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This Instant Pot lentils and rice recipe for the pressure cooker is easy, delicious and versatile! Both grains cook together in the pot for simple assembly.
Meet our new favorite: this Instant Pot lentils and rice recipe! It came about as an accident, actually! I wanted to make a bowl meal with both lentils and rice, and needed to cook both of them. Alex and I knew you could cook rice in an Instant Pot, but wondered whether both lentils and rice could cook together our the Instant Pot (pressure cooker)! We tried it out using brown rice and lentils of the French variety, and added some spices to make them taste smoky and meaty. And guess what…
It worked! The Instant Pot lentils and rice cooked perfectly together, and the brown rice cooked much faster than on the stovetop! These lentils and rice are incredibly versatile: you can use them as a taco filling, as a bowl meal, in nachos, or as a side dish. And, we’re so smitten that we made you a video! Watch below.
Related: Use this recipe as a filling for our Instant Pot Tacos with Smoky Lentils!
Watch how to make Instant Pot lentils and rice
Important notes about this lentils and rice recipe
First, a few notes about this Instant Pot lentils and rice recipe! First, this recipe makes many servings. Since lentils and rice are great as leftovers and incredibly versatile, this makes enough for 10 cups, which is 8 or so servings. You’ll probably find you have leftovers unless you’re making this for a crowd.
Also, this lentils and rice recipe is a component meant to be served in various ways: like as a taco filling, in a bowl meal, or as a side to grilled fish. They’re not meant to be served just as is — so determine how you’d like to use them! Even throwing them over salad greens and topping with cheese crumbles and a few sliced veggies would be perfect. Our favorite way to eat our Instant Pot lentils is in our Instant Pot tacos or on our BEST Vegan Nachos. We’d love to hear how you serve them in the comments below!
Related: 15 Best Lentil Recipes | Dal Makhani | Cuban Black Beans & Rice
How to make Instant Pot lentils and rice
And, a few things to note about the ingredients in our Instant Pot lentils and rice recipe:
- Use long grain brown rice! We’ve optimized the timing for long grain brown rice in this Instant Pot rice recipe, so make sure to use this: it’s easy to find at most grocery stores.
- Use French lentils! French lentils hold their shape better than green lentils, so we’ve used them here. If at all possible try to find French lentils (also called Puy), but you can use green lentils in a pinch!
- Use smoked paprika! To make this Instant Pot brown rice and lentils taste smoky, we’ve used smoked paprika. Sometimes it’s called pimentón
- Use fennel seeds. Using fennel seeds brings in a meaty flavor; since fennel seeds are typically used in sausage, the evoke the taste of meat in vegetarian dishes!
Other than keeping these notes in mind, it’s very simple to make Instant pot lentils and rice! Throw the ingredients in the pot, cook on high pressure for 16 minutes, and natural release for 16 minutes.
Related: Lentil to Water Ratio | What are Lentils?
Looking for healthy Instant Pot recipes?
If you’ve read our other Instant Pot posts, you’ll know Alex and I used to be Instant Pot skeptics. We thought it was mostly helpful for cooking meat, but have found there are plenty of Instant Pot vegetarian recipes like these Instant Pot lentils! Instead of being just another kitchen appliance, we’ve enjoyed using our pressure cooker to simplify some of our vegetarian basics like sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Here are some of our other favorite Instant Pot recipes so far:
- Basics: Sweet Potatoes | Refried Beans | Lentils | Chickpeas | Lentils and Rice | Quinoa | Hard Boiled Eggs | How to Cook Rice: White Rice & Brown Rice
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Creamy Instant Pot Pasta
- Vegan Instant Pot Recipes
- Thai Style Sweet Potatoes
- Chickpea Couscous Bowls
- Instant Pot Tacos
- The Best Loaded Vegan Nachos
- Apple Cinnamon Pressure Cooker Steel Cut Oats
- Granola Instant Pot Apple Crisp
- Instant Pot Stuffed Acorn Squash with Pecans
- Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup
- All our Instant Pot recipes
- Instant Pot tips, how to’s, and advice | Bon Appetit
This recipe is…
This Instant Pot lentils and rice recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant based, dairy free, naturally sweet, and refined sugar free.
Related: Try using our Homemade Vegetable Broth for this recipe!
Smoky Instant Pot Lentils and Rice (Pressure Cooker)
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 37 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 cups (about 8 servings) 1x
Description
This Instant Pot lentils and rice recipe for the pressure cooker is easy, delicious and versatile! Both grains cook together in the pot for simple assembly.
