Name: Instant Pot Arroz con Gandules
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 2 cups of white rice; 2 Tablespoons of Sofrito; 1 15 oz can of gandules (pigeon peas); 1 Packet of sazon; 4 ounces of tomato sauce; 2 cups of chicken broth; 2 Tablespoons of olive oil; 2 Tablespoons of olives; Salt and pepper to taste; Optional - Country ham or cooked bacon

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This Instant Pot Arroz Con Gandules brings all the cozy flavors of classic Puerto Rican rice and pigeon peas into an easier pressure cooker version. You get fluffy rice, tender gandules, savory sofrito, and those beautiful seasonings that make this dish such a favorite for holidays, family dinners, and everyday meals.

Rice recipes can be tricky in the Instant Pot because nobody wants a pot of mushy rice or that dreaded burn notice popping up. The secret is layering your ingredients correctly, using the right amount of liquid, and letting the pressure cooker do what it does best.

If you love using your pressure cooker for comforting side dishes, my Instant Pot Pinto Beans with Bacon is another hearty recipe that turns simple ingredients into something full of flavor.

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overhead shot of instant pot arroz con gandules with sour cream

About This Recipe

Instant Pot Arroz con Gandules is a Puerto Rican pressure cooker rice dish made with long-grain white rice, canned pigeon peas (gandules), sofrito, sazon, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and olives. It serves 6 to 8, takes about 10 minutes of active prep including the sauté step, and cooks on the Rice setting (approximately 12 minutes) followed by a 5 to 6 minute natural release. The recipe starts with a stovetop-style sauté directly in the Instant Pot to build the sofrito base before the rice and broth go in — this step is what gives the dish its traditional depth of flavor and cannot be skipped.

Recipe Snapshot

Puerto Rico's national dish, pressure cooker fast: All the deep, layered flavor of traditional arroz con gandules — the sofrito, the sazon, the olives — in under 30 minutes start to finish.
The sauté step is the whole game: Those 5 to 6 minutes of sautéing sofrito, tomato sauce, and olives before the rice goes in build a flavor base that carries the entire dish. Don't rush it.
Perfectly cooked rice every time: The Instant Pot's Rice setting takes all the guesswork out of the water ratio. No soggy rice, no burnt bottom, no watching the pot.
Serves a crowd effortlessly: This recipe makes 6 to 8 generous portions and doubles easily for parties or gatherings.
Works as a side or a main: Serve it alongside pork, chicken, or shrimp, or eat it straight from the bowl with sour cream and a lime wedge. Either way it's a complete, satisfying meal.
Best For: Family dinners, holiday gatherings, Cinco de Mayo, potlucks, meal prep, and anyone who wants an authentic taste of Caribbean cooking without a lot of fuss.

💡 David's Tip: Don't stir the rice after you add the broth and lock the lid. Stirring rice in a pressure cooker releases starch and can make the texture gummy. Add the broth, give it one gentle scrape along the bottom to deglaze, and then leave it alone. The Instant Pot will do the rest.

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lose-up of arroz con gandules showing the deep golden color from sazon, plump pigeon peas, and glistening olive oil throughout the fluffy rice
with an instant pot in the background

Why You'll Love This Instant Pot Arroz con Gandules

Genuinely better the next day: Like most rice dishes with this much flavor in the broth, arroz con gandules reheats incredibly well. I've eaten it for three days straight without a single complaint.
It tastes like it took all day: The combination of sofrito, sazon, tomato sauce, and olives creates a deeply layered flavor that home cooks usually only get from long-simmered traditional versions. The Instant Pot compresses all of that into under 30 minutes.
The color alone is stunning: Sazon turns the rice a gorgeous deep golden-orange that looks like you spent hours over a stovetop. It's one of the most visually striking rice dishes you can put on a table.
Pantry-friendly ingredients: Sofrito and sazon are the only specialty items, and both are easy to find at Latin grocery stores, many mainstream supermarkets, or online. Once you have them in your pantry, you'll find yourself reaching for them constantly.
Scales up without any changes: I've made double batches of this in a 6-quart pot for holiday gatherings. Same cook time, same method. Just make sure you don't go above the max fill line.v
Completely hands-off after the sauté: Once the lid locks, you're done. No stirring, no checking the water level, no worrying about the bottom burning.

