Instant Pot Bulgur Wheat (Quick & Easy!)

Here’s how to make Instant Pot Bulgur Wheat! The Ancient grains can be prepared quickly and easily in the pressure cooker.

Did you know that the Instant Pot is perfect for cooking all kinds of whole grains? Alex and I set out to find out all the basics of cooking in an Instant Pot. Rice, chickpeas, black beans, even hard-boiled eggs and sweet potatoes cook perfectly in a pressure cooker. So why not cook bulgur? This quick-cooking whole grain works well in the Instant Pot, where it’s completely self-contained. This recipe is lightly flavored and makes a great either as a healthy side dish or as an on-the-go component in a salad bowl or cereal bowl. Ready to start?

Where to buy bulgur

Bulgur is a whole grain made from ground wheat. It has its origins in Middle Eastern cuisine. Have you ever eaten tabbouleh in a Greek or Israeli restaurant? Yes, it’s bulgur! Where to buy bulgur Today, many traditional grocery stores carry bulgur, especially in bulk containers. You can also buy it online.

A note on sizes: Bulgur comes in a variety of grind sizes, which changes the cooking time significantly. We recommend fine and medium ground bulgur wheat, which is the quickest to cook. Coarsely ground or extra coarsely ground bulgur takes much longer to cook, so we usually buy the fine and medium grind varieties.

What if your bulgur pack isn’t labelled? It’s probably an average grind. You’ll have to experiment with the cooking time and cook longer if it’s still not tender after the allotted time.

Buy it: bulgur

Is bulgur gluten free?

Bulgur is made from wheat not gluten free. Be sure to avoid bulgur if you’re on a strict gluten-free diet. If you’re looking for a gluten-free substitute, you can use any of the following:

How to Cook Instant Pot Bulgur (Basic Steps)

Is bulgur faster in the Instant Pot than on the stovetop? Not really. So why in an Instant Pot? Well, a pressure cooker is a completely standalone method: you don’t even have to boil water. Add the ingredients and you’re good to go: then finish dinner while the Instant Pot works its magic!

This Instant Pot Bulgur recipe uses the pressure cooker’s low-pressure setting. While it might not sound interesting on its own, of all our healthy instant pot recipes, this is the first to use low pressure. It is therefore essential to select the low level when cooking!

Here are the basic steps to preparing Instant Pot Bulgur:

1. Place the bulgur, water, garlic powder, oregano, and salt in the Instant Pot.
2. Pressure cook at low temperature for 12 minutes.
3. Fast release! Open the Instant Pot and fluff the bulgur with a fork.

How to serve Instant Pot Bulgur

How do you serve this Instant Pot Bulgur now that you’ve cooked it? We prefer to serve it as a healthy side dish! Since this is already seasoned with garlic powder and oregano, it pairs perfectly with baked fish, cedar plank salmon, or shrimp. A vegetarian idea for a main course is to serve it with beans and vegetables with a fried egg: try our bulgur with fried egg.

The most popular use of bulgur is tabbouleh, the famous oriental grain salad with lots of fresh parsley, tomatoes and garlic. Here is our version of this recipe: Mediterranean Bulgur Salad. It also tastes fantastic in a cereal bowl: try it in our Roasted Vegetable Bowl instead of the Freekah.

This Instant Pot Bulgur Recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free.