Instant Pot Dirty Rice Recipe (With Ground Beef)

Our Instant Pot Dirty Rice recipe will have you singing the praises of your pressure cooker all the way to the table. This perfectly spiced Cajun rice recipe uses simple ingredients and cooks in just 30 minutes making it perfect for a weeknight meal.

One of the things that a pressure cooker does beautifully is the making of rice dishes. It cooks everything simultaneously taking all of the work out of this dish without any loss of flavor. Put your efforts into a yummy dessert or enjoy your free time while supper cooks.

Why You’ll Love Our Easy Dirty Rice Recipe

• Simplified Recipe. Traditional dirty rice recipes can have a lot of dirty rice seasonings. We’ve simplified this list by using taco seasoning, making it quick and easy. You can purchase this seasoning or make it homemade. We also use canned beans so there’s no soaking.
• Quick and easy. Cooking rice in an electric pressure cooker cuts the cooking time and makes the cooking process so simple making it easy to have instant pot cajun dirty rice any day of the week.
• Full of flavor. One of the beautiful things about this dish is the rich umami flavor, perfect for when you are craving something intense, savory, and delicious. There is nothing bland about this rice dish.
• One pot meal. Unless you want to make some cornbread (which I do recommend), you can serve this hearty meal straight out of the Instant Pot so there are no extra dishes to clean up.

Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe

• Lean Ground Beef. Any ground beef will work but will have more grease to drain.
• Vegetable Oil. Or any neutral-favored oil.
• Minced Garlic. fresh minced garlic is what I prefer but you can use jarred minced garlic (drained) or dried.
• Red Onion. A sweet onion or yellow onion will both work.
• Bell Pepper. Green bell pepper is traditional but red peppers would add color. They’re sometimes called sweet peppers. Use what you prefer.
• Long-Grain White Rice. Jasmine rice or basmati rice will both work as well.
• Chicken Broth. You could also use beef broth or vegetable broth.
• Green Chilies. These come in a can, and you can pick your heat level.
• Taco Seasoning. Doctor this up with cayenne pepper for more heat.
• Salt and Pepper. To taste.
• Canned Black Beans. Drain and rinse your beans thoroughly. These can be replaced with red beans, kidney beans, or chili beans.
• Whole Kernel Corn. You can use frozen corn or drained canned corn.
• Pickled Jalapeño Peppers. Find these with pickles and olives at your grocery store.

How To Make Instant Pot Dirty Rice

Please note, that the printable recipe card has ingredient quantities, complete instructions, and nutritional information. The following is a quick overview of the recipe.

Step One. Sautee your ground beef for dirty rice.

Place the ground beef and garlic into the Instant Pot and Sauté. Reserve one tablespoon of grease and drain the rest.

Step Two. Add veggies.

Add the vegetable oil, bell pepper, and red onion and sauté for three minutes. Turn off the sauté feature.

Step Three. Put it all together for Instant Pot Dirty Rice.

Add the rice, green chilies, taco seasoning, chicken broth, salt, and pepper to the Instant Pot. Stir. Set it to cook on high pressure for 22 minutes.

Step Four. Release the pressure.

Once it has finished cooking, hit CANCEL and allow the pressure to release naturally for about 10 minutes. Slowly open the vent to release any remaining pressure, and carefully remove the lid.

Step Five. Finish off your Instant Pot Dirty Rice Recipe

Stir in the black beans, corn, tomato, and cilantro. Serve warm and top with sliced jalapeño peppers.

Substitutions and Additions

• Substitute the type of meat such as ground turkey, chicken, chicken livers or gizzards, ground sausage, andouille sausage, ground pork, bacon, or shrimp, or serve it vegetarian.
• Spice it up with cayenne, paprika, or a couple of dashes of hot sauce. For an intense cajun flavor, our homemade creole seasoning is delicious.
• Kind of rice. Long-grain white rice is traditional and cooks up beautifully in an instant pot. However, brown rice or a wild rice blend can be used.
• Vegetables – Add your favorites. Certain vegetables (such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts) turn to mush in the pressure cooker, so in those cases, it is best to cook the vegetables separately and combine them later.
• Garnishes add additional flavor and beauty to your dish. Top with chopped green onions, fresh parsley, tomatoes, and definitely more cilantro. Fresh ingredients don’t store well in the refrigerator or freezer so I recommend garnishing after plating.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is dirty rice?

