adding more water with white rice? Are you using a stove top pressure cooker?
electric pressure cooker, computerized one. I added the less water, and more, but still, sometimes it comes out sticky. Tried different brands of rice too? Tempted on going back to my rice cooker, but want to learn to do it right on the pressure cooker because of the time that is saved.
Thanks, Darin
Definitely rinse the rice until it runs clear. I also found this suggestion which might solve the. problem “I turn off the cooker (I don’t leave it on warm) open the top and leave the top slightly ajar and let the rice rest for approximately 10 minutes while the steam escapes. Then after the ten minute rest, I stir it with a paddle-spoon. It becomes fluffy.”
Cool, might be a bit before I try it this way, just made a batch of brown rice. But will try it with your suggestions.
Thank you so much! Darin
The flavor of the brown rice would over power the light acidity of the lemon. It works better with herbs.
Super good. Love the hint of lemon you taste in the rice. Will never cook rice the same again. Thank you!
Great recipe! I made it with brown rice and it worked fantastically. I used the cooking time you’ve posted about for the brown rice. Came out perfectly and the lemon was just perfect.
Thanks Nicole! I haven’t tried it yet with brown rice. Glad to know it works well.
Ok, so does that mean you turn off after 4 minutes or what? And I don’t think we have the same pressure cooker but could you explain quick release method please, thanks.
Oh and I second that coconut rice too.
Yes, after 4 minutes turn off the pressure cooker, wait 5 minutes for the pressure to release naturally and steam the rice a bit, then release the pressure according to your manufacturer’s instructions. The instructions for the electric pressure cooker are in my FAQ sections https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/faq/#QuickRelease.
I’ll get working on that coconut rice 🙂
You need an Instant Pot which is set in 1 minute increments not just a pressure cooker. Quick release – open the valve to depressurize.
Looks delicious! Now all I need is a recipe for coconut rice and I’m set! 🙂
I’ve never made coconut rice, but now it sounds like I’d better. 🙂
Oh my gosh….that rice would be the perfect sidekick for so many dishes I make…..and your Souvlaki looks and sounds wonderful. I could cook the rice and Bob could grill the pork…team work-I love it! 🙂
Thanks Barbara.
Thanks Carol! Gotta love team work 🙂