Ingredients
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups long grain brown rice (do not sub short grain or white rice)
- 2 cups French green lentils (also known as Puy; green works if you can’t find French)
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika (pimentón; do not sub sweet)
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- In the Instant Pot, place all ingredients except the vinegar and give them a stir. Lock the lid and place the vent in the “Sealing” position.
- Cook the lentils: Press the Pressure Cook button (making sure the “High Pressure” setting is selected) and set the time for 16 minutes. Wait while the Instant Pot cooks. (Note: 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.)
- Wait for natural release: After the pot beeps, use the Natural Release method and wait another 16 minutes to let the pot cool down naturally (we set a timer so we don’t forget!). Then vent any remaining steam by moving the pressure release handle to “Venting”, covering your hand with a towel or hot pad. (Never put your hands or face near the steam release valve when releasing steam.)
- Open the lid and stir in the apple cider vinegar. Taste and add additional salt as necessary (veggie broth does vary in salt content, so you may need to add more salt). Serve warm. This recipe makes quite a bit and leftovers can be re-purposed throughout the week.
- Storage info: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator; they do become more dry as they cool, so make sure to reheat them before serving again. Depending on the texture, consider adding a glug of olive oil for moisture.
- Category: Main Dish, Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
I made this recipe using a 3 qt Instant Pot Ultra Mini and improvised with the basic recipe as little as possible. I did halve all the ingredients. I only had Japanese short grain brown rice on hand, which I rinsed/drained and then let it soak in the instant pot for 30 minutes with 2 cups water and 1 large clove chopped fresh garlic (no granulated garlic in my pantry.) I then dumped in the green lentils and dry spices and set my instant pot for 18 minutes at low pressure, per the advice in another review. I let it natural release for 10 minutes after the 18 minute cook time. I then added the apple cider vinegar and an equal amount of EVOO. The rice and lentils were quite dense. It took about a cup of added water to loosen it up.
We paired the rice and lentils with fresh romaine and spinach with croutons and blue cheese crumbles. DELICIOUS! We loved the seasoning in the rice and lentils.
Next time I make this, I will be sure to use long grain brown rice and will cook it for 16 minutes, as recommended in the original recipe, at low pressure. I usually find that food cooks in a little less time in my mini instant pot than is recommended for recipes written for 6 qt pots.
I made this last night for my taco salad and it is fantastic! I followed the recipe but I only had regular paprika regular brown rice and green lentils, but it came out great. My son had tacos with ground beef but had some as a side dish and really liked it! I will be making again and will try to get the right ingredients…but it still was yummy!
Can you make this in a regular rice cooker?
I’m not sure if the lentils would cook!
I’ve tried this recipe previously and really liked it! This time I didn’t have enough rice so I added some hulled barley and got inspired to turn up the seasonings a lil too! Added some ginger and chili powder- I really like the variation and who knows- maybe next time I’ll try different seasonings too! Have fun with it!
I think the amount of broth amount is incorrect. I usually use 2 cups of Liquid for 1 cup of rice and 1cup of liquid for 1 cup of lentils. By my calculation this recipe requires 6 cups of Broth. When I followed the recipe my pressure cooker started to indicate the contents was burning. I added 2 more cups and all went well. Otherwise very tasty. Christine
I made these and we loved them as taco filling, I have just made the leftovers into meatlessballs and they were amazing. I just mixed these with a mix of wet and dry sourdough breadcrumbs, thyme, cumin seeds and some flour. I fried them in some oil in a pan to form a crust and then air-fried them. Will so make this again especially when you can take the same ingredient and make a whole new meal from them.
If I cut the recipe size in half, how long should I set the pressure cooker? Thanks
I would add a two or three minutes because it will get up to pressure more quickly.
Hi, really enjoy this recipe Ty.
How long does it keep in the fridge for?
2 to 3 days.
We made this tonight with brown lentils and the taste was amazing. It was a bit crunchy though, not sure if it needs more water or cook time?
Instant Pots can differ a bit, my guess would be another minute or two unless it seems very dry.
So glad you enjoyed it! We have found that different types of pressure cookers work differently (unfortunately!). I would try a few extra minutes next time and see if that helps!
Is it possible to halve this recipe? Would I still cook it for the same amount of time?
You should be able to! It might take like 1 minute longer due to it coming up to pressure more quickly.
Tried this tonight and while I love the texture, I wasn’t fond of the flavor. I followed the recipe exactly, except I cut everything in half. I ended up putting some Tony’s seasoning on it and a little tiny splash of olive oil. Extremely filling.
