How to Cook Perfect Rice in an Instant Pot (+ Video)
See how to cook rice in an Instant Pot that's perfect every time. Easy pressure cooker method with conversions for brown, long grain white, basmati, & jasmine rice.
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I've published so many Instant Pot recipes on this blog that I've lost count. You would think my collection of recipes would be the most popular posts, right? Wrong. The most popular Instant Pot post I've got on this blog is one of the simplest - how to cook rice in an Instant Pot.
Why make rice in the Instant Pot?
Once you use the Instant Pot to cook rice you'll never to cook it another way. The rice recipe takes a fraction of the time of prepping with the stovetop or microwave. The rice always comes out perfect.
Also, 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 my sheet pan dinner collection. Sometimes I use the Instant Pot to cook the rice and sometimes I cook it along with another main course recipe.
To cook with the main course, I use the pot in pot method. I talked a little bit more about that in my Instant Pot Freezer Meal Boot Camp post. With this method, you use the trivet that comes with your Instant Pot pressure cooker. Put a small baking dish on top of your main recipe and fill it with any other item you need to cook for your meal.
This method is great for cooking rice, potatoes, and even veggies. You can check out my easy freezer meals post to see more about that method.
For now, let's get to my Instant Pot rice method.
How to Cook Perfect Rice in an Instant Pot
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 use.
I usually start with 1.5 cups of rice. I use long grain white rice here, but you can use many different kinds of rice. Basmati rice, jasmine rice, brown rice, wild rice, etc. all work well. 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, and you need to remove it. So, first thing's first - rinse rice before cooking. A fine mesh strainer is super useful for this - put the rice in the strainer and rinse rice thoroughly.
Step 2: Add water, oil, and salt
What is the water to rice ratio?
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 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 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 to eliminate any clumps.
Step 3: Adjust the Instant Pot settings
How long does it take to cook Instant Pot rice?
When I prepare Instant Pot rice, I use the manual setting (high pressure). Set the timer 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.
One note: you set the same amount of time, but more rice might mean the Instant Pot takes longer to come to pressure. This is because there is more contents, meaning your 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'm not really sure. 😂 I 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. 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 you release the pressure, remove the lid.
Step 4: Fluff and serve
Finally, 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.
See? It's incredibly easy! This is something that you can quickly cook in the background while you're working on your main dish. It couldn't be a simpler side dish.
This rice is the perfect complement to so many meals in my Freezer Meal Boot Camps. These sets include lists, printables, and instructions to bulk prep freezer meals. It's made especially for a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot. You follow the instructions in the boot camp to have days/weeks of easy meals ready to go! Get more information about my Freezer Meal Boot Camps by clicking here.
FAQs
Step-by-Step Video
Happy pressure cooking! Check out more of my Instant Pot posts below...
Increase the rice say to 5 cups do you have to increase the cook time?
You shouldn't! Just make sure there's enough room in your pot for the rice and water (I'd do about 6 cups for 5 cups of rice).
Why is there a Rice button on the IP if we are not going to use it?
in my manual for the IP, it does not specify a cooking time or pressure release plan.
Good question! 🙂 I'm sure there is a rice setting on most IPs - I just prefer to do it through the manual setting (which honestly might not be that different than the rice setting).
I'm sure the settings you recommend will work as expected. I can't say as much for the "Rice" button as there is no information in the manual for what the Rice button does.
I'm with you, I wish there was better explanation of that.
I tried the rice button twice and it just burns the rice, so the manual setting is better.
Do you pressure cook the rice on HIGH for 8 minutes?
Yes, the high pressure that is automatic on Instant Pot manual setting!
my IP does not have a "manual" setting. would I use the "pressure cooker" setting??
Yes, the pressure cooker setting is the same as manual!
could you use a broth instead of water?
Absolutely! That would add even more flavor.
This is the best IP rice I have made. No sticking and no sticky rice. Perfectly fluffy.c
How many ppl will this serve? With your above instructions?
It really depends on serving size, which can vary so much with rice. You can usually expect finished rice to be about triple the amount of dry rice; so if you put 1 cup of dry rice in, you'll get around 3 cups of ready-to-serve rice.
I am getting ready to do this with a yellow rice… It’s the Vigo authentic Spanish rice! Has anyone tried that to you how much liquid or time?
I would think the process/water would be similar for this kind of rice to white rice.
So if I put 3 cups dry rice do I put 4 cups water is that correct and cook time still 8 minutes?
Yes, that's correct!
My instant pot is a Tefal multi cooker, will your measurements and times be the same. Thank you.
If it is a pressure cooker, the measurements and time should be the same.
This was great! Thanks!
It turned out perfect! Thank you for sharing.
I’ve made lots of rice in my IP, made this tonight and I will follow this recipe from now on! It was perfect!!
That's so great to hear Becky, thanks for the review!
Fantastic! I added two tablespoons of Sriracha and a tablespoon of red pepper flakes to the sauce. We like heat. Instead of vegetable oil I used sesame oil for the sauce as well. Made a great recipe to our taste. Thank you!
Can this recipe be doubled?
It can! Use as much rice as you need, just use that ratio of 1:1.25 for water. No need to change cook time.
OMG. I just tried you method and my rice was PERFECTION! I’ve always used the “rice button” and it was always too dry. This was so good… and super easy. Loved the addition of salt and olive oil - made a huge difference. I also added a little butter at the end. I could eat it plain fixed this way. Thank you so much for your recipe. It’s the only one I will continue to use!
This is so great to hear, thanks for the review!
I made this tonight used 1.5 c of rice and 2 c of chicken broth and added a little avocado. Did the eight min . It was perfect
I just made rice but it was stodgy and stuck together. Any suggestions on what to alter please?
Different humidity levels can affect your rice. If you're seeing that it's a little over-saturated, I'd suggest leaving out a quarter cup of water and taking a minute off of the cook time. Keep doing this until it's perfect!