This Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice is perfect in your favorite Chipotle burrito bowl or as a side with tacos or enchiladas.
It also makes a perfect companion to my Slow Cooker Green Chili Pork Stew for a hearty weeknight meal.
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
I took my very popular copycat recipe for Chipotle’s Cilantro Lime Rice and made it faster and easier in the Instant Pot. Make a homemade burrito bowl or serve it with tacos, enchiladas, or fajitas.
This rice recipe is so easy to make. You just add the rice, water, oil, and salt to the pressure cooker and cook on high for three minutes. Do a natural release for ten minutes and then a quick release. Fluff the rice with a fork and transfer to a bowl with the lime juice, cilantro, and remaining oil.
Cooking rice in the Instant Pot requires less water and cooks in less time. No pre-rinsing the rice, but of course, you can if you wish.
You can make a double batch using the same ratio of rice and water. The cook time will remain the same. You can also freeze any extra rice in individual servings in freezer bags so you can whip up burritos or burrito bowls anytime.
What to Serve with Cilantro Lime Rice
The lime and cilantro give this rice a bright, fresh flavor. It’s a family favorite on Mexican-inspired dinner nights. This rice pairs well as a side dish with your favorite Mexican meal like tacos, enchiladas, or fajitas. This rice also works well served with black beans either as a side dish or meatless entree.
One of the best ways to serve this rice is as a Chipotle-style burrito bowl. Burrito bowls are so easy to make because anything goes! You can throw in whatever ingredients you have. Below are some suggestions for what to put in your burrito bowl along with the cilantro lime rice.
- Meat: barbacoa beef, sweet barbacoa pork, pork carnitas, chicken ropa vieja
- Beans: quick black beans, pinto beans, Instant Pot refried beans
- Vegetables: sautéed peppers and onions, chopped tomatoes and avocado
- Salsa: corn salsa, salsa verde, spicy red salsa, pico de gallo
- Toppings: guacamole, shredded cheese, sour cream
Burrito bowls are great for meal prep too. Cook your rice, beans, and meat and then add different toppings throughout the week to switch up your bowl.
If you’re craving rice but watching your carbs, try my Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice. It has the same great taste but without the carbs.
More Rice Recipes You’ll Love:
- Latin Yellow Rice
- Mexican Cauliflower “Rice”
- Arroz Congri (Cuban Rice and Black Beans)
- Rice with Spinach
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice or jasmine, un-rinsed
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Add the rice, water, 1 teaspoon of the oil and salt to the pressure cooker pot and stir.
- Cover and cook on high pressure 3 minutes. When timer beeps, use a natural pressure release for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes do a quick pressure release and fluff rice with a fork.
- In a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, and remaining oil. Add the rice and toss until thoroughly mixed.
Last Step:
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Nutrition
Photo credit: Jess Larson
So easy to make in the IP and turned out great! Thanks
My favorite rice recipe. Easy and so tasty.
This is our go to recipe for rice. We make rice bowls adding black bean and pulled pork to make the rice a whole meal.
When rising rice, add less water to the instant pot. The rice is sticky when done.
With sushi/sticky rice, it says to let it sit and drain after rinsing for 15 minutes. I do this with all rice when I use the pressure cooker/instant pot.
I am curious why you don’t rinse the rice?
Hi there,
This looks amazing! I plan on making 4 times the original quantity. Will the cook time on the IP change?
This is the best instant pot cilantro lime rice recipe. I’ve used it dozens of times, and it always comes out perfect. Note: if you double or triple the recipe (which you should!), be aware that the lime juice amount won’t automatically update when you click 2x or 3x. I guess it’s just the way that line is formatted, but you’ll need more lime juice.
If making 3x recipe, do I need to increase cook time?
No
Delicious and easy! I only adjusted for my personal taste by adding additiinal cilantro and lime and added butter instead of oil when rice was done. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
how different will the macros be if I did this with brown basmati rice or just general brown rice?
excellent rice. I put together a chipotle bowl today and it paired perfectly
Very very good. If doubling, do not double the salt
I would half the salt next time. I used 2 tsp of Diamond kosher salt for the 2x recipe instructions. Otherwise the recipe was great. I’m new to Instant Pot so was excited to find an easier/better way to cook rice. I wasn’t sure if I could do the 1x instructions because the Instant Pot instructions say it needs 2 cups of liquid to work properly. Does anyone know if the 1x instructions would work?
I don’t have a branded instant pot but often cook 1 cup of rice in my electric pressure cooker with no issues. 1-1.5c water depending on what I’m making
I’ve made this multiple times with jasmine rice and it’s always delicious. I tried the brown rice method tonight and it turned out perfect. My family devoured it!
