Ingredients needed 🧾
How to make it 🔪
Recipe 📖
This vegetarian/vegan fried Mexican rice is a red-colored side dish made with rice, beans, and spices. It’s extremely flavorful yet simple and easy to make.
What differentiates these two are the seasonings used. Spanish rice uses saffron which adds a different aroma and yellow color to the dish.
Mexican rice uses cumin, tomatoes, chilly powder, and other spices to give it a tangy flavor and red color. Also, Spanish rice is a bit firmer whereas Mexican rice is softer.
Plus it saves me time and reduces the number of vessels used. Win-Win for me! Trust me, you will never go back to the stove-top version!
There are many variations to making Mexican rice in the Instant Pot. I have tried a couple of them and finally settled on this recipe.
My Instant pot Mexican rice recipe is fail-proof and comes out delicious every single time. I like my Mexican rice to be loaded with flavors and this recipe hits that sweet spot!
BTW, I have an entire category dedicated to Instant Pot recipes in case you want to check it out.
Veggies - onion, scallions, bell pepper, sweetcorn are the veggies I like to add to this rice recipe.
Herbs and spices - garlic, serrano peppers, taco seasoning, cumin powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, and Mexican seasoning mix give this rice an authentic flavor.
Beans - I have used low sodium canned Pinto beans. You can any other beans like kidney beans, black beans, and/or even chickpeas to make this vegan rice.
Salsa - Medium chunky salsa is what you will need. You can use store-bought or make it at home.
Greens - The green part of the scallions, shredded lettuce, cilantro are the greens you would need.
Sour cream - If you are vegan, then use vegan sour cream or use regular sour cream if you are not.
Tortilla chips - Use any tortilla chips that are available to you. You can also make it at home.
Salsa - Medium chunky salsa is what you will need. You can use store-bought or make it at home.
You can either use precooked or leftover rice or cook the rice with all the ingredients together on a stovetop. If using pre-cooked rice, follow the same steps as above and finally add the cooked rice, mix, garnish, and serve. Instant Pot Mexican fried rice can be served as a side with any Mexican dish. You can also enjoy it by itself or use it as filling in a burrito. It can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Serve this vegetarian/vegan Mexican fried rice for potlucks, brunches, date nights, weekday meals, weekend parties, Cinco de Mayo, or even pack them in lunch boxes. If looking for healthier options, follow the stovetop version and use cooked quinoa or cauliflower rice instead of white rice. I have used store-bought salsa, you can also make it at home. Since the salsa I used already was salted, I didn’t add salt while cooking it. Add a teaspoon of sugar to balance the flavors if needed. You can make Instant pot Mexican Rice with diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, or salsa. Like this recipe? Please show your love by leaving a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest to see more delicious vegetarian and vegan recipes and what I’m getting up to.
