Here’s how to make Instant Pot white rice! Your pressure cooker can also be used as a rice cooker: this is a convenient way to prepare this whole grain.
Alex and I were originally Instant Pot skeptics. What convinced us to try one was when we learned that it can cook so many things: including rice! We could ditch our rice cooker and use a pressure cooker instead! Now we often use our Instant Pot white rice and brown rice methods! Although it takes about as long as white rice on the stovetop, it’s completely no-fuss! We use this method quite a bit and it always results in fluffy rice…every time.
How to Make Instant Pot White Rice
The main advantage of making Instant Pot white rice is that it is a completely self-contained method. It takes about as long as rice on the stovetop, but the “set and forget” method is so much easier! We love not having to have another pan on the stovetop, especially when making something like a curry or stir fry. We can easily focus on preparing the main meal without worrying about rice.
To prepare Instant Pot white rice:
- Place 2 cups of white rice and 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker.
- Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes.
- Natural release for 10 minutes. Open the Instant Pot and season with Kosher salt to taste.
And that’s it! This is a simple method that Alex and I memorized so we can make side rice. See below for the full recipe!
How to warm up rice
This Instant Pot white rice recipe uses 2 cups of dry rice, which makes 6 cups of cooked white rice. If that’s too much for you all at once, you can store leftovers in the fridge or freezer.
You may have noticed that rice gets very dry in the refrigerator. Here’s a trick to reheating the rice so it’s perfectly moist:
- Place the cold rice in a saucepan on the stove.
- Add a small drop of water.
- Heat the rice until very hot: the water will evaporate and be absorbed by the rice.
Which instant pot/pressure cooker do you recommend?
An Instant Pot is a programmable electric pressure cooker. The concept is to cook food under high pressure, which reduces cooking time and allows for even cooking. There is a lot of variation between each brand of pressure cooker, so the timing of this recipe may vary depending on the type. The pressure cooker we use is this 6 liter instant pot. We’ve been using it for a year and it works great! We highly recommend it.
This Instant Pot white rice recipe is…
Vegan, vegetarian, plant-based and gluten-free.
The description
Here’s how to make Instant Pot white rice! Your pressure cooker can also be used as a rice cooker: this is a convenient way to prepare this whole grain.
- 2 cups White Long Grain Rice (American Long Grain Rice, Basmati or Jasmine)*
- 2 cups the water
- Kosher salt
- Rinse rice. Then add the rice and water to the Instant Pot and stir. Lock the Instant Pot lid. Place the pressure relief (vent) handle in the “seal” position.
- Cook at high pressure for 8 minutes: Press the pressure cook button, make sure the ‘high pressure’ setting is selected and set the time. Note that it takes about 5 minutes for the pan to “preheat” and build pressure before you start cooking. (Avoid touching the metal part of the lid during cooking.)
- Natural release for 10 minutes: After the Instant Pot beeps, set a timer and wait 10 minutes to allow the Instant Pot to naturally depressurize. Then release the remaining steam by setting the vent to “ventilation” and covering your hand with a towel or heating pad. Never put your hands or face near the opening when dispensing steam. (The pressure indicator in the lid may drop by itself during this time, which means that there is no longer any steam in the pan.)
- Open the lid and stir the rice with a fork. Stir in kosher salt to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate for 3-4 days. (Note: When reheating leftovers, it helps to add a little water and then reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Adding water will help rehydrate the rice so it doesn’t become dry!)
Remarks
*A note on amounts: We’ve found that cooking 2 cups of rice in our Instant Pot works the most reliably. If you’re making a recipe that only calls for 1 cup of rice, you can freeze and reheat the leftovers. 1 cup of dry rice makes about 3 cups cooked.
- Category: garnish
- Method: pressure cooker
- Kitchen: Herbs-
Keywords: instant pot white rice, instant pot white rice, pressure cooker white rice, pressure cooker white rice
Looking for Instant Pot Recipes?
Aside from this Instant Pot White Rice recipe, we have many other Instant Pot recipes! From components like dried beans, lentils, and hard-boiled eggs to Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup, here are some of our favorite pressure cooker recipes:
Last update: January 2020
