This Instant Pot Rice Guide will show you how to make white, brown, jasmine, basmati and a wild rice blend perfectly in your pressure cooker!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Water – you can also use chicken broth or vegetable broth for a more flavourful rice.
- Rice – use basmati, jasmine, white, brown or wild rice.
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil such as canola oil or avocado oil.
- Salt – to taste.
How to cook rice in the Instant Pot
- Add olive oil to the bottom of the pot.
- Add in the rice.
- Add in the salt and water or broth.
- Cook on high pressure for the applicable time.
- Do a natural release of the pressure then fluff the rice.
- Serve and enjoy!
Varying cooking times for rice
The time it takes to cook rice depends on the variety of rice you want to use.
- Jasmine rice will only take 3 minutes to cook. Jasmine is a short grain white rice and is moist, soft and slightly sticky when cooked.
- Long grain white rice takes 5 minutes to cook the Instant Pot. This rice is the most common and recognizable in western stores. It is mild and fluffy when cooked. White basmati rice is a form of long grain white rice. The grains do not stick together like jasmine rice and its nutty taste is popular in Indian and Asian recipes.
- Long grain brown rice takes longer to cook, about 25 minutes. The layers of bran, which are nutritious, are left on the rice grain, which means it takes much longer to soften. Brown rice is a whole grain food with none of the vitamins and minerals stripped away. It has a chewy texture and the grains do not stick together.
- Wild rice blend also takes 25 minutes to cook because it contains wild rice. Wild rice is not actually a rice, but rather a type of grass with a very tough texture. It’s a great source of B vitamins.
Frequently Asked Questions
When cooking rice on the stovetop, you use more water than rice. However, in the Instant Pot, you will use a one-to-one ratio. The Instant Pot provides a much tighter seal than any other pan so you will not lose water while it is boiling. You don’t need to worry about adding excess water because the water will not evaporate in the Instant Pot as it would on the stovetop or in a rice cooker. So for every 1 cup of rice, you’ll need to add 1 cup of liquid – it’s so easy!
The cooking time will vary depending on what type of rice you’re cooking. Jasmine rice takes 3 minutes of cooking at high pressure, long grain white rice takes 5 minutes, and brown rice and wild rice takes 25 minutes.
Your Instant Pot has a rice button, but that is programmed for cooking white rice only. You will need to adjust the time up or down if you are making any other kind of rice.
You do not need to give your rice a quick rinse before cooking it. Some say this gets rid of all the extra starch that clings to the rice, and removing that starch will help your rice stay fluffy. However, this is NOT true! You can choose to rinse your rice ahead of time, but it will turn out perfectly without rinsing and have no extra starch or difference in taste or texture. Save yourself some time and hassle by adding your rice to the pot when it’s dry.
Storing and reheating
Cooked rice can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Because you can make very large batches in your Instant Pot, you can double, triple or quadruple this recipe – no need to adjust the cooking time either! Just make sure you have a large enough Instant Pot for the job and that what you’ve added to the pot does not go past the fill line. Cook once and you’ll have rice for the whole week.
When you reheat the rice, add an extra tablespoon of water for every cup of rice. You can heat it in the microwave for about 3 minutes or until it’s warmed through.
Can you freeze cooked rice?
Yes! Cooked rice can be stored in the freezer for 2 to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer-safe Ziploc bag. I prefer glass containers because they can go straight into the microwave to reheat.
Thaw the rice in the fridge overnight or reheat it directly from frozen in the microwave. Don’t forget to add water to the bowl to prevent the rice from drying out! Check it every 2 minutes until it is warm – usually rice takes 6-7 minutes of reheating time from frozen when you have stored it in individual portions.
More Instant Pot rice recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on storing this rice as leftovers.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
The Ultimate Instant Pot Rice Guide
Ingredients
- 1 cup water or chicken broth
- 1 cup rice of choice (can use basmati, jasmine, white, brown or wild rice blend)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Add olive oil to the bottom of the pot, then add rice, salt and water or broth (choose broth for more flavour). Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for the applicable times listed below. Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook for whatever time you have set it for.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally (about 15-20 minutes), then open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily. Fluff rice with a fork and immediately remove it from the pot to prevent overcooking.
- Rice will last in the fridge up to 5 days, and cooked rice can be frozen up to 2 months.
COOK TIMES FOR EACH TYPE OF RICE.
- Jasmine rice: 3 minutes.
- Long grain white rice: 5 minutes.
- White basmati rice: 5 minutes.
- Long grain brown rice: 25 minutes.
- Wild rice blend: 25 minutes.
