Hi, friends! Today we’re going to learn how to cook rice in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. I guarantee you that this is not the first post on the world wide web on this topic, but as I learned in previous tutorial posts, like how to cook perfect quinoa, just because something already exists on the internet doesn’t mean that another version won’t be appreciated by someone (or many someones). So if you are already an Instant Pot rice-cooking savant, feel free to wave as you pass by. ๐ And if you are indeed looking for an easy-to-remember method to cook rice in an Instant Pot, you’ve come to the right place! ย Let’s do this thing.
Cooking rice in an Instant Pot couldn’t be simpler.
1:1 Water/Rice ratio (whether white or brown rice)
White Rice – 3 Minutes at high pressure with a natural release
Brown Rice – 22 minutes at high pressure with a natural release
Beth, you mean to tell me you can cook white rice in 3 minutes?
Here’s the thing about the Instant Pot – it doesn’t necessarily make cooking times shorter, and that’s because it takes time for the pressure to build, and only once it reaches high pressureย does the actual cooking time start. Typically it takes 5-10 minutes for the pressure to build, depending on what is being cooked, how much liquid is in the pot, etc. What it does do is make your ACTIVE cooking time shorter. Meaning, you can set up the rice to cook, start the timer, and walk away. You don’t have to monitor the rice while it cooks at all. And then when the timer is up, you could be somewhere else, no big deal, because the pressure is going to release naturally and that takes some time (15-20 minutes). So in actuality, cooking white rice in the Instant Pot actually takes about the same time thatย it would on the stovetop, but it involves next to zero attention from you. I call that a win.
This is one of my favorite things to have cooking while I’m makingย another meal, because it’s like borrowing time. I’m already in the kitchen cooking or doing dishes or whatever, so it’s easy to throw in the rice and water into the IP and let it go while I’m busy. Then, I pack up the rice in containers or plastic storage bags to keep in the fridge or freezer for later meals. It so SO handy to be able to pull out precooked rice whenever I need it, but without the “convenience tax” that’s added on to precooked frozen rice at the grocery store. It’s a small time investment with a big payoff.
The advantages of cooking rice in the Instant Pot are many, but top of the list is the actual texture of the rice. It comes out perfectly, every single time. Note that this method works for “standard” rice varieties, but if you venture into the world of rice a little further, such as to make sushi rice or forbidden black rice or red rice, then you’d be wise to look up specific cooking times for those varieties. But for standard long-grain white rice and both short and long-grain brown rice varieties (including Basmati and Jasmine rice), this method will work for you.
Here’s a question that might be coming to your mind. To rinse or not to rinse? Some rice varieties (especially white rice) benefits from being rinsed under cool water until most of the starch has been rinsed away. This helps the rice grains hold their shape and keep from sticking together. Basmati rice and jasmine rice in particular both benefit from rinsing. What I typically do is measure the rice and put it in the cooking pot of the IP, then run cool water over the rice to cover. I swish it around with my hand then pour off the water. Then I add more water, swish and pour again, and keep repeating until the soaking water looks mostly clear. If you’ve never done this before, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised by the results. When the water is clear, I pour off as much of the water as I can, but there will always be a little left in the pot. In that case, I’ll decrease the water I add for cooking by about 1/4 cup, so that the extra water doesn’t make the rice mushy. Works like a charm!
Here’s ย a quick and easy reference to cooking rice in an Instant Pot. May I humbly suggest that you pin it? I may? Yay! You should totally pin this for later.
If give this a try, shout out here in the comments or take ย a photo and tag @eatwithinyourmeans on Instagram! Then you should pour this date-sweetened teriyaki sauce all over your freshly cooked rice. Great, now I’m hungry. ๐

How to Cook Rice in an Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 cups white or brown rice such as basmati, jasmine, etc.
- 3 cups water
- salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Add rice to inner pot of Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. Rinse rice until water runs clear, if desired, draining off the rinsing water thoroughly.
- Add water to rice, and stir. Add a pinch of salt if desired.
- For white rice set timer for 3 minutes at high pressure. For brown rice, set timer for 22 minutes at high pressure.
