Instant Pot Spanish Rice with Beef–a super fast and easy recipe for rice with ground beef, tomatoes, green peppers and spices. Serve as dinner or as a hearty side dish.
Instant Pot Spanish Rice with Beef
This recipe was sent to me by Sharon, a dear 365 Days reader. She makes more of my recipes than anyone I know. She always leaves helpful comments on the recipes she makes. She is quite a cook!
Sharon sent me a few of her loved “normal” recipes that she thought might work in an Instant Pot. The first one on the list was Spanish rice with beef. “Sounds good to me,” I thought! It was a perfect recipe to make in the Instant Pot. Basically you brown the ground beef and saute the onion using the saute setting, throw everything else in the pot and cook for 5 minutes. It turned out to be an easy and fast weeknight dinner that was so tasty. The original recipe used a dutch oven and required simmering for 30 minutes. The Instant Pot definitely makes this recipe faster! It took me about 30 total minutes from all the prepping to pressure release.
Sharon’s recipe calls for stewed tomatoes, which I used. I’m a fan of all types of tomatoes but if you don’t like chunks of big tomatoes you could use diced tomatoes or even crushed tomatoes.
I used parboiled rice for this recipe. Don’t confuse parboiled rice with pre-cooked or minute rice. Parboiled rice has been processed in its husk by soaking, steaming, and drying. As a result, all the nutrients from the husk are absorbed into the grain before it’s removed. The starch content alters in the process, making cooked parboiled rice less sticky than regular white rice. The rice kernels aren’t clumpy and glued together instead they are more separated. I found a bag of parboiled rice at Walmart next to the normal long grain white rice.
I haven’t tried this recipe with other types of rice yet but I’m sure you could with great results. Use this chart to determine how many minutes to cook as well as the water to rice ratio.
You can easily print this cheat sheet by clicking here.
I used lean ground beef but you could also use ground turkey, pork or chicken in this recipe. You can even leave out the meat completely if you want. If you do leave out the meat use 1 tablespoon of olive oil to saute the onions in.
More Rice Based Instant Pot Recipes…
Instant Pot Chicken Fajita Rice
Instant Pot Zesty Chicken and Rice
Instant Pot Spanish Rice with Beef
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A super fast and easy recipe for rice with ground beef, tomatoes, green peppers and spices. Serve as dinner or as a hearty side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 medium green pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained (see note)
- 1 cup uncooked parboiled/converted rice (see note)
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 3/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp red pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. When the display says HOT add in the ground beef and break it up*. Add in the onion. Brown the beef for about 5 minutes. If there is excess grease drain it off. Pour in the water and scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any browned bits. Turn off the saute setting.
- Add in the green pepper, tomatoes, rice, chili powder, oregano, salt, red pepper and garlic powder. Give a quick stir.
- Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes. When the time is up let the pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir and serve. Salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Stewed tomatoes can be replaced with diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes.
What is parboiled rice? Don’t confuse parboiled rice with pre-cooked or minute rice. Parboiled rice has been processed in its husk by soaking, steaming, and drying. As a result, all the nutrients from the husk are absorbed into the grain before it’s removed. The starch content alters in the process, making cooked parboiled rice less sticky than regular white rice. The rice kernels aren’t clumpy and glued together instead they are more separated. I found a bag of parboiled rice at Walmart next to the normal long grain white rice.
I haven’t tried this recipe with other types of rice yet but I’m sure you could with great results. Use the green chart above to determine how many minutes to cook as well as the water to rice ratio.
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. You can also make this in your 8 quart pot or 3 quart pot with no changes.
- Category: Beef
- Method: Instant Pot
Want more tried and true Instant Pot recipes?
Like this recipe for Instant Pot Spanish Rice with Beef? Receive FREE daily Instant Pot recipes and tips in your email box. Sign up by filling out the gray form below. Other ways to follow: join the 365 Days of Instant Pot Recipes Facebook group and subscribe to my YouTube channel where I share Instant Pot stuff with you weekly.
*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.
So fun to find this recipe. I used to make this for our family when raising our 6 children. I used the Spanish rice recipe from my cookbook (Better Homes & Garden *New Cookbook) and added hamburger to make it a complete entree. I will have to share this with my family. I gifted all my kids an Instant Pot except for our daughter who already has one. Wedding presents for grandchildren last year too! * cookbook is very far from “new” but that is what they named it. Have 3 of them bought over many, many years. All say “new cookbook”. Can put bacon and cheese on top.