What Is Arroz con Gandules?

Arroz con Gandules translates directly from Spanish as “rice with pigeon peas” — and it's considered the national dish of Puerto Rico. It's a fixture at every major celebration on the island: Christmas, New Year's, quinceañeras, baby showers, Sunday dinners. If there's a gathering in a Puerto Rican household, there's almost certainly a pot of arroz con gandules somewhere on the table.

Traditionally it's made in a large caldero — a heavy-bottomed cast iron or aluminum pot — over an open flame, with the rice developing a crispy bottom layer called pegao that many consider the best part of the whole dish. The Instant Pot version doesn't replicate the pegao (the pressure cooker environment is too moist for that), but it delivers the same aromatic, deeply seasoned rice with perfectly tender pigeon peas in a fraction of the time. It's the version I make on a weeknight when I want the real thing without the hour of active cooking.

The Ingredient Breakdown

2 cups long-grain white rice is the foundation. Long-grain white rice is what you want here — it cooks up separate and fluffy rather than clumping together. Medium-grain or short-grain rice will absorb liquid differently and can turn mushy in the pressure cooker. I've tested this recipe with parboiled (converted) rice as well and it's actually a great option if you want extra insurance against mushiness — parboiled rice is more forgiving in the Instant Pot than regular white rice and holds its texture better if you go a minute or two long on the cook time.
2 tablespoons sofrito is the aromatic backbone of the entire dish. Sofrito is a cooked herb and vegetable paste — typically made from culantro, ají dulce peppers, onion, garlic, and tomato — and it's foundational to Puerto Rican cooking in the same way mirepoix is foundational to French cooking. Goya makes a jarred sofrito that's widely available and works perfectly in this recipe. Homemade sofrito is even better if you have the time and can find the ingredients — culantro and ají dulce are the two items you'll need a Latin grocery for. I keep both jarred and homemade in my freezer at all times; sofrito freezes beautifully in ice cube trays so you always have it on hand.
1 (15 oz) can of gandules (pigeon peas) are what make this dish arroz con gandules rather than just Latin rice. Pigeon peas are small, earthy, and slightly nutty — a completely different flavor profile from black beans or chickpeas. You'll find canned gandules at Latin grocery stores and increasingly at mainstream supermarkets in the international foods aisle. Goya is the most widely available brand and the one I use. If you genuinely cannot find them, canned pink beans or pinto beans are the closest substitute in terms of texture — but the flavor will be noticeably different. Frozen gandules work well too if your store carries them.
1 packet of sazon is what gives this dish its signature golden-orange color and its complex, slightly smoky flavor. Sazon is a seasoning blend typically containing culantro, achiote (annatto), garlic, and cumin — the annatto is what creates that beautiful color. Goya sazon con culantro y achiote is the specific variety you want for this recipe. If you can't find it, you can make a quick homemade version: combine 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon achiote powder (or sweet paprika as a color substitute), 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. It won't be quite the same, but it gets you close.
4 ounces of tomato sauce adds acidity, body, and a subtle sweetness that balances the richness of the sofrito. This is about half a standard 8 oz can — I use the rest to make a quick side salsa or freeze it in a small container. Don't substitute tomato paste here; it's much more concentrated and will throw off the flavor balance.
2 cups chicken broth is your cooking liquid. The 1:1 ratio of rice to broth works for the Instant Pot's Rice setting because the pressure environment uses less liquid than stovetop cooking. Use low-sodium broth if you can — between the sazon, the sofrito, and the olives, there's already plenty of salt in this dish. I've tried it with water and the depth of flavor suffers noticeably. Stick with broth.
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil go into the pot for the sauté step. This is what the sofrito blooms in — the heat of the oil draws out the fat-soluble flavor compounds in the peppers and herbs and distributes them through the whole dish. Don't skip it and don't reduce it; the oil is part of the flavor structure here, not just a cooking medium.
2 tablespoons olives add a briny, slightly salty punch that's traditional in arroz con gandules. Manzanilla olives (the small green Spanish olives, often sold with pimento) are what most traditional recipes call for. I use them sliced so the flavor distributes more evenly through the rice rather than being concentrated in whole olive bites. If you're not an olive fan, you can reduce this to 1 tablespoon — but I'd encourage you to try it as written first. The olives don't make the dish taste overwhelmingly like olives; they just add a depth and saltiness that you'd notice if they were missing.
Salt and pepper to taste — go light here and taste before adding any. The sazon and olives both carry significant salt, and the broth adds more. I usually find I don't need any additional salt at all, and if I do, it's just a small pinch after the dish is cooked.
Optional: country ham or cooked bacon takes this from a side dish to a main course in one addition. A few strips of cooked bacon crumbled over the top, or diced country ham stirred in with the sofrito during the sauté, adds a smoky richness that's incredibly good. This is how I make it when I'm serving it as the centerpiece of the meal rather than as a side.

