Barley Free Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
Bright, citrusy, and impossibly fluffy, this Instant Pot rice is the kind of side dish that quietly steals the show at the dinner table. The combination of fresh lime juice, lime zest, and roughly chopped cilantro folded into perfectly cooked long-grain white rice delivers a restaurant-quality result with minimal effort. Rinsing the rice before cooking is a small but important step that removes excess starch and keeps every grain light and separate rather than clumped together. The Instant Pot does the heavy lifting here — just three minutes on high pressure followed by a natural release means you get consistent, tender rice every single time without babysitting a pot on the stove. Because this recipe is built entirely from whole, simple ingredients like butter, salt, lime, and fresh herbs, there's nothing hidden to worry about — it's naturally free of grains like barley that can sneak into packaged seasoning blends or flavored rice mixes. Serve it alongside grilled chicken, fish tacos, or a hearty bean dish and watch it disappear fast.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 1 ½ cups long-grain white rice
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp lime zest
Instructions
- 1
Place the rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water, stirring with your hand, until the water runs mostly clear, about 30 seconds.
- 2
Add the rinsed rice, water, butter, and salt to the Instant Pot insert and stir briefly to combine.
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