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How to Cook Rice in an Instant Pot

March 8, 2017 | 50 Comments

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How to Cook Rice in an Instant Pot | Cook White Rice Instant Pot | Cook Brown Rice Instant Pot | https://passtheplants.com

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. 🙂 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!  Let’s do this thing.

How to Cook Rice in an Instant Pot | Cook White Rice Instant Pot | Cook Brown Rice Instant Pot | https://passtheplants.com

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 pressure 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 that it would on the stovetop, but it involves next to zero attention from you. I call that a win.

How to Cook Rice in an Instant Pot | Cook White Rice Instant Pot | Cook Brown Rice Instant Pot | https://passtheplants.com

This is one of my favorite things to have cooking while I’m making 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.

How to Cook Rice in an Instant Pot | Cook White Rice Instant Pot | Cook Brown Rice Instant Pot | https://passtheplants.com

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  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.

How to Cook Rice in an Instant Pot | Cook White Rice Instant Pot | Cook Brown Rice Instant Pot | https://passtheplants.com

If give this a try, shout out here in the comments or take  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. 😉

How to Cook Rice in an Instant Pot

Beth Hornback
Learn how to cook rice in an Instant Pot! This method is simple and easy to remember. Great for meal prep!
3.56 from 9 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Servings 8 cups

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.

Notes

Calories are for medium brown rice.
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Home » How-to » How to Cook Rice in an Instant Pot

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How-to, Instant Pot, Side Dish bulk cooking, gluten-free, meal prep, oil-free, pressure cooker, rice, tutorials, wfpb, whole food plant based

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Comments

  1. Bobby says

    March 8, 2017 at 7:17 am

    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

    Reply
    • Beth says

      March 8, 2017 at 11:29 am

      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.

    • Ashley says

      August 30, 2017 at 6:03 pm

      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

    • KimT says

      October 28, 2017 at 8:04 pm

      Elevation makes a huge difference. The higher elevation the more time needed.

    • Veronica says

      November 2, 2017 at 6:51 pm

      I was going to ask about this very thing, I’m in Colorado at 6980 ft. How long do you think?

    • Arien says

      August 20, 2019 at 8:50 am

      Weird. Brown rice only takes 45 minutes in my rice cooker.

  2. Pat says

    March 9, 2017 at 4:34 pm

    I do white rice on 4 minutes, so I’m giving your recipe the side eye over here. 😉 3 sounds pretty radical, lady! But I might try it later this week anyway, because I’m in a radical mood.

    Reply
    • Gloria says

      December 3, 2017 at 10:50 am

      I do 3 min and it’s perfect

    • Gloria says

      December 3, 2017 at 10:51 am

      Oh, and I do 1 cup rice 1 1/4 water and 10 min. NR then QR

  3. Cheryl Merrill says

    March 10, 2017 at 6:31 pm

    You are the bomb! I absolutely love my instapot

    Reply
  4. Kandy says

    September 7, 2017 at 8:48 am

    Hi: Are you using the rice cup that comes with the IP to measure your rice and water?

    Reply
    • Beth says

      September 7, 2017 at 1:53 pm

      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.

  5. Barbara Skalberg says

    September 17, 2017 at 5:36 pm

    I can’t find directions for black rice. Is the same as brown?

    Reply
    • Beth says

      September 17, 2017 at 11:13 pm

      Hi Barbara! Yes, you’d cook black rice with the same time/water ratios as brown. Hope that helps! 🙂

    • Barbara Skalberg says

      October 2, 2017 at 5:54 pm

      5 stars
      It came out perfectly. Thank you! I’m so ditching my rice cooker now!!

    • Beth says

      October 3, 2017 at 12:15 am

      WOO HOO!!! Yay for multi-tasking appliances! So glad this came out perfectly for you, Barbara. 🙂

  6. katelyn says

    September 29, 2017 at 12:39 pm

    Does the cooking time change for larger amounts of rice?

