21 Best Mexican Recipes for the Instant Pot

By Carl Hanson
Updated August 20, 2020

The only thing better than Mexican food for dinner is Mexican food in an instant! These top-rated Mexican- and Tex-Mex inspired recipes get it done in the Instant Pot® for quick meals any time.

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Instant Pot® Carne Adovado

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"Chunks of pork shoulder smothered in an easy-to-make New Mexico red chile sauce and pressure cooked to succulent tenderness," says bd.weld. "Perfect for taco or burrito fillings."

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Cameron's Ground Turkey Salsa Ranchera

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"It doesn't get much easier than this -- lean ground turkey and salsa ranchera combined and made in a pressure cooker such as Instant Pot®," says bd.weld. "Perfect for tacos, burritos, or even a taco salad."

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Instant Pot® Chicken Tortilla Soup

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You'll make this hearty version of chicken tortilla soup made in the Instant Pot®. "Top soup with avocado, pepper Jack cheese, fresh cilantro, sour cream, crumbled tortilla chips, and hot sauce," says voraciousgirl. "This is great for freezing!"

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Instant Pot® Salsa Chicken

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"An Instant Pot® makes an easy weeknight meal even easier," says Tammy Lynn. "Frozen chicken breasts are combined with taco seasoning and salsa for a tasty Mexican-themed meal. You can use the meat for tacos, burrito bowls, or as a topping for baked potatoes. So many possibilities! I used this the first night for chicken quesadillas. The second night I used it as a topping for baked potatoes with shredded cheese, pickled jalapenos, and sour cream."

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Instant Pot® Charro (Refried Beans)

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The Instant Pot does all the work in this easy recipe for Mexican "charro" beans with onion, cumin, and cilantro. "With some small alterations, I am sure you can cook it on the stovetop as well," says droach3. "These beans are great served as is or blended to be the texture of refried beans."

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Pressure Cooker Mexican Beef Rice

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Another easy Instant Pot recipe! This one features ground beef, black beans, corn, and rice. Top it off with cheese and serve in lettuce wraps. "Boston lettuce is optional for serving as lettuce wraps," says Cori S.

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Instant Pot® Chilorio

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Here's a boldly flavored Mexican-inspired stew of pork, ancho chiles, onion, orange juice, cilantro, and jalapeno. "The bold flavors of this simple stew come together quickly in a pressure cooker, and you can use it to make tacos, burritos, chimichangas, tostadas, quesadillas, sopes, or even tamales," says bd.weld. "This recipe can be easily doubled if you need more."

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Instant Pot® Mexican Rice

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This beautiful Mexican rice features spices and tomato sauce. "This Instant Pot® rice is a wonderful side dish for any Mexican meal," says Bren.

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Instant Pot® Red Posole

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"This simple, earthy, rich, and satisfying soup is easy to make in your Instant Pot® or electric pressure cooker," says bd.weld. "This recipe uses pork and hominy along with spices and herbs. Feel free to adjust the ingredients to suit your taste. Serve in bowls and add your favorite toppings, such as sliced radishes, shredded cabbage, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and sliced jalapenos."

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Instant Pot® Taco Bowls

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"Pressure cooking beef stew meat with taco seasoning allows for tender chunks of beef which can be used for taco bowls," says thedailygourmet. "It makes enough for a week of prepped lunches. Garnish with salsa, sour cream, avocado, and cilantro before serving."

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Instant Pot® Chicken Posole Verde

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"This was really good," says GANDWISH. "I do recommend actually chopping the tomatillos prior to putting them in the blender — it will work better that way! I used chicken thighs instead of breasts because I didn't want the meat to be to dry. It had great flavor but not too spicy."

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Instant Pot® Vegan Tex-Mex Bowls

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These vegan Tex-Mex bowls feature beans, corn, and brown rice combined with salsa, fresh lettuce, avocado, and fresh cilantro. "A complete meal using from-scratch ingredients," says Buckwheat Queen.

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Instant Pot® Barbacoa

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"SO good!" raves France C. "I'm definitely going to make this again since everyone LOVED it! First off, I just sauteed everything in the pressure cooker on SAUTE mode, instead of dirtying a separate skillet on the stove. I recommend adding salt to taste, in the finished product, as it was missing a little something. But once it's all put together in a taco, topped with pickled onions, cilantro and some queso fresco, the flavors just compliment each other so well!"

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Instant Pot® Chicken Enchiladas

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"The Instant Pot certainly speeds up the process of these tasty enchiladas," says bd.weld. "I used a blend of Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese. I didn't have red sauce on hand so I used only green nonetheless these are keepers."

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Instant Pot® Tacos al Pastor

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Vicky C says, "Made it for for 12, it was delish! Homemade guacamole and homemade pick de Gallo, used corn tortillas for more flavor. I would use crushed pineapple next time."

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Instant Pot® Chicken Tinga

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Recipe creator Soup Loving Nicole says, "Heat is something you cannot take shortcuts with when it comes to tinga. Classic tinga is spicy and that is a fact. Where you can take shortcuts is in the cooking of the chicken. Let your multi-functional pressure cooker take the fuss out of things for you while you kick back and enjoy this classic! Garnish with sliced avocado, cilantro, and cotija cheese if desired."

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Instant Pot® Mexican Chicken and Rice Bowls

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"This easy, one-pot, Mexican chicken and rice dinner is done in about 30 minutes," says fabeveryday. "Serve with other toppings like avocado and sour cream, if desired."

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Instant Pot® Crispy Chicken Carnitas

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"Chicken carnitas made in the pressure cooker are quick and easy!" says Margo. "We crisp them up in the broiler, and they are perfect to meal-prep and enjoy for the week! Serve with tortillas, diced onions, chopped cilantro, sauteed cabbage, lime wedges, and anything else you like!"

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Instant Pot® Caldillo

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"Caldillo is a Mexican stew that is filled with beef, potatoes, and green chiles," says My Hot Southern Mess. "Works great in the Instant Pot®."

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Mexican Beef and Vegetable Stew

Credit: Allrecipes
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"Tender chunks of beef and zesty diced tomatoes take this beef stew on a trip south of the border," says Baking Nana. "A pressure cooker produces a 'simmered all day' taste in less than an hour."

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Instant Pot® Chicken Mole Tacos

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"This super-simple and authentic-tasting mole requires an Instant Pot® and a bottled mole simmer sauce," says Diana71. "You will cut hours off of prep and cook time, and your family will rave over this fantastic Mexican dish. You can also serve this as a chicken taco bowl."

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By Carl Hanson