How to Cook Rice in an Instant Pot

Why make Instant Pot rice?

Once you cook rice in the Instant Pot you'll never to cook rice another way. The rice recipe takes a fraction of the time of prepping it on the stovetop or in the microwave and comes out absolutely perfect every time. In addition, you don't need a special appliance like a rice cooker. You can use the Instant Pot for a massive amount of other cooking tasks. With the method I've outlined in this post, it's never crunchy, but never mushy either. Instant Pot rice has this perfect balance of texture that complements any recipe.

With this method, I'm cooking rice by itself in the electric pressure cooker. This particular night, I was making it to go with the sheet pan dinner collection that I was working on when this post was originally published. Sometimes I use the Instant Pot just for the rice, sometimes I cook it along with another main course recipe using the pot in pot method. I talked a little bit more about that in my big Instant Pot Freezer Meal Boot Camp post. Basically, you just use the trivet that comes with your Instant Pot pressure cooker and a small baking dish on top of your main recipe and fill it with any other item you need to cook for your meal. It's great for cooking rice, potatoes, and even veggies. You can click here to see more about that method.

For now, let's get to my Instant Pot rice method!

Step 1: Measure and Rinse Rice

This is more about the method/ratios than an actual rice recipe. I'll show you how much of each item I typically use. I usually start with 1.5 cups of rice. I use long grain white rice in this case, but basmati rice, jasmine rice, brown rice, etc. can be used as well. You can see the adjusted cook times below.

When I first published this post, many people pointed out how important rinsing your rice is, and I agree. Rice can come covered in all kinds of yuckiness that needs to be removed. So, first thing's first – rinse rice before cooking! A fine mesh strainer is super useful for this – simply put the rice in the strainer and rinse rice thoroughly.

Step 2: Add water, oil, and salt to the rice

What is the ratio of water to rice in an Instant Pot?

Here's the secret to cooking perfect Instant Pot rice: use a 1:1.25 ratio of cups of rice to cups of water. That means, if you're using 1.5 cups of rice, you'll mix just shy of 2 cups water into your cooker with the rice. (The ratio doesn't have to be perfectly measured, you can kind of round and guesstimate).

I have used chicken broth in the past instead of water to give the rice lots of flavor. You can really add any seasoning you'd like at this point! I put a drizzle of olive oil (I don't measure, maybe about a tablespoon) and a couple of pinches of salt in my pot.

It doesn't have to be completely stirred together before putting your lid on. I do like to to stir the rice a little just to eliminate any clumps.

Step 3: Adjust the Instant Pot settings for rice

How long Does it take to cook rice in an Instant Pot?

When I prepare Instant Pot rice, I use the manual setting (high pressure) with the timer set for 8 minutes for white rice, basmati rice, or jasmine rice and 15 minutes for brown rice. And yes, I use this high pressure/timer setting no matter how much rice, whether you have half a cup of rice or 3 cups of rice. Keep in mind, you set the same amount of time, but more rice might mean the Instant Pot takes longer to come to pressure with more contents, meaning your overall cook time might actually be a little longer.

Do you use the Instant Pot rice setting?

No, I don't use the rice button that many Instant Pots include. Why? I couldn't answer that. 😂 I just never have and am used to using the manual setting now. I figure if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Put the lid on with the pressure release valve in the sealing position and let the cook cycle run and allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes or so. Then manually release any remaining pressure by turning the pressure valve. Finally, once the pressure is released, remove the lid.

Step 4: Fluff and serve

Finally, simply fluff the rice with a fork. I do usually add a little bit of butter to keep the rice from sticking together. This gives the rice a little bit of flavor. I also turn the warm setting off as soon as I take the lid off. It tends to make the rice stick to the bottom of the pan if you don't. You can either take the inner pot out of the Instant Pot or put rice in another dish at this point.

Step 5: Storage and Reheating

This rice can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Can this rice be reheated?

Yes, the rice can be reheated in the microwave in 30 second increments. I like to add a sprinkle of water and oil to my rice when I reheat to keep it fluffy. I don't recommend using the Instant Pot to reheat leftover rice – too complicated! Reheating rice in a microwave works just fine.