This traditional Creole dish from Louisiana is made from white rice. However, the rice becomes “dirty” because it is cooked with meat (pork, beef, or chicken), green bell pepper, celery, onion, and plenty of spices.

What goes with dirty rice?

Cornbread, coleslaw, hushpuppies, Mexican corn, and sweet potato fries are often served with dirty rice. 

Is dirty rice and Cajun rice the same thing?

Yes. Dirty Rice is sometimes called “Cajun Rice” or “Rice Dressing.” These are all variations of a basic dirty rice recipe.

Is dirty rice a side or main dish?

Customarily, dirty rice is served as a side dish. However, since I added ground beef to the Instant Pot Dirty Rice recipe, I served our Instant Pot cajun rice recipe as our main course. 

How To Reheat & Store Instant Pot Dirty Rice

Best way to Store Dirty Rice with Ground Beef

Keep your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Can I Freeze Dirty Rice with Ground Beef?

Yes. To freeze, store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat before serving.

How to Reheat Dirty Rice?

Reheat your rice in the microwave or skillet with half a teaspoon or so of water to help it rehydrate.

Tips for the Perfect Instant Pot Dirty Rice

• Rinsing your rice is important. Rinsing it will wash away starch molecules. If you skip this step, you may end up with mushy rice. 
• If you want to make this a vegetarian dish, skip the ground beef and step 1 entirely. Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth and reduce the quantity to 1 and 1/2 cups.
• Add a 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper with the taco seasoning to spice it up.

If you enjoyed this recipe, check these out!

This easy dirty rice recipe, our Cuban Red Beans and Rice Recipe, and our Frijoles Cubanos Recipe (Cuban Black Beans), make a delicious meal or side dish. They’re filling and cost-effective and using an instant pot like we did for our Charro Beans Instant Pot Recipe guarantees they’re ready when you are.

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.

Instant Pot Dirty Rice Recipe

Author: Julie Menghini

Our Instant Pot Dirty Rice recipe with ground beef is a hearty one-pot meal that cooks in 30 minutes. Our easy recipe is the perfect weeknight meal.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe CollectSaved! Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Natural Release 10 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Cajun, Creole

Keyword: Instant Pot Rice

Servings: 6

Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 lb lean or extra lean ground beef
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 cup red onion chopped
• ¾ cup bell or sweet pepper chopped
• 1 cup long grain white rice rinsed and drained
• 2 cups chicken broth
• ⅓ cup green chilies canned
• 2 tbsp Taco Seasoning
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup canned black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 cup whole kernel corn frozen and thawed
• 2 tbsp pickled jalapeño peppers drained and chopped

Garnish – chopped tomatoes, sliced fresh jalapeño peppers and fresh cilantro for topping

Instructions

 

• Put the ground beef and garlic into the Instant Pot. Press the SAUTE button and press ADJUST until you are on the medium setting. Sauté the beef until it is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon (approximately) of grease.
• Add the vegetable oil, bell pepper and red onion and continue sautéing for another 3 minutes. Press CANCEL.
• Add the rice, green chilies, taco seasoning, salt and pepper to the Instant Pot.
• Pour the chicken broth into the pot. Ensure that the rice is completely covered.
• Replace the lid to the Instant Pot and set the vent to the SEALING position.
• Press the MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK button and hit the ADJUST button to set it to low. Set the time to 22 minutes. It will take up to 10 minutes to hit the proper pressure and start the timer.
• Once it has finished cooking, hit CANCEL and allow the pressure to release naturally, about 10 minutes. Slowly open the vent to release any extra pressure and carefully remove the lid.
• Stir in the black beans, corn, fresh tomato and fresh cilantro. Serve warm and top with sliced jalapeño peppers.

Notes

Rinsing your rice is important. Rinsing it will wash away starch molecules. If you skip this step, you may end up with rice that is mushy.
• If you want to make this a vegetarian dish, skip the ground beef and step 1 entirely. Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth and reduce the quantity to 1 and 1/2 cups.
• Black beans can be replaced with kidney or chili beans.
• To really spice it up, add a 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper with the taco seasoning.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
• To freeze, store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 398kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 19gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 785mgPotassium: 462mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 666IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 3mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

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