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How to Make Instant Pot Boxed Rice A Roni

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Learn how to make Instant Pot boxed Rice A Roni right in your pressure cooker. Enjoy the rice you love without having to turn the stove on. This is a simple guide to help you know exactly how to make boxed Rice A Roni. 

Boxed Rice a Roni is always simple to make and tastes great now the How to Make Instant Pot Boxed Rice A Roni made it even easier to make.  When I have time I like to make my own homemade Cracked up Cheddar and Broccoli Rice.  I also made boxed hamburger helper, Au Grating Potatoes, and Mac n Cheese.

Instant Pot Boxed Rice A Roni

I get asked why would you make boxed rice in the Instant Pot. My remark is why not! It is just like cooking rice in a rice cooker. You will use less energy than a stovetop method, hands-off approach, and you get tender and flavorful rice each and every time. 

 

Can I Use Any Flavor of Rice A Roni 

Yes, you are more than welcome to reach for any flavor of rice mix. I have used a lot of different flavors and they all work rather well. So feel free to do whatever you and your family enjoy. 

Can I Cook 2 Boxes of Rice A Roni In the Instant Pot 

I have not tried doing this, but yes I think you would have no problem cooking two boxes if you have a 6 quart Instant Pot. You would leave the cooking time the same and just double the recipe as directed. 

A lot of people think when you double a recipe in the Instant Pot you adjust ingredients but you will almost always leave the cooking time the same. I am sure there are some times you will add more time. But for rice, you can leave it the same and still get light and fluffy rice. 

How Long Does It Take to Cook Rice A Roni In Instant Pot 

You will take around two minutes to saute the rice in the butter just as you would in a pan. Then cook for 12 minutes. While it isn’t much faster than cooking on the stove you might find you enjoy the flavor of the rice more. 

I find that cooking in the Instant Pot always allows for more flavor to be brought out. Since the food is under pressure it really helps bring out all the flavors of the spices and seasonings. 

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! We are huge fans of rice and I will still on occasion reach for boxed rice to whip up to go with dinner. 

How to Make Instant Pot Boxed Rice A Roni

How to Make Instant Pot Boxed Rice A Roni

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 14 minutes

Learn how to make Instant Pot boxed Rice A Roni right in your pressure cooker. Enjoy the rice you love without having to turn the stove on. This is a simple guide to help you know exactly how to make boxed Rice A Roni. 

Ingredients

  • 1 box Rice a Roni
  • 1 tbs butter
  • 1 1/2 cups water

Instructions

  1. Place pot on saute. Melt butter.
  2. Let rice brown 1-2 minutes
  3. Add water
  4. Place pot on manual low pressure 12 minutes.
  5. Do a quick release
  6. serve.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 105Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 246mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g

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65 Comments

  1. Thank you for this information! I love making the pre mix rice boxes from Near East, Uncle Bens, Zatarains to save time! Just wondering, as a rule of thumb if you have found that say all/most Rice a Roni mixes in an instant pot use 66% water and butter from the original recipe? For instance this cheddar broccoli original recipe uses 2.25 cups of water, yours uses 1.5 cups. I am an IP newbie, just getting started and am wondering, I tried making some Uncle Bens wild rice mix the other day and I used 3/4 the amount the recipe called for and set it for automatic rice setting with an quick release and found it was too soggy and the rice was bloated.

    Any rice cooking tips would be greatly appreciated!
    Thank You!

    1. I was a nurse from 1992-2013. That meant quick fast food was my life. I found your rice a roni and knew I would have to fix it. I know next time to add at least an extra cup of water. Besides sticking on the bottom of my pot is was good. Can’t wait to experiment next time. Thank you for sharing your recipes.

  2. How would you change the directions if you were cooking two boxes? Also we usually serve this with hose rings of smoked sausage could i just throw the meat in i imagine?

        1. That’s what I do. I use 3 cups water with 2 boxes of chicken flavor rice a toni. I also add in 2 cans of chunky chicken breast. It turns out drier than if I make it in a pan but my family prefers it that way.

  3. I love Rice A Roni but its such a pain to keep an eye on it.
    Tonight I made my favorite, the Spanish Rice.
    It came out absolutely perfect and so fast.

    Thanks for posting this.

  4. Just wanted to say thanks for this! My daughter loves rice-a-roni and I have made it in the instant pot many times now and it always turns out great. Originally I only had the lux model instant pot that doesn’t have a low pressure setting so I would cook it on high pressure for 3 minutes with a 10 minute natural release and it always turns out perfect with your measurements.

    1. I am going to try it this weekend. I am going to cook the chicken in 3 cups broth and shred it then add 2 boxes of rice roni and then cook again for 10 minutes so I hope it works

    1. @Donna, (or whomever)

      I noticed this too. I decided to put the seasoning in after sautéing because I didn’t want the powder to burn and stick to the pot, and it turned out fine. If anyone else tried it the opposite way, sautéing it with the seasoning, I’d be interested in hearing how that turned out.

      Also, I made one other mistake and cooked it on high pressure instead of low, because this is, I think, the first instant pot recipe I’ve seen that calls for low pressure. But as I said, it turned out fine so if anyone else goes into auto pilot here and cooks on high pressure, don’t panic. 🙂 I’m also curious as to whether the instant pot rice setting would work. I may try that another time when I’m not so hungry.

      1. Thank you for posting, I autopiloted and cooked on high pressure until I realized recipe said low and changed it to low with 4 minutes left. Hopefully it’ll turn out alright!

  5. Love not having to babysit rice any longer. Those concerned about the water ratio varying depending on what flavor you use, follow the directions on the box and then just cook for 12 minutes.

