Instant Pot Lemon Rice

Lemon rice is a simple tangy flavored South Indian rice pilaf recipe prepared with lemon juice, peanuts, and spices in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker.

Fresh Lemon juice enhances its taste and gives it a distinctive flavor. It is perfect for office lunch boxes and picnics. It takes less than 30 minutes to make this yummy Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Lemon Rice.

I am from Karnataka, South Indian State from India, we call this lemon rice recipe as chitranna or nimbehannu chitranna.

It is prepared during all festivals at our home and also for dinner or lunch menu as it's so easy to prepare with few ingredients. This is a No onion no garlic recipe, feel free to add onions while sautéing. You may also like this variation Raw Mango Rice from my blog. You can also replace rice with quinoa to make Lemon Quinoa recipe for a healthier alternative.

Also, let me clarify this – this lemon rice pilaf recipe is actually made with limes, at least in India. Limes have a stronger flavor, are more tart than lemons, and therefore perfect for this recipe.

But lemons will work just as well. We are not going to differentiate between the two for this recipe. Check out my recipe for Lemon Coriander Soup when you are looking for an immunity booster soup.

What kind of rice is best for Lemon Rice?

Traditionally lemon rice is cooked using sona masuri (short grain) rice in South India. However you can use basmati rice, brown rice and jasmine rice to make lemon rice.

I think the best results are with Basmati rice. Each grain is separate when cooked plus it’s lighter and fluffier. 

What is the difference between Lime Juice and Lemon Juice?

Limes and lemons are from the same citrus fruit family, rich in vitamin C but different in color. Lemons are yellow and big in size whereas, Limes are green and smaller

Limes are sourer than lemons as limes contain more citric acid and lemons have less of it.

How to Make Lemon Rice in Instant Pot

Firstly, Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add ghee or oil and once it's hot add chana dal and urad dal. Sauté them for about a minute until they are light brown in color. 

Next add mustard seeds, green chilies, red chili, curry leaves, asafoetida, ginger. Saute for 30 seconds till the mustard seeds splutter. 

Add turmeric powder and give a quick stir .

Add rinsed rice, water, salt and give a stir .

Close the lid on the pot, and turn pressure valve to SEALING position.

Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set the timer to 5 minutes.

When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release the pressure manually. If you do not have time then do Quick Pressure Release (QR) Manually.

Remove lid away from you, Add roasted peanuts, lemon juice and garnish with fresh cilantro/coriander leaves. Gently mix everything together.

Instant Pot Lemon Rice Pilaf is ready to be enjoyed with pickle, papad and raita.

How to Serve Lemon Rice?

This tangy and flavorful lemon rice commonly served along with some pickle, papad, raita, or kosambari (a type of salad). Plain yogurt would also work or can be eaten as is without any addon.

Variations and Suggestions

1. You can also add onions during sauting gives a nice flavor to lemon rice.
2. If mangoes are in season then you can add ¼ cup of grated raw mango during tempering, which gives a nice twist to the rice. Here is the recipe for Raw Mango Rice.
3. There are people who add little lemon zest to the lemon rice as well but I personally haven’t tried it anytime.
4. You can simply replace rice with quinoa or millets to make a healthier option.
5. Always add lemon juice after switching off the flame followed by a rough mix.
6. Be careful about the water to rice ratio since you want lemon rice with each grain separate and fluffier. 

More Instant Pot Rice Recipes

• Vegetable Biryani
• Tomato Rice
• Cabbage Rice
• Beetroot Rice
• Coconut Milk Pulao
• Mushroom Rice

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