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Here’s how to make Instant Pot brown rice: a quicker method than stovetop! A pressure cooker can double as a rice cooker, making for a hands off-way to cook this grain. It’s perfect for whipping up for grain bowls, stir fries, and more.
Why we love this recipe
What really convinced Alex and me to finally get an Instant Pot was this: it doubles as a rice cooker! As two cookbook authors and recipe experts, we’re wary of new gadgets. Space is also at a premium in our kitchen. But since it cooks rice, we ditched our rice cooker to make way for a pressure cooker!
We’ve cook all sorts of things in our Instant Pot, but one of our favorite ways to use it is for rice. It’s a totally hands off method, and it saves time too. Here’s our Instant Pot brown rice recipe!
How to make Instant Pot brown rice
Cooking brown rice in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker is easy and a totally hands off method! We love that it frees up the stovetop for the main dish, like when we’re cooking a lentil curry or vegetable stir fry.
Using a pressure cooker also saves time! On the stovetop it can take up to 55 minutes to cook. Instant Pot brown rice takes only 35 minutes including “preheat” and natural release time (the cooking portion is only 20 minutes). Here’s how to cook brown rice in the Instant Pot:
Step 1: Rinse the rice. Then place equal parts white rice and water in a pressure cooker.
Step 2: Pressure cook on High for 20 minutes. Then natural release for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Open the Instant Pot and season with kosher salt to taste.
White rice vs. brown rice
With white rice being so much quicker to cook than brown rice, why would you want to eat it? Turns out, brown rice has a lot of nutritional benefits. Brown rice has an impressive amount of vitamins, minerals and beneficial compounds because it is less processed than white rice. However, both are part of a healthy diet! Read more at Brown Rice vs White Rice.
- White rice has its hull, bran and germ removed.
- Brown rice keeps the nutrient-packed bran and germ and only has the hull removed. So it retains the nutrients that white rice lacks such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It also has more fiber.
What Instant Pot / pressure cooker do you use?
An Instant Pot is a brand of programmable electric pressure cookers. The concept is to cook foods at high pressure, which cuts down on cooking time and makes for even cooking. There are lots of brands of pressure cookers, including Instant Pot. The pressure cooker we use is this 6 quart Instant Pot. We’ve been using it for years and highly recommend it!
Storing leftovers and reheating rice
This brown rice in Instant Pot recipe uses 2 cups of dry rice, which makes 6 cups of cooked rice. To store any leftover rice, place it in a sealed container and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days or freeze for a few months.
You may notice that cold rice becomes very dry. So how to reheat cold rice? Add a splash of water when you reheat it! You can reheat either in the microwave or on the stovetop. When you heat the rice, add a drizzle of water and heat it until it’s warmed through. It should absorb all the liquid and become moist!
Ways to use Instant pot brown rice
Instant Pot brown rice is so quick compared to the stovetop method. Serve this rice with a broccoli stir fry or shrimp stir fry, or alongside sweet potato curry or chickpea curry. Make a burrito bowl, salmon bowl, or shrimp bowl. If you have leftovers, make fried rice or tofu fried rice!
Dietary notes
This Instant Pot brown rice recipe is vegan, vegetarian, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
More Instant pot recipes
Outside of brown rice in the Instant Pot, there are so many ways to use a pressure cooker! You can make Instant pot white rice, Instant Pot black beans, Instant Pot chickpeas, Instant Pot sweet potatoes, Instant Pot broccoli, Instant Pot oatmeal, and more!
Frequently asked questions
Generally, a 1:1 ratio is used, but some prefer 1.25:1 for slightly softer rice.
Use “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” setting on high pressure.
Don’t fill the inner pot more than halfway with rice and water.
Instant Pot Brown Rice Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: About 6 cups 1x
Description
Here’s how to make Instant Pot brown rice! A pressure cooker can double as a rice cooker: it’s a totally hands off way to cook this whole grain.
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown long grain rice (American long grain, basmati, or jasmine)*
- 2 cups water
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Rinse the rice. Add the rice and water to the Instant Pot and stir. Lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Place the pressure release handle (vent) in the “Sealing” position.
- Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes: Press the Pressure Cook button, making sure the “High Pressure” setting is selected, and set the time. Note that it takes about 5 minutes for the pot to “preheat” and come up to pressure before it starts cooking. (During cooking, avoid touching the metal part of the lid.)
- Natural release for 10 minutes: After the Instant Pot beeps, set a timer and wait for 10 minutes to let the Instant Pot naturally release pressure. Then vent any remaining steam by moving the vent to “Venting”, covering your hand with a towel or hot pad. Never put your hands or face near the vent when releasing steam. (The pressure indicator in the lid may drop on its own during this time, meaning that there is no remaining steam in the pot.)
- Open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in kosher salt to taste. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. (Note: When reheating leftovers, it’s helpful to add a tiny bit of water and then reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave — adding the water helps to rehydrate the rice so it’s not dry!)
Notes
*A note on quantities: we’ve found cooking 2 cups rice works the most reliably in our Instant Pot. If you’re making a recipe that only calls for 1 cup rice, you can freeze the leftovers and reheat. 1 cup of dry rice makes about 3 cups cooked.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Plant Based
I’m trying to include more fibre in my diet but steer away from brown rice as I always knew it to take a long time to make and taste bland. This version is great so quick and I added some broth to cooking water for flavour. A keeper
Our instapot booklet says we have to buy a special insert for cooking rice. Therefore, I never use it to cook rice. Do you believe this is necessary?
It can help ensure an even cook — but it’s not necessary.
Thank you. I will be trying this recipe.
Only 2 cups water? 2 cups water to 2 cups rice sounds way off. Shouldn’t it be closer to 4 cups water/2 c rice??
Yes, this ratio is correct for an Instant Pot (of course it’s different on the stovetop!).