Description
This quick and easy Cilantro Lime Rice is full of fresh, flavorful ingredients. It makes the perfect side for your favorite Mexican-inspired or Asian-inspired main dish. I find it’s best with Basmati rice, but see substitutions in the notes. If you love this recipe, give it a rating in the comments below to help other readers.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 1/4 cups uncooked Basmati rice, rinsed
- 2 cups chicken, vegetable broth, or water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- zest of one organic lime
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems
Instructions
Stovetop Method:
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add broth (or water) and salt to rice; stir to combine.
- Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 13 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Stir in lime zest, lime juice, and chopped cilantro. Store in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days.
InstantPot Method:
- To make Cilantro Lime Rice in your Instant Pot, add 1 1/4 cups rinsed Basmati rice, 2 teaspoons avocado oil, 1 1/4 cups broth or water, and 1 teaspoon salt to your Instant Pot. Set the manual setting to pressure cook 8 minutes. When the 8 minutes is up, allow the pressure to release naturally 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure.
- Open the lid (be sure all pressure is released first), then stir in the zest of one organic lime, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 3/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems. Fold together and enjoy.
Cilantro lime rice will keep in your refrigerator, covered, 4-5 days. Freezes well.
Notes
Choosing your rice:
Feel free to choose your favorite rice. While brown rice is higher in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, it also takes a bit longer to cook. Brown rice tends to be naturally higher in arsenic because it’s not processed, so I eat it sparingly. (In fact, rice accumulates more arsenic than other food crops [1].) White rice can still be part of a healthy eating plan when used as a side dish and consumed in moderation. In short, it’s healthy to vary the types of rice you consume.
Basmati rice is a type of long-grain white rice that is higher in fiber and is lower on the glycemic index than most white rice, so I think it’s a great choice here.
If you choose to use brown rice, follow the package instructions for cook time and stir in the remaining ingredients in the recipe.
