Cilantro Lime Rice in Instant Pot

If you’re after a recipe to make cilantro lime rice in Instant Pot, look no further.

This dish is incredibly easy to make in your Instant Pot, making it an ideal choice for busy weeknights, meal prep sessions, or even casual gatherings with friends and family.

Jump to:

What is cilantro lime rice?
What can I make with cilantro lime rice?
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Cost To Make
Ingredients
Equipment
Instructions
Tips for Success
Substitutions / Variations
Serving Suggestions
Storage
FAQ
What rice is used for what?
Helpful Rice Cooking Tips
More Mains Recipes
Recipe
Comments

If you've ever dined at your favorite Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant and been enchanted by the fragrant, zesty, and perfectly fluffy cilantro lime rice that accompanies your meal, and always wondered how to make it at home, look no further.

This recipe for cilantro lime rice in Instant Pot makes fluffy, tender, and aromatic rice.

Mad from fragrant basmati rice, zesty fresh limes, and vibrant cilantro, this recipe offers a delightful twist on the ordinary plain white rice.

Whether you're planning a festive Mexican fiesta, assembling vibrant burrito bowls, or seeking a delectable side for grilled chicken or seafood, cilantro lime rice is the answer.

Other delicious rice dishes you can make in the Instant Pot include yellow rice, coconut rice, basmati rice, arroz caldo, and fragrant jasmine rice.

What is cilantro lime rice?

Cilantro lime rice is a popular and flavorful side dish made from cooked white rice, typically long-grain like basmati or jasmine, infused with the bright and zesty flavors of fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro (coriander).

It's a versatile accompaniment, often found in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, and adds a refreshing and aromatic element to meals.

Cilantro lime rice on a round white plate.

What can I make with cilantro lime rice?

Cilantro lime rice is a versatile side dish that can be used in various ways. Here are some ideas for what you can make with cilantro lime rice:

Burrito Bowls: Use it as a base for burrito bowls, adding ingredients like grilled chicken, black beans, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.
Taco Filling: Serve it as a taco filling alongside seasoned meats, beans, and your favorite toppings.
Stuffed Peppers: Use it as a filling for stuffed bell peppers, along with ground beef or turkey, tomatoes, and cheese.
Salads: Incorporate it into salads for added texture and flavor, especially in Southwestern or Mexican-style salads.
Side Dish: Serve it as a side dish alongside grilled or roasted meats, fish, or vegetables.
Wraps and Quesadillas: Use it as a filling for wraps and quesadillas, along with other ingredients like cheese, vegetables, and protein.
Meal Prep: Prep it in advance and use it as a base for meal prep, incorporating various proteins and vegetables for a quick and balanced meal during the week.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Make this rice ahead of time, making it great to use as a base for meal prep rice recipes.
Add as much or as little lime flavor as you like.
This lime rice recipe is ready in no time and easy to make.
Serve this easy to make rice at a variety of occasions, including dinner parties, weeknight eats, lazy weekends, or even special occasions like Christmas or Thanksgiving.
This recipe is gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan friendly.

Cost To Make

Estimated cost = $3.75, or $0.94 a serve

Ingredients

Please note that below is a guide for some of the ingredients we used in the recipe. The printable recipe further down the page has the complete list of ingredients, including quantities and step-by-step instructions.

Vegetable Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Minced Garlic
Basmati Rice
Water
Lime Zest
Salt
Fresh Cilantro (coriander) Leaves: Roughly chopped.
Lime Juice

Equipment

This recipe uses a 6 quart (5.7 litre) Instant Pot Duo.

Instructions

This recipe for cilantro lime rice in the Instant Pot serves 4. The ingredient quantities can easily be adjusted to suit how many serves you need to make. Note – the Instant Pot requires a minimum of 1 cup of liquid to cook.

Step One: Rinse your rice until the water runs clear. Completely drain off all water. Set aside.

Step Two: Turn on your Instant Pot to saute mode. When the inner pot is hot, add the vegetable oil, minced garlic, and basmati rice. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Press cancel on your Instant Pot.

Step Three: Add the water, lime zest, and salt. Mix together. Taste for seasoning, add more salt if desired. Make sure no rice is stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Step Four: Close the lid of the Instant Pot and place the steam release valve in the sealing position. Select Pressure Cook, high pressure, for 3 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 5 to 10 minutes to come to pressure. After this, it will start to count down.

Step Five: When the cook time has finished, press cancel. The screen should say OFF.

Step Six: Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for at least 10 minutes (or until the silver pin has dropped). After 10 minutes, you can quick release (manually release) any remaining pressure by turning the steam release valve to venting.

Step Seven: Remove the lid of the Instant Pot when all pressure has been released and mix in the chopped cilantro and lime juice. Serve.

Cooked cilantro lime rice in an Instant Pot.

Tips for Success

It is important that you rinse and drain your rice before use. This removes starch from the rice so that when the rice is cooked the rice turns out fluffy, and the grains separate.

Close up image of lime and cilantro rice in a white bowl.

Substitutions / Variations

Some delicious variations of this lime and cilantro rice that you might like to try include:

Add some coconut milk in place of some of the water to make a coconut cilantro and lime rice. We like to use a 2 cups water and ¼ cup of coconut milk.
When you mix through the cilantro, you might like to mix through some black beans and corn kernels.
Mash up rice avocados and mix them through the cooked rice.
Dice some fresh pineapple and mix it through.
Add a bit of heat to your rice by mixing through some finely chopped chilli.
For cilantro lime rice in Instant Pot with chicken, saute some chicken pieces in your Instant Pot before adding your rice and minced garlic.
To make Instant Pot cilantro lime jasminerice, use jasmine rice instead of basmati rice. You will need to adjust the amount of water you use. For 1 cup of jasmine rice, you will need to use 1 cup of water.

Serving Suggestions

Use this cilantro lime rice recipe as a base for a burrito bowl.
As a filling or side dish for tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, or quesadillas.
Serve it with grilled meats like fish, shrimp, chicken, or beef.
Serve this rice alongside your favorite stir fry.
With a salsa.

Storage

Store this Instant Pot cilantro lime rice in an air tight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

FAQ

Do I need to rinse the rice before cooking it in the Instant Pot?

Yes, rinsing the rice until the water runs clear helps remove excess starch, ensuring fluffier rice.

What type of rice is best for cilantro lime rice?

Long-grain white rice, like jasmine or basmati, works best for this recipe.

Can I make this rice ahead of time?

Yes, you can make it in advance and reheat when needed.

How can I adjust the recipe for a larger group?

Simply scale up the ingredients while keeping the cooking time the same.

What rice is used for what?

Ever wondered which might be the best rice to use for a dish you’re about to make.

Or maybe you’re just curious and want to know more about rice in general.

Why not check out our pages on what is basmati rice and what is jasmine rice.

Helpful Rice Cooking Tips

Want to know how to cook rice or just need a little refresher?

Check out how to easily cook basmati rice, sushi rice, and jasmine rice on the stovetop.

Or, why not check out our recipes on how to make basmati rice, jasmine rice, and sushi rice in the Instant Pot.

Made this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments below! We'd love to hear how it turned out.

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