Instant Pot Fiesta Rice Bowls

These instant Pot fiesta rice bowls are a vegetarian, gluten-free recipe that works great for meal prep! Just dump it all in the Instant Pot, press the button, and you're done!

Recipes like this Instant Pot Cajun rice and sausage and these Moroccan Instant Pot lentils are life savers on busy week days - there is something so satisfying about dumping a bunch of ingredients into the Instant Pot and letting it work it's magic. These Instant Pot fiesta rice bowls are another dump and go meal to add to your meal prep rotation!

These fiesta rice bowls are made with all the delicious ingredients of a vegetarian burrito, but deconstructed into a meal prep bowl. Made with pantry staples such as basmati rice, black beans, corn, peppers, tomatoes and taco seasoning, these rice bowls are loaded with veggies, and get a ton of flavor while cooking.

This is meal prep at it's easiest - just dump all the ingredients in the instant pot and pressure cook - no sautéing required! Best of all, for about 15 minutes of active cooking time, you get six lunch portions, and you can freeze some for later!

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Recipe video

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped these fiesta rice bowls. They are so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

Ingredient notes

• Taco seasoning - taco seasoning adds a ton of flavor to the veggies and rice as this recipe is cooking. Make a batch of homemade taco seasoning, or purchase store-bought for a time saving shortcut.
• Black beans - you can use canned black beans, or make batch of Instant Pot black beans.
• Green chilies - add a ton of flavor, but they are not spicy! You can purchase canned and diced green chilies at the grocery store.
• Vegetables - red and yellow bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, corn, and red onion cook up perfectly in this fiesta rice bowl. Note: I recommend using fresh diced tomatoes (not canned) to help prevent burning. See section below for how to avoid the burn warning when cooking this recipe in the Instant Pot.
• Cheese - mozzarella cheese or Monterey Jack works perfectly in this recipe
• Rice - basmati rice is our go-to for this recipe; other types of long grain white rice should also work. Short grain rice, instant rice, brown rice and wild rice will not work in this recipe, as they require different cook times.

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Step by step instructions

1. Assemble ingredients - add all ingredients (except for tomatoes) into the stainless steel inner pot of an Instant Pot (6 quart): rice, onion, peppers, corn, black beans, chiles, taco seasoning and water. Stir to combine, then add the diced tomatoes on top (do not stir). Put the lid on and set valve to 'sealing'.

Important note - it's important to place the tomatoes on top of the rest of the ingredients to avoid a burn warning- find more tips below!

2. Pressure cook - Place the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to 'sealing', and pressure cook on high for 3 minutes. Allow for a full natural pressure release (takes around 15 minutes).

3. Add cheese - remove the lid and stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Sprinkle the top of the rice with the remaining ½ cup cheese and put the lid back on for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.

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4. Serve - with your choice of suggested toppings such as guacamole, cilantro, and salsa.

Topping variations

These fiesta rice bowls are delicious as-is, but the toppings really take them to the next level. A few topping variations you might consider are:

• extra cheese
• avocado (see how to cut an avocado (and not your hand) here!)
• fresh tomatoes
• cilantro
• a fresh squeeze of lime
• green or red onion
• guacamole
• salsa
• greek yogurt

FAQ

Stovetop directions

To prepare these fiesta rice bowls on the stovetop, the recipe will remain the same, with the exception of increasing the water to 2 cups.

1. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to rest for an additional 10 minutes (do not take the lid off).
2. After 10 minutes of resting, stir in the cheese and enjoy!

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Meal Prep + Storage

Freezer Packs

Freezer packs are assembled ahead and frozen before cooking. That way on cook day all you need to do is dump the meal into the Instant Pot and press the button. No measuring!

1. Assemble all ingredients in step 1 a large gallon size freezer bag or large meal prep container with date and cooking instructions.
2. Freeze for up to 3 months uncooked in freezer.
3. Thaw completely before cooking- the Instant Pot may not come to pressure if cooked from frozen.
4. Cook as directed in the recipe card, and enjoy!

Reheat meals (leftovers)

1. Cool completely after cooking.
2. Portion out into air tight meal prep containers, and store in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
3. Thaw completely if frozen (overnight in the fridge), then reheat in the microwave until steaming hot.
4. Add fresh toppings, and serve!

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