Lemon Rice in the Instant Pot
Lemon Rice is a flavorful side dish that pairs well with Greek recipes. You can make it quick and easy in your Instant Pot using long-grain rice, chicken broth, and plenty of lemon.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Incredibly quick and easy, this flavor-packed lemon rice makes a delicious go-to side dish for any Mediterranean dish.
This lemon rice recipe is adapted from a stovetop recipe that’s been in our family for 45 years. We always pair it with our Greek Souvlaki, made with pork marinated overnight and grilled up quick.
When you make the rice in the Instant Pot, it cooks just as quickly as the grilled pork!
We make this lemon rice recipe all the time at my house, so we’ve updated the recipe with new photos and tips.
Ingredients for Creamy Lemon Rice
There aren’t many ingredients in this easy Lemon Rice, and you probably have most of them on-hand right now:
- Butter. Just 2 tablespoons helps this rice cook up creamy and delicious. (Add more if you’re feeling decadent.)
- Broth. I prefer to use reduced-sodium chicken broth for this recipe. You can also sub vegetable broth if you like.
- White Rice. I used long-grain white rice in this recipe. (We nearly always have Jasmine rice on hand, but any white rice will work.)
- Lemon. We are heavy-handed on the lemon juice, so we generally buy three lemons to make sure we have enough for juice. (Each lemon will give you 2 to 4 tablespoons of juice.) We also like to add the zest, for a pretty color and flavor to the finished dish.
- Salt. Make sure to add this before pressure cooking since it makes a huge difference on the finished dish.
- Fresh parsley: For a bit of extra color and freshness, I also love using fresh parsley. However, you can easily substitute dried parsley in a pinch.
How to Make Lemon Rice in an Instant Pot
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
This is a pilaf-style rice, so we like to sauté the rice grains in butter for a few minutes before pressure cooking. This helps build flavor and texture.
Note: Make sure you have the broth and water ready to add when the rice starts to take on a nutty smell and becomes translucent. It reaches that point quickly!
Give the bottom a good stir to ensure that nothing sticks, and add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Lock the lid in place and select High Pressure and a 4 minute cook time.
When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes and then use a Quick Pressure Release.
Fluff the rice with a fork and serve immediately.
What to Serve with Greek Lemon Rice
This recipe has a distinct Greek flavor. We usually pair it with grilled pork souvlaki and an easy Greek salad.
If you’re looking for other ideas, I’ve served this rice with several other Mediterranean-inspired dishes:
- Greek Beef Tacos feature soft, fluffy pita filled with herb-flavored ground beef cooked to perfection in an Instant Pot.
- Greek Pork Tacos take the amazing flavors of pork souvlaki and wraps it up in an easy-to-eat pita “taco.”
- Chicken Shawarma is tender, juicy and full of warming spiced flavors for a satisfying weeknight meal with lemon rice.
- Mediterranean Fish en Papillote is light, refreshing, and delicious with any Instant Pot rice dish, especially with fresh lemon juice!
Frequently Asked Question about Lemon Rice
We included the lemon juice as a range because we’re a little heavy handed with it at home. (We add a generous half cup.) However, if you prefer a more subtle citrus flavor, you can add less.
Refrigerate leftover lemon rice for up to four days in an airtight container. (Also, the rice will continue absorbing liquid as it cools, so you may need to add an extra splash of chicken broth when you reheat it.)
The rice will have a different texture when you defrost it. If that doesn’t bother you, go for it!
Let the rice cool to room temperature, then place in a freezer-safe zip-top bag. Place in the fridge overnight to defrost.
Absolutely! Our stovetop lemon rice is over on Barbara Bakes. (If you’re a lemon lover, we definitely still recommend measuring the lemon juice generously.)
More Popular Instant Pot Rice Recipes
The Instant Pot is a wonderful way to make rice of all kinds, including these favorite recipes:
- Taco Rice is a fast one-pot recipe with Tex-Mex flavor and just the right amount of spice.
- Saffron Rice Pilaf with almonds is a nutty and beautifully yellow rice dish with fragrant saffron flavor.
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole is a one-pot dinner with greens, protein and rice in a savory cheese sauce.
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Lemon Rice in the Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot Lemon Rice is an incredibly easy, flavorful side dish for Greek recipes made with long-grain rice, chicken broth and plenty of lemon.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups long grain rice
- 1 can (14.5 ounce) chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Select Sauté and add butter to cooking pot. When hot, add the rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until rice becomes translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Add broth, water, lemon juice, and salt. Cover and lock lid in place. Select High Pressure and set timer for 4 minutes.
- When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes and then use a Quick Pressure Release.
- When the valve drops carefully remove lid. Fluff rice with a fork and serve immediately. Optional, garnish with zest and chopped fresh parsley.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 122Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 444mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
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Do you rinse and soak your rice before sauteing? When do you add the lemon zest?
Hi Cory – no, this rice is a little bit creamy, so no need to rinse it. Add the lemon zest after pressure cooking, but we’ve also stirred it in with the lemon juice. Either way works.
I’ve frozen rice many times. (Flat in a zip lock, can break off what is wanted.) I add a bit of water or broth, and heat in the microwave from frozen. The texture is exactly what it was. I would not defrost the rice first. Perhaps that is where the problem comes in.
What do you mean when you write cook rice until opaque? Rice is opaque.