This recipe needs more liquid. I made it as specified & the lentils AND rice had lots of it UNCOOKED. It was terrible. I had to add another 4 cups vegetable broth & finish cooking it on the stove!!! I was so disappointed. Poorly done, you guys. 😞
We’ve never had this issue! So sorry it didn’t work.
Very dry with a very strong flavor, but not a delicious strong flavor. I really wanted to love this. Any suggestions on how to try this again and have it not be so dry? Are used the long grain brown as was suggested and I used the French lentils, and I followed the directions.
I’m so sorry to hear this! Sometimes Instant Pot brands can have odd variations or inconsistencies, we’ve found from some commenters. Can you tell me what size and type of Instant Pot you used? Ours usually comes out very moist and tasty. You could drizzle with olive oil or mix in a little butter (or vegan butter) to moisten.
The recipe says not to substitute the brown rice for white but I did it anyway because I utterly hate brown rice. I used 1 cup of basmati, 3/4 cup lentils, and 14.5 oz beef broth while halving all of the other ingredients and it turned out simply delicious in my rice cooker (I don’t own an instapot but my rice cooker basically does all the same things). This is probably the most I’ve ever enjoyed lentils and it’s the ONLY time I’ve ever found a use for my fennel seeds that didn’t make me regret owning them.
That said – I can see how this wouldn’t be a recipe for everyone. It is a very delicious earthy flavor that paired wonderfully with a grilled flank steak rubbed with chili powder and fresh coffee grounds but if you’re expecting something bright and zesty to have with a steamed chicken breast you won’t enjoy this. Go into it with the right mindset and expectations and it’s yummy.
I didn’t have any on hand but I can imagine a nice well aerated glass of Malbec would be amazing with these!
So glad you enjoyed it! We actually love fennel seed. Here’s a few more recipes if you’re looking to use up that bottle :) https://www.acouplecooks.com/cajun-shrimp/ https://www.acouplecooks.com/baked-ziti-ricotta/ https://www.acouplecooks.com/kale-soup/
This is simple & amazingly delicious! Can be used in so many things like tacos in place of meat. Hubby couldn’t believe it was meatless. A winner!
So glad you enjoyed!
I made this tonight, it was delicious. I only made half the recipe as it is just the two of us, and we have leftovers to look forward to tomorrow night. I had to use medium grain brown rice and regular green lentils. I made sure to rinse the rice and lentils under running water in a sieve a few hours before cooking so they dried out a bit. Then I sautéed the rice and lentils in avocado oil to toast them a little before continuing with the recipe. I adjusted the cooking time to 18 mins at low pressure with a full natural release. The rice and lentils were a perfect texture. When I usually cook medium brown rice on HP, it comes out too soft and mushy, so getting such great results using LP was something of a game changer for me. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
So glad you enjoyed!
Wow! Great recipe! Everything worked perfectly. Thanks Jim
Made this and it was excellent and super easy. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome.
Hi, if I doubled the recipe, does the cooking time stays the same?
I’ve made this several times, it works so well for us, I want to cook in bulk.
Hi! It would probably need just 2-3 minutes less cook time because it would take longer to come up to pressure. Let us know if you try!
Made this last night in order to have the tacos and it was simply delicious! Looking forward to try more of your recipes.
So glad to hear it!
I added another 1 1/2 of broth because this was to grainy. With the extra broth this turned out more meaty or ground beef like instead of dry grains.
Adjustments for an instant pot mini?
Sorry, we haven’t tested any recipes with the mini :(
Thank you for your simple and healthy recipes! I want to try your Instant pot wild rice soup but I’ve been to 2 stores this week and neither had wild rice :(
One thing I might try-To add another kick to this, would you recommend reducing some of the broth a tad and adding some canned fire roasted tomatoes that I’ve seen in some of your other recipes?
Sorry you can’t find wild rice! It can be hard to find sometimes (not sure why!)! Sometimes we buy it online. Re your question, we probably wouldn’t suggest adjusting an Instant Pot recipe. The Instant Pot is a little picky about how much liquid is included! It’s possible it could work but we haven’t tried it with tomatoes. This one has tons of flavor so we’d suggest trying it as written!
I used green lentils since that’s what I had on hand, otherwise I followed the recipe as written. It is delicious, thank you! I’m eating it in a taco salad right now. This is my new favorite. 😋
So you don’t wash either the rice or the lentils before cooking? That seems odd.
We don’t, but you are welcome to!
