Instant Pot Rice – 4 Ways + Video Tutorial {Vegan, Gluten-Free}

Want the BEST Instant Pot rice recipe? How about FOUR of the best Instant Pot rice recipes? I’ll show you how to make perfect Instant Pot White Rice, Instant Pot Brown Rice, Instant Pot Jollof Rice and Instant Pot Mexican Rice. All four recipes are suitable for Vegan and Gluten-Free diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.

You’re probably here because you’re looking for the perfect Instant Pot rice recipe, right? Rice is one of those foods that should be really, really simple to make, but things can go really, really wrong when you do.

Good news – you’ve found your perfect Instant Pot rice recipe. Even better… not just one recipe, but four recipes. I am a Sierra Leonean who absolutely loves rice (so much so that I very often have ‘col res’ for breakfast) so it isn’t surprising that I became foodie-obsessed with whipping up the perfect pressure cooker rice recipes.

Just see the easy video on how to make Pressure Rice at the end of the post.

I don’t just loooove rice… it’s probably safe to also say I know rice pretty well too. I have spent a lot of time in my life eating rice and making rice, especially Jollof rice.

In my childhood home, four dozen (yeap, four dozen) cups of rice were made on both Christmas day and New Year’s day. That is a lot of rice to be enjoyed and shared.

So I was up to the challenge of making the BEST Instant Pot rice recipes I could to share with you. I know so many people struggle with pressure cooker rice and end up with burnt rice, undercooked rice, watery rice, sticky rice… when all they want is easy rice that tastes good.

Instant Pot RiceRecipe Materials

I’ve put together this post to help you create four perfect Instant Pot rice dishes for you to enjoy with no stress. Now enough chat from me… let’s make some good rice.

What is Basmati Rice?

All four rice recipes use basmati rice… but what is basmati rice exactly (other than just ‘really good rice’)?

Basmati rice is a long, slender-grained rice that originated from the Indian subcontinent. What is really interesting about Basmati rice is it contains a good amount of a particular aroma compound that is also found in foods like fruits and cheese. It’s this compound that gives Basmati rice its lovely spicy and nutty aroma and flavour. (‘Basmati’ comes from the Hindu word for ‘fragrant.’)

Instant Pot Rice: Choose Your Ideal Rice Texture Before Cooking

Rice is such a personal thing. One person’s ‘perfect’ rice may be another person’s ‘soggy’ rice. You have to ask yourself before cooking: What is MY ideal rice? Do you like:

• Firmer rice (like al dente pasta)
• Normal rice (just in the middle; not too firm and not too soft)
• Softer rice (good for soups, stews, etc.)

Pick your ideal rice texture before you cook. This will help you decide the best time under pressure in the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Rice: Washed vs. Unwashed Rice

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

I do not wash/rinse my rice before I add it to the Instant Pot. By washing the rice, you introduce additional moisture (and when you cook in the Instant Pot, no moisture releases). Additional moisture = slightly different results.

But of course you can wash your rice. If you really want to wash your rice before adding it to the Instant Pot, I suggest slightly reducing the amount of water (or liquid) you add to your recipe. If you must rinse your rice, reduce the liquid in the recipe by about 2-3 tbsp for every 170g (1 cup) rice.

4 Awesome Instant Pot Rice Recipes

I looove the Instant Pot for its versatility. You can make so many dishes with ease and rice is no exception. I want to share with you my four favourite Instant Pot rice recipes:

• Instant Pot White Rice
• Instant Pot Brown Rice
• Instant Pot Jollof Rice
• Instant Pot Mexican Rice

All four are easy to make and make the perfect side dish or base for a meal. Scroll down for the recipes.

How to Make Instant Pot White Rice

Type of rice used: White basmati rice

Time under pressure: 4-7 mins (5 mins for normal rice, 4 mins for firmer rice or 6-7 mins for a softer rice)

Instant Pot White Rice is soooo easy. You really can’t go wrong with this recipe and you can add so much to it to make it just how you like it. Here is how to make it:

Step 1. Add all ingredient to Instant Pot. (Here you can add spices to your taste, e.g., cinnamon stick, cardamom pods etc).

Step 2. Close pot, set valve to sealing, select the manual or pressure cook button (dependent upon IP model), select high pressure and set the timer to 5 mins*. (*5 mins will give you a ‘regular’ rice texture – not too firm, not too soft. Use 4 mins for firmer rice or 6-7 mins for a softer rice.)

Step 3. Let the pressure release naturally (NPR).

Step 4. Fluff, let stand for another 5 mins.

Then serve.

You can serve Instant Pot White Rice with just about every dish under the sun. How about trying it with my egg curry recipe or with some homemade chilli?

Weight Watchers Points in Instant Pot White Rice

If you omit the optional olive oil and increase the servings to 8 servings, there are:

• 5 Freestyle points per serving
• 4 PointsPlus points per serving

How to Make Instant Pot Brown Rice

Type of rice used: Brown basmati rice

Time under pressure: 22 mins

This recipe will make easy, aromatic and fail-safe brown basmati rice. It contains only three hero ingredients but can be customised to fit your preferences (oil for creaminess, bay leaf for fragrance, cinnamon for warmth, chilli for heat, etc).

To make brown rice (and for Weight Watchers points), check out my Instant Pot Brown Rice post.

How to Make Instant Pot Jollof Rice

Type of rice used: White basmati rice

Time under pressure: 4-7 mins (5 mins for normal rice, 4 mins for firmer rice or 6-7 mins for a softer rice)

Jollof rice is one of those African recipes that is super easy to cook. The base is simply tomatoes and rice to which you can customise to your heart’s content by adding a wide variety of things like meat, veggies and spices. Serve Jollof rice with Meatball Jollof Stew.

