Instant Pot Brown Rice (Fluffy and Perfect)

Name: Instant Pot Brown Rice
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 24 min
Ingredients: 2 cups (380g) brown rice (I used basmati brown rice); 2 1/2 cups (600ml) water; Salt to taste

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Here is how to make the perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice with only 3 ingredients and less than 30 mins. It is easy, aromatic and fail-safe. This recipe is suitable for people following a vegan and gluten-free diet. Post includes Weight Watchers points.

Instant Pot Brown Rice in a pot with a fork and a spotty cloth on a trivet

I am all about easy recipes like this fail-proof Easy Instant Pot Brown Rice which requires minimal effort and less than 5 minutes of prep, but still comes out perfectly cooked and fluffy EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Yeap, this nutty rice recipe embodies the best of the best about easy, lazy yet awesome cooking.

Easy Brown Rice

This nutty rice is made with three hero ingredients aka brown rice, water and salt and comes together in half the time you would normally cook it.

However, you can add a few optional ingredients to amp up the flavor of your Instant Pot Brown Rice depending on what you are going to serve it with.

And like this instant Pot Quinoa, and Instant Pot Basmati Rice it is great for quick weeknight suppers alongside super quick Instant Pot Chicken Curry and Instant Pot Chicken Tenders.

The Secret To The Perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice => Water To Rice Ratio

The secret to the perfect brown rice is the the ratio of water to brown rice, and this again is easy. Basically, for each 1 cup (190g ) of brown rice, you are cooking you need to add in 1.25 cups (1.25 cups 300ml ) of water.

Follow this ratio to end up with the perfect fluffy brown rice. Every single time.

Sometimes you may prefer softer rice especially if you want to add it to soups etc. In this case then increase the ratio of 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of water.

Instant Pot Brown Rice in a pot with a fork and a spotty cloth

Why Make This Recipe

It is great for meal prep can be double or tripled to feed a crowd.
is great for freezing for quick pull out weeknight suppers.
It is failproof and always give fluffy and the best brown rice.

Ingredient Notes

You only need a few ingredients to make this recipe.

Brown rice – this started with uncooked rice. I used long grain brown rice but you can use short grain brown rice too.
Water – whilst this recipe uses water feel free to use vegetable broth or chicken broth instead.
Salt – use your favorite kosher salt.

Instant Pot Brown Rice in a pot with a spotty cloth

How To Cook Brown Rice In Instant Pot

Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

To cook your Instant Pot Brown Rice simple add the brown rice, add salt, water and all the optional ingredients (flavors) you are using.
Cover the pot, set to high pressure choose, select pressure cook (or manual), seal the pot and set the timer for 22 minutes and let cook.
When done, naturally release pressure, fluff rice and serve.

Cooking time listed does not include time for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure, or for the pressure to release.

Instant Pot Brown Rice Ingredients . brown rice, water and salt in bowls

Yes – THAT. IS. IT.

How Do I Cook PIP (Pot in Pot) rice?

Add at least 3 mins of additional cook time, up to 5 additional mins.

How To Cook Brown Basmati Rice In A Saucepan

If you don’t have an Instant Pot then you can easily cook this in a saucepan.
You would have to change the ratio to 1 cup brown rice (190g) to 2 cups (480ml) of water.
Add the brown rice, water, sea salt and any seasoning to a pot, cover bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 45 minutes.
Do NOT open the pot during the 45 minutes.
When done, open the saucepan for a min to let the steam escape, then cover for a further 10 minutes, fluff rice and serve.

Pro Recipe Tips

Making brown rice in the Instanrt Pot is soooooooooooo easy. For real. Here are a few other tips to help you.

