Instant Pot Mexican Rice with Corn and Black Beans
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If you’re looking for a super quick, simple, and delicious Instant Pot Mexican Rice recipe — you’ve come to the right place. This is a favorite, simple Mexican Rice full of the Spanish flavors we love. And quick? How about 4 minutes quick?
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If you love Mexican food, Mexican Rice is likely a staple—along with beans, corn, tortillas, and guacamole! This Mexican Rice is a standby favorite, with easy ingredients, convenient and simple in the Instant Pot, and hands down, one of my favorite Mexican Rice recipes ever!
The Secret Ingredient
The secret and the quick ingredient is simply salsa—chunky salsa, particularly. I modify it according to who I’m serving that night. For me, it will always be mild salsa. For the rest of my guys, the hotter, the better. Usually, we land somewhere in the middle with “medium.”
A Complete Protein Source
Some foods, including beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, peas, and corn, are known as incomplete proteins. But by combining two or more of them, they become complete proteins!
Healthline notes, “Both brown and white rice are low in lysine but high in methionine. In contrast, beans are high in lysine but low in methionine. Combining them allows you to get enough of each and the remaining seven essential amino acids to count as a complete protein.”
Instant Pot Mexican Rice and Beans Ingredients
This recipe uses mostly simple pantry ingredients. Gather these items:
- Long-grain rice
- Cooking oil
- Salsa: Choose a good quality salsa that fits your heat preference and tastes according to your heat preferences. Most of the flavor comes from the salsa!
- Garlic powder and ground cumin
- Black beans, drained
- Corn: fresh, frozen, or canned
- Fresh tomatoes and the juice of 1 lime
How to Make Instant Pot Mexican Rice
To the base of a 6-quart Instant Pot or pressure cooker add rice, water, garlic powder, cumin, and oil; stir. Then top the mixture with salsa and do not stir it in.
Lock the lid in place, set the Instant Pot on manual high pressure, and cook for 4 minutes. Once the rice has cooked, naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes before quickly releasing any remaining pressure.
Meanwhile, drain and rinse both the beans and the corn; set aside. Chop the tomatoes and juice the lime.
Once the pressure is released, remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and switch to the saute setting on the Instant Pot. Stir in the drained beans and corn, fresh tomatoes, and lime juice. Turn the pressure cooker off and replace the lid, letting the residual heat warm the beans and corn if desired.
Avoiding an Instant Pot Burn Notice
When Instant Pot recipes require tomatoes or salsa, be sure they don’t touch the bottom of the pressure cooker. If so, you will likely get a burn notice.
If you want to make it on the stovetop:
This recipe is easy to make on the stovetop in about 15 minutes instead of in a multicooker. Here’s how:
- Heat oil in a large skillet or pot, then add the rice and saute for about 1 minute.
- Stir in 3 cups water, salsa, garlic powder, and cumin. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.
- Stir in the black beans and corn, cover, and let warm for a few minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed, and serve!
Variations:
- Reduce chopping by adding halved cherry tomatoes instead of chopped fresh tomatoes.
- At the end of cooking, stir in cooked protein (such as chicken or ground meat like turkey or beef).
More Instant Pot Mexican Recipes:
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- 4 Minute Instant Pot Taco Mac and Cheese
- Quick Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Easy Instant Pot Mexican Rice Recipe
Instant Pot Mexican Rice with Corn and Black Beans
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry white rice (like long grain)
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup salsa
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 (14-oz) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (14-oz) can corn drained and rinsed
For Serving
- fresh tomatoes chopped
- juice of 1 lime
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- To the base of a 6-quart Instant Pot or pressure cooker add rice, water, garlic powder, cumin, and oil; stir. Then top the mixture with salsa and do not stir it in.
- Lock the lid in place, set the Instant Pot on manual high pressure, and cook for 4 minutes. Once the rice has cooked, naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes before quickly releasing any remaining pressure.
