Name: Instant Pot Zatarain's Dirty Rice
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 9
Cuisine: Cajun
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp olive oil; 1 pound of ground beef, turkey, pork, or venison; 1 (8-ounce) box of Zatarain’s Dirty Rice Mix; 1 1/2 cups water; 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil; 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef, turkey, pork, or venison; 1 (12-ounce) box of Zatarain’s Dirty Rice Mix; 2 cups water

Zatarain’s Dirty Rice is already a convenient, flavor-filled meal, but when made in the Instant Pot, it’s also a very easy recipe with zero risk of burning the rice on the stovetop! With long-grain rice, real vegetables, ground meat, and creole seasoning, this dish is delicious and ready to eat in under 30 minutes!

instant pot zatarain's dirty rice with wood spoon

My family has always enjoyed Cajun recipes! Some of our favorites are Red Beans & Rice, Chicken Sauce Piquant, and Dirty Rice.

For years I’ve made both traditional and Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice. So I don’t know why it took me ages to realize I could also make this quick and easy Instant Pot version of Dirty Rice.

But now that I have made Instant Pot Zatarain’s Dirty Rice, I’ll probably never make it in a Dutch oven again!

Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Cajun Dirty Rice Recipe

There are several reasons to love this easy dirty rice recipe:

Bold, Flavorful Taste. Dirty rice is packed with cajun flavors that give it a robust kick.
Hearty and Satisfying. With the addition of ground meat, dirty rice is a filling side or main dish that works well. It’s Southern comfort food at its finest.
Easy to Make. Zatarain’s Dirty Rice- Instant Pot style is straightforward to prepare. You can cook everything together in your pressure cooker, which saves time, effort, and cleanup. There are no extra dishes to wash, which makes this a perfect recipe if you ask me.
Customizable. Dirty rice is easy to adapt to personal preferences. You can change up the type of meat you use, skip the meat altogether, add extra spices, seasonings, or toppings, etc.! One easy change is to throw a couple of bay leaves in the pot for a little extra “wow’ factor.
Great for leftovers. It reheats well, making it a convenient meal prep option or having extra to enjoy the next day.
Gluten-free & Dairy-free. The recipe is perfect if you’re following either of these lifestyles.

instant pot zatarain's dirty rice in instant pot pot with wood spoon

More Easy Instant Pot Recipes

What is Dirty Rice?

Dirty rice is a traditional Louisiana Creole dish of white rice cooked with meat, vegetables, and cajun spices, giving the rice a “dirty” brown color. The dish is also known as “chicken and rice,” “Cajun rice,” or “rice dressing”.

Dirty rice is a traditional Cajun or Creole dish from Louisiana. It gets its name from its appearance. The rice has a “dirty color” due to the cooked ground meats (usually chicken livers, pork, and/or beef), vegetables, and cajun seasoning.

When made from scratch, the vegetables typically included are onions, bell peppers, celery (often called the “holy trinity” in Cajun cooking), and seasonings like garlic, cayenne pepper, paprika, and black pepper. Traditionally, chicken livers or other organ meats add a distinctive richness and depth of flavor to the dish.

For the dish I’m sharing today, the Zatarains mix includes long grain rice with spices and dehydrated vegetables (onion, garlic, red pepper, red and green bell pepper).

instant pot zatarain's dirty rice in white bowl with fork

Tools Needed

3-quart Electric Pressure Cooker (or larger, depending on the recipe size you choose)
Large Wooden Spoons or Mixing Spoons
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Meat Chopper (not necessary, but oh-so-helpful)

Ingredients

This is a 4 ingredients only recipe and it’s super easy! I’m listing the ingredients for a regular-size box of Zatarain’s Dirty Rice and a family-size box.

Please note – if you watch my video or look at my photos, we used Zatarain’s Family Size boxes of Dirty Rice and doubled everything. Remember… I have a big family! The recipes listed are only for a single recipe but I can confirm that a doubled recipe works perfectly in a 6-quart Instant Pot!

Olive oil
Ground beef, turkey, pork, or venison – ground sausage can also be used for a slight flavor variation
Zatarain’s Dirty Rice Mix
Water

The complete recipe with ingredients measurements is in the printable recipe card below.

Substitutions

Broth for Water. Chicken broth, chicken stock, or beef broth can be used instead of water for a little extra flavor!

Meat. We usually use ground beef or ground venison (we do a lot of deer hunting!), but you could also use ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork.

instant pot zatarain's dirty rice in a white bowl with a fork on a surface with a striped kitchen towel

How to Make Zatarain’s Dirty Rice in an Instant Pot

This Instant Pot Dirty Rice recipe is a comforting dish that is so easy to make.

Set Instant Pot to “saute” setting and add olive oil.
When hot, add the ground meat and cook until no longer pink. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits.
Next add the remaining ingredients (the water and Zatarain’s rice mix) to ground meat and stir until blended. Be sure to stir all the way to the bottom of the Instant Pot so you don’t end up with a burn error.
Place the lid on and set the valve to “sealing.”
Set Instant Pot to “manual” on high pressure. Set the cooking time to 4 minutes. The amount of time to cook doesn’t change regardless of which size recipe you make.
When it beeps, allow it to sit or “natural release” for 5 minutes.
Release any remaining pressure.
Fluff with a fork and serve.

adding water to cooked ground beef in instant pot

zatarain's dirty rice mix poured over cooked ground beef in Instant pot

mixing dirty rice mix with cooked ground beef in instant pot

ground meat with dirty rice mix in instant pot

Pro Tip

Don’t drain the ground meat after browning. It adds more flavor and prevents the dirty rice from being overly dry.
Top with fresh parsley or sliced green onions for a little extra flavor and color.
If you like your Dirty Rice extra hot, add a dash or three of hot sauce.

Add-Ins

We use this exact Instant Pot Zatarain’s Dirty Rice recipe as a main dish, but if you want other options, there are ways to make it even more protein-filled and hearty. Try some of these add-ins:

1 cup of whole-kernel corn (canned or frozen)
1 cup of diced green peppers or red peppers
Add a bay leaf or two.
Add other cooked meats: chopped cooked chicken thighs or leftover Rotisserie chicken, cooked ground pork sausage, hot Italian sausage, or cooked chopped bacon.

zatarain's dirty rice in instant pot with wooden spoon

Serving Suggestions

Side Dish or Main Dish. Dirty rice is often served as a side dish but can also be a hearty main course when combined with other proteins like sausage or seafood.

Serve with sides. Add a green salad or some other fresh veggies and you have a complete, hearty meal. And don’t forget some bread and homemade butter… perfect complements to the dirty rice!

Serve in Tacos or Enchiladas! This will probably make any Cajun readers cringe, but my family sometimes treats Dirty Rice like taco meat. We love to eat it in taco shells or soft tortillas with cheese, sour cream, salsa, and/or taco sauce. My youngest son loves to use these Nacho Cheese Taco shells with Dirty Rice.

The dirty rice adds a lot of flavor to Taco Tuesday and when we make this Instant Pot recipe, supper comes together so easily!

More Main Dishes