Plain white rice is getting a veggie boost of nutrition and going green in this Instant Pot Green Veggie Rice! This is the perfect way to add veggies, color, and flavor to an otherwise boring side dish.
After testing this recipe on my loved ones, I received 3 variations of opinions:
- Boo-YA! My rice is basically a salad! (Me)
- Ummm… Why is there grass clippings in the rice (My hilarious husband)
- Whyyyyyyyyyy do you allllllllllways have to ruin white rice! (Take a wild guess who said that)
So here is my response to each
- Woohoo! Fist Bump!
- Eye Roll
- It's not spinach rice, it's Hulk rice and your muscles will be bigger than dad's if you eat it!
In the end, whether you fall into category 1, 2, or 3 you will eventually all agree that this Green Veggie Rice is the BOMB and you'll be throwing this green mix into your Mac and Cheese, Brown Rice, and Mashed Potatoes.
HOW TO TRANSFORM BORING WHITE RICE
For this green veggie rice I added big handfuls of spinach and cilantro into a food processor. Then I added a jalapeño, some green onions, lime, and salt and pulsed until it all came together.
Then I folded the mixture into my Perfectly Cooked White Rice and VOILA! Flavorful, colorful, NOT BORING, white rice.
Rice has never been so tasty.
Except for maybe on Thursday when I show you my favorite pairing for Instant Pot Green Veggie Rice. Oh man, you're gonna cry.
Enjoy!
Tools/Ingredients used to make Instant Pot Green Veggie Rice
- Instant Pot
- Breville Food Processor
- Basmati White Rice I buy it at Sam's Club, their brown Basmati rice is also a great price and I use it for Perfect Pressure Cooker Brown Rice
Instant Pot Green Veggie Rice
Take your plain ol' white rice up a few notches with some nutritious green veggies. More flavor, more color, more YUM!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Rice
- 1 cup long grain white rice (I like basmati)
- 1 ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon butter
For the Greens
- 6 ounces fresh spinach leaves
- 2 green onions coarsely chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed (or leave them in for spicy rice)
- small handful of cilantro
- juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Add rice, chicken broth, salt, and butter to the pressure cooker pot and stir. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 3 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, place spinach leaves, green onions, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until mixture is finely minced, almost like a paste. Could also use a blender, but you may need to scrape it down a few times.
- When cooking is complete, use a natural release for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
- Fluff the rice with a fork. Add green mixture and gently stir to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Freeze any extra rice in resealable freezer bags. I love having it on hand for quick rice bowl dinners and fried rice.
- Double ingredients if needed. I've never tried tripling it.
Keywords: Vegetable side dish, easy rice, pressure cooker
Inspired by The Rachael Ray Show
Made this for dinner tonight – and it tasted great, and the pickiest eater even got seconds! Also had the Kung Pao meatballs with the rice, great match up!
★★★★★
Kim, It’s the best thing in the world to see a picky eater accept something new!
Sounds yummy. Love the perfect white rice. Will definitely make this. ????????
Judy, This definitely kicks it up 20 notches 🙂
This looks great! I have some leftover cilantro-lime shrimp from Costco, and I was trying to figure out what to do with it for dinner. Boom, here’s the answer!! I’m going to make this rice, and throw the shrimp in when I stir it all up. Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes!
Susan, That’s a match made in heaven right there!
Love the Mexican Crack chicken! A definite hit with the teenagers. Can’t wait to try the green rice! Thank you!
★★★★★
Mary Beth, Yay! I’m so glad you liked it! It would be so good with this rice!