Grandson approved.
Perfect!
This is a wonderful recipe. We use it in burrito bowls and with curry.
I love this rice recipe. It is super easy and so delicious!
So easy and my family Loved it
Really great recipe! It turned out great in my Ninja Pressure cooker. I doubled the recipe & am glad I did! I will make this one again!
Has anyone subbed veggie broth or chicken broth with this recipe? If so did you omit the salt?
Yes I use chicken broth instead of water/salt.
I made this today for a group of college students (to go with sheet pan fajitas). I tripled the recipe. No problem. I was told by the campus pastor that dinner was a hit and that there were requests for my rice recipe! I dutifully sent your url! It was so easy and tasty. Definitely a keeper! Thank you.
What was your cook time? Did you triple all ingredients?
For the triple recipe, what was your cook time? I notice that when I hit “3X” the ingredient amounts changed but the cook time still stayed at 3min. It’s that correct?
Delicious and easy. Served with chipotle chicken
I wanted something different to accompany seafood–and believe it or not, this rice dish is perfect. I know it’s for Latino dishes, but a citrus flavor never hurts any fish dish. It’s easy, flavorful and serves as a perfect side to seafood. And for the salad? Seaweed. All good stuff
I love this recipe! Always a hit and so simple to make. I plan to cook it for a large family vacation soon and will need to multiply 4-6x. Will this work, cook time the same, or would it be better to do it in two batches?
I love this recipe! It is a regular in our home and always get great reviews when I bring to potlucks. I need to multiply by 4-6X for a large family trip coming up. Would the cook time change at all, have you tried this? Or would it be best to cook in two batches? Thanks!
Better than chipotle! We make this every week and have been asked for the recipe on multiple occasions!
This tastes JUST like Chipotle, dare I say even better! I just had to add 1 minute to my cooking time. Thank you so much!!
I serve this often! It’s a favorite at our house!
I love making this recipe with the Slow Cooker Mexican Pork Carnitas from The Skinnytaste Cookbook: Light on Calories. So tasty!
Really good and super easy!
Why does the amount of lime stays the same even if you double the rice ?
I added more – but I would say it depends on taste
I seriously dislike cilantro lime rice from places like Cafe Rio and Chipotle, so I’ve never bothered to make it at home. But on a whim I decided to make this recipe to go with the Salsa Verde Chicken and imagine my surprise when it turned out DELISH! I’ve made it twice in the last month and making it a third time today. I already have a foolproof go-to recipe for instant pot rice, so I just made rice and tossed it with the other ingredients after. Easy-peasy!
I typically make a different recipe for cilantro lime rice, but it’s very involved. I was low on limes so I searched and found this recipe. Very delicious and super easy!
If you double the recipe, should you also double the water?
this was AMAZING and tasted great with cilantro lime chicken. budget friendly and healthy meal – and had it with mango salsa on the side (from Walmart). SO GOOD. KEEPER!
I made this recipe twice and it turned out terrific. Definitely will save this to return to in the future. Thanks!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was a hit! I have very picky eaters. I doubled this and it was all gone!
Thanks!
It was great! I will definitely be making this again!! I will double the recipe next time!
Wayy to salty! Be mindful!
3 mins on high wasnt enough to fully cook the rice, I’d recommend following whatever your instapot recommends for the amount of time.
Did you use Morton’s kosher salt? It is 2x as salty as Diamond Crystal.
This was the PERFECT cilantro lime rice and so easy! I am wondering if anyone knows, if you double the recipe do you double the cook time?!
My son LOVES this rice from Chipotle restaurant. I have tried several different times to make a copycat of their and they always failed. THIS ONE WORKS! He loved it and in fact is requesting it for his grad graduation party which is a taco bar theme. Any idea on cooking time to do this recipe X 10?!?
Times 10???? Honestly I am not sure, but my best suggestion would be a rice cooker. Good luck and let me know how it goes. Happy graduation!
Did you try it? Best I could find from another site was the maximum uncooked rice for a 6qt was 5 cups and an 8qt was 6.5 cups.
This is the first rice recipe I’ve made in the instant pot that wasn’t a bomb. Usually I get gummy or pseudo-crunchy results. I used Jasmine and it turned out so good. This will definitely be going in the rotation.
Great!!
Really good! I followed recipe as written. Next time, I’ll decrease the salt a bit, and maybe add a bit more cilantro.
This was so easy and everyone loved it!
