Rice recipes in the Instant Pot are quick and easy to prepare. The rice comes out perfectly cooked almost every time we use the Instant Pot. It’s also really quick. You can prepare fresh rice dishes practically any night of the week. If you’re looking for a quick dump-and-go meal, this Instant Pot Rice & Beans is ideal, just like my vegan taco soup and quinoa chili. This delicious, set-and-forget Mexican Rice and beans (also often called Spanish rice and beans) requires no stirring or babysitting. This recipe is hearty and satisfying enough to serve as the main course, but it could also be served as a side dish!
Watch How to Make Easy Instant Pot Rice & Beans
Why you’ll love this recipe
Quick and easy to prepare in the Instant Pot It is a dump and go recipe. It is so versatile – use it as a filling for tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, etc.. Or simply enjoy the rice and beans with your favorite toppings!
Ingredients you’ll need
Brown Rice: This dish is made with fluffy, delicate brown rice. I like to use long grain brown basmati rice. Dry black beans: Soak them overnight. It’s a protein-rich food. Oil: I typically use canola or avocado oil, but you may use other oils if you prefer. Vegetable broth or water: I prefer to use vegetable broth in this recipe for extra flavor & richness, but you can substitute water if you don’t have any on hand. Garlic cloves – mince the garlic with a knife or in a garlic press. Spices – you’ll need chili, oregano, salt and cumin powder. You can also replace all of these with taco seasoning and salt. Onion and Bell pepper: Adds flavor, and extra nutrition to this dish. Fresh jalapeño- To make it less hot, remove the jalapeno seeds and rib. OR skip the jalapeno entirely. Fire roasted tomatoes: Use canned fire roasted tomatoes. Lime juice Cilantro: For garnish
Let’s make brown rice and beans
This is the best part – Just add all the ingredients to your pressure cooker in this order: oil, jalapeño, onion, garlic, rice, beans, bell pepper, spices broth and mix well.
Now add tomatoes. At this point, do not stir the pot!
Close lid with vent in sealing position. Set on pressure cook mode for 22 minutes at high pressure.
When the pressure cooker beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 mins.
Open the lid. Add lime juice and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
Serve with any of the toppings you like!
Topping Ideas
Toppings such as cilantro, shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, or sliced avocado tastes great with this rice and beans recipe.
Pro-Tips
Using canned beans & white rice: You can make this dish with canned beans. I recommend to pair them with white rice, as the cooking time will reduce for canned beans. Pressure cook for 4 minutes on high pressure and reduce broth/water to 1 1/4 cup. Which beans? You can use any of pinto, kidney or black beans in tbhis recipe. The cooking time for dry beans will remain the same. Rice: I highly recommend to wash the rice in cold water. This helps to reduce the starch and make the rice fully. Seasoning: You may also eliminate the chili powder, cumin, and oregano and substitute 1 tablespoon taco seasoning instead. Tomatoes: You can use salsa in place of fire roasted tomatoes. Whenever you add in the fire roasted tomatoes/salsa, do not stir the pot. This helps to avoid the a burn warning in the instant pot.
Variations
I always find it fascinating to find different versions of a recipe. Beans and Rice are a staple in many countries, which means there are lots of wonderful variations you can make for this recipe – New Orleans red beans and rice – This version is cooked with red kidney beans and sausage Cuban beans and rice (Moros y Cristianos) – This Cuban version is made with bacon, black beans and white rice. Here the black beans are first cooked in the instant pot, and then rice added to them and cooked together to give the final dish. Puerto rican beans and rice (Arroz Con Habichuelas) – This version is made with softrito, sazon Goya spice blend and olives. Belizean rice and beans – In this version, the rice and beans are cooked in coconut milk. Jamaican red beans and rice – This is similar to the belizean version cooked with coconut milk.
Common Questions
I am sure you will love this easy beans & rice as much as we did. Here are more Veggie Mexican recipes that you might like:
Mexican Black Beans Vegetarian Mexican Casserole with Rice & Beans Spanish Rice Vegetarian Black Bean Quesadillas Pineapple Mango Salsa
