You are going to love this Instant Pot Ground Beef and Rice dish! This easy ground beef recipe is made with few ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. It's a simple rice dish that offers big flavors, so scrumptious! This dish will be a great addition to your ground beef recipes collection!
This Instant Pot Ground Beef and Rice tastes similar to pilaf and it is inspired by the traditional Uzbekistan plov. The ground beef is cooked together with rice, broth, spices, and vegetables in one pot. The rice is perfectly seasoned, so fluffy, tender, and not mushy!
You can feed your family fast and cheaply with this Instant Pot Ground Beef and Rice recipe. It's the easiest one-pot meal recipe to make on busy weeknights! It's so quick, delicious, and nutritious!
Also, check out this Ground Beef Italian Meatballs recipe.
The Ingredients for Instant Pot Ground Beef and Rice
To make this Instant Pot Ground Beef and Rice recipe, you will need lean ground beef, white rice, broth, onion, garlic, carrots, paprika, cumin, coriander, butter, salt, black pepper, and steak seasoning (optional).
Ground beef is so versatile and inexpensive. In this recipe, you only need to use about a pound of lean ground beef.
White rice is a staple food and cheap. It is rich in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. To make this recipe, you need about 2 cups of white rice. You can use either short or long-grain white rice depending on your personal taste.
Short-grain rice is very starchy and commonly used in paella, risotto, and sushi recipes. It's a perfect choice if you want your rice fluffy, soft, and a bit sticky.
Long-grain rice contains less starch and would be a perfect choice when a fluffy, drier texture is desired, such as in pilaf or any dish with a lot of sauce.
I personally used the short-grain rice and the result was perfect!
Liquid. To cook this rice dish in an instant pot, you need to use a 1 to 1 water to rice ratio. Beef or chicken broth are recommended but vegetable broth or water is perfectly acceptable.
Seasoning. I used a combination of paprika, cumin, and coriander. These spices are commonly used in meats and savory dishes. To add flavors to the ground beef, I also added about 2 teaspoons of steak seasoning (such as Montreal steak seasoning).
How to Make The Best Rice Dish in an Instant Pot:
This Instant Pot Ground Beef and Rice recipe requires minimal chopping and takes only 4 minutes of cooking time at high pressure! It's also a freezer-friendly meal! It can be prepped in advance and frozen!
Here are some important steps to follow:
- First, you need to dice the yellow onion, wash the garlic bulb then cut it in half crosswise, and rinse the rice under cool water before cooking.
- Second, heat some oil and cook the yellow onion for about 5 minutes or until transclucent.
- Third, add ground beef then carrots, cook until the meat is lightly browned for about 6-7 minutes.
- Next, add steak seasoning, paprika, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and butter stir for about 2 minutes. It’s very important to scrape the bottom of the pot so there is nothing stuck which will prevent burning.
- After that, spread the rice evenly all over the pot and add bay leaves.
- Now, it's time to pour in the liquid (broth), press the rice down gently to make sure it is submerged in liquid. Do not stir!
- Close and seal the lid. Set it to "manual" for 4 minutes. After the cooking cycle finished, wait 10 minutes before moving the Venting Knob from the Sealing Position to Venting Position to release the remaining pressure.
To Drain, or Not to Drain the Ground Beef:
If you are using medium-fat ground beef, you may need to drain the grease to reduce the fat and calorie content.
The extra-lean ground beef doesn’t need to be drained after browning but if you see grease, feel free to remove it to make it even a healthier dish.
To remove the extra grease, carefully tilt the pot (make sure that the instant pot is on the "off" setting) and use a paper towel to absorb much of the fat from browned ground beef. A little fat goes a long way with flavors but it’s your choice and it will taste great even without the extra fat.
Storing the Leftover Ground Beef and Rice Dish:
Properly stored, the cooked ground beef dish will last for 3-4 days in the fridge or 2-3 months in the freezer.
Check Out More Tasty Ground Beef Recipes:
- INSTANT POT HAMBURGER HELPER – GROUND BEEF MAC AND CHEESE!
- GROUND BEEF QUESADILLA WITH CHIPOTLE SEASONING
- ASIAN GROUND BEEF STIR FRY
- SKILLET BEEF ENCHILADAS
- KOREAN BEEF BOWL – SWEET AND SPICY
- BOLOGNESE SAUCE RECIPE
- INSTANT POT GOULASH
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Ground Beef and Rice
Equipment
- a 6 qt electronic pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 cups short-grain white rice, (or use medium or long-grain)
- 2 cups chicken or beef broth
- 1½ cups diced yellow onion
- 1½ cups diced carrots
- 1 garlic bulb, (rinse well and cut in half crosswise)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, (cut into thin slices)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin, (for a milder flavor, use 1-2 tsp)
- ¾ teaspoon ground paprika
- ¾ teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons steak seasoning , (such as Montreal Steak seasoning)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- black pepper, (to taste)
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Rinse the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear; drain well.
- Press the “Sauté” function key. Heat oil then cook onion with a pinch of salt. Keep stirring for 4-5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add the ground beef and cook for about 2 minutes. Add carrots and keep stirring for 3 minutes.
