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
Step 1: Add olive oil to the bottom of the pot.
Step 2: Add in the rice.
Step 3: Add in the salt and liquid.
Add the salt and broth or water, then set the valve to seal. Do not stir before adding the lid!
Step 4: Cook on high pressure for the applicable time.
Cook jasmine rice for 3 mins, long grain white rice for 5 mins, white basmati rice for 5 mins, long grain brown rice for 25 mins and wild rice blend for 25 mins.
Step 5: Do a natural pressure release.
Do a natural release of the pressure, then open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Cooking time for rice in the Instant Pot
The time it takes to cook Instant Pot rice depends on the variety of rice you want to use:
- Jasmine rice – 3 minutes at high pressure.
- Long grain white rice and white basmati rice – 5 minutes at high pressure.
- Long grain brown rice and wild rice blend – 25 minutes at high pressure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Instant Pot rice calls for a 1:1 water ratio – so for every 1 cup of rice, you’ll need to add 1 cup of liquid. Water doesn’t evaporate in the Instant Pot the same way as it would on the stovetop or in a rice cooker, which is why the ratio is lower.
The Instant Pot rice button is only programmed for cooking white rice. You’ll need to manually adjust the time up or down if you are making any other kind of rice.
It’s not necessary to rinse rice before cooking it, and it’s basically a matter of preference. Some people think it gets rid of extra starch or changes the taste or texture, but I find that it tastes the same when you cook unrinsed rice in the Instant Pot.
If you find that your rice is too mushy after cooking, you likely added too much liquid. Make sure you’re sticking to the 1:1 rice-liquid ratio, or the rice will be too watery and mushy – and no one likes mushy rice!
If your Instant Pot rice is too hard or undercooked, you didn’t cook it for long enough. Make sure you’re using the right amount of cooking time followed by a natural pressure release.
Storing and reheating
Cooked Instant Pot rice can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Because you can make very large batches of rice in the 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 your ingredients don’t go past the fill line. Cook a big batch 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 so it doesn’t dry out. You can reheat it in the microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes or until it’s warmed through.
Can you freeze cooked rice?
Yes! After you’ve cooked your instapot rice, it 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 to 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.
- Use a fine mesh strainer to rinse your rice.
The Ultimate Instant Pot Rice Guide {Foolproof}
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.
