Instant Pot Homemade Rice-A-Roni—Do you love “the San Francisco treat” but want to make it from scratch? Make this super easy version of Rice-A-Roni in your Instant Pot! It’s the perfect side dish for so many meals.
Get the SLOW COOKER rice-a-roni recipe here
Instant Pot Homemade Rice-A-Roni
When I was growing up, from time to time we would have Rice-A-Roni served alongside our protein and veggie at dinner. I love the flavor that these little boxes have but wanted to see if I could make something similar with own (known) seasonings. And I thought, it would be a super bonus if I could make it in one pot…the Instant Pot! It turned out super yum (not to mention easy) and I think you’ll agree that you’ll no longer be buying a box anymore!
More Side Recipes You’ll Love…
Instant Pot Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice
What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot Homemade Rice-A-Roni I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly. It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.
Instant Pot Homemade Rice-A-Roni
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
Do you love “the San Francisco treat” but want to make it from scratch? Make this super easy version of Rice-A-Roni in your Instant Pot! It’s the perfect side dish for so many meals.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 4 ounces uncooked spaghetti (whole wheat is okay)
- 1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. Add in the butter and swirl it around until it is melted. Turn off the Instant Pot. Add in the rice and stir to coat the rice with the butter. Break up the spaghetti into half inch pieces. Add in the spaghetti. Stir.
- Sprinkle in the parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, kosher salt and bay leaf. Pour the broth over the top.
- Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 3 minutes. When the time is up let the pot sit for 5 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Fluff with a fork and serve.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Donna says
This tastes better than boxed Rice-a-Roni. My husband and I ate it all
Karen says
Thanks for the 5 stars Donna! I’m so glad you are your husband loved it.
B says
This is a great recipe and worked great the very first time. But doubling it in my instant pot did not work well. Maybe the cook time just needs more adjustment, but be warned.
Karen says
Okay good to know. Thanks!
D M says
I have not yet made this, but I had to give it a rating, so I gave it 5 stars because it looks so good and easy. Here is my question: How do you measure out the 4 ounces of spaghetti? It comes in a box, so how much from the box?
Also: How much orzo would you use? thanks
Karen says
I use a digital scale to measure my pasta. It’s worth the $10-$20 investment. You’d use 4 oz of orzo as well. Maybe this would help? https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/article/000001700/pasta-measuring-chart
Lori says
I quit buying the box stuff years ago because I don’t want to eat the soy protein isolate that they add. This made the house smell amazing! I followed the 2x recipe and it came out perfectly. The only thing I changed was: I left the sauté setting on and stirred the heck out of the rice and pasta, so the pasta would toast and turn brown. It took about 15 minutes but well worth it. This is absolutely delicious. Thanks, Karen!
Karen says
Sounds fabulous Lori!
Lori says
It was! My husband and son were so happy! Thank you again 😊
Laura says
Do you have a youtube video for this? Either way I want to try this. Thanks for the recipe.
Karen says
No I don’t, not for this one. Sorry!
Micah says
1st time making.. Great and easy. I added double garlic and a chopped clove of garlic (I love garlic), minced carrot (2 tablespoon for crunch and sweetness), 1/4 of chop white onion, and 2 button mushroom chopped and stem cut really small. Also browned my pasta with a little oil bc I thought if I used butter (I used the butter later in recipe) it would burn and also browned the rice after the pasta was in the IP for a little bit. Pro tip: I used a sandwich bag to break the pasta so they don’t fly😁. This came out a little wet so I flipped on the saute and stirred so the steam would steam off popped to warm kept stirring and back to saute one time and off… turned out perfect. I might use a touch less water or cook for 5 minutes🤷♂️
richv says
This is becoming one of our favorite side dishes. Thank you Karen.
Karen says
You’re welcome Rich!
Christina says
Is this angel hair? Or regular spaghetti?
Karen says
Mine was just regular spaghetti but I’m sure angel hair would be fine.
Patricia says
Or vermicelli.
Lisa says
Simple & delish! I used a sundried tomato and basil spaghetti (Catelli’s Bistro line) and it turned out great. Thanks!
Karen says
Yum that sounds tasty!
Jean says
It looks a little mushy do you think I should reduce the liquid
Jean says
It was still quite wet I followed the recipe to the letter I have it now on keep warm with the lid off and hope that will do the trick
Karen says
Hope it worked out!
Brendan Plonka says
Hi Karen. I’ve made this twice now and it is fabulous. A great side that goes with almost anything. I’m wondering though, if there are alternative seasonings one could use. (e.g. cajun rice-a-roni). BTW, You are in my top three of internet cooks for the IP. Bravo! Your postings are so professional. Cheers!
Karen says
Thank you so much Brendan!! That is so nice. I bet you could get really creative with this one. Instead of parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, kosher salt and bay leaf try adding 1 tsp of cajun seasoning or lemon pepper seasoning. I bet they would be really good! Who are you other favorite internet cooks?
Dale says
Can orzo be substituted for the broken spaghetti
PD says
I always use orzo because I don’t like breaking spaghetti, it turns out perfect for me. I love this recipe!
Karen says
SMART! Thanks for the tip!
Clare says
Another great recipe from this great site. If I had to choose one IP recipe site only, this would be it! Thank you, Karen.
Karen says
Thank you so much Clare!!!