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse both the beans and the corn; set aside. Chop the tomatoes and juice the lime.
- Once the pressure is released, remove the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and stir in the drained beans, corn, fresh tomatoes, and lime juice. At this point, I like to put the lid back on the pressure cooker and let it sit for another few minutes to warm the beans and corn. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Notes
- Salsa: Most of the flavor in this rice comes from the salsa. Be sure to use a prepared salsa you love and according to your heat preference. If you love spice, choose a spicy salsa!
- Salt: You will notice in the recipe I don’t include salt as a measured ingredient. Salsa varies in saltiness, so be sure to taste and adjust the seasoning as preferred before serving.
- Stovetop Method: Heat oil in a large skillet or pot, then add the rice and saute for about 1 minute. Then, stir in 3 cups water, salsa, garlic powder, and cumin. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the drained black beans and corn, cover, and let warm for a few minutes before serving.
- Added Protein: Add 1-2 cups of cooked chicken or ground meat for protein.
- Garnish Ideas: Chopped green onion, cherry tomatoes, sour cream, fresh chopped parsley, or cilantro.
- Avoiding an Instant Pot Burn Notice: When Instant Pot recipes require tomatoes or salsa, be sure they don’t touch the bottom of the pressure cooker. If so, you will likely get a burn notice.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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We made this tonight, added some leftover chicken and cherry tomatoes for a perfect, weeknight dinner. This is so easy and a new favorite for us that we will make again!
Burned it twice and I give up.
Burn notice but I followed the directions to the t 🙁
This looks like a good recipe, but with time required to come to pressure, and a 10-minute Natural Pressure Release, IT’S NOT A 4-MINUTES QUICK COOK! And maybe people can read that, but to put it in the presentation of the recipe is simply not accurate. Sorry, but this is a pet peeve for IP recipes.
You make a good point. The recipe card software doesn’t give me an option to include “inactive time.” Thank you for your comment.
I can’t make this without the instant pot burning 🙁
I’m so sorry about that, Sarah. I make this several times a month and I’ve never had that pesky burn notice. Tomatoes can often be the culprit when it comes to a “burn message,” but sometimes it can happen after sauteing. Be sure to scrape up any browned bits that remain in the pot. I’ve also changed the order of the directions on the recipe. Instead of stirring in the salsa, I’ve written the recipe to add the salsa last. Hope this helps!
About how long do you sauté until rice becomes opaque?
Hi Darcy – I let it sauté about 2 minutes, maybe a little less when I’m in a hurry ❤️
Where do I saute the rice? I don’t see that in any step, just to add it I the inner pot
Hi Adriana, I don’t saute the rice in this recipe, although I always do on the stovetop. In order to make this recipe quick and easy, and help avoid any burn notices, I’ve opted to skip sauteing the rice. But it is definitely a step you can do if you want. Set the Instant Pot to the saute function, then add about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the insert. Once hot, add the rice, and saute until opaque. Then, cancel the saute function and proceed with the recipe.
Can this be made in any size instant pot? Mine is the smaller version.
Hi Ally – I’ve only made this in a 6 quart Instant Pot. However, if you have a 3 quart, it should work if you half the ingredients. Keep the same cooking time though. I’d love to hear how it worked if you try it!
Do you use minute rice or regular?
Hi Alyssa — I use regular rice!
Was the rice precooked?
Hi Julia! — No, the rice was not precooked. I’ll specify uncooked rice in the recipe.
Do you add the lime juice to the rice mixture along with the beans, corn and tomatoes? Or just use as desired on top of the finished product?
Hi Lauren! I add it at the end as desired.
How can I add chicken to it? Would it cook with the rice?
Hi Christian — that is a great idea! I have not tested that, but I’m going to this weekend and will probably create a new recipe post. For now, I would think that adding pre-cooked chicken, like rotisserie chicken, would be the simplest. Sounds delicious and can’t wait to try your idea!