5 stars for sure! This was incredible as “taco meat”. I put it on corn tortillas and topped it with Mexican street corn and your chipotle sauce. My husband and I just loved it. Thanks for the recipe and great idea for yummy vegan “tacos”.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I just made this and it turned out wonderful! I was a bit short on the brown rice (about half a cup short) and forgot to adjust the water accordingly so it’s a bit sticky and more like the texture of chunky refried beans because of that, but I find I don’t mind that (I was using it for nachos anyway, so chunky clumps that are kinda like ground meat work fine for it). I might have used the wrong lentils too, so that could be part of the issue, but I’m leaning more toward too much water since the lentils still maintained most of their shape. I live in Germany and I know I’ve seen lentils labeled as “Puy” before, but I used Berglinsen because it’s what I had on hand. The German to English translation was really unclear and some sites said they are Puy lentils, others said otherwise. Either way, they didn’t burn to the bottom and they’re definitely edible and taste excellent. I’ll definitely make it again using the correct measurements and see if the amount of water I used was the issue, but definitely a recipe I’ll make often regardless.
Thanks for the recipe….I used vegetable broth and zatar instead of fennel & black pepper. Finished with melted butter …so good!
This turned out amazingly for me! I’ve made it twice, the first time with regular paprika and no fennel seeds since I didn’t have any. This was tasty, but not Smokey. The second time, I actually had all the seasonings on hand, and it was wonderful! Very Smokey and delicious flavor. We’re using it for taco fillings. Thanks for the great recipe!
This DID NOT work for me. I followed the recipe exactly. About 5 minutes into it, my Instant Pot told me it was burning. I turned it off, vented it and added more liquid (It looked pretty dry). I started it up again and the same thing happened. This time I allowed it to vent naturally and now it is just a big mess. The lentils have broken down but the rice is not cooked. I am now attempting to work it stovetop to try to save it since the grocery stores were pretty bare.
What the heck did I do wrong?
I’m so sorry! Are you using French Puy lentils, or standard green lentils?
If I cut the recipe in half, does the cook time remain the same?
Yes!
Thank you!
I made it tonight! The whole house smelled so good!
I halved this – worked perfectly, and so delicious! Thank you!
Oops meant can I freeze the leftovers?
Yes, this should freeze well.
Is the lentil/rice ratio important? Would I be able to make this with a higher amount of lentils vs rice if it’s still 4 cups total?
We haven’t tested this, but I think it would work!
This recipe was great! My husband and I, and two kids all loved it! I made it into a lentils and rice bowl with lots of raw veggies, hemp and pumpkin seeds, and a homemade avacado sauce. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad I came across this recipe! Saw the recipe today, and then made it tonight. Usually I make bbq jackfruit tacos and they’re a wonderful staple but I was hoping to find something new to add to taco rotation, and this one is definitely a keeper. I made it almost exactly as per the recipe, but I didn’t have garlic powder so I added two garlic cloves (used the garlic press so it was just as easy). Definitely on the dry side but works perfectly in tacos with salsa on top. Really fantastic flavor. My partner said it made an impressive substitute for ground beef. I personally loved the way it tasted a bit like sausage. The texture and flavor are just wonderful. Thank you!
PS: I definitely think a glug of olive oil will be the perfect to moisten this up when reheating.
I am currently trying this recipe just as written, but it keeps giving me a “food burn” error. I’ve tried unsticking it from the bottom and adding water twice. It still gives me an error. Help?
Hi! Are you using the long-grain brown rice? Other types cook much faster — this could be the issue.
I don’t have a pressure cooker, but this recipe looks amazing! Is there a way I could cook the rice and lentils separate and combine them to get a similar flavor to this recipe?
Hi! You could just cook both according to package instructions (with broth instead of water) and then combine with the spices and a little bit of olive oil for several minutes on the stovetop.
Just made this exactly as the recipe said, and it’s incredible!! Thank you for sharing this!
Would this recipe work with a rice cooker or crock pot? I’d love to try this recipe but don’t have an instant pot.
Hi! Sorry, the timing for this only works in an instant pot or other pressure cooker.
I just made this today following the instructions exactly in my InstantPot and it is AWESOME! The texture is great, not sticky and not dry, but perfect! I have been looking for a good recipe for beans and rice and believe it or not, it is hard to find one that works. I am so happy with this! I just whipped up some guacamole and plan to chow down with this for supper. It is great, thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it! It’s a favorite.
Can I use only long grain wild rice? Thanks
Hi! Wild rice has a different cooking time, so that wouldn’t work with this timing. Thanks for asking!
I made this and it is fabulous as a meat (think ground beef) substitute. It does come out dry-ish and that’s what gives it the texture of sauteed ground beef. I used it on a taco salad complete with salsa and guac. Yum! I want to try it in stuffed peppers ala mexicali and in a 5 ingredient enchilada casserole recipe that calls for pulled chicken.