Hi David – it should read translucent. As you saute the rice you’ll see it change.
You can’t have too many recipes with lemon for me. I love lemon.
Speaking of Greek and lemon I’d like to have an Instant Pot recipe for avgolemono soup.
We’ve made the recent chicken with lemon recipe and it was a winner. In fact I’ve made many of Barbara and Jenn’s recipes and never had one that we didn’t like.
Can you double this recipe for dinner party? Or would you have to add more time?
Hi Desiree – yes, you can double this recipe with no change in cook time. Enjoy!
This looks amazing! Could i substitute the long grain rice with jasmine? Thanks!
Yes – I think that would work well.
Absiolutely, positively LOVED this lemon rice. So easy, so good, and so very quick to make. Making rice in the Instant Pot has been hit-or-miss for me with many of the recipes on Pinterest, but this recipe was spot on perfect! It has just the right amount of tang from the lemon juice, but doesn’t overwhelm, and the consistency was creamy, similar to a risotto. This one’s a keeper.
Thanks Pat – glad you loved it. You described it perfectly!
Love lemon rice. Could I make it by just adding water rather than chicken broth as I am vegetarian?
Hi Mina – definitely, using water will works just fine. Enjoy!
Yes, but I would just get a can of vegetable broth for a better flavor. You can also make it but it is too much trouble for making only 2 or 3 cups. The Instant Pot is also the easiest way to make any type of broth but you typically make about 7 or 8 cups worth when you make it yourself.
Or use vegetable broth, Mina. That would give you more taste.
I see you have a recipe for brown rice using a stove top pressure cooker. I just bought my first electric pressure cooker today and haven’t used it yet. How do you do your long grain brown rice? Appreciate your advice and I’ve signed up for your newsletter.
Hi Barbara – how exciting! What brand did you buy? All my recipes are written for the electric pressure cooker. Here’s a link to the brown rice recipe I make all the time in my Instant Pot. https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-brown-rice-and-a-giveaway/ Let me know if you have any questions about making it.
It also work great for making wild rice in a reasonable time too. I usually use 50/50 mic of brown and wild rice.
First timer here- do I turn sauté off once I’ve added the liquid? And then do I manually set timer?
Hi Becky – yes, you have to press the cancel button to change cooking functions. Then you’ll use the manual button and the “-” button to change the time. This post will help https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-white-rice/
In this Lemon Rice recipe, you list 1 can chicken broth, which is about 14.5 oz, then 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and 1 cup of water. In the instructions, you do not say to add the water, only the broth and lemon juice. Should I leave out the listed cup of water? Thanks…
Hi Jocelyn – you add the water with the broth and the lemon juice. I’ve updated the recipe instructions. Thanks!
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Hi, I almost always use brown rice, but use white rice every once in awhile and have problems sometimes with the rice sticking? Never have the problem with brown rice though? Is there an easy way to get around this problem? Do you clean your rice? I’ve heard of adding vinegar helps?
Thanks for any suggestions you might have.
Darin
Have you tried adding more water with white rice? Are you using a stove top pressure cooker?
electric pressure cooker, computerized one. I added the less water, and more, but still, sometimes it comes out sticky. Tried different brands of rice too? Tempted on going back to my rice cooker, but want to learn to do it right on the pressure cooker because of the time that is saved.
Thanks, Darin
Definitely rinse the rice until it runs clear. I also found this suggestion which might solve the. problem “I turn off the cooker (I don’t leave it on warm) open the top and leave the top slightly ajar and let the rice rest for approximately 10 minutes while the steam escapes. Then after the ten minute rest, I stir it with a paddle-spoon. It becomes fluffy.”
Cool, might be a bit before I try it this way, just made a batch of brown rice. But will try it with your suggestions.
Thank you so much! Darin
The flavor of the brown rice would over power the light acidity of the lemon. It works better with herbs.
Super good. Love the hint of lemon you taste in the rice. Will never cook rice the same again. Thank you!
Great recipe! I made it with brown rice and it worked fantastically. I used the cooking time you’ve posted about for the brown rice. Came out perfectly and the lemon was just perfect.
Thanks Nicole! I haven’t tried it yet with brown rice. Glad to know it works well.
Ok, so does that mean you turn off after 4 minutes or what? And I don’t think we have the same pressure cooker but could you explain quick release method please, thanks.
Oh and I second that coconut rice too.
Yes, after 4 minutes turn off the pressure cooker, wait 5 minutes for the pressure to release naturally and steam the rice a bit, then release the pressure according to your manufacturer’s instructions. The instructions for the electric pressure cooker are in my FAQ sections https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/faq/#QuickRelease.
I’ll get working on that coconut rice 🙂
You need an Instant Pot which is set in 1 minute increments not just a pressure cooker. Quick release – open the valve to depressurize.
One does not need an Instant Pot. That is a brand. Other electric pressure cookers use minute increments. The writer did not say they did not have an electric pressure cooker. Barbara’s response was kind and useful.
Looks delicious! Now all I need is a recipe for coconut rice and I’m set! 🙂
I’ve never made coconut rice, but now it sounds like I’d better. 🙂
Oh my gosh….that rice would be the perfect sidekick for so many dishes I make…..and your Souvlaki looks and sounds wonderful. I could cook the rice and Bob could grill the pork…team work-I love it! 🙂
Thanks Barbara.
Thanks Carol! Gotta love team work 🙂