- When the cooking time is elapsed, turn off the Instant Pot and all the pressure to release naturally. If the pressure hasn't released after 20 minutes, release the pressure valve to allow any remaining pressure to escape.
- Fluff rice and serve immediately, or store in fridge or freezer for future meals.
I love cooking brown rice in the instant pot. We had a rice cooker and that thing took 2 hours for brown rice which was ridiculous. I actually only go for 15 minutes under high pressure with about 2 1/3 cups of water to 2 cups of rice. So fast, so easy, so convenient! Oh, and I do instant pressure release when done and it turns our perfectly
Ok, that’s so interesting! I’m still trying to wrap my brain around how differently cooking times work out. For instance, I can’t cook spaghetti squash in the IP to save my life, no matter what time/type of release. It always comes out bad. But I know other people who have and in wildly varying times, so what the heck man? Anyway…this method always works for me so I guess that’s what counts, right? I’m going to give your 15 minutes quick release method a try though, because I’m super curious.
Beth,
I have cooked spaghetti squash in an IP multiple times and it comes out great every time. I believe this is the recipe I have used in the past. https://thisoldgal.com/instant-pot-pressure-cooker-spaghetti-squash/
10 minutes on high manual with quick release is what I do. I don’t like it too “mushy”. Hope it works for you!
Cheers!
Ashley
Elevation makes a huge difference. The higher elevation the more time needed.
I was going to ask about this very thing, I’m in Colorado at 6980 ft. How long do you think?
Weird. Brown rice only takes 45 minutes in my rice cooker.
I do white rice on 4 minutes, so I’m giving your recipe the side eye over here. ๐ 3 sounds pretty radical, lady! But I might try it later this week anyway, because I’m in a radical mood.
I do 3 min and it’s perfect
Oh, and I do 1 cup rice 1 1/4 water and 10 min. NR then QR
You are the bomb! I absolutely love my instapot
Hi: Are you using the rice cup that comes with the IP to measure your rice and water?
Hi Kandy! Nope, I just user a 1:1 ratio with whatever cup is handy to me at the moment. I typically just use my standard 1 cup measure.
I can’t find directions for black rice. Is the same as brown?
Hi Barbara! Yes, you’d cook black rice with the same time/water ratios as brown. Hope that helps! ๐
It came out perfectly. Thank you! I’m so ditching my rice cooker now!!
WOO HOO!!! Yay for multi-tasking appliances! So glad this came out perfectly for you, Barbara. ๐
Does the cooking time change for larger amounts of rice?
Hi Katelyn! Nope, it should stay the same. ๐
So I’m confused. I just put the rice and water in the IP and touch the rice button. It says 10 min.
Does the rice come out different or better when you cook for 3 min?
I have this same question!
My first go at cooking rice in an IP was using the rice button. It came out terribly gummy, even with rinsing. I call the chicken soup, chicken with gummy rice soup. Very disappointing. I will try this next. Very clear info. Thanks
Wondering if the time is different for instant rice?
Thank you so much for your honesty about cooking times in the instant pot. I love it but no one ever accounts for the build time!
I’ve tried make brown rice in my instant pot but it’s not coming out correctly. I followed the instructions and my rice still has water in it. I put 2 cups brown rice and 2.5 water press manual and do it for 22 minutes on high. I make sure arrow is on seal and the red button is down. Not sure what I’m doing wrong Please help Frustrated
I have a 6qt instant pot. I want to make as much rice in it as I can ( Iโm feeding a crowd). How much can I cook at one time and do I have to adjust the cooking time?
Sorry – 3 minutes resulted in WAY undercooked
rice. Who wants crunchy rice??? I guess anyone can put anything they
want on the internet. ๐
I used your method for white jasmine rice and it burn on the bottom was dry on the top and all stuck together. I am using a 6 quart IP
So is this method using the “rice” button or are you manually entering cook time?
My rice burnt with a 1:1 ratio water and rice in less than 3 minutes. Something needs to be adjusted.