This was really good and so easy to make! I don’t like cilantro but my whole family love it so I chopped it larger so I could eat around it.
I had to make a couple of adjustments to the recipe because I live in the mountains of Colorado. So for high altitude ( about 7500 feet above sea level) – adjusted the time for cooking at high pressure to 5 minutes instead of 3 and allowed a natural release of 15 minutes. Rice was perfectly cooked! Yay!!!
Thanks for this recipe
Thanks for the tip! Cooking in Colorado can be a challenge…
Very good. I use half as much salt because it was too salty for us but otherwise this will be a staple. Thanks!
Best rice I’ve made in the instant pot. Whole family chowed down! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Glad you all enjoyed it!
Great job! I tested and verified that your technique comes out better than using the rice button on the Instant Pot.
Perfect rice every time!
Hello, which brand of basmatic rice do you recommend?
Thank you! Big fan of all your recipes!
This rice has become a regular addition in our house. It’s so easy and incredibly tasty! I like to start with a salad of green leaf lettuce, baby spinach, tomatoes and cucumber, top with a little of the rice and then finish with a little Barbacoa beef. Yummy!!
First time making this, very tasty but my rice was mushy. Any suggestions? I used Basmati rice and I did rinse and soak it prior. Other than that I followed directions.
I usually use the same amount of water as rice in the Instant Pot.
I’m so glad you said this. Mind was mushy as well and I was also thinking that the ratio should be 1:1. I’m doing that next time! Super tasty regardless
Could this recipe Be done with brown rice?
Crazy good! I’ve followed 100 rice recipes, including instapot ones, and I’ve NEVER gotten rice right! This is the ticket!!! Perfect! The timing is exactly right!!! Thanks so much!!!
Can you double this recipe.? What would it be?
I straight doubled it but left cook time the same and it came out beautifully. A little dry maybe? But the rice is cooked perfect. I also added an additional lime but that’s just preference!
I am not a huge cilantro fan but I made this as a side dish for dinner. My girls LOVED it. It was an elegant side dish!
Would basmati rice work with this recipe? If so would you rinse/soak?
yes it would. You can soak if you prefer.
Turned out great! I have used other recipes with the rice button but always end up with mushy rice. I was skeptical of 3 minutes + NPR, but it was perfect!
I prefer to use brown rice . Do you know what adjustments I need to make for cooking please ?
For brown rice, increase water to 1 1/4 cups and cook 23 minutes, natural release.
Thanks Gina, that was my question too, since I’m on the purple plan. Well, OK, I’m on the purple plan when the world isn’t turned upside down. These days I’m not sure what plan I’m on; maybe the rainbow plan? Your comment says to increase the amount of water to 1 1/4 cups but that’s what the original recipe calls for. Did you mean 1 1/2 cups?
I’ve yet to be really successful cooking rice in the instant pot after a lifetime of cooking it on the stovetop, It always turns out mushy or too hard. I need all the help I can get.
Sorry! Water stays the same, times increases. 🙂
Hi
In your instructions you mention about pressure cooker but what are the instructions for crockpot? I don’t have a pressure cooker can you please let me know
Here is my stove top version, sorry don’t have one for the crock pot. https://www.skinnytaste.com/chipotle-cilantro-lime-rice-4-pts/
Could coconut milk be subbed for water – or would the milk burn in the IP? Recognize it would change pts value.
Recipe is easy to follow, always have the ingredients and looks delicious! How would you adjust the cooking, if you don’t have a Instant Pot? Thank you!
https://www.skinnytaste.com/chipotle-cilantro-lime-rice-4-pts/ 🙂
I’m assuming this is with a full size Instant Pot. How would the instructions need to be modified for a mini pot (3 qt?)?
I have a 6 quart. I would imagine nothing would change!
Be careful usually you have to 1/2 your recipes from 6 quart to a 3 quart.
Why don’t you rinse the rice? Doesn’t it make it too sticky to work with when unrinsed?
Not for me but you can rinse if you wish.
I only have brown rice on hand- do you know how much water I should use and how long to cook it for?
Looks delicious! Would love to make this tonight, but I only have brown rice at home. How would the amount of water and cook time change? Thank you!
I will play around and see!
Oh, yes, please! Brown rice directions would be greatly appreciated!
For brown rice, increase water to 1 1/4 cups and cook 23 minutes, natural release.
Thank you, Gina!
When doing the natural release do you leave the instant pot on keep warm?
What size instant pot do you use? I am looking to purchase one. Family of 5 thinking I might need an 8 qt or is the 6qt enough?
It really depends on what you make. Both sizes would be fine.