Puerto Rican yellow rice and beans made with homemade sofrito. Flavorful, one pot rice dish made in the instant pot. A perfect side to serve with tacos, burritos or buddha bowl.
This recipe was shared by my friend who is from Puerto Rico. I love how simple and tasty this recipe is.
What is Puerto Rican Rice?
Puerto Rican rice is yellow rice, similar to pilaf. There are two parts to making this Puerto rican rice. First we make the Sofrito, which is a puree of fresh onion, peppers, jalapeno (optional), garlic and cilantro.
Then we cook the sofrito with the rice and other ingredients, giving the rice so much flavor and taste.
The bright yellow color comes from the Sazon goya we use in the recipe.
This Puerto Rican Rice
- is a one pot dish made in the instant pot
- is bursting with flavors of home made sofrito
- can be enjoyed as is or serve as a part of a meal
- is vegan and gluten free
Instructions with step by step pics:
Rinse the rice 3 to 4 times, until water runs clear. Drain the water and set a side.
1 & 2- To make the sofrito– to a blender add the onion, garlic, green and red bell pepper, jalapeno and cilantro. Pulse it few times to make a puree. This mixture will give about 1.5 cups of sofrito.
3 – To make the rice– Press saute mode in your instant pot and add the oil. Once the oil gets hot, add the sofrito puree and saute for 4-5 minutes. Some of the moisture will be absorbed and the the mixture will look dark green.
4 – Add the tomato paste, sazon goya and salt and saute for 30 – 45 seconds.
5 – Add the washed rice and coat the rice with the sofrito mixture. Cook for a minute.
6 – Add the water and cooked black beans. Give a mix and taste the broth and adjust the salt.
Cancel the saute mode, secure the lid and adjust the vent to sealing position.
7 – Cook on high for 5 minutes and wait for the pressure to release naturally.
8 – Fluff the rice with a fork and cover it with a glass lid for 2-3 minutes. Finally add some lemon juice and serve.
Unlike Mexican rice, Puerto rican rice is not spicy, but the taste and flavor rather comes from sofrito and sazon goya.
Every household has there own way of making Puerto Rican rice ( Arroz con gandules). This is my version slightly altered from my friends recipe.
Traditionally the rice is cooked in a pot called caldero, but here I am using Instant pot.
Substitutions:
- Black beans can be substituted with corn, red beans or any other protein.
- If you can’t find Sazon Goya, just add some some cumin powder, garlic powder, coriander powder,turmeric and black pepper.
What kind of rice to use-
You can use medium grain or long grain rice. Today I used basmati rice.
Should I rinse the rice?
Yes, rinse the rice with water about 3 to 4 times until water runs clear.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve it as a meal by itself with soma black bean salad or Jicama salad or nachos and gucaamole. You can also serve them with tacos, burrito bowl or in a wrap.
More easy dinner recipes –
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Instant Pot Puerto Rican Rice and Beans
Equipment
- 6 qt Instant Pot
Ingredients
For Sofrito-
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 1 small green bell pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- jalapeno to taste ( I used few jarred jalapeno slices) optional
- 2 handfuls of cilantro
To make the rice-
- 2 cups white rice ( I used white basmati rice) I used basmati rice
- 2.5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 packs sazon goya
- 1.5 tsp tomato paste
- 1.5 cups cooked black beans
- 3 ½ cups water
- salt to taste
- lemon juice to taste optional
Instructions
To make the sofrito –
- To a blender add the onion, garlic, green and red bell pepper, jalapeno and cilantro. Pulse it few times to make a puree. This mixture will give about 1.5 cups of sofrito.
To make the rice –
- Press saute mode in your instant pot and add the oil. Once the oil gets hot, add the sofrito puree and saute for 4-5 minutes. Some of the moisture will be absorbed and the the mixture will look dark green.
- Add the tomato paste, sazon goya and salt and saute for 30 – 45 seconds.
- Add the washed rice and coat the rice with the sofrito mixture. Cook for a minute.
- Add the water and cooked black beans. Give a mix and taste the broth and adjust the salt. Cancel the saute mode, secure the lid and adjust the vent to sealing position.
- Cook on high for 5 minutes and wait for the pressure to release naturally.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and cover it with a glass lid for 2-3 minutes. Finally add some lemon juice and serve.
Notes
- Please note that I used white basmati rice, if using different rice the cooking time and water may vary.
- Jalapeno is optional in the sofrito. I added to make it little spicy.
- If you can’t find Sazon Goya, just add some some cumin powder, garlic powder, coriander powder, turmeric and black pepper.
Kundana
Thanks for sharing easy and yummy recipe….love ur presentations ❤️❤️❤️
Jennette
Long grain rice usually take 24 min to cook in the instant pot. Your recipe calls for 5 min – is that a typo?
Madhavi
I used white basmati rice which I get in the Indian store. 5 minute cooking time works perfectly for basmati rice.
Sujatha
Short time rice recipe for quick lunch for vegetarians. It looks healthy rice recipe.