In response to the short grain rice question, long grain rice remains firm and non-sticky which allows the crumbly texture when cooked with the Puy lentils. Short grain rice cooks up with a much softer texture and sticks together. Probably not the best choice for this recipe.
Ooo love the idea of putting this on a taco salad! We may need to try this :) Thank you for weighing in about the short grain rice!
I’d like to make this with short grain brown rice … should I just experiment or is there some particular reason why you warn against using the short grain version? Thank in advance.
Hi! This recipe was written for long grain, and not tested with short grain. We aren’t sure if it would get fully cooked or not!
I just made this, and it’s delicious. Now to stop eat eating it while I wait for my family to get home for dinner. . . . Thanks for a lovely recipe.
Haha! You’re welcome.
I just made this with green lentils and short grain brown rice and it came out great! I increased the cooking time to 20 min. I did not have fennel seeds so I threw in some cumin powder. Delicious and easy!
Loved making this. Thank you so much! I had to use normal green lentils. They ended up being a little bit uncooked. Do you have any advice for that?
Oh you are so welcome! We don’t have a recipe for Instant Pot green lentils yet but it will be coming! In the meantime, I’d just 1 or 2 minutes to the cook time for this if your green lentils were too al dente for your liking. (We’ve had other people make it with green lentils that turned out fine, so it depends on the exact brand of lentils and pressure cooker.) THANKS!
Can’t wait for more instant pot recipes from you! Keep them coming! I liked the dry crumbly yet chewy texture!
I made this tonight for tacos. We love the flavor! But mine came out a little dry. Any suggestions to keep that from happening next time? I may try adding another cup of vegetable broth. Thank you!!
I would double the broth or add the same amount of water to double liquid. I like my rice soft and always use 2 parts liquid to one part rice to get the texture I want.
Sounds great! I can’t wait to make this for myself and my toddler. Do you think brown basmati rice would work? Also, do you think I could sub the onion and garlic powder for a diced onion and garlic and still get good results (it’s just what I have on hand)?
Virginia — sorry for the delay! YES brown basmati rice will work, that’s what we used! On the onion and garlic — I actually wouldn’t sub them here since you’d have to saute them first (unless you’re comfortable using the saute feature!). I would use onion and garlic powder if you can since that’s how we tested it and I’m not sure how long to saute in an IP, how their volume would affect the overall cook time, etc!
I just have a regular (all be it very old) pressure cooker. Any idea if the cook times would be similar to insta pot cook times ?
I would expect that they would be similar in cooking time, but I do not know for sure! Let us know if you try it :)
I tried this recipe today in my stovetop pressure cooker , and the cook times in the recipe were pretty much equivalent. It took about 15 minutes to get up to temp and pressure , and then I left it to cook under pressure for 16 minutes. The only difference would be next time, I will use a bit more liquid. For this time, since it was a little dry, I just added in some tomato sauce we had on hand which made it perfect consistency to add to salads or nachos for this week’s lunches. Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Can you cook this in a crockpot? I don’t have a pressure cooker or an instant cooker.
Sorry, this wouldn’t work in a slow cooker.
The flavor combination of smoked paprika and fennel seed is genius! I basically followed your recipe except I started with a saute of onion, celery and carrot, and I added a T of minced garlic (the kind you can buy in a jar). For the non-vegans, a dollop of yogurt or sour cream is a delicious add-on. I think this would be great in a bowl with some crunchy fresh lettuce and herbs too. Thank you!
Tried this tonight and it wad SO good!! Will definitely be making it again as it was super easy and very flavorful!
Oh we are so glad to hear this! Thanks for trying it!
Can these be frozen for later?
Yes!
Could you do this in a pot on the stove? I don’t have an instant pot and really want to eat this! Looks so good!
Hi! Unfortunately the cook times are really different on the stove top so they can’t be cooked all together :(
I actually just did this. I cut the recipe in half and put everything in the pot except the vinegar and cooked it covered on medium heat.
I didn’t add all 4 cups of broth either; I started with about one (it covered the ingredients), covered the pot and let the broth cook down, stirred and then added more broth(about 1/4-1/2 cup) and cooked covered until the rice(which was a japanese short grain that I had on hand) and lentils were cooked through.
*I think the key is to slowly add the broth during the cooking process (like cooking risotto) but I was also cautious because I didn’t want a gelatinous mess that rice turns into if you cook it in too much liquid.
**I halved the recipe because my husband eats like a picky 12 year old (oh he was upset when I brought lentils home) and it’s just the 2 of us right now. It made enough to where we both ate and then I had lunch for work the next day.
I hope this helps~