Top Tip for the Ultimate Fluffy Crumb

The secret to pristine, separate rice grains lies in what you do after the pressure cooker finishes its cycle. The second you open the lid, the rice will look wet and slightly dense. Do not stir it with a regular metal spoon, which crushes the grains and releases starches. Instead, take a plastic or wooden rice paddle—or a large fork—and gently lift and fold the rice from the outer edges inward. This traps air between the grains, lets excess steam escape, and fluffs the structure perfectly.

A white bowl of Instant Pot Arroz con Gandules with vibrant golden-orange rice, green pigeon peas, and olive slices, served with a dollop of sour cream, overhead view

David's Tip

Rinse your rice before cooking — place it in a fine mesh strainer and run cold water over it, stirring with your fingers, until the water runs mostly clear. This removes excess surface starch that can make the rice clump together or turn gummy in the pressure cooker. It takes 60 seconds and makes a real difference in the final texture.

How to Make Instant Pot Arroz con Gandules (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Build the Sofrito Base

Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot and let the insert heat up for about a minute — you want it properly hot before anything goes in. Add the olive oil and let it shimmer. Then add the sofrito, olives, tomato sauce, sazon, and drained gandules all at once. You'll hear a satisfying sizzle and immediately smell the sofrito blooming in the hot oil — that herby, garlicky, slightly sweet aroma is exactly what you want. Stir gently and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. By the end, the mixture should be fragrant and slightly thickened, with the tomato sauce cooked down and the sofrito starting to darken just slightly at the edges. Don't rush this step. This is the flavor foundation for the whole dish.

Step 2: Add Rice and Broth

Add the rinsed rice directly to the sautéed sofrito mixture and stir briefly to coat the grains in the seasoned oil — about 30 seconds. Then pour in the chicken broth. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape any bits from the bottom of the pot — this is important. Any stuck sofrito or tomato sauce on the bottom can trigger the Instant Pot's Burn warning during pressurization. You'll see the broth turn a gorgeous golden-orange from the sazon as it swirls in. Press Cancel to end the Sauté mode.

Step 3: Pressure Cook

Lock the lid into place and set the steam release valve to Sealing. Press the Rice button — this is a preset that runs at Low Pressure for approximately 12 minutes, which is the ideal setting for white rice in the Instant Pot. If your model doesn't have a dedicated Rice button, use Manual at Low Pressure for 12 minutes. The pot will take a few minutes to come to pressure, then the timer will count down. When it finishes, you'll hear the beeps.

Step 4: Natural Release and Fluff

Let the Instant Pot naturally release pressure for 5 to 6 minutes — just leave it alone and let the float valve drop on its own. After the natural release period, switch the valve to Venting to release any remaining steam. Open the lid carefully — the steam that escapes will smell extraordinary. You'll see the rice has absorbed all the liquid and taken on that beautiful deep golden color throughout. Use a fork (not a spoon) to gently fluff the rice from the edges inward. The rice should be separate and fluffy, with the gandules distributed throughout and everything coated in that savory sofrito-scented cooking liquid. Taste for salt and adjust if needed before serving.

Close-up of arroz con gandules showing the deep golden color from sazon, plump pigeon peas, and glistening olive oil throughout the fluffy rice

Fun Variations

Spicy Version: Add a diced ají caballero or a pinch of cayenne with the sofrito during the sauté step. It adds heat without disrupting the traditional flavor profile.

Arroz con Gandules with Bacon: Cook 4 strips of bacon in the Instant Pot on Sauté until crispy, remove and crumble, then use the rendered fat in place of olive oil to sauté the sofrito base. Stir the bacon back in with the rice. Smoky, salty, and deeply satisfying.

