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You’ll love the balance of flavors in this fresh and citrusy rice. Dotted with green chiles and a hint of garlic, this steamy side dish is sprinkled with fresh chopped cilantro for the perfect finish.
You know, it’s good to be able to push the Easy Button in your life whenever possible. And that’s how I feel about making this rice in my Instant Pot!
This side dish is perfect for short attention spans. Just sauté a few ingredients, push a button, and in about 20 minutes you’ll have a delicious side dish that makes you and everyone around you happy. It’s comforting and satisfying - without being heavy at all. And the ingredient list is nice and short.
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Easy Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
Who should make this perfect (in my family's opinion)side dish, and why:
- You love Café Rio and Costa Vida, but you can’t go there as often as you like.
- You want an easy recipe that you can make at home to save $$.
- The Instant Pot lets you set it, and then go do other things without needing to check to see if its done.
- It frees up space on the stove/oven to make other parts of your meal.
- Can be made ahead and kept in fridge or freezer to reheat when needed, which is great for meal prep (burrito bowls for lunch this week, anyone?)
Check Out these Fresh, Simple Ingredients
Remember to scroll down to the recipe card for the exact amounts, and all the important information.
- Butter - this can easily be made dairy free by using a non-dairy substitute that contains the same fat grams os butter. We've tried Earth Balance buttery spread, and Country Crock plant butter with great results.
- Garlic - I prefer to use fresh garlic and mince it up myself, but we have made this with minced garlic from a jar and it was just as good.
- Long grain white rice - I would not recommend brown rice for this recipe, because the cooking time will need to be longer. But I'm sure you can use jasmine or basmati rice since the time to cook those would be the same as for long grain white rice.
- Chicken broth - I buy broth in a large carton since I cook with it often. But if you have cans of broth (especially those 14.5 oz. cans) you might be worried because they are not quite 2 cups. No problem! Just add some extra water to the broth until it equals 2 cups 🙂
- Lime juice - fresh lime juice is important to get that tangy, citrusy flavor. I experimented a little with lime zest, but I found it to be too bitter for this recipe. Lime juice from a jar is just fine, but if you don't want the extra preservatives, choose carefully! Be sure and read the label - commercially bottled lime juice tends to have a lot of extra ingredients that are hard to pronounce 🙁
- A can of diced green chiles - around here we get them in 4 ounce mini cans.
- Dried cumin - find it in the spice aisle of the grocery store, or look for it in bags where you get Mexican cooking ingredients.
- Freshly chopped cilantro - the perfect finishing touch to this easy side dish!
The ingredients list can go go either before the image or after, depending on what looks good. I may have some extra hero shots, or not, to go before the ingredients.
What Pairs Well with Copycat Cilantro Lime Rice
This is the perfect addition to most Mexican-inspired meals.
Cheese enchiladas, chicken enchiladas, burrito bowls, beef and bean quesadillas, refried beans, carne asada, and any kind of Mexican meal would be even better with this delicious side dish. And if you're lucky enough to have some leftover sweet Pork Barbecoa or Cafe Rio shredded chicken - you can whip up some amazing rice bowls with the leftovers + this great side dish for taco night!
And if you're looking for another yummy rice recipe, check out my One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Rice.
The Key to this Easy Recipe
Here’s the Instant Pot I use for making mashed potatoes, rice, beef stew, and so many things. I use it several times a week. It’s such a time saver! You can set it up and leave it alone to do its work, while you do yours. I love it when machines can do some of your work for you!
My Favorite Kitchen Time-Saver!
Buy Now → Make Cilantro Lime Rice in 6 Easy Steps
Guess what - I totally forgot to include the rice in the picture for step 2! 🤦🏻♀️. In this case, follow what you read, not just what you see 👀
Step 1. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté to melt the butter.
Step 2. Add the garlic AND dry rice. Cook and stir for about a minute more.
Step 3. Turn off the Instant Pot. Add broth, lime juice, chiles, and cumin.
Step 4. Add the lid, set to Manual setting, high pressure, for 10 minutes.
Step 5. When it beeps, release the pressure. Take off the lid when the pressure gauge drops.
Step 6. Add chopped fresh cilantro and stir, then serve while hot.
Instant Pot Pressure - High, Medium, or Low?
An Instant pot traps the steam and the heat in an enclosed area, allowing you to cook at temperatures higher than boiling (212℉). This breaks down tough meat and vegetables, making them tender and delicious and in a lot less time.
Different settings on the Instant Pot will automatically choose the pressure for you. Like the “meat/stew” setting, “steam”, ‘bean/chili”. I’ve been cooking with mine for years, and I have never changed the pressure that is automatically chosen for me when I cook a recipe. (examples - oatmeal, pot roast, bean and bacon soup, mac and cheese, etc.)
Most recipes use the high pressure setting, it works for 99% of recipes. The only time I've ever used a pressure setting different from high is when I cook boiled eggs. I use the steam setting, which automatically chooses Medium pressure.
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
You’ll love the balance of flavors in this fresh and citrusy rice. Dotted with green chiles and a hint of garlic, this steamy side dish is sprinkled with fresh chopped cilantro for the perfect finish.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: side dish
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter (see Notes for dairy free)
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic (roughly 1 large clove)
- 2 cups of rice - white long grain rice
- 2 cups chicken broth, or 1 can (14.5 oz.) plus water to equal 2 cups
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles
- ¼ teaspoon dried cumin
- ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Choose the Sauté setting on the Instant Pot. Melt the butter.
- Add the garlic and uncooked rice. Stir frequently until the garlic is softened (?), about 1 minute.
- Turn off the Instant Pot. Add chicken broth, lime juice, chiles, and cumin.
- Add the lid, choose the Manual setting (make sure its on High pressure) for 10 minutes.
- When the Instant pot beeps, release the pressure - either manually by flipping the switch to “venting” or let it come down naturally.
- Add chopped cilantro and stir to incorporate it evenly, and to fluff the hot rice. Serve while hot.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¾ cup
- Calories: 199
- Sugar: 1.3 g
- Sodium: 372.8 mg
- Fat: 4.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.5 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 11.8 mg
Questions About Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice
Yes you can! It's a perfect recipe to make ahead for meal prep. Follow the recipe as written. After it cools you can spoon it into a zip lock freezer bag or other airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for as long as 4 days. Heat it in the microwave in a loosely covered container (to trap the steam) and heat on high for a minute. Stir, and heat longer as needed until it is heated through.
If it's stored in an airtight, freezer-safe container or ziplock bag, it can be safely stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
My cilantro lime rice is very citrusy, fresh, and zesty - but not spicy. It is a very mild, comforting rice dish with a hint of buttery, garlicky flavor that's perfect for kids and those who don't like their food hot.
Yes, this recipe is gluten free. It can also be made dairy free by replacing the butter with a non-dairy substitute like Earth Balance buttery spread, or country Crock plant butter.
