5 Easy Rice Bowl Dinners

5 Easy Rice Bowls Sunny Side Up JENRON DESIGNS

5 Easy Rice Bowl Dinners

Busy weeknight schedule? Check out my 5 Easy Rice Bowl Dinners to make your weeknight dinner meal planning a breeze.

It is that time of year again, as we busy ourselves with finding our new, new normal. Sorting out scheduling to get everyone where they need to be at specific times and trying to balance a dinner that makes everyone happy at the same time, without running through the local drive thru. Well you are in luck, here are 5 Easy Rice Bowl Dinners, that taste great and remind us of some of our favorite take out restaurants. Plus they are made with all fresh ingredients, which are quick and easy to create in the Instant Pot and Air Fryer two of my favorite go to kitchen appliances.

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1. Santa Fe Rice Bowl

This is a tasty dinner that reminds me a little bit of a burrito bowl from Chipotle or Moe’s. I made mine with chicken but you could really use any kind of protein you like for this rice bowl. The trick is all in how I make the the yellow rice, using turmeric which is a little cooking tip I picked up to save on purchasing expensive saffron to get the golden yellow rice color in south western dishes. It tastes delicious and has all the same eye appeal.

Ingrediants for Easy Instant Pot Rice Bowl Dinners JENRON DESIGNS

Santa Fe Rice Bowl JENRON DESIGNS
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5 from 2 votes

Santa Fe Rice Bowl

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, Tex Mex
Keyword Chicken, Rice
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 650kcal
Author Jennifer Gainer

Equipment

  • Instant Pot 3 Qt. Mini ( can be doubled for a larger 6 Qt. Pot)
  • Skillet

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Jasmine Rice
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric
  • 1 1/2 cup Chicken Stock
  • 1 lb Chicken Tenderloins
  • 2 Limes
  • 1 Poblano Pepper
  • 4 Scallions
  • 2 Roma Tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp Taco Seasoning
  • 2 tsp Hot Sauce
  • 1/2 cup Sour Cream
  • 4 tsp Olive Oil
  • 4 tsp Butter

Instructions

  • Combine chicken stock concentrate, 1/2 tsp turmeric, rice and a pinch of salt in your Instant Pot. Cover and set to Rice Cook setting for 10 minutes. Allow to vent naturally and keep covered until ready to serve.
  • Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add poblano pepper and chicken season with taco seasoning, saute' 7-8 minutes until lightly browned.
  • Stir in 2 tbsp butter until melted. Turn off heat.
  • Salsa- In a small bowl, combine tomato, scallions, a squeeze of lime juice, salt, and pepper.
  • Lime Crema- In a separate small bowl, combine sour cream, lime zest, a squeeze of lime juice, salt, and pepper.
  • Fluff rice with a fork; stir in 2 tbsp butter until melted. Divide between 4 bowls. Top with chicken mixture, salsa, and lime crema. Drizzle with hot sauce to taste.

2. Sunny Side Up Veggie Bowl

This is one of our go too Meatless Monday dishes, since it is all vegetables and the protein comes from the fried egg on top. You can even add a touch of your favorite jelly or jam to the top for a hint of sweetness, if you like to give this dish a breakfast for supper feel.

5 Easy Rice Bowl Dinners JENRON DESIGNS

Sunny Side Up Veggie Bowl JENRON DESIGNS
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5 from 2 votes

Sunny Side Up Veggie Bowl

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Rice, Vegtables
Servings 4 People
Calories 780kcal
Author Jennifer

Equipment

  • Instant Pot 3 Qt. Mini ( can be doubled for a larger 6 Qt. Pot)
  • Air Fryer

Ingredients

  • 2 medium Carrots Peeled & sliced
  • 2 medium Peppers Any color, cut into strips
  • 16 oz Cremini Mushrooms
  • 4 Scallions Sliced and divided into white and green
  • 1 medium Zucchini half mooned
  • 2 pieces Ginger peeled and minced
  • 1 clove Garlic crushed and minced
  • 4 Eggs cooked sunny side up as topping
  • 2 1/4 cup Vegetable Stock
  • 1 1/2 cups Jasmine Rice
  • 4 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
  • 2 tsp Sriracha
  • 2 tbsp Sugar
  • 1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
  • 4 tsp Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Toss diced sweet potato, mushrooms, zucchini and peppers with a drizzle of oil, half the hoisin salt, and pepper. Roast in Air Fryer at 390 degrees, 15 minutes.
  • Melt 1 tbsp butter in Instant Pot on saute' add scallions and 2 tbsp ginger, garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
  • Add rice, 2¼ cups vegetable stock and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook at high pressure rice setting 15 minutes. Allow to natural vent and keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
  • In a small bowl, combine scallion whites, vinegar, and a pinch of salt; set aside to pickle. In a separate small bowl, combine sesame oil, soy sauce, 2 tbsp sugar 2 tsp sriracha
  • Fluff rice with a fork and season divide between 4 bowls. Arrange carrot, mushrooms, zucchini and bell pepper on top.
  • Quickly fried up an egg sunny side up individually with a drizzle of olive oil, to set on top of each a plate as a garnish. Top with extra sriracha, scallion greens and remaining sesame seeds.

