Spinach Rice cooked in the instant pot or stovetop as a one-pot recipe. Aromatic basmati rice, with spinach and spices, make this Spinach Rice flavorful and healthy! Vegan & Gluten-free.
Spinach Rice, is also a popular Indian side dish enjoyed with a lentil curry or with yogurt. It is know as Palak Rice or Palak Pulao in Hindi (Palak=Spinach).
We are enjoying a lot of one-pot dishes or even meals made in the pressure cooker. There is such less preparation needed, just about 5-10 minuets and then the pressure cooker does the magic. Some of our favorite one pot rice dishes are - Mujadara, Mushroom & Brown Rice and Vegetable Pilaf.
This Spinach Rice is not only easy to make, it is also very healthy with the addition of lots of fresh spinach. This Spinach Rice is made with very basic ingredients such as onions, garlic, spices, and of course, spinach and rice. I like to add garam masala to this spinach rice, which adds a delicate aroma. Here is my homemade Garam Masala recipe which can be made in just 5 minutes. We like to add a generous squeeze of lime juice at the end, which adds a wonderful tangy flavor to the rice.
How to make Spinach Rice in the Pressure Cooker?
Spinach needs very less time to cook. Hence for this recipe, I soak the basmati rice so that I can cook rice for less time and on low pressure.
I also like to use long grain basmati rice to make this recipe, as they cook perfectly with spinach and we love each grain of rice fluffy and separated.
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Start with rinsing the rice and soaking for 20 minutes. Then drain and keep aside.
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Start the pressure cooker in sauté mode and heat oil in it. Add the whole spices such as bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Adding these whole spices is optional, but they add a wonderful flavor to the cooked rice.
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Then add chopped onions, garlic and sauté for 2-3 mins.
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Now add the ground spices, salt and stir them in with the onions. Turn off sauté mode, so that the spices don't burn the bottom of the pot.
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Add chopped spinach and mix it.
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Add rice, water and mix well. Press down, so most of the rice is under water. Close lid with vent in sealing position.
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Cook on Manual or Pressure Cook mode for 5 minutes on low pressure. When the pressure cooker beeps, do a 5 minute NPR, which means let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then manually release the pressure by turning the vale to venting position.
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Add lime juice and fluff the rice with a fork.
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Let it sit uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
The Spinach Rice is perfectly cooked in just 5 minutes on low pressure. If you are using a pressure cooker, that does not have a low pressure option, then you can cook on high pressure for 4 minutes, with a 5 minute NPR.
How to cook one-pot Spinach Rice in a skillet?
- Heat a heavy bottom sauce pan on medium-high heat. Follow the instructions to sauté everything, add spinach, rice, water. Bring to a boil and cover the pot. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for about 10-12 minutes.
- Open the lid, add lime juice and fluff rice with a fork. Let it sit, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Serve & enjoy!
Variation: Indian Spinach Rice
To make this spinach rice have a more Indian flavor, you can add some cumin seeds along with the whole spices. Then add some ginger along with garlic. Then top with some roasted cashews at the end.
Variation: Spanakorizo - Green Spinach Rice
A popular Greek variation is called Spanakorizo. To get the greek flavors, add ground cumin in place of Garam Masala. Use chicken or vegetable broth in place of water and top with fresh dill at the end. You can also top with some feta cheese!
What to serve with Spinach Rice?
Spinach Rice can be served as a side dish for any protein such as chicken or fish. For my vegetarian friends, we love this spinach rice along with beans or chickpeas curry. You can also just serve this Spinach Rice with a side of yogurt or raita.
Try this easy and delicious Spinach Rice!
Spinach Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice rinsed
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
- 1 cup Onions diced
- ½ tablespoon Garlic minced
- 5 ounces Baby Spinach chopped
- 1 ¼ cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice optional
Whole Spices (optional)
Spices
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- ½ teaspoon Red Chili powder (Mirchi powder) or paprika (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
Instructions
- Rinse the rice and soaking for 20 minutes. Then drain and keep aside.
- Start the pressure cooker in sauté mode and heat oil in it. Then add the whole spices such as bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
- Then add chopped onions, garlic and sauté for 2-3 mins.
- Now add the spices and stir them in with the onions. Turn off sauté mode, so that the spices don’t burn the bottom of the pot.
- Add chopped spinach and mix it.
- Add rice, water and mix well. Deglaze the pot making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Press down, so most of the rice is under water. Close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Cook on Pressure Cook (Manual) mode for 5 minutes on low pressure. When the pressure cooker beeps, do a 5 minute NPR, which means let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then manually release the pressure by turning the vale to venting position.
- Add lime juice and fluff the rice with a fork. Let it sit uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
To cook on Stovetop
- Heat a heavy bottom sauce pan on medium-high heat. Follow the instructions to sauté everything, add spinach, rice, water. Bring to a boil and cover the pot. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for about 10-12 minutes.
- Open the lid, add lime juice and fluff rice with a fork. Let it sit, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Serve & enjoy!
Video
Notes
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Texasgirl says
HELP!!! Where I live fresh spinach is only available seasonally. Can I use frozen spinach if it's thawed, well drained, and chopped? What adjustments would I need to make? Thanks for being on the internet for us.
Meeta Arora says
Hello - yes, you can use frozen spinach too. The same recipe would work well for thawed, drained and chopped frozen spinach.
Manju says
Hi, I tried this recipe and it kept saying burn on my Insta pot. Unfortunately it did not turn out as expected, had to discard it.
Meeta Arora says
Hi Manju - Sorry to hear that you got a burn with this recipe. Were you using a 8qt instant pot? I wonder if the reason was that when the onions and tomatoes were sautéed, there was something stuck to the bottom of the pot. Deglazing the pot well before putting on pressure cook will help. You can also try a little extra water next time if you felt the water was less in the recipe.
Tammy says
I trippled the recipe as a large family and it was a hit 😋 delious. Thank Ji
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi Tammy - So good to hear that!
Carole says
Hi! I followed this recipe to the letter and it turned out stodgy, what went wrong! 🙁
Meeta Arora says
Hi Carole - I am not sure what could have been the issue. Can you give some more details - were the rice not cooked? Do you think additional liquid could have helped?
Sheetu says
Tried spinach rice today for lunch. Thanks for another great recipe. Everyone in family loved it.
Barbara Elizabeth Stewart says
How would this recipe work if made with brown basmati rice? I assume it would require longer time under pressure, yes? Would the water to rice ratio be the same?
Chris says
Did you ever figure this out? I want to do the same.
Meeta Arora says
Hello Barbara and Chris - Sorry, I missed this comment earlier. I have not tried this with brown rice as the cook time for brown rice is much more and the spinach will get overcooked. If I had to still try, I would soak the brown rice for 3 hours in warm water. Then cook for 10 minutes on high pressure. Hope that helps!