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Here’s how to make Instant Pot white rice! A pressure cooker can double as a rice cooker, making a hands-off method for cooking this grain.
Why we love this recipe
For years, Alex and I were Instant Pot skeptics. What convinced us to try one was when we learned it could cook whole grains like rice! We could get rid of our rice cooker and just use a pressure cooker instead.
Now, we often use our Instant Pot white rice and brown rice methods! While it takes about the same amount of time as stovetop white rice, it’s totally hands off! We use this method quite a bit and it comes out with fluffy rice every time.
How to make Instant Pot white rice (basic steps)
The main advantage of making Instant Pot white rice is that it’s a totally hands off method. It takes about the same time as rice on the stovetop, but there’s something about the “set it and forget it” method that’s so much easier!
We love not having to have another pan on the stovetop, especially if we’re making something like a curry or stir fry. You can easily concentrate on making the main meal. Here are the basic steps for how to make Instant pot white rice (or jump to the recipe):
Step 1: Rinse the rice. Then place equal parts white rice and water in a pressure cooker.
Step 2: Pressure cook on High for 8 minutes. Then natural release for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Open the Instant Pot and season with kosher salt to taste.
How to reheat rice
This Instant Pot white rice recipe uses 2 cups of dry rice, which makes 6 cups of cooked white rice. If this is too much for you to consume at one sitting, you can store leftovers refrigerated or frozen.
You may have noticed that when you refrigerate rice, it gets very dry. Here’s a trick for how to reheat rice so that it’s perfectly moist:
- Place the cold rice in a saucepan on the stovetop.
- Add a small splash of water.
- Heat the rice until it’s warmed through: the water will steam and absorb into the rice.
What pressure cooker do you recommend?
An Instant Pot is a programmable electric pressure cooker. Cooking foods at high pressure cuts down on cooking time and makes for even cooking. There are lots of variations between each brand of pressure cooker, so it’s possible the timing in this recipe could vary based on the type that you have. The pressure cooker we use is this 6 quart Instant Pot. We’ve used it for a year and it works great! We’d highly recommend it.
Ways to use Instant pot white rice
There are so many ways to use this recipe! Serve this rice with a broccoli stir fry or shrimp stir fry. Make a rice bowl or burrito bowl. If you have leftovers, make fried rice or tofu fried rice!
Dietary notes
This Instant Pot white rice recipe is vegan, vegetarian, plant-based, and gluten-free.
More Instant pot recipes
Outside of this white rice in the Instant Pot, there are so many ways to use a pressure cooker! You can make Instant Pot black beans, Instant Pot chickpeas, Instant Pot sweet potatoes, Instant Pot broccoli, Instant Pot oatmeal, and more!
Frequently asked questions
Long-grain white rice is a popular choice, but you can experiment with basmati or jasmine rice too. Each variety has slightly different cooking times.
The general rule is a 1:1 ratio, but some prefer slightly more water (1.25:1) for fluffier results.
Many Instant Pots have a “Rice” setting. If yours doesn’t, use the “Pressure Cook” or “Manual” setting with high pressure.
Instant Pot White Rice Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
Description
Here’s how to make Instant Pot white rice! Your pressure cooker can double as a rice cooker: it’s a hands-off way to cook this whole grain.
Ingredients
- 2 cups white long grain rice (American long grain, basmati, or jasmine)*
- 2 cups water
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Rinse the rice. Then 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 8 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
Time is too long for white rice: produced very mushy rice. The chart with the appliance is more appropriate: 4 min with quick release. My go to method is 2 min with 5 min natural release.