Vegetarian Version: Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth and skip the ham or bacon. The sofrito, sazon, and olives carry so much flavor on their own that you genuinely won't miss the meat.

With Chicken: Nestle bone-in chicken thighs on top of the rice and broth before locking the lid. Cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes with a 10-minute natural release. The chicken cooks directly in the rice and infuses the whole pot with even more flavor. This is how I make it when I want one pot to feed the whole family.

Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions

Make-Ahead Tip: This dish is excellent made a day ahead. The rice absorbs more of the sofrito flavor overnight and the whole thing tastes richer by day two. Make it the night before a gathering and reheat gently with a splash of broth before serving.

Refrigerator: Store cooled arroz con gandules in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave with a splash of water or broth, stirring every 30 seconds to distribute heat evenly and fluff the rice back up. It reheats beautifully.

Freezer: Freeze in individual portions in freezer-safe containers or zip-lock bags for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or reheat directly from frozen in the microwave. This is one of my favorite things to batch cook and freeze for weeknight meals. If you only use half a can of gandules, freeze the rest in a small container covered with water for up to 6 months.

What to Serve with Arroz con Gandules

With sour cream and lime: Serve the rice in a bowl with a generous dollop of sour cream and a squeeze of fresh lime. It sounds simple but it's genuinely one of my favorite ways to eat it as a meal in itself — the cool creaminess of the sour cream against the warm, savory rice is perfect.

Roasted or slow-cooked pork: This is the most traditional pairing. The richness of roasted pork against the savory, herby rice is a classic combination for a reason. My Crockpot BBQ Pork Roast is an easy, hands-off option that works beautifully alongside this dish.

Grilled or baked chicken: Arroz con gandules works as a side for almost any chicken preparation. Try it alongside my Instant Pot Key Lime Chicken Tacos for a fully Caribbean-inspired spread.

Black beans or pinto beans: Double the legumes and serve a simple preparation of seasoned black beans alongside — rice and beans together make a nutritionally complete meal.

More Yummy Instant Pot Recipes You’ll Enjoy

If you like this delicious Arroz con Gandules recipe, you’ll want to try some of our other easy Instant Pot dinner recipes! Try any from the list below.

Instant Pot Key Lime Chicken Tacos
Instant Pot Hamburger Helper
Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Instant Pot Pork and Beans
Instant Pot Taco Pasta

Instant Pot Arroz con Gandules is the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in your rotation — not because it's complicated, but because it delivers so much flavor for how little effort it takes. The sofrito, the sazon, the olives, the pigeon peas — every element is doing something. And when that lid comes off the pot and that aroma hits you, you'll know exactly why this dish is Puerto Rico's national dish. That's my favorite kind of recipe.

Give it a try and leave a comment below — I want to hear what you served it with and whether you went with the bacon version. No judgment either way, but the bacon version is really, really good.

David Murphy

Instant Pot Arroz con Gandules

Puerto Rico's national dish made easy in the Instant Pot — savory golden rice with pigeon peas, sofrito, sazon, olives, and tomato sauce, all pressure cooked to perfection in under 30 minutes. Serve as a side or a main.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Additional Time 10

Total Time 40

Servings: 6 -8

Course: Instant Pot

Cuisine: Entree

Calories: 276

Ingredients

2 cups of white rice
2 Tablespoons of Sofrito
1 15 oz can of gandules (pigeon peas)
1 Packet of sazon
4 ounces of tomato sauce
2 cups of chicken broth
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 Tablespoons of olives
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional – Country ham or cooked bacon

Instructions

Hit the Sauté button and add olive oil, sofrito, olives, tomato sauce, sazon, and grandules. Cook for approximately 5-6 minutes, while gently stirring.
Add the chicken broth and rice and stir. Be sure to scrape the bottom for any bits that might have gotten stuck. Cancel Sauté mode.
Place the pressure cooker lid on top, lock in place, and close the vent. Press the Rice button and allow it to cook with preset timing. Once done, allow to set 5-6 minutes, and then release remaining pressure.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 276kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 5gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 398mgPotassium: 142mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 83IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg

