This Instant Pot Cajun Dirty Rice is a delicious Southern favorite made with Cajun flavors. Make this entire dish all in your electric Pressure Cooker with ease.
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I love making rice in my pressure cooker. As you can see from my Instant Pot Copycat Rice-a-Roni and my Instant Pot New York Street Cart Chicken and Rice, rice in the pressure cooker is the way to go. So naturally, when I was craving some delicious and spicy Cajun Dirty Rice, I grabbed my Instant Pot and got to work.
What is Cajun Dirty Rice?
Cajun Dirty Rice is a Creole dish that is made with white rice, meat, onion, celery, bell peppers, and Creole or Cajun seasonings. It gets its name because of the “dirty color” it gets with the addition of the meat and seasonings.
What Goes in Cajun Dirty Rice?
That truly will depend on who you ask...but according to my Husband, an authentic dirty rice will have pork sausage and chicken livers in the mix. The chicken liver taste isn’t too strong but it gives the dish that unique flavor.
He also has informed me that my Dirty Rice recipe taste just like the Bojangles Dirty Rice recipe. Bojangles, a restaurant popular in the South, has a ton of delicious Southern staples. And they are awesome because they taught me how to make biscuits.
If you don’t like chicken livers, or pork, you could always sub with ground beef or ground turkey. But for a true authentic taste, I say give chicken livers a try. Chicken livers can be found in the meat department of your grocery store.
Dirty rice also starts with three vegetables that I love to use in cooking, onions, green bell pepper, and celery.
How to make Cajun Dirty Rice in your Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
First, chop your vegetables and prepare your chicken livers by cutting them up into small pieces. Fair warning, chicken livers are slimy and look like goop. They break apart quite easily though. I’ve included this picture of what chicken livers look like so you can be prepared for the ickiness.
Turn your Pressure Cooker on the sauté function and add pork sausage, stirring to break it up in the pot. I use a meat chopper when browning meats that I want crumbled. Then add your chicken livers and continue to stir until all the meat has browned, about 5 minutes.
Next, add your onion, celery, green bell pepper, garlic, Creole seasoning, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce to the meat mixture. Stir and cook until the onions and peppers have softened a little, about 2 minutes. Add rinsed white rice, beef broth, and water to the Instant Pot. Stir with a wooden spoon, ensuring that there are no brown bits of food stuck to the bottom of the Pot. Place Bay Leaf on top of the mixture so it can be removed when the cooking cycle is done. 
Press Cancel on the Instant Pot. Cover with the lid, ensuring the valve is set to “Sealing” and cook on High Pressure for 6 minutes.
Once cooking cycle is complete, allow rice to natural release for 10 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure but switching the valve to “Venting.”
Open your lid and fluff your rice. Add about ¼ cup of chopped fresh parsley to finish your dish.
I hope you enjoy this Cajun Dirty Rice as much as we do. Until next time.
Pin Instant Pot Cajun Dirty Rice for Later
Looking for more Instant Pot Rice Recipes? Try these out:
What to Serve it with?
Fried Chicken (Air Fryer Method)
Instant Pot Cajun Dirty Rice
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork sausage
- ½ lb chicken livers finely chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- ½ green bell pepper chopped
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon hot sauce
- 2 cups white rice rinsed
- 1 ¼ cup beef broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Select Sauté on your Instant Pot. When indicator reads “HOT”, add your pork sausage. Stir until the meat has broken up, then add your chicken livers. Continue cooking and stirring until all the meat has browned.
- Add onion, celery, green bell pepper, minced garlic, Creole seasoning, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Stir and cook until onions and bell peppers have softened a bit, about 2 minutes.
- Add rice, beef broth, and water and stir with wooden spoon, ensuring all brown bits are removed from the bottom. Place bay leaf on top of mixture.
- Press Cancel on the Instant Pot. Cover with lid, ensuring the valve is set to “Sealing.” cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, then allow it to natural release for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure by turning the Valve to “Venting.”
- Once all pressure is released, open and remove bay leaf. Add fresh parsley to rice. Fluff with fork before serving.
Video
Notes
Notes on Instant Pot Dirty Rice
- I like my rice more on the soft side. If you want more of a firm texture, reduce the amount of water by ¼ cup.
- This dish can be served as a Main Course or Side.
Mikey D says
Where are the amounts of each ingredient?
Tanya says
Hi Mikey D. All ingredient amounts and instructions are in the recipe card at the end of the blog post.
Logan says
I haven't made this in quite a while, but I made it tonight for the family's dinner, and it was just as good as I remember it! It definitely brought back memories of growing up in Louisiana. It has a definite spot in our meal rotation!
Tanya says
Thanks Logan! So happy you liked this recipe. This is one of my faves too.
Anne says
Hello.. . I'm wondering if anyone has made this ahead and reheated? Any tips?
Cliff says
Thank you! I JUST took it off the stove, tasted it, and decided that I will eat this so often over the next few weeks that I will grow tired of it.
You may be surprised to hear, but I haven't had Dirty Rice this good since I left the Army. Those Cooks could..well..cook 🙂
Since you have proven your ability so well, I plan to try more of your recipes. As soon as the munchkins are in bed, I plan to peruse.
Tanya says
Oh wow, thank you so much Cliff 🙂
Melissa says
doubled everything but the meat for my big family so yummy! thank you! served it with steamed greeen beans and buttered rolls. perfect!
Jordeyn says
I’m not one to make reviews, but with as much as I use this recipe I feel obligated! 🙂 My husband is a Louisiana native living in the Midwest so good Cajun food is hard to come by here. This is always one of his top requested recipes and I’ve made it numerous times over the last year...every time it turns out great! I usually add some sliced andouille and make it as a meal. Our 2 and 4 year old absolutely love it. Thank you so much!!
Coral says
I bought an instant pot about 10 days ago, and was intimidated by it because there is no manual that is easy to get, and the one online is difficult. but I'm old! And only have a small cell phone and my huge computer.
The other day, I drove by Popeye's fried chicken, and I ordered dirty rice, and was so disappointed. I used to live in New Orleans, and if cooked some Cajun food, so I thought maybe I could find a recipe for dirty rice using the instant pot. I came across yours.
I was so pleased to see chicken livers in your recipe as that is authentic. I substituted my homemade turkey broth for the beef broth. I did not have any of Tony's Creole seasoning, but I'm very familiar with the flavors so I substituted my own spices. Other than that, I followed your instruction as to how to use it and the recipe to the T.
so, this was the first time I ever used any kind of pressure cooker.the recipe reminded me of the three years I lived in New Orleans, when I was stationed there while in the Navy.
Thank you for the clear instructions. I will subscribe to your page, and look forward to trying new things. I am a cook that likes to improvise, but while learning to use this machine, I know I need to figure out how it all works first.
Thank you!
Lisa says
This was FANTASTIC! I’ve signed up for your news letter hoping that everything you post is this good. My husband ate a bowl and thought it was delicious; when I told him the secret ingredient was chicken livers, he didn’t eat another bowl. Good—more for me! ?
Tanya says
lol, too funny. Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
M. Morgan says
This recipe is a keeper. I wasn’t sure if I should drain grease so I didn’t but I think I will next time. Also I’m going to cook the livers separately then do a quick run through chopper/food processor to get smaller pieces. I used Jasmine rice which came out great with the recommend times but I may decrease cooking time by 1-2 minutes next time.