Note that the rice will stick a bit to the pot because of the tomatoes. To clean your Instant Pot, decant rice from the pot immediately, soak for 5-10 mins and wash clean.

To make Jollof rice (and for Weight Watchers points), check out my Instant Pot Jollof Rice post.

How to Make Instant Pot Mexican Rice

Type of rice used: White basmati rice

Time under pressure: 4-7 mins (5 mins for normal rice, 4 mins for firmer rice or 6-7 mins for a softer rice)

Instant Pot Mexican Rice is so easy to make, full of flavour and is the perfect side for your favourite Mexican meal (or any meal that requires a tasty side dish).

Note that the rice will stick a bit to the pot because of the tomatoes. To clean your Instant Pot, decant rice from the pot immediately, soak for 5-10 mins and wash clean.

To make Mexican rice (and for Weight Watchers points), check out my Instant Pot Mexican Rice post.

What to Eat with Instant Pot Rice

With your pressure cooker rice, you can serve foods like:

• Ginger Beer Pulled Pork
• The Best Instant Pot Chicken Breast Recipe {Using Fresh or Frozen Chicken}
• Meatball Jollof Stew
• Black-eyed Beans and Sweet Potato Stew
• Baked Plantains

Tons of Instant Pot Rice Questions and Answers!

You asked, I answered. Here are my answers to the top questions about making rice in the Instant Pot:

Should I Use Natural Pressure Release (NPR) or Quick Pressure Release (QPR) when I make Pressure Cooker Rice?

For Instant Pot White Rice, Instant Pot Jollof Rice and Instant Pot Mexican Rice, pleeeeeeaaase use NPR. You will be very unhappy with the results if you do a QPR.

For Instant Pot Brown Rice (which has a longer cook time), you can choose your preference: You can either let the pressure release naturally or let rest for 8 mins and then QPR.

My Instant Pot Rice is sticking to the Pot – What Do I Do?

If the rice sticks to the inner pot, decant rice from the pot immediately, soak for 5-10 mins and wash clean.

If you make Instant Pot Jollof Rice or Instant Pot Mexican Rice, the rice will stick a bit because of the tomatoes. Follow the above method to clean your Instant Pot.

What does the Instant Pot rice button do?

The ‘rice’ button is for standard white (non-Basmati) rice. For any other type of rice (all the recipes here), use the ‘manual’ button so you can choose your cook time.

How do I cook PIP (Pot in Pot) Instant Pot rice?

The PIP method will require additional time under pressure because the container slows down the cooking time. Add at least 3 mins of additional cook time. You may need up to 5 total additional mins.

Should I use the measuring cup that came with my Instant Pot or a regular measuring cup?

I measure everything using a regular measuring cup, not the cup that came with the Instant Pot.

If I want to make half as much rice, do I reduce the cooking time?

No; keep the cooking time the same even if you reduce the servings.

How Can I Make Instant Pot Rice and Beans?

It’s very easy (yaye). For a very basic and simple Instant Pot rice and beans recipe, add two 425g (15oz) tins of beans (drained and rinsed) to Instant Pot rice after it’s done cooking. (I personally loooove Instant Pot Mexican rice with black beans.)

Any Other Instant Pot Rice Questions?

Guys, I want to help you with your Instant Pot rice questions. If you have a question, please do leave it in the comments. (Fingers crossed that you will have none because this post answered everything.)

Instant Pot Rice from One of my Lovely Readers

I love seeing when my readers make my recipes. Kim said ‘I used your recommendations to make white rice in the instant pot. 1 cup rice and 1 cup water for 5 minutes, high pressure. Total time took about 15 minutes but so much easier than cooking on the stove top!! Thanks for this!’

The Ultimate Guide to the Instant Pot

To learn everything you need to know about the Instant Pot, check my Instant Pot Review – The Ultimate Guide to the Instant Pot post.

And don’t forget to visit The Ultimate List of Easy Instant Pot Recipes!

Instant Pot Rice Recipe Video

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.

**This post contains affiliate links.

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5 from 10 votes

Instant Pot Rice – 4 Ways

Make delicious, fluffy rice in your Instant Pot.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Western

Servings: 6

Calories: 239kcal

Author: Bintu Hardy

Ingredients

Instant Pot White Rice

• ▢ 360 g (2 cups) white basmati rice
• ▢ 470 ml (2 cups) water
• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil optional but so good adds flavour
• ▢ Salt

For Instant Pot Brown Rice, Instant Pot Jollof Rice and Instant Pot Mexican Rice, see the links in the instructions below.

Instructions

Instant Pot White Rice

• Add all ingredient to Instant Pot.
• Close pot, set valve to sealing, select the manual or pressure cook button (dependent upon IP model), select high pressure and set the timer to 5 mins.
• Let the pressure release naturally (NPR).
• Fluff, let stand for another 5 mins then serve.

Instant Pot Brown Rice

• Visit the Instant Pot Brown Rice recipe post to make this rice.

Instant Pot Jollof Rice

• Visit the Instant Pot Jollof Rice recipe post to make this rice.

Instant Pot Mexican Rice

• Visit the Instant Pot Mexican Rice recipe post to make this rice.
  

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Video

Notes

Optionally, add spices to taste, e.g. cinnamon stick, cardamom pods etc.

Rice will stick a bit – decant rice from the inner pot immediately, soak for 5-10 mins and wash clean.

For firmer rice make it 4 mins; for a little softer rice make it 6-7 mins – try and see what you like.

The total cook time does not include the time it takes for the Instant Pot to get to pressure. Plan for additional time.

Weight Watchers Points in Instant Pot White Rice

If you omit the optional olive oil and increase the servings to 8 servings, there are:

• 5 Freestyle points per serving
• 4 PointsPlus points per serving

Nutrition

Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 69mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 0.5mg