Easy Instant Pot Spinach Rice is a healthy meal that I love to make for my family for lunch box meals. Full of nutritious ingredients and filling protein, this meal helps my loved ones power through their busy days. Making this spinach rice recipe in an Instant Pot turns it into a quick meal that I can put together even on my busiest days.
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- Why should I make Spinach Rice in the Instant Pot
- What is Spinach Rice
- How to make Spinach Rice in an Instant Pot
- What Type of rice can I use?
- What beans can I use in this Spinach Rice
- Can I add other veggies to this Spinach Rice?
- How do I serve this Spinach Rice
- Top Tip
- Is Spinach Rice a good meal prep recipe
- How to Store Spinach Rice
- Pro Tips
- Instant pot Spinach Rice / Pulao
Why should I make Spinach Rice in the Instant Pot
The electric pressure cooker is perfect for making rice dishes like this spinach rice. It takes a fraction of the time than it takes to make rice on the stovetop. Most importantly the Instant Pot makes cooking this flavorful and healthy spinach rice dish easy and reliable .
Don’t let yourself be scared of the Instant Pot. While there are lots of buttons and functions, we’ve broken it all down for you in our article Is the Instant Pot Worth It . It will clear up any of the confusion you might have about using your Instant Pot and teach you how to use your Instant Pot like a pro in no time.
Plus, we break down exactly how to cook the perfect al dente rice in the Instant Pot in our in-depth post on how to make Instant Pot rice . With these resources and this easy to follow spinach rice recipe, you’ll be able to make mouthwatering rice dishes right away.
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What is Spinach Rice
My spinach rice recipe is based on an Indian rice dish called Palak Pulao. Palak pulao is a rice dish that includes rice and spinach along with a savory combination of spices. My spinach rice also includes chickpeas for a healthy shot of vegetarian protein.
The combination of spices makes this palak rice recipe so delicious. My spinach rice recipe uses a delectable combination of aromatics and spices to create a stunning depth of flavor. For the flavor in this dish, I use:
- Onion
- Ginger & Garlic
- Garam Masala
- Tumeric
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Lime juice
The result is a rice dish with a rich flavor profile and a shot of tangy citrus from the lime juice. Plus cooking it in the Instant Pot makes this a quick rice recipe with easy cleanup.
How to make Spinach Rice in an Instant Pot
Making spinach rice in the Instant Pot is very easy to make. It’s a great recipe for Instant Pot beginners or even those new to cooking in general.
- To make Instant Pot Spinach rice, start by pressing saute mode on the Instant Pot.
- Add oil to the pot liner and let it heat.
- Once the oil is warm, add your onions and the mix of ginger and garlic.
- Give it a quick stir to mix together.
- Now you can add your chopped spinach leaves, chickpeas, spices, washed rice, and water.
- Then just put the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to the sealing position.
- Press the cancel button then set the pot to manual/pressure cook and set the timer for 5 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, do a natural pressure release for 5 minutes and then a quick release.
- Remove the lid, being careful to avoid the steam from the pot. Mix well and serve with raita or plain yogurt .
- That’s it! Quick and easy with not a lot of fuss.
What Type of rice can I use?
As written, this spinach rice recipe calls for basmati rice. However, you can also use brown rice or jasmine rice instead. If you use brown rice, you might want to substitute soaked dried beans instead of cooked beans for the best results.
What beans can I use in this Spinach Rice
While my recipe uses chickpeas, you can use other beans in this spinach rice as well or instead of chickpeas. And if you use brown rice, you can use soaked beans instead of cooked beans in this recipe. You can find out everything you need to know about how to cook dried beans in the Instant Pot here
Can I add other veggies to this Spinach Rice?
Yes! Add any other veggies that you like to this spinach rice recipe and make it to really suit your preferences. I like to add peas, corn, and chopped carrots. You can use one of the frozen mixed vegetable blends to easily add extra veggies to this dish with virtually no extra work!
How do I serve this Spinach Rice
This spinach rice is delicious on its own. But if you are looking to add extra deliciousness to it, you can pair it with:
Weeknight Friendly Instant Pot Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
Easy Homemade Spanish Rice Recipe
Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani
Instant Pot Rice and Beans
Dal Makhani
Channa Masala
Dal Tadka
Homemade Yogurt
Top Tip
Don’t skip rinsing the rice before you cook it. Rinsing rice removes the extra starch from the surface of the rice. If you skip rinsing it, the extra starch could make the rice gummy as it cooks.
Is Spinach Rice a good meal prep recipe
Spinach rice is a perfect meal prep recipe. It’s very easy to make and stores well in the fridge in an airtight container. It also reheats very well in the microwave, making it a good choice for making ahead and eating all week long.
How to Store Spinach Rice
Yes! You can spinach rice. To freeze my spinach rice, let the rice cool and put the rice in an airtight freezer container. Seal the container as tight as possible and place it in the freezer. It should keep for several months in the freezer and reheat well in the microwave.
Pro Tips
- Make sure you measure the water and rice and use the proper 1 to 1 ratio. When you cook rice on the stovetop the ratio isn’t as important as you can always adjust as you go. With the Instant Pot, you’ll want to get it right since you can’t adjust during cooking.
