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July 26, 2019

Instant Pot Homemade Rice-A-Roni

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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.

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Get the SLOW COOKER rice-a-roni recipe here

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.

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 Lemon Rice

Instant Pot Ranch Potatoes

Instant Pot Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice

Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

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.

Pin this recipe for later!

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.
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Instant Pot Homemade Rice-A-Roni


★★★★★

4.9 from 14 reviews

  • Author: Karen Petersen
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 3 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
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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

Scale
  • 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

  1. 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.
  2. Sprinkle in the parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, kosher salt and bay leaf. Pour the broth over the top.
  3. 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.
  4. Fluff with a fork and serve. 
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Instant Pot
  • Cuisine: American

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*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.

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80 Comments Filed Under: All Recipes, Dump and Go, Instant Pot, Meatless, Rice, Side Dish

Recommendations

Comments

  1. B says

    October 19, 2022 at 4:24 pm

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 21, 2022 at 9:31 pm

      Okay good to know. Thanks!

      Reply
  2. D M says

    August 20, 2021 at 6:35 pm

    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

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 21, 2021 at 8:37 pm

      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

      Reply
  3. Lori says

    May 18, 2021 at 4:25 pm

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      May 20, 2021 at 3:17 pm

      Sounds fabulous Lori!

      Reply
      • Lori says

        May 22, 2021 at 5:29 pm

        It was! My husband and son were so happy! Thank you again 😊

        Reply
  4. Laura says

    October 21, 2020 at 6:37 am

    Do you have a youtube video for this? Either way I want to try this. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 21, 2020 at 3:11 pm

      No I don’t, not for this one. Sorry!

      Reply
    • Micah says

      January 12, 2022 at 4:17 pm

      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🤷‍♂️

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  5. richv says

    September 25, 2020 at 12:41 pm

    This is becoming one of our favorite side dishes. Thank you Karen.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 25, 2020 at 2:43 pm

      You’re welcome Rich!

      Reply
      • Christina says

        September 28, 2020 at 6:05 pm

        Is this angel hair? Or regular spaghetti?

        Reply
        • Karen says

          September 29, 2020 at 8:51 pm

          Mine was just regular spaghetti but I’m sure angel hair would be fine.

          Reply
          • Patricia says

            January 29, 2021 at 9:54 pm

            Or vermicelli.

  6. Lisa says

    August 13, 2020 at 4:35 pm

    Simple & delish! I used a sundried tomato and basil spaghetti (Catelli’s Bistro line) and it turned out great. Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 14, 2020 at 12:04 pm

      Yum that sounds tasty!

      Reply
  7. Jean says

    July 4, 2020 at 5:45 pm

    It looks a little mushy do you think I should reduce the liquid

    Reply
  8. Jean says

    July 4, 2020 at 5:43 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 6, 2020 at 2:20 pm

      Hope it worked out!

      Reply
  9. Brendan Plonka says

    May 28, 2020 at 12:30 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      May 28, 2020 at 12:34 pm

      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?

      Reply
  10. Dale says

    May 23, 2020 at 6:31 am

    Can orzo be substituted for the broken spaghetti

    Reply
    • PD says

      May 24, 2020 at 11:38 am

      I always use orzo because I don’t like breaking spaghetti, it turns out perfect for me. I love this recipe!

      Reply
      • Karen says

        May 25, 2020 at 12:29 pm

        SMART! Thanks for the tip!

        Reply
  11. Clare says

    April 29, 2020 at 4:51 pm

    Another great recipe from this great site. If I had to choose one IP recipe site only, this would be it! Thank you, Karen.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      April 29, 2020 at 6:48 pm

      Thank you so much Clare!!!

      Reply
  12. Louise Jurica says

    April 26, 2020 at 4:19 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Karen says

      April 27, 2020 at 12:06 pm

      Vermicelli is a great idea!

      Reply
      • Cathy Ajeman says

        July 26, 2021 at 8:08 pm

        Same as Fideo? If so, how much?

        Reply
        • Karen says

          July 28, 2021 at 9:05 pm

          4 oz is what I would use!

          Reply
  13. Stahli says

    February 29, 2020 at 8:53 pm

    I made this tonight and everyone loved it! It is now in our rotation.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 29, 2020 at 9:10 pm

      Yay! So glad you all liked it 🙂

      Reply
  14. Kristine says

    January 19, 2020 at 7:05 am

    This side was a success for my family. I thought it was really tasty!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 20, 2020 at 7:30 pm

      Thanks Kristine for weighing in. So glad it was a success!

      Reply
  15. Chad says

    December 30, 2019 at 7:43 pm

    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)

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      December 30, 2019 at 7:49 pm

      Yum I like those ideas Chad! Let me know if you try them and how it goes.

