It’s here! The Copycat Rice a Roni Recipe you’ve been waiting for. This Instant Pot Rice-a-Roni tastes like a better, fresher version of that boxed favorite and it’s just as easy!
Did you grow up eating Rice-a-Roni? A pantry staple of busy moms for decades, it always delivered a tasty meal that kids would eat with no complaints. This is a lower sodium version made from scratch!
This rice recipe was originally published in March 2020. The photos and recipe notes were updated in June 2025.
Aimee’s Recipe Notes
Taste: flavorful rice with fresh herbs on top, a delicious copycat recipe.
Serving Suggestions: pairs wonderfully with meatloaf or baked salsa chicken!
Cooking Method: I use a 6-quart Instant Pot pressure cooker for this recipe!
I made this last night and it was great! I followed the recipe with the exception of using parboiled rice and it turned out perfect!
– shannon
What you’ll Need
More good news? Making copycat rice-a-roni in the instant pot uses ingredients you probably already have stocked in your kitchen:
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for full list of ingredients with measurements.
- Long grain or basmati rice
- Butter
- Spaghetti noodles
- Chicken broth
- Onion (minced)
- Garlic powder
- Tumeric (for color)
- Salt
- Fresh parsley
Tips & Tricks for Instant Pot Rice
- Make sure to use a long grain rice here! Short grain rice cooks faster and will give the rice pilaf a mushier texture. I’ve used both regular long grain white rice and basmati with great results.
- Want more chicken flavor? A cube or two of chicken bouillon, or the instant granules, added with the chicken broth is a yummy addition.
- To make this vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable broth. It’ll still taste good however it won’t taste exactly like classic rice-a-roni.
- Is your rice too wet when you first open the lid? Fluff the rice with a fork then let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Whether you love mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot or a bowl of Instant Pot Au Gratin potatoes, I’ve got you covered!
- Make this Instant Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip in the pressure cooker for easy cleanup!
- Make this juicy and tender Instant Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu, bursting with yummy flavors!
- Bourbon Chicken is not just for the mall food court, make it at home today!
- These fudgy Instant Pot Brownies are so impressive! You will never know they were pressure cooked!
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Instant Pot Rice-a-Roni Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup 2 oz thin spaghetti noodles, broken into small pieces
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1 ¼ cup chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon minced onion
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Turn pressure cooker on "SAUTE." Once hot, add butter and let it melt. Add in broken spaghetti noodles and saute until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in rice and cook an additional minute until toasted.
- Add minced onion, garlic powder, salt, and turmeric. Stir in chicken broth and make sure there are no browned bits of rice or noodles stuck to the bottom of the pan. Turn off.
- Secure the lid on top and make sure the valve is set to "SEALING." Select "HIGH PRESSURE" and cook time of 8 minutes.
- When cook time ends, allow to natural release for 10 minutes, then turn the valve to "VENTING" and quick release the remaining pressure.
- Open the lid, stir everything to combine, and add chopped parsley. ENJOY.
Notes
- For more chicken flavor, add up to 1 Tbsp of chicken bouillon granules when adding in the broth.
- Make sure the spaghetti noodles are broken into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces before cooking.
- You can use basmati rice in place of the long grain white rice.
- Store leftover rice in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Hi Aimee,
Not leaving any stars because I have not tried it yet.
Have a question?
You mention using a rice cooker but is this related to instant pot function or can I use my actual rice cooker for this recipe?
Would there be any changes in liquid or other components for this recipe?
Looking forward to trying but have no instant pot.
Thank you for all the delicious recipes…love copycats too!!
I don’t use a rice cooker for this recipe, sorry, not sure where you saw that?
I made like Beth Booth suggested on stovetop and it was delish!!
I made this last night and it was great! I followed the recipe with the exception of using parboiled rice and it turned out perfect!
Yup mine burned and rice wasn’t done and I only cooked it for 4 minutes. Added more water and put back on for 2 minutes. I think it should be at least 2 cups of water to make up for the pasta. It tasted great once I did that.
Thanks
This recipe was delicious. I was too lazy to get my instapot from downstairs, so I made it on the stovetop.
I followed everything exact – except I used 2 1/2 cups of water and cooked it for 20 minutes on low heat. It came out really delicious. Thanks for a great recipe.
Taste great, however, needs more liquid! I wondered when I did it, but I followed directions, and it was crunchy and bottom almost burned. I think more liquid would solve it.
Thanks for the recipe.😁
What if you don’t have spaghetti? More rice? How much?
LOVED this recipe! The thing that took the longest was breaking up the spaghetti! Lol! Taste was spot on with a little more spice that I truly enjoyed. I will be making this over and over. Made this first and then simple chicken breasts which were also easy and very tasty. Kept this warm and just heated up a little before eating. This was my very first try with my new Instant Pot and I’m thrilled! Thank you!
This is a great copycat Rice A Roni recipe but it needs to be revised. It should read 2 1/4 cups water for 1 cup rice, not 1 1/4. Thank goodness I knew better or would have had a burned mess on my hands.
No, the 1 1/4 is correct for the Instant Pot.
The liquid needs to be doubled. Mine was crunchy.
Perfect! I used the rice preset on my Instapot and used 2 cups of water. Loved the seasoning!
Followed this to the letter, no substitution or changes in a 6qt Duo Nova.
2 mins into cooking, burn notice – had to add 1/4 cup of water. 4 mins into cooking, burn notice, had to add 1/4 cup of water.
Aside from that, turned out nice. Generally speaking, from what I understand – you never want to run a instant pot with less than 2 cups of water. Not sure if you used a smaller pot or mine is just really sensitive to burn, but when adding water and dealing with that – was getting some awful crunchy burned on rice at the bottom of the pot. Any advice? The end result was still great!
Can I use jasmine rice?
I don’t have a instant pot how else can I make this. Thank you
Thank you for the recipe of rice a roni. I have a hard time with all the salt. I can cut down on it to my taste. Thanks again.
8 minutes seems too long for basmati rice and spaghetti noodles., esp with NR or am I missing something?
When I do just rice it is more like 4 mins and 10 mins NR…please advise…thanks
I was thinking the same thing
Aimee how would I add chicken to this rice a roni recipe and cook it all in the IP?
I made mine with chicken – simply did two batches. First made the rice, and then did simple chicken breast in a steamer basket in the instant pot, and mixed it all together. Chicken needs a longer cook time than rice and pasta generally do, so I’m not confident this could all be done in a single pot.
All I had was instant rice and it was amazing still. Thank you for an amazing recipe.