Easy Gluten-Free and Vegan Side Dish
You can elevate your everyday rice into an elegant and delicious side dish with this quick and easy Instant Pot Spinach Rice recipe!
This recipe is naturally gluten-free and can be easily made vegan by using vegetable or coconut oil. I finish the Instant Pot Spinach Rice with a light squeeze of lime and it tastes divine. I like to add a few cashews or slivered almonds to spinach rice, as they add a nice texture and contrast to the creamy spinach and the soft fluffy rice.
Palak Rice Recipe - Indian Spiced Spinach Rice
Spinach Rice, or Palak Rice is a popular Indian vegetarian side, in which long grain Basmati rice is cooked with fresh spinach, and seasoned with cumin seeds, garam masala (Indian spice blend) and ground coriander.
Spanakorizo Recipe - Greek Style Spinach Rice
Spanakorizo is a simple greek variation for this rice recipe. If you switch the spices to a mediterranean blend, you have a delicious bowl of Spanakorizo! That’s pronounced as span-a-ko-reezo. Now, try saying that 10 times fast 🙂 It is extremely easy to make Spanakorizo by switching a couple of ingredients in this recipe. Typically flavored with fresh dill, lemon zest and juice, this flavor-packed dish goes really well with a mediterranean themed menu. I pair it with these Lamb Chops, or my Mediterranean Chicken and everyone loves it in my home. I have listed the detailed ingredient list and recipe for Spanakorizo in the recipe card below.
Make a Meal: What to Serve with Spinach Rice
Indian Spiced Spinach Rice
This Instant Pot Spinach Rice has a nice fluffy and creamy texture and taste, due to which it seems like the perfect pairing with most Indian curries. My personal favorite pairings with Spinach rice are:
Butter ChickenChicken Tikka MasalaPaneer Tikka MasalaPaneer Butter Masala (Paneer Makhani)
Serving Suggestion for Spanakorizo:
Chicken ShawarmaMediterranean-Spiced Grilled Lamb Chops Mediterranean Chicken
How to Make Spinach Rice in Instant Pot
Here’s how I make this delicious Spinach Rice in the Instant Pot. This recipe will work for any electric or programmable pressure cooker like Mealthy Multi Pot.
Rinse rice 2-3 times, till water runs clear. If you have the time, soak it for 15 minutes. Rinse and drain before using. Heat ghee in instant pot on SAUTE mode. Add cumin seeds and wait for them to sizzle, about 15-20 seconds. Add chopped onions and cashews and saute for 30 seconds. If you’re adding curry leaves and green chilies, you can add them with the onions. Add crushed or grated, ginger & garlic, and saute another 30 seconds.
Add chopped spinach and cilantro and saute for about a minute, till the spinach wilts. See video for clarity. Add rinsed and drained rice and saute another minute. Add spices and stir well.
Add water, stir and close the lid. Cancel SAUTE. Set pressure valve to ‘Sealing’ position if using DUO. Cook on Manual or Pressure Cook for 6 minutes.Wait 5 minutes before manually releasing the pressure, by turning the valve to venting position (NPR 5). Open the lid after the pin drops. Fluff rice with a fork. Let it sit uncovered for 5 minutes. That allows the extra moisture to evaporate. Squeeze in the juice of half a lime and mix it gently.
Pro-Tips for ‘Fluffy’ Delicious Instant Pot Spinach Rice
After opening the lid, gently fluff up the rice with a fork. Lift the rice, not stir. Remove the Instant Pot insert from the base unit. Then, let it rest UNCOVERED for 5-10 minutes. This allows any excess moisture to evaporate. The result is always fluffy and separated kernels of rice.
Stove-top Recipe
In this recipe, I made the Spinach pilaf in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot, but this recipe can very easily be made on the stove-top too. Here’s how:
📖 Recipe