    1. @Christina,

      I doubled this in a 6-quart pot, and it turned out just fine. The rice level was WAY below the maximum level in the pot, so I wouldn’t hesitate to cook 3 boxes next time. I hesitate to recommend trying 4 boxes until I see how high 3 boxes cooks up, but I think it might be feasible.

    2. @Christina,

      Please note, my double batch was just rice-a-roni. I didn’t add any meat or tomatoes or anything else that would also add volume to the pot. Keep this in mind when making your own decisions about doubling.

    3. @Joseph,

      I have doubled both the Rice and Mac & cheese in my Mini IP.
      Tried M/C double in my 6qt., came out the same as Mini.

  6. We are doing a church wedding every lady is bringing one aluminum pan Of something so I’m doing rice o Roni Spanish rice so how many boxes would I need and would I make it

  7. Hello..made this tonight with ground beef and beef rice a roni. Used the rice button and NR. I added 2 cups of beef broth instead of water. We like our rice sticky so it was very delicious.
    Thank you,
    Stephanie

    1. @Stephanie Krueger, did you brown the beef first or throw it in and cook for same 12 mins? I want to do ground turkey with herb and butter RAR

  8. I lost my Mom in 2017, She always made the Rice a Roni because I burnt it every time. I had this realization at the age of 47 that I’d probably never have it again then I stumbled upon this. You have made me feel just a fraction better. Thank you

    1. @Em, did you cook the ground meat when sauteeing the rice at first? Deciding when I should add in my ground turkey.

    2. @Em, when do you add in the ground beef and green beans? After the R-a-R is done? or before the 12 min pressure cook? Do the beans get too soft/mushy?

  9. I’ve used this recipe before with great success. I’ve made beef flavor and added smoked sausage. Tonight I’m using the Buffalo Chicken flavor and adding a can of (drained) chicken. Thanks for your recipes!

  10. I made this & added smoked sausage & diced green peppers. It was really yummy & it was so easy!

  11. rice came out perfect! the only thing I think was missed was when to add in the spice packet, I assumed it was when you add the water and close the lid and it is a we perfect!

    1. @M,

      You must have done something wrong, I’ve done 1 box, and 2 boxes at a time.
      No difference in amount of ingredient, just double it, or time. Mine comes out dry as opposed to wet. When you take the lid off and stir it the water will adsorb if you let it sit. Or, you can turn saute on and dry it that way. Just be careful, you can burn it pretty fast.

  12. I doubled the recipe (2 regular sized boxes) and it turned out perfect, without me having to tend to it at all. Easiest way to make rice-a-roni (at least for me). Thank you for posting this method.

  13. I did a boxed mix with 2 cups of water, but no butter. It burnt the pot big time. I think my problem is that I did high pressure. If that isn’t the problem I don’t have any idea.

  14. I’m trying this and it doesn’t say in the directions when to add the seasoning packet… so I just assumed as I add the water to add it! Can’t wait to see how it turns out! I love anything that cuts out time!

  15. The texture and flavor was so much better than stove top! And it does seem quicker because it’s almost entirely hands off. Water measurement was perfect. I will always make it this way from now on!

    1. @Sarah, Since you have successfully made R-a-R in the instant pot, have you made Long Grain & Wild Rice variety? The label says the water amount is only 1 2/3 C (because this type does not have the pasta) and cook for 25-30 min. If I make in the IP, is it still a 66% ratio of water? that would only be 8 3/4 oz, a little over one cup. Or should I use the full 1 2/3 Cup as directed on the box, and just reduce cooking time?

  16. This came out perfectly, thank you! Making dinner with two small kids at home is tricky for me, but this was a huge help.

  17. Thank you for providing this information! To save time, I enjoy making pre-mixed rice boxes from Near East, Uncle Bens, and Zatarains. I was wondering whether you have noticed that all/most Rice a Roni mixes in an instant pot utilize 66% water and butter from the original recipe as a rule of thumb? For example, the original cheddar broccoli recipe calls for 2.25 cups of water, whereas yours calls for 1.5 cups. I am a new IP user who is just getting started. I tried making some Uncle Ben’s wild rice mix the other day and used 3/4 of the original amount and set it for automatic rice setting with a quick release and found it too mushy and the rice was bloated. https://onshopbest.com/

    Could You do a review on that?

    1. Yea you don’t need as much water like if you do stove top regular rice it’s 2-1 and instant pot is 1-1 hope that helps

  18. I have used these instructions for Knorr, Zatarains, Rice a Roni and HEB’s version of boxed rice and every time it has turned out absolutely perfect. I am so grateful because I just came back to cooking boxed rice and it didn’t work any other way I tried to cook it. Now with my InstantPot and your instructions I know it will come out perfect every time!!! Thanks again!

  19. I made the Mexican flavored Rice-a-Roni [box directions call for 2 1/4 C (18 oz) water] and it turned out a little dry using your recommended 1 1/2 C (12 oz) of water so the next time I used 1 2/3 C (13 1/3 oz) and it was perfect. I used your saute and cook time exactly.

    How did you calculate what amount to reduce the water on the other boxed flavors, since their directions for water vary from 1 2/3 (13+ oz) to 2 1/2 C (20 oz)? And cook times vary between 15-20 minutes to 25-30 minutes.

  20. Browned chicken breast first, removed, browned rice, added water and seasoning pac, used racks, 1 layer whole peeled carrots, other rack browned chicken breast, pressure cooked for 12 minutes, all was wonderful!!! Thank you!

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