3. Korean Lime Chicken

The star of the show here is really the tasty lime rice and fresh carrot salad. Proving that sometimes it is the sides that can make your basic sauced up chicken pop in a rice bowl.

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Korean Lime Chicken JENRON DESIGNS
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5 from 2 votes

Korean Lime Chicken with Carrot Salad

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Chicken, Rice
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 830kcal
Author Jennifer Gainer

Equipment

  • Instant Pot 3 Qt. Mini ( can be doubled for a larger 6 Qt. Pot)
  • Air Fryer

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lb Chicken you can use breast tender, wings, or thighs
  • 1 cup Jasmine Rice
  • 8 oz Carrot Shreds
  • 1-2 Limes Zested & Juiced
  • 4 tbsp Corn Starch
  • 4 tbsp Sesame Oil
  • 2 cups Hoisin Sauce
  • 1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar
  • 4 tbsp Sriracha
  • 1 tsp Red chili paste
  • 4 tbsp Sesame Seeds
  • 4 tsp Olive Oil
  • 10 tsp Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Chicken Stock

Instructions

  • Rub Chicken with cornstarch and salt/ pepper to taste. Place in Air Fryer at 390 degrees for 20 minutes, check halfway through for browning and flip. Finish with Hoisin Sauce.
  • Place rice, ¾ cups chicken stock, lime zest and a pinch of salt in Instant Pot. Cover, cook on rice setting for 10 minutes. Allow to vent naturally and keep covered until meal is ready to plate.
  • Making Sauce- Thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. In a medium bowl, toss together carrots, scallion whites, vinegar, lime juice, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp sugar, chili paste and a large pinch of salt and pepper.
  • Divide rice, chicken, and carrot salad between 4 bowls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and remaining scallion greens. Serve with remaining lime quarters.

4. Moroccan Apricot Tagine Bowl

Another fantastic meatless option using roasted chickpeas as the protein option, which are one of my favorites. This is a round trip to Morocco in a bowl and actually it is not a rice bowl, since it is technically made with couscous. This recipe was simply just too good not add to the top 5 list. We literally eat this every other week.Ingrediants for Apricot Tagine Rice JENRON DESIGNS

Apricot Tangine Rice Bowl JENRON DESIGNS
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5 from 2 votes

Apricot Tagine Bowl

Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Indian, moroccan
Keyword Air Fryer, Bowls, Instant Pot, Vegan
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 People
Calories 920kcal
Author Jennifer

Equipment

  • Instant Pot 3 Qt. Mini ( can be doubled for a larger 6 Qt. Pot)
  • Air Fryer
  • Microplane

Ingredients

  • 2 Zucchini Coined and halved to half moons
  • 2 13.4 oz Chickpeas Drained and rinsed
  • 1 tbsp Tagine Spice
  • 1 large Sweet Onion quartered into slices
  • 1 cup Couscous
  • 2 cups Vegetable Stock
  • 1/2 cup Almond Slices for Garnishing
  • 6 oz Dried Apricots reserve 1 oz for Garnishing
  • 4 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 Lemons Zested and juiced
  • 1 Jalapeños diced (optional)
  • 1 bunch Cilantro Cleaned Chopped
  • 4 tbsp Olive Oil (for Vegetables & Sauce)
  • 1/2 cup Sour Cream
  • 1 Sriracha or Hot Sauce garnish optional (my husband likes to add this)

Instructions

  • Clean and wash all your lovely veggies. Combine your chickpeas, zucchini and onion in a medium bowl and lightly coated with 1 tbsp of olive oil and your Tagine spice.
  • Then roasted for 10-12 minutes in your Ninja Air Fryer at 390 degree.
  • While you are are roasting your vegetables in the Air Fryer, start you your couscous in the Instant Pot. Combine 2 cups of vegetable stock, 1 cup couscous, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tbsp lemon zest, 3 oz dried apricots (reserving 1 oz for garnishing), and 1 tbsp lemon juice.
  • Set to High Pressure Cook for 5 minutes and allow to naturally vent when finished.
  • Create your two toppings for the dish.
    Lemon Cream Fresh- made with sour cream, 1 tsp of water, 2 tbsp lemon zest and the juice of half the lemon.
  • The second sauce is a Spicy Green Sauce-
    Combine 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 2 tbsp olive oil , tsp minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Add lemon juice to taste and as much diced jalapeño as you like for heat.
  • Carefully remove Instant Pot lid when natural vent is finished and fluff couscous.
  • Divided into portions into bowls and place roasted vegetables from the Air Fryer over the the top of couscous. Then garnish with both sauces, sliced almonds and of course apricots.

Notes

TAGINE MIX:
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

5. Thai Coconut Shrimp Rice Bowl

A perfect dish for my pescatarian fans, no meat only seafood. However this dish lends itself to being made with chicken, beef or even tofu. A recipe filled with amazing flavors straight from Thailand. The coconut rice alone is perfect to mix and match for other rice bowl dinners with International flare, like Indian or Hawaiian recipes.