- Add steak seasonings, paprika, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Keep stirring for about 1 minute then add butter. Keep stirring until the butter is melted and the ground meat is lightly browned. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to keep the pan clear and nothing is stuck on it to prevent burning.
- Add the rice and spread evenly on top of the ground beef mixture. Add bay leaves then pour in the broth. Press the rice down gently to make sure it is submerged in liquid. DO NOT STIR!
- Put the garlic halves cut-side-down. Place the lid on, sealed, and set to manual for "4 minutes" on a high setting. After the cooking cycle finished, wait for 10 minutes then carefully move the Venting Knob from the Sealing Position to Venting Position to quickly release the remaining pressure.
- Open the lid, remove the garlic halves and squeeze it back into the pot. Stir the rice mixture to combine ingredients. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
Lizet Bowen
Easy, delicious, cheap. Everthing sounds just like my kind of recipe! adding it to our menu.
Jess
Such an easy recipe for a busy night. Love that you can make this in the Instant Pot!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
I have everything I need for this dish, can’t wait to make it this weekend!
Angela
This looks like a great and easy meal to put together. I'm curious, why do you put the garlic in like that? I've never seen it used like that before.
Katie
Looks so good! My family would love this.
melissa chapman
It is always the most simple recipes that are the best. I am sure there are so many families that would love this rice and meat combo.
Amber Myers
This is my kind of dinner. I love rice dishes!
Terri A Steffes
That looks tasty and delicious. I am reducing carbs, so I wonder if caulirice would work?
Tasheena
This looks so yummy. I can't wait to make this recipe for my family.
Nikki Wayne
Oh my,it looks so mouth watering!! Can't wait to try it.
Nathalie Vorche
Looks like a heavy weighted meal so it's good even if you eat if for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Catalina
What a great delicious and easy dish! It's so perfect for my weeknight menu!
Jennifer Van Haitsma
We love any kind of ground beef/veggie mix. Thanks for the suggestion!
Beth
This recipe looks like it will be a family favorite. I always love finding good recipes for my Instant Pot.
heather
This dish was delicious! My family really enjoyed the beef and rice. I thought the steak seasoning added a nice flavor to the meal.
Lynndee
This reminds me of the pilaf that I love. I must try this. Looks so good!
Monica Simpson
Simple yet packed with lots of flavor! My kind of recipe.
Swathi
This Instant pot ground beef and rice looks delicous perfect one pot meal.
MELANIE EDJOURIAN
Sounds like this is packed full of flavour. I make something similar that I use inside peppers. The steak seasoning is a good idea!
Ruth I
This sure looks flavorful! Now I want to try and taste this dish. Yum!
Kita Bryant
This is the perfect dish for the family. It is delicious and so easy to make!
Agnes
I do make this kind of dish and yes this is so easy to do. I love the yummy beef taste as it slowly cooking.
Rika Livingston
I love the yummy beef taste too!
Rika Livingston
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Kita!
Rika Livingston
Inside peppers? Yum! It sounds yummy!
Rika Livingston
Thanks, Monica!
Rika Livingston
Let me know what you think about it, Lynndee!
Rika Livingston
Thanks, Heather 🙂
Rika Livingston
I think it would work really well!
Rika Livingston
Hi Angela, I put the garlic as a whole to add a subtle and light garlic flavor to the dish. Let me know if you still have any other questions.
Rika Livingston
Awesome!
Melissa
I made this a few times. ‘‘Twas loved. Will make again. Added to the rotation.
Rika
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback! I am glad that you loved this Instant Pot rice and ground beef recipe!
Take care,
Rika
Janet May
I made this for my 21 year old son who loves to workout!!! I added cut up spinach for the extra veggies!!! Turned out perfect!!!!
Rika
Hi Janet,
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback. I am glad that this recipe turned out perfect and your son liked it.
Best,
Rika
Cameron
Fairly tasty, but way too much cumin. Are you sure it's 1 tablespoon? Maybe it's supposed to be 1 teaspoon? Also, the recipe says to add the garlic in two different places. I assume the first time is incorrect. I just added the two halves as instructed at a later step.
Rika
Hi Cameron,
Thanks for sharing your feedback and for pointing out the error. You are absolutely correct, you only need to add the garlic at a later step. The amount of cumin is right but I added a note to let readers use less if they want a milder flavor. Much appreciated, thanks again for having my back and helping me improve this for future readers!
Steel
Thus was a great meal! Thank you so much for sharing
Rika
Hi Steel,
You're welcome and thanks for taking the time to share your feedback! I am glad that you liked it!
Best,
Rika
Taylor
Delicious!!! So easy to make to and still healthy. Opted out of using salt and it was still perfect.
Rika
Hi Taylor,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try. I am glad that you liked it 🙂
Best,
Rika
Anya
Loved it! Thanks!
Rika
You're welcome, Anya! I am glad that you liked it.
Best,
Rika
Mir
Rice did not cook. I added another cup of beef broth and cooked for another 5 minutes.
Rika
Hi Mir,
Thanks for trying and reviewing this recipe. I appreciate your honest feedback. Did you make sure that the rice was submerged in the liquid? Also, did you set it to "Manual" on "High"?
Best,
Rika