      Reply
  16. Toni Kaplan says

    August 25, 2019 at 4:52 pm

    Hi,
    Can I double at the same time?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 26, 2019 at 2:59 pm

      yes you can double the recipe. just keep the cooking time the same.

      Reply
  17. Ron Bieselin says

    August 19, 2019 at 10:08 pm

    This is great. I added some browned ground turkey. Thinking maybe directly add the rice/pasta/etc to the turkey after it’s sauted.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 20, 2019 at 3:15 pm

      Sounds perfect!

      Reply
  18. Linda says

    August 12, 2019 at 8:14 am

    Could I add boneless chicken thighs on the bottom?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 13, 2019 at 11:05 am

      They won’t cook at the same rate as the rice and spaghetti. They take like 15 minutes to cook.

      Reply
  19. Sharon says

    August 6, 2019 at 12:49 pm

    This was good. Next time I’ll try low-sodium chicken broth. It made 4 servings for us.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  20. Carla says

    August 4, 2019 at 6:32 pm

    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. ♥

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 5, 2019 at 2:15 pm

      YAYYYYY!!! I am so glad to hear this. Thanks for sharing the info about the brown rice.

      Reply
  21. Robin says

    July 30, 2019 at 6:54 am

    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😊

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 30, 2019 at 1:01 pm

      HOORAY!!! Glad I could help!

      Reply
  22. Lynnette Siegl says

    July 28, 2019 at 10:05 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29, 2019 at 11:12 am

      Glad you liked it Lynnette!

      Reply
  23. CYNTHIA Palacios says

    July 28, 2019 at 8:44 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29, 2019 at 11:17 am

      YAY!!

      Reply
  24. Shannon says

    July 28, 2019 at 7:12 am

    I bet fideo noodles would be great for this. They are basically spaghetti pieces.

    Reply
    • Theresa Fisher says

      July 28, 2019 at 1:34 pm

      Can you brown the pasta with the rice and butter like the real stuff or does that not work.

      Reply
      • Karen says

        July 29, 2019 at 11:17 am

        yes!

        Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29, 2019 at 11:18 am

      GOOD IDEA!

      Reply
  25. Holley says

    July 27, 2019 at 10:58 am

    Can you cook package rice a roni with this method

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29, 2019 at 11:36 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Pammy says

        September 27, 2019 at 11:38 am

        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!

        Reply
        • Karen says

          September 30, 2019 at 3:12 pm

          Good luck! I hope you have success.

          Reply
  26. Melissa says

    July 27, 2019 at 7:44 am

    Did you rinse the rice before cooking?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29, 2019 at 11:24 am

      I didn’t.

      Reply
    • Melissa says

      June 30, 2020 at 6:29 pm

      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?

      ★★★★

      Reply
      • Karen says

        July 1, 2020 at 8:43 am

        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.

        Reply
  27. Judith Michelsen says

    July 26, 2019 at 2:54 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 27, 2019 at 9:20 am

      I have made this with gluten free spaghetti noodles. It turned out perfect!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        September 9, 2019 at 6:25 am

        Did you reduce the cooking time for the GF spaghetti or leave it the same?

        Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29, 2019 at 11:29 am

      I bet that would work!

      Reply
  28. Cindy K Cody says

    July 26, 2019 at 2:45 pm

    Could you use brown rice or just white?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29, 2019 at 11:30 am

      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 🙁

      Reply
  29. Sharon Mahan says

    July 26, 2019 at 2:41 pm

    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!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29, 2019 at 11:30 am

      GREAT idea!

      Reply
  30. Judi says

    July 26, 2019 at 2:29 pm

    Just finished making this. It’s awesome! Thanks! 😋😋

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29, 2019 at 11:31 am

      Glad you liked it Judi!

      Reply
  31. Larilyn says

    July 26, 2019 at 2:14 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29, 2019 at 11:31 am

      Yes fideo would be awesome!

      Reply
  32. Jennifer Gartin says

    July 26, 2019 at 1:14 pm

    Did you break the spaghetti into bite sized pieces?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 26, 2019 at 1:22 pm

      yes I did. Sorry I forgot to add that part into the recipe. I just fixed it.

      Reply
      • Jennifer Gartin says

        July 26, 2019 at 1:29 pm

        You are terrific and I love your recipes! Thanks!!!!

        Reply
        • Karen says

          July 29, 2019 at 11:37 am

          Thanks Jennifer! You are so nice.

          Reply

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Hi, I’m Karen. I know that dinner time can be less than relaxing. Busy schedules and cranky kids and a hundred other things can lead to weariness when it comes to putting dinner on the table. I can help! I make homemade, family-friendly slow cooker and Instant Pot dinners and share the recipes with you.

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