Louise Jurica says
Made it loved it. I found having to break pasta wasn’t fun. I think I am going to try vermicelli instead of spaghetti . Thank you for sharing
Karen says
Vermicelli is a great idea!
Cathy Ajeman says
Same as Fideo? If so, how much?
Karen says
4 oz is what I would use!
Stahli says
I made this tonight and everyone loved it! It is now in our rotation.
Karen says
Yay! So glad you all liked it 🙂
Kristine says
This side was a success for my family. I thought it was really tasty!
Karen says
Thanks Kristine for weighing in. So glad it was a success!
Chad says
Made it verbatim tonight- fantastic! Thanks, been looking for this for quite some time. Wife and I are already thinking of ways to tweak it for different tastes (spanish rice, broccoli pieces, etc)
Karen says
Yum I like those ideas Chad! Let me know if you try them and how it goes.
Toni Kaplan says
Hi,
Can I double at the same time?
Karen says
yes you can double the recipe. just keep the cooking time the same.
Ron Bieselin says
This is great. I added some browned ground turkey. Thinking maybe directly add the rice/pasta/etc to the turkey after it’s sauted.
Karen says
Sounds perfect!
Linda says
Could I add boneless chicken thighs on the bottom?
Karen says
They won’t cook at the same rate as the rice and spaghetti. They take like 15 minutes to cook.
Sharon says
This was good. Next time I’ll try low-sodium chicken broth. It made 4 servings for us.
Carla says
I made this tonight and it was terrific! I used Barilla Fideo pasta which takes the hassle out of cutting it myself. I also used converted brown rice (Uncle Ben’s) because that’s all I had since I never eat white rice. I had to increase the cooking time to 6 min with 10 min npr and it was fantastic. The noodles weren’t mushy and the rice was perfectly cooked. Now when I get a craving for Rice A Roni, I can make this low sodium version. It’s also nice to not have all those extra unknown ingredients found in the box version too. ♥
Karen says
YAYYYYY!!! I am so glad to hear this. Thanks for sharing the info about the brown rice.
Robin says
I have to watch my sodium, so the boxed version was out… . Now thanks to you I can enjoy a homemade lower sodium version. Thank you so much Karen😊
Karen says
HOORAY!!! Glad I could help!
Lynnette Siegl says
Hi Karen
This recipe was so quick and simple so make, I made s lot so I would have extra so that I can make rice patties for another meal tomorrow.
Karen says
Glad you liked it Lynnette!
CYNTHIA Palacios says
Rice a roni is my favorite but because the salt is so high I dont usually make it just for me. (Single) I have making rice in my IP and love it. After reading this I can say I am looking forward to making this, especially when my kids come home for dinner.
Karen says
YAY!!
Shannon says
I bet fideo noodles would be great for this. They are basically spaghetti pieces.
Theresa Fisher says
Can you brown the pasta with the rice and butter like the real stuff or does that not work.
Karen says
yes!
Karen says
GOOD IDEA!
Holley says
Can you cook package rice a roni with this method
Karen says
Here’s how I’d do the box:
Add 1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp water to the pot. Add in the contents of the box (seasonings too) and 1 Tbsp of butter.
Lid on, vent sealed. Set the timer for 5 minutes.
Perform a quick release. If foam starts coming out move the valve back to sealing and wait 20 seconds and then try again.
Stir the rice and serve.
Pammy says
I’m going to try the box in my IP. I would add the TB of butter and saute the rice/noodles and then add the water and seasoning packet and then cook as per your instructions above. Can’t wait to try this!
Karen says
Good luck! I hope you have success.
Melissa says
Did you rinse the rice before cooking?
Karen says
I didn’t.
Melissa says
I love this recipe and have made it several times. Can I make this with long grain brown rice and whole wheat spaghetti? How long should I cook it?
Karen says
The spaghetti would not cook at the same rate as the brown rice. Brown rice takes 22 minutes to cook but you could try minute brown rice. That might work better.
Judith Michelsen says
It sounds yummy, but can you use gluten-free spaghetti for the pasta part of the recipe? Would you need to change the timing in any way? Thanks!
Sarah says
I have made this with gluten free spaghetti noodles. It turned out perfect!
Jennifer says
Did you reduce the cooking time for the GF spaghetti or leave it the same?
Karen says
I bet that would work!
Cindy K Cody says
Could you use brown rice or just white?
Karen says
No, for this recipe the brown rice takes too long. The spaghetti and white rice have the same cooking time so it works out. Brown rice takes 22 minutes 🙁
Sharon Mahan says
Thanks for all your great recipes and videos!
I’ve been making my on rjce-a-roni for years (so much healhier) so Just a little FYi, I save the broken pasta noodles from the bottom of all the pasta packages….waste not want not. I can’t wait to try this in my IP!!!
Karen says
GREAT idea!
Judi says
Just finished making this. It’s awesome! Thanks! 😋😋
Karen says
Glad you liked it Judi!
Larilyn says
I’m thinking this is the perfect recipe to use this in! That way you don’t have to break the spaghetti noodles up!
https://www.barilla.com/en-us/products/pasta/classic-blue-box/fideo-cut-spaghetti
Karen says
Yes fideo would be awesome!
Jennifer Gartin says
Did you break the spaghetti into bite sized pieces?
Karen says
yes I did. Sorry I forgot to add that part into the recipe. I just fixed it.
Jennifer Gartin says
You are terrific and I love your recipes! Thanks!!!!
Karen says
Thanks Jennifer! You are so nice.