If you’ve completely forgotten that your Instant Pot can function as a rice cooker or simply need an easy-to-follow guide, this step-by-step is for you. Here’s how to use your Instant Pot to cook any type of rice.
Should I Use the “Rice” Button on My Instant Pot?
The Instant Pot’s rice button is best used for white rice, as it is specifically calibrated to weigh white rice and water and cook the rice accordingly. This is ideal for weeknights when you truly want to set and forget your rice, but not great for cooking different varieties of rice on the fly.Key Steps for Rice in the Instant Pot
Luckily, you can use your Instant Pot’s manual pressure function to cook white, brown or wild rice on high pressure in just a few minutes. Here’s how to do it.Rinse the rice before cooking. Rinsing rice before cooking removes any dirt from processing, gets rid of starch that can make the rice sticky, and, I’ve found, makes the rice taste better. According to Instant Pot’s manual, rinsing the rice also makes up for the small amount of moisture lost in evaporation during the cooking process.
Use the right ratio of rice to water. Instant Pot suggests any rice can be cooked with a one-to-one rice-to-water ratio, but during testing, we found this wasn’t universally true—both among Instant Pot models and other multi-cookers. Use slightly more water when cooking brown rice and wild rice to prevent undercooking and scorching. Plus, it’s better to err on the side of more water, since most rice varieties can be drained if there’s excess moisture.
Pressure cook the rice on high. Lock the lid in place and set to cook at HIGH pressure for the following times:
White rice (basmati, jasmine): 5 minutes
Long-grain brown rice: 10 minutes
Wild rice: 15 minutes
Fluffing and Serving Instant Pot Rice
After 10 minutes of natural release, most of the pressure should be gone from the pot, but at this point you can open the valve and release any remaining pressure. Use a fork to fluff the rice, and turn the Instant Pot to the warm setting to keep it hot for serving.Instant Pot Rice
Serves 4- 2 cups white, basmati, or jasmine rice
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cups long grain brown rice
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cups wild rice
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1. Rinse the rice. Measure the rice into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cool running water for about a minute or until the water runs clear.
2. Combine the rice, water, salt, and butter in the Instant Pot. Dump the rice into an Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker. Note that the water amounts are different depending on the rice you’re using! Add the water and salt to the rice and stir to combine. Toss the butter in, and don’t worry if it floats.
3. Pressure cook the rice on high. Lock the lid in place and set to cook under HIGH pressure for the following times:
White rice: 5 minutes
Brown rice: 10 minutes
Wild rice: 15 minutes
The Instant Pot will take 8 to 10 minutes to come up to pressure.
4. Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. When the cook time is up, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes.
5. Release any remaining pressure, fluff, and serve. Quick release any remaining pressure release. Uncover, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve immediately.
Recipe note
Storage: Leftover rice can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to five days or frozen for a few months.