Notes

Pro Tips for Perfect Arroz con Gandules

Drain the gandules well before adding: The liquid in the can adds extra moisture that can throw off the rice-to-liquid ratio. Drain and give them a quick rinse before they go into the pot.
Don't skip the sauté step: I know it's tempting to just dump everything in and pressure cook. Don't. The sauté step blooms the sofrito and builds the flavor base that makes this dish taste like arroz con gandules rather than just seasoned rice. It takes 5 minutes and it's worth every second.
Scrape the bottom before locking the lid: Any stuck bits from the sauté can trigger the Burn warning. Take 30 seconds to deglaze the bottom with the broth before locking the lid.
Use the Rice button, not Manual High: The Rice button cooks at Low Pressure, which is gentler on the rice and gives you better texture. High Pressure can overcook the rice and make it mushy. If your model doesn't have a Rice button, use Low Pressure manually for 12 minutes.
Fluff with a fork, not a spoon: A fork separates the grains without compressing them. A spoon tends to mash the rice together, especially when it's fresh out of the pot and still very tender.
Add the bacon or ham during the sauté: If you're using the optional country ham or bacon, add it at the beginning of the sauté step so it renders and flavors the oil before the sofrito goes in. That rendered pork fat becomes part of the flavor base and makes the whole dish richer.

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FAQs: Arroz con Gandules, Everything You Need to Know

What are gandules and where do I find them?

Gandules are pigeon peas — a small, earthy legume that's a staple in Caribbean and Latin American cooking. They have a slightly nutty, mild flavor that's distinct from black beans or chickpeas. You'll find canned gandules in the Latin or international foods aisle at most mainstream grocery stores. Goya is the most widely available brand. Latin grocery stores will carry multiple options including frozen gandules, which work just as well in this recipe.

What is sofrito and can I make it at home?

Sofrito is a cooked paste made from aromatic herbs and vegetables — traditionally culantro (not cilantro, though they're related), ají dulce peppers, onion, garlic, and sometimes tomato. It's the flavor base of Puerto Rican cooking and dozens of other Caribbean and Latin cuisines. Goya jarred sofrito is a solid pantry option and is what I use most often for weeknight cooking. Homemade sofrito is more vibrant and aromatic — blend together culantro, ají dulce peppers, half an onion, a head of garlic, and a handful of cilantro, then freeze in ice cube trays. Two tablespoons is roughly two frozen cubes.

What is sazon and what does it do?

Sazon is a pre-mixed seasoning blend common in Puerto Rican and Caribbean cooking. The version you want for this recipe is Goya Sazon con Culantro y Achiote — the achiote (annatto) is what gives arroz con gandules its signature golden-orange color. Without sazon, the rice cooks fine but it looks pale and tastes flat in comparison. If you can't find it, mix together ground coriander, cumin, achiote powder (or sweet paprika), garlic powder, and salt in equal parts and use about 1 teaspoon of that blend per packet called for.

Can I use brown rice instead of white rice?

You can, but brown rice requires a significantly different water ratio and cook time in the Instant Pot — typically 1:1.25 rice to water and 22 to 25 minutes on High Pressure with a 10-minute natural release. The flavor profile works with brown rice, but the texture of the finished dish will be chewier and denser. If you make the substitution, check your specific brown rice package instructions for pressure cooker ratios and adjust accordingly.

My rice came out mushy. What went wrong?

The two most common causes are too much liquid or too-vigorous stirring before or during cooking. First: make sure you drained the gandules well — the liquid in the can adds extra moisture that can tip the ratio. Second: the liquid in your sofrito and tomato sauce contributes to the total cooking liquid too, so don't add any extra water beyond what the recipe calls for. Third: if you stirred the rice after adding the broth, that releases starch. One gentle scrape to deglaze the bottom and then hands off. If it happens again, try parboiled (converted) rice — it's much more forgiving in the pressure cooker.

Can I make this without an Instant Pot?

Absolutely. Arroz con gandules was made in cast iron calderos long before pressure cookers existed. In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven: sauté the sofrito base the same way, add the rice and broth, bring to a boil, then reduce to the lowest possible simmer and cover tightly. Cook for 18 to 20 minutes without lifting the lid. Turn the heat off and let it steam, covered, for another 5 minutes before fluffing. This stovetop method also gives you the chance at some pegao — that crispy bottom layer that's the most prized part of traditional arroz con gandules.

Can I freeze arroz con gandules?