Instant Pot Mexican Rice and Beans

Instant pot filled with Mexican rice and beans, silver spoon taking a scoop.

Instant Pot Mexican Rice and Beans

Instant pot Mexican rice and beans is quick, easy and the perfect weeknight dinner recipe. This healthy meal is vegan, gluten free, dairy free and is great in tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, salads or over nachos.

Course dinner

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword instant pot mexican rice and beans, instant pot mexican rice and black beans, mexican rice and beans in instant pot

Prep Time 3

Cook Time 7

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 302kcal

Author Samantha Rowland

Cost $5.94 Recipe/$0.99 Serving

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

1.5 cups brown jasmine rice (or basmati) $0.70
2.25 cups water $0.00
2 cans black beans (rinsed and drained) $1.98
2 tbsp chili powder $0.60
1.5 tsp sea salt $0.07
1.5 tsp ground cumin $0.15
1.5 tsp garlic powder $0.15
1 can diced tomatoes and green chile (drained) $1.29
2 cups frozen bell peppers $1.00

Instructions

Rinse the rice well (I use a mesh strainer).
Add rice, water, rinsed and drained black beans, chili powder, salt, ground cumin and garlic powder to instant pot. Stir well.
Drain the liquid from the canned tomatoes, add them on top of the rice and beans, do not stir.
Put lid on and cook high pressure 7 minutes. After the instant pot is done, manually release the pressure.
Once all the pressure is released, add the frozen bell peppers and stir well. Let sit 4-5 minutes.

Notes

Top tips:

Be sure to rinse your rice before adding it to the instant pot. This helps to remove the excess starch, making the rice fluffier.
Use jasmine rice or basmati rice (white or brown are both great) to ensure that the leftovers don’t get hard and crunchy. One reason I love making large batches of jasmine or basmati rice is that they are meal prep friendly and you can even eat them cold right out of the fridge.
Be sure to add the diced tomatoes or salsa last and don’t stir them in once added. When using the instant pot, tomatoes on the bottom of the insert can create a burn notice if you stir them in, which is why it’s best to add them last and only put them on top.
Depending on the size of your instant pot you should be able to easily double this recipe. You can serve the leftovers in many different ways or freeze them in individual servings making lunches or dinners later in the month even easier.

If you use white jasmine rice or white basmati rice:

If you have white jasmine or white basmati rice, you will want to change the recipe slightly, as you will need less water and cook the rice for less time.

This recipe calls for 1.5 cups of rice, which will need 2 cups of water for white jasmine rice or white basmati rice. You will only have to cook this for 3 minutes on high pressure (natural release at least 10 minutes).

Storing leftovers

Fridge: You can store leftover instant pot Mexican rice and beans for up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Freezer: Store leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months. I recommend storing them in ½ or 1 cup portions so you can use them easily for leftover meals. Be sure to label your meals in the freezer with the name, date and use by date to avoid any confusion.

Nutrition