★★★★★
Awesome! thanks for sharing! Thanks for the 5 stars, Dianna!
I made this last night.The only thing I did different was I left out the red pepper and used a little less of the chili powder.
This was the first time I used the parboiled rice. I will be using that again. Turned out great! Will be making this again.Thanks.
★★★★★
Right?! the parboiled is the best!
Delicious and my family loves it too.
I doubled the recipe and cooked it for the same time as your jasmine rice suggestion. I stuck pretty closely to the recipe. Instead of one of the cans of tomatoes, I used a can of tomato paste but I didn’t stir it in till the end so it wouldn’t cause it to burn.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
★★★★★
Good idea on the tomato paste!
Can you use frozen ground meat?
As long as it has been browned it should be fine!
I also added corn, and alittle cumin. Used long grain brown rice. Came out fantastic, thank you.
★★★★★
So glad to hear John!
I have been looking for a recipe exactly like this for the instant pot. Unfortunately I had no love with this one. Got the burn notice not once, but three separate time with separate liner pots even after adding an additional cup of water.(I’ve got extras). I’ve had similar experiences with heavy tomato base recipes. I’ll try it again but with no stirring.
★★★
Sorry that you had a bad experience. Perhaps next time try the pot in pot method! Increase the cooking time to 15 minutes.
I read recently to put any tomatoes on top of other ingredients and not stir them in as they burn easily.
I made this last week and didn’t change anything and it turned out great! I’m making it again soon but want to use fresh chopped garlic this time. Should I saute it with the onion and beef or add it after the water.
Thanks.
Christine
★★★★★
I’d add it in at the end of the beef/onion…so saute it for just 20-30 seconds. It will burn otherwise 🙂
I made this tonight. I did add my own touches. 1 can of whole corn, drained; 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed and only 1 can of diced tomatoes. Didn’t use the green peppers as we don’t care for them. I used long grain white rice, rinsed and cooked it for 5 minutes on medium heat then did natural release for 10 minutes. I then added some pulled pork and 4 ounces of cream cheese. I served it on flour tortillas. It was delicious! This was my first time cooking rice in the instant pot and am very pleased! I can now get rid of my rice cooker!! Thank you!
Wow sounds so great!!!
Do you mean Red pepper flakes?
I used ground red pepper but you can use flakes too 🙂
I wondered the same but my husband said use cayenne pepper as it is the same as pepper flakes, just crushed. Turned out great!
This turned out great. I used long-grain rice and let it stand the full 10 minutes. A few kernels were still a bit chewy, but still good. Thank you for redoing the recipe to make in the Instant pot, and thank you for all your kind words.😊
★★★★★
Thanks for giving me the recipe! I think a lot of people are going to love it and use it often 🙂
Can you use chicken for this?
You could cut it into bite size pieces and then it will cook the same rate as the rice.
I’m so excited about this recipe!!! My Grandmother used to make this for our family dinners and I always loved it! I will be adding it to my rotation this week!!!!
Thanks!
Oh how awesome Laura! I’m glad you found it.
Hi karen
Can you use shrimp instead of beef?
★★★★★
Shrimp would get overcooked. You could add it in after the rice has cooked and use the saute setting to heat it up for a few minutes. Or throw in cooked shrimp. But don’t pressure cook the shrimp it will get rubbery.
Can cauliflower rice be used with this recipe?
I wouldn’t pressure cook cauliflower rice because it will cook so fast. You could make a stovetop version with cauliflower rice though.
Thank You. I need to keep the carbs down.
Thanks for this recipe, can’t wait to make it!!!
You’re welcome!
What luck! I have been searching for this recipe (non-IP) for years! My mother made this budget stretcher once a week when I was growing up. She couldn’t remember how to make it (dementia took her life 3 years ago) and I couldn’t find it anywhere in her files or online. And the bonus is that now I can make it in my IP! I can’t wait to give this recipe from my childhood a try. Thank you!
How awesome Kathy! I’m glad you found it!
Karen,
Should rice be rinsed always before using in IP?
Love your recipes.
Thx.
There are so many opinions about rice and what should or shouldn’t be done but I don’t rinse my rice 🙂 I’m sure others do and that’s okay too.