- Don’t skip rinsing the rice before you cook it. Rinsing rice removes the extra starch from the surface of the rice. If you skip rinsing it, the extra starch could make the rice gummy as it cooks.
- Adjust the salt and spices to your taste, but don’t be intimidated if you are worried this recipe will be too spicy. The Instant Pot dilutes flavors a bit so adding a little more than you would add on the stovetop will yield delicious, but not overly spicy, results.
Equipment
- McCormick Ground Cumin, 14 oz
- Goya Foods Dry Bag, Chick Peas, 4 Pound
- Mealthy MultiPot 9-in-1 Programmable Slow and Pressure Cooker
- Instant Pot Ultra 6 Qt 10-in-1
- Royal White Basmati Rice, 20 Pound
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed and drained
- 3 cups fresh spinach/chopped
- 1 cup canned chickpeas
- One 1 medium onion diced
- 1 tablespoon ginger & garlic / finely chopped
- One 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ turmeric powder
- Half ½ teaspoon red chill powder
- One tablespoon lime juice
- 1 cup of water
- One teaspoon oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
Electric pressure cooker Instructions
- Press saute mode on Instant Pot. Add oil and once it’s hot, add ginger and chopped onions and give it a stir
- Add chopped spinach leaves, chickpeas, salt to taste, garam masala powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, and the washed Rice and water give a stir.
- Close the lid on the pot, and turn the valve from VENTING to SEALING position.
- Press CANCEL button on Instant Pot.Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK button (High Pressure) and set the timer to 5 minutes
- When done. Natural Pressure Release(NPR) for 5 minutes and then do a QUICK RELEASE (QR)
- Remove lid away from you, Mix well
- Spinach Rice is ready. Serve with Raita or plain yogurt.
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat a heavy bottom pot on medium-high heat.
- Follow the instructions to sauté everything,
- add spinach, chickpeas, rice, water.
- Bring to a boil and cover the pot. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for about 10-12 minutes. Till the rice is cooked.
- Open the lid, and fluff rice with a fork. Serve it with dal or yogurt!
Video
Notes
- Make sure you measure the water and rice and use the proper 1 to 1 ratio. When you cook rice on the stovetop the ratio isn’t as important as you can always adjust as you go. With the Instant Pot, you’ll want to get it right since you can’t adjust during cooking.
- Don’t skip rinsing the rice before you cook it. Rinsing rice removes the extra starch from the surface of the rice. If you skip rinsing it, the extra starch could make the rice gummy as it cooks.
- Adjust the salt and spices to your taste, but don’t be intimidated if you are worried this recipe will be too spicy. The Instant Pot dilutes flavors a bit so adding a little more than you would add on the stovetop will yield delicious, but not overly spicy, results.
Nutrition
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Equipment
- McCormick Ground Cumin, 14 oz
- Goya Foods Dry Bag, Chick Peas, 4 Pound
- Mealthy MultiPot 9-in-1 Programmable Slow and Pressure Cooker
- Instant Pot Ultra 6 Qt 10-in-1
- Royal White Basmati Rice, 20 Pound
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed and drained
- 3 cups fresh spinach/chopped
- 1 cup canned chickpeas
- One 1 medium onion diced
- 1 tablespoon ginger & garlic / finely chopped
- One 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ turmeric powder
- Half ½ teaspoon red chill powder
- One tablespoon lime juice
- 1 cup of water
- One teaspoon oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
Electric pressure cooker Instructions
- Press saute mode on Instant Pot. Add oil and once it’s hot, add ginger and chopped onions and give it a stir
- Add chopped spinach leaves, chickpeas, salt to taste, garam masala powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, and the washed Rice and water give a stir.
- Close the lid on the pot, and turn the valve from VENTING to SEALING position.
- Press CANCEL button on Instant Pot.Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK button (High Pressure) and set the timer to 5 minutes
- When done. Natural Pressure Release(NPR) for 5 minutes and then do a QUICK RELEASE (QR)
- Remove lid away from you, Mix well
- Spinach Rice is ready. Serve with Raita or plain yogurt.
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat a heavy bottom pot on medium-high heat.
- Follow the instructions to sauté everything,
- add spinach, chickpeas, rice, water.
- Bring to a boil and cover the pot. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for about 10-12 minutes. Till the rice is cooked.
- Open the lid, and fluff rice with a fork. Serve it with dal or yogurt!
Video
Notes
- Make sure you measure the water and rice and use the proper 1 to 1 ratio. When you cook rice on the stovetop the ratio isn’t as important as you can always adjust as you go. With the Instant Pot, you’ll want to get it right since you can’t adjust during cooking.
- Don’t skip rinsing the rice before you cook it. Rinsing rice removes the extra starch from the surface of the rice. If you skip rinsing it, the extra starch could make the rice gummy as it cooks.
- Adjust the salt and spices to your taste, but don’t be intimidated if you are worried this recipe will be too spicy. The Instant Pot dilutes flavors a bit so adding a little more than you would add on the stovetop will yield delicious, but not overly spicy, results.