Toast the grains. To add more flavour feel free to toast the washed rice before cooking it. You can toast for a few minutes in the saute mode in your Instant pot using some oil or in a saucepan on the stovetop.
Toast to dry. Toasting the rice grains will also help remove any excess water that still remains after washing.
Keep warm – use the keep warm function to keep this heated whilst you get the rest of dinner ready

Delicious Variations

Vary the Flavoring. You can add olive oil for creaminess, bay leaf for fragrance, cinnamon for warmth, cumin seed or fennel seeds for serving with curry and caramelised onions or cardamom just because they are some of the best flavours in the world. Garlic powder and onion powder work well too.
Use broth: you can substitute in some chicken broth or vegetable broth for the water to add some flavour. Just remember to watch the salt content of the broth or reduce the salt you add in.

Plus….

Add heat – using chilli or cayenne or chipotle.
Add citrus – use lemon or lime zest to cut through sweeter stews

Prep Ahead and Storing and Freezing.

This is a great meal prep solution. Whip up a big batch and…..

Refrigerate – You can store this in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Make sure you use an air-tight container.

Freeze – But for longer storage, follow this nifty method. Make sure the cooked rice is completely cooled. Add to an airtight container or ziploc freezer bag and label. Lay flat in the freezer for up to 3 months. Perhaps freeze in one cup portions so you only pull out what you need.

Thaw – let defrost over night in the freezer.

Meal prepping – this is great added to soups, salads, wraps as a side for stir fry, curries, baked chicken or fish or to make some delicious better than take out fried rice.

FAQs

Do I need to rinse my rice before adding it to the Instant Pot?

There is a fierce debate on blogs and social media about washed vs. unwashed rice. Should you rinse rice before adding it to the Instant Pot? Some say ‘yes, always’ but others say ‘don’t bother.’

By washing the rice, you introduce additional moisture (and when you cook in the Instant Pot, no moisture releases). But you do remove the excess starch which can cause sticking and the burn notice.

Additional moisture = slightly different results. So you can wash your rice. But do dry it thoroughly. One way is to wash it and let it sit in the sieve for at least 30 mins before cooking.

Another way is to dry fry the rice for a few mins to get rid of the excess moisture. If you are unsure if your rice is dry enough before adding it to the Instant Pot, I suggest slightly reducing the amount of water (or liquid) you add to your recipe.

Reduce the liquid in the recipe by about 2-3 tablespoons for every 1 cup (170g ) rice.

How Long Does Brown Rice Take to Cook In Instant Pot?

This depends on how you like your rice cooked. So for this recipe Instant Pot Brown Rice takes 22 minutes to cook.

However, if you want softer texture rice you can add cook a little longer and add a little more water.

How Many Cups of Rice Does 1 Cup Of Uncooked Brown Rice Give?

This gives about 2 and a quater cups of cooked rice.

Why Is My Rice Mushy

One reason is that you might have added too much water. Make sure to use the correct amount of water and use the same cup to measure both the rice and the liquid.

Also make sure the rice is dry (and well drained) before cooking.

Serve Suggestions

More Instant Pot Rice Recipes

More Instant Pot Basics

Weight Watchers Points

If you increase the servings to 8 servings, there are:

5 Blue Plan Smart Points per serving

Reader Feedback + How to Make Cilantro Brown Rice

I love feedback from my wonderful readers about my recipes. Here are a few comments from Facebook:

Michael M: ‘Worked like a charm!!’

Tina B: ‘the brown rice made with lime and cilantro is delish! Thanks for your brown rice recipe!’

Here is how Tina made cilantro brown rice in the Instant Pot: ‘I added like 1/2 a bushel of cilantro finely chopped, I just kinda did it by taste, and about 2 tbs spoons full of lime juice. I added these after the rice was cooked. I definitely will be making this again.’

Instant Pot Rice Recipe Video

Whilst this is not actually Instant Pot Brown Rice, it is a video for how to cook Instant Pot Rice. To start you off cooking rice in the Instant Pot.

You would change the rice to brown basmati rice and cook for 22 mins.

Ok, enough chat. I see you dropping everything to go make yourself this Instant Pot Brown Rice recipe. Right?

Thank you for reading my Instant Pot rice recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue dreaming up recipes, traditional African recipes, African fusion recipes, Sierra Leone recipes, travel plans and much more for you. Thanks for reading Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

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5 from 8 votes