Looking for a simple rice dish that you can make in the Instant Pot that is flavorful without a long ingredient list? Learn how to make cilantro lime recipe in no time at all!
Abandoned the Rice Cooker
For a long time I have been cooking my rice in the Instant Pot. We use to have a rice cooker but then we moved into our camper full time to travel the country. To save on space, I ditched the rice cooker and decided to commit to making rice in our Instant Pot instead.
It totally works out perfectly, so I have never missed the rice cooker ever. It's been almost 5 years now of cooking rice in the Instant Pot. I decided it was time to start sharing some of my recipes.
This recipe today is one I love because all the seasoning comes in at the end, so for my kids who don't want to have Cilantro Lime rice, I just take out a portion of plain rice for them, and then season the rest of the rice.
Let me show you how.
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Ingredients
Here are the ingredients that I use in my Cilantro Lime rice.
- Rice - I prefer a medium grain rice such as Calrose rice or a more flavorful rice like Jasmine. Extra long rain just doesn't do it for me or my family, so we avoid buying it, even though it's the cheapest option. I think it's worth to go a little more expensive to give one of the options I mentioned. It still won't be that much money really.
- Water - My technique is equal parts rice and water.
- Lime - You only need 1 lime for this. I prefer to buy the larger limes that are sold by the each instead of a bag of limes. Key limes could be used but I would use 3 of those. They are not easy to zest, so I don't like them for this recipe where I want the zest off the lime.
- Cilantro - You need about 2 tablespoons of cilantro for this recipe. I suggest you store your leftovers in a silicone bag like those from Stasher. It will last a lot longer in that than the plastic produce bag you probably brought it home in.
- Oil - I add a couple tablespoons of oil at the end to help distribute the cilantro, lime juice, and zest while keeping the rice from becoming one big clump.
- Salt - I do this to taste at the very end with either Redmond Real Salt or Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
Tips
I cook the rice for 5 minutes and then allow it to sit for 10 minutes, then I manually release any of the remaining pressure. Use equal parts rice and water
A lot of recipes call for rinsing the rice before cooking. In our camper, we didn’t have a colander, and often we were limited on water at more remote campsites. So, I just didn’t worry about it—and honestly, my results have been great. In this recipe, I add a bit of oil at the end, which helps keep the rice from sticking too much. But a little stickiness doesn’t bother me!
When the rice is done, I immediately fluff it with a fork and turn off the Instant Pot completely. If you leave it on “Keep Warm,” the rice will stick to the bottom pretty badly. It’s best to kill the heat and serve the rice right away, rather than letting it sit.
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups rice like Calrose or Jasmine
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
- 1 lime juice & zest
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Mix together 2 cups of rice and 2 cups of water in the Instant Pot.
- Cook for 5 minutes on high pressure.
- While it's cooking combine he juice of one lime and it's zest with the oil and cilantro.
- When the Instant Pot is done, allow to sit for 10 minutes, then release any additional pressure and carefully open the lid.
- Turn off the Instant Pot. Then fluff the rice with a fork.
- Add in the cilantro/lime from the bowl. Stir to combine. Serve immediately.
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