Hey there! I am not sure what’s going on, because I use this method weekly and have tested it numerous times. I’d love to help troubleshoot what went wrong. To start, what kind of rice did you use, did you rinse it first (not required, just curious), and did you use the manual function or the Rice function on the IP? I want to make sure this works for you. ๐
Carbs,
I use 1 part rice to 1.5 part water or broth. I use the rice button and it turns out fine every time.
I hope this helps.
Thanks for the recipe.
Going to make this in the upcoming days.
I have a recipe of
1 1/4 cup white rice
2 cans soup broth
1 cube butter
Any ideas on how long to IP cook this?
Got the burn message in 8qt duo with white washed rice, no salt 6 rice cups, 6 rice cups water.
Hi Diana, I’m so surprised that this has happened for a few people. I’ve used this method countless times and it always works out perfectly. However, I have a 6qt Duo and usually don’t do more than 4 cups at a time. I’m wondering if the weight of the rice and water combined could somehow be triggering the burn notice. I’m going to investigate this more and see if this is a known issue with larger quantities. Sorry that happened to you!
I used this recipe however additionally sauteed diced red and green peppers with a diced red onion along with the flavors together with the additional ingredients was really yummy. Thank you
Wondering when to use the rice button vs. pressure?
HI! I am new to Instant pot and I am intimidated to say the least. I usually make 2 cups rice in the rice cooker! How do I do this, regular jasmine rice, in the Instant Pot. 2 cups rice 2 1/2 water? What buttons do I press? The rice button? Help!
Im looking right now to just make Rice Pudding.
I’ve been wanting to come up with a recipe for rice pudding! One thing I know for sure is the texture comes out better if the rice is cooked and then rinsed in a strainer to remove as much starch as possible, then cooked with the custard. I’ll report back here when I have a recipe ready to go!
Does it make a difference if after the 3 minutes are up you donโt turn it off and rather leave it on warm?
Hi Jackie, it shouldn’t make a difference at all, although it might take slightly longer for the pressure to come down, but you can release the rest manually after 15 minutes or so. Hope that helps! ๐
Why such a huge difference in time between white rice and brown rice? Seems odd that the difference would be that much.
Hi! I know it seems like a big difference, but it absolutely works. The additional time is required to completely cook the brown rice but does not leave it mushy.
I tried the rice recipe. And it came out perfect. I used seasoned yellow rice. And I threw in some leftover chicken pieces from a rotisserie chicken we had the day before. I used the manual setting for 4 minutes and 10 minute quick real ease. I love my instapot. I work full time and I allows me to cook nutritious meals from home instead of eating. Both my husband an I have health issues and this has been a great buy for us. Iโm thinking of buying another one so I can cook two items at a time.
I am new to the whole instapot thing! Just wondering something about cooking rice. I want to use the same cooker to make the rice and then then use it for the main dish. I know a pan can be set on the trivet in the bottom of the cooker for “baking”. Could I put my rice and water in a bowl (glass or metal?) and cook it that way so I don’t have to transfer & wash the instapot insert? Just trying to streamline the process. Thanks for any feedback!
New to the whole IP thing! Is it 3 min for INSTANT rice or REGULAR rice? Can I use Instant? If yes, how long? TIA
Hi Lisa! The three minutes is for REGULAR white rice. ๐ I haven’t used instant before, but a quick google search tells me it’s possible. Because I haven’t tried it, I don’t want to tell you a time and be wrong. But I know that the 3 minutes for regular rice works! ๐ You’ll still need to allow the time of the pressure coming down naturally, so I’m referring to 3 minutes of actual cooking time when setting the time on the Instant Pot. Because you don’t have to monitor it at all, it’s nice to have it going in the background while you do other things, then it’s ready when you are! ๐ Hope that helps.
Hello,
I have some questions:
1) Can I use โkeep warmโ setting for rice? I have to make 4 cups for a family dinner and I want to make it in advance the same day.
2) I have a recipe with chicken broth instead of water. Have you tried that? The water (broth) and rice ratio is the same?
3) The time for basmati rice is 22 min even for 4 cups?
Thank you!!!