Ingrediants for Thai Cocnut Shrimp Rice JENRON DESIGNS

Thai Coconut Shrimp Rice Bowl JENRON DESIGNS
Print Pin
5 from 2 votes

Instant Pot Thai Coconut Shrimp

Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Fusion, Thai
Keyword Rice, Stir Fry
Servings 4 People
Author Jennifer Gainer

Equipment

  • Instant Pot 3 Qt. Mini ( can be doubled for a larger 6 Qt. Pot)
  • Bamboo Spurtles 

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Pre Cooked Shrimp steamed, peeled, deveined, tails removed
  • 1 medium Red Pepper chopped
  • 2 tbsp garlic minced
  • 2 cups Jasmine Rice
  • 13.5 oz Coconut Milk
  • 8 oz vegetable stock
  • 15 oz Baby Corn drained, chopped in thirds
  • 2 tbsp Baklouti Green Chili Olive Oil
  • 6 tbsp Hot Pepper Jelly Any jelly that is sweet and hot will work, I used Blue Blazes-a jalapeno blueberry
  • 2 tbsp Sriracha 2 tbsp for marinade recipe, *allow extra to garnish the top optional
  • 6 tbsp Lime Juice fresh
  • 1 tbsp Lime Zest
  • 2 tbsp Cilantro 2 tbsp for marinade, *optional garish
  • 1 bag Chinese Noodles

Instructions

  • Set Instant Pot to the saute' setting for 10 minutes. Add 2 tbsp. of olive oil and saute using spurtles your peppers, onions, and garlic for 6-7 minutes.
  • Next add in your pre chopped baby corn and lightly saute for the remainder of your saute time.
  • Then pour in your coconut milk, water, and jasmine rice.
  • Place lid on your Instant Pot making sure to seal properly, and set to Rice setting and cook for 10 minutes.
    Note: at the end of cooking you will not have to vent the steam from the Rice setting.
  • While rice is cooking, in a separate bowl create your shrimp marinade by mixing Sriracha, pepper jelly, lime juice, lime zest, salt and 2 tbsp of cilantro.
  • Toss in precooked, deveined shrimp, with tails removed. Allow to sit in mixture until your rice is cooked.
  • Once rice is done cooking stir in the entire shrimp marinade into your Instant Pot while warm.
  • Serve warm and top with chinese noodles for a crunch and fresh cilantro.

Thai Coconut Shrimp JENRON DESIGNSIf you are are looking for more Easy Instant Pot Recipes, Meal Planning Ideas, or Easy Weeknight Dinners here are a few other posts that may serve you well in that particular category that I thought you might love:

5 Easy Weeknight Dinners

5 Quick Weeknight Instant Pot Dinners

12 Great Make Ahead Soup Recipes

10 Favorite Pie Recipes Sweet & Savory

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5 Easy Rice Bowl Dinners JENRON DESIGNS

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18 Comments

  1. Gosh, these recipes look so good! Definitely trying these out because they’re so easy to do 🙂

  2. The Digital Vixen

    Hi Jen
    ooohhh, wow…
    I’m hungry now, lol!
    I’m such a big foodie, thank you for sharing such fab dishes

  3. I’m putting the sunny side up veggie bowl on my meal plan for next week! I’ve just been told to cut out dairy and gluten so these are a great option for me (with some minor tweaks)

  4. Great recipes, thank you! Korean Lime Chicken, here I come!

  5. I just licked my screen! The Moroccan apricot dish really has me thinking about dinner… But I think the Thai coconut shrimp will be it (mainly because I’m stretched for time and Instant Pot sounds like the winner). I’m saving this page – a lot of great recipes that I can make this week – thanks!

  6. Those are some easy and yummy recipes. I am definitely going to try the coconut and shrimp rice in instant pot. I love shrimp rice. Thanks for sharing.

  7. 5 stars
    The bowl are recipes that summarize in a fresh and genuine way in my opinion the best recipes for the summer. 90

  8. The sunny side up veggie bowl looks amazing! Definitely going to try it out

  9. Wow these look so awesome. I would love to try sunny side up one.

  10. I love rice bowls! Always looking for new recipes to try with my family.

  11. So glad I clicked on this post. I am focused on eating at home this week (let’s start small, haha) and a rice bowl is something I can easily make. I think I’d try the sunny side up veggie bowl first.

  12. I love rice bowls!! Can’t wait to check these out!

  13. I can’t live a single day without having rice. These recipes will help me to add new taste in my daily meal.

  14. Thank you! Im always looking for quick recipes. I cant wait to try these.

  15. These look great! My kids love rice and I think we would all enjoy some of these recipes.

  16. These all look SO good! I can’t wait to try the Thai coconut shrimp! Pinning!

  17. I love these ideas! I always tend to get into a bit of a rut when it comes to rice bowls, so it’s fun to see some variety. I’m really intrigued by the Moroccan Tagine and can’t wait to try!

  18. 5 stars
    As an asian myself, I could vouch and guarantee you that these 5 rice bowl dinner recipes are great and delicious nonetheless! Thank you for being thoughtful about sharing these easy-to-make and amazing recipes!

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