    Reply
    • Beth says

      October 4, 2017 at 10:45 am

      Hi Katelyn! Nope, it should stay the same. 🙂

  7. Judith says

    November 5, 2017 at 5:09 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Billie says

      February 13, 2018 at 5:25 pm

      I have this same question!

  8. Carmen Brining says

    November 12, 2017 at 4:26 pm

    5 stars
    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

    Reply
  9. Robyn says

    December 5, 2017 at 9:42 am

    Wondering if the time is different for instant rice?

    Reply
  10. Nicolena Bryden says

    December 18, 2017 at 5:58 pm

    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!

    Reply
  11. Josie says

    January 1, 2018 at 8:12 pm

    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

    Reply
  12. Ester says

    May 16, 2018 at 6:56 pm

    I have a 6qt instant pot. I want to make as much rice in it as I can ( I’m feeding a crowd). How much can I cook at one time and do I have to adjust the cooking time?

    Reply
  13. Deb says

    June 9, 2018 at 11:08 am

    1 star
    Sorry – 3 minutes resulted in WAY undercooked
    rice. Who wants crunchy rice??? I guess anyone can put anything they
    want on the internet. 🙂

    Reply
  14. Monica Smith says

    June 29, 2018 at 9:26 am

    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

    Reply
  15. Sarah says

    July 2, 2018 at 2:43 pm

    So is this method using the “rice” button or are you manually entering cook time?

    Reply
  16. Carbs says

    July 16, 2018 at 4:45 pm

    3 stars
    My rice burnt with a 1:1 ratio water and rice in less than 3 minutes. Something needs to be adjusted.

    Reply
    • Beth says

      July 24, 2018 at 8:30 am

      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. 🙂

    • Judith says

      July 24, 2018 at 3:17 pm

      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.

  17. mohit kumar says

    July 31, 2018 at 3:03 am

    Thanks for the recipe.
    Going to make this in the upcoming days.

    Reply
  18. Susan says

    August 8, 2018 at 11:48 am

    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?

    Reply
  19. Diana says

    August 18, 2018 at 4:06 pm

    Got the burn message in 8qt duo with white washed rice, no salt 6 rice cups, 6 rice cups water.

    Reply
    • Beth says

      August 21, 2018 at 11:44 pm

      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!

  20. Melanie @ Punjabi Desi Foods says

    August 19, 2018 at 1:40 pm

    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

    Reply
  21. Heather says

    September 1, 2018 at 9:28 am

    Wondering when to use the rice button vs. pressure?

    Reply
  22. jess says

    September 19, 2018 at 3:28 pm

    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!

    Reply
  23. Evelyn Jepson says

    November 5, 2018 at 12:32 pm

    Im looking right now to just make Rice Pudding.

    Reply
    • Beth says

      November 8, 2018 at 2:37 pm

      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!

  24. Jackie says

    January 4, 2019 at 6:06 pm

    Does it make a difference if after the 3 minutes are up you don’t turn it off and rather leave it on warm?

    Reply
    • Beth says

      January 5, 2019 at 1:58 pm

      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! 🙂

  25. Galtha58 says

    April 9, 2019 at 1:50 pm

    Why such a huge difference in time between white rice and brown rice? Seems odd that the difference would be that much.

    Reply
    • Beth says

      April 9, 2019 at 4:09 pm

      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.

  26. Theresa watson says

    September 30, 2019 at 10:04 am

    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. I’m thinking of buying another one so I can cook two items at a time.

    Reply
  27. Dianne says

    October 19, 2019 at 11:51 am

    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!

    Reply
  28. Lisa says

    November 25, 2019 at 1:06 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Beth says

      November 26, 2019 at 9:30 am

      Hi Lisa! The three minutes is for REGULAR white rice. 🙂 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! 🙂 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! 🙂 Hope that helps.

  29. Marisela says

    December 30, 2019 at 8:53 pm

    Hello,

    I have some questions:
    1) Can I use “keep warm” 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!!!

    Reply

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