Why Use Natural Pressure Release
Natural pressure release is the way to go when it comes to cooking rice in an instant pot. Think of this as settling time, similar to when you cook rice on the stove-top and allow it sit off of the burner with the lid cocked a bit.
I have found with trial and error that using only the QPR often results on wet rice or sticky rice. If you are in a rush and just cant wait the full natural pressure release, give it at least 5 to 7 minutes before hitting the quick release.
How To Reheat Leftover Rice
First and foremost, lets store out leftovers properly. Always allow your rice to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid. Keep stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Your rice will naturally start to dry out a bit and clump together the longer it is stored in the refrigerator. This is especially true for starchier rice or rice that is already quite sticky after cooking.
Thankfully, its super easy to reheat rice in the microwave so that it is soft and fluffy and it takes just a couple minutes.
Simply transfer your rice to a plate, sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of water , and cover with a damp paper towel. Cook on high until heated through.
RELATED: How to Cook Perfect Rice on the Stovetop
Soak Rice For 20 Minutes
I tried both soaking rice and skip soaking rice prior to cook rice in the Instant Pot. Whether its cooked in manual mode or Rice mode, when I didnt soak rice, it did not become tender all the way through.
This is probably the only difference between cooking other types of rice. I often get asked why we need to soak Japanese short grain rice. Unlike the other types of rice, Japanese short grain rice is plump, and it takes time for the moisture to go through. Therefore, we always soak the rice first, giving the dry rice a head start in absorbing moisture.
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How To Make Rice In An Instant Pot
If you follow these simple steps, you’ll have fluffy, perfectly cooked long-grain white rice every time.
How To Cook Rice In Instant Pot
Before getting started, if you are new to using an Instant Pot, read my guide on how to use an Instant Pot.
For this recipe, use your favorite long grain white rice. Both basmati and jasmine rice work well.
First, rinse your rice under cool water to remove excess starch. I use a fine mesh strainer to rinse and drain the rice. Place the rice in your Instant Pot.
Add the water and stir to combine. If desired, you can also stir in a little bit of salt to flavor the rice. If you cook your rice in broth you dont need to add any extra salt.
Make sure that all of the rice is in the water and not stuck to the sides of the pot. Then close the Instant Pot lid. Be sure to turn the steam release valve to the sealing position. If you forget to do this, your rice wont cook properly.
White rice needs 4 minutes of cook time at high pressure. Depending on your Instant Pot model, you will use either the Pressure Cook or Manual button.
After the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes by just leaving the Instant Pot alone. You need to do a natural release when cooking rice because this makes the rice fluffy and perfectly cooked. A natural release also helps to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of your Instant Pot.
Read Also: Can The Instant Pot Be Used As A Slow Cooker
The Ratio For Water To Rice Is 1 To 1
The golden rule for the ratio for Japanese short-grain rice to water is 1 to 1.1 or 1.2. So if the rice is 180 ml , you will need 200 ml water.
However, when the rice is cooked in the Instant Pot, the steam does not escape from the pressure cooking. Therefore, the best ratio for the rice to water is one to one.
Rice Cookers And The Instant Pot
When you cook white rice on the stove, the typical ratio is 1 part rice to 2 parts water. With rice cookers you don’t need to remember ratios at all. Just measure rice with the cooker’s cup accessory . Then fill the machine’s pot to a precalibrated water line to match your uncooked rice amount.
Rice cookers often have multiple water volume lines. The one you choose depends on the kind of rice you plan to make. Not so with an Instant Pot, which has just one series of suggested water volume lines that matches the water levels that standard rice cookers suggest for white rice. It also translates to a 1:1 ratio . Most importantly, the volume lines account for displacement caused by the volume of rice itself .
Instant Pot also recommends a 1:1 ratio for all grains of cooked rice. This included everything from brown to jasmine, basmati and wild rice. The only variable that changes is how long it should cook.
Recommended Reading: Why Did My Instant Pot Say Burn
How To Cook Rice In The Instant Pot
Cooking white and brown rice in Instant Pot is pretty much the same, except for the cooking time. Brown rice requires significantly longer time, but everything else is the same.
- Step 1. Rinse and drain the rice well.
- Step 2. Add 2 cups of cold water, olive oil, and salt.
- Step 3. Close the pot and set the pot to Manual/Pressure Cook for 5 minutes for white rice, and 15 minutes for brown rice. Let the pressure cooker release the pressure naturally for 10-15 minutes.
- Step 4. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve!
Instant Pot Jasmine Rice Recipe
Rachel GurkPosted:
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Instant Pot Jasmine Rice is fluffy, perfect, and so easy to make. You dont need a rice cooker to have the most delicious, perfectly cooked rice for your next stir fry dinner!
As promised when I shared the sweet chili chicken stir fry recipe, heres the recipe for Instant Pot jasmine rice! Jasmine rice is one of my absolute favorite things. It has the best flavor and its perfect with any type of stir fry recipe. Did you know that leftover rice is perfect for making yummy Fried Rice? And dont
Jasmine rice is the perfect accompaniment to this honey balsamic chicken with crispy vegetables, an oven roasted sheet pan dinner. I always serve jasmine rice to soak up the delicious creamy wine sauce in this chicken recipe.
Or I love jasmine rice completely by itself. With butter.
There arent many things better than buttered rice, am I right? Well, maybe creamy risotto.
Its so easy to make jasmine rice in your pressure cooker. As you all probably already know, I have an Instant Pot, but this will work in any type of electric pressure cooker.
I make three cups of rice , but you could also use this method to prepare as little as 1 cup of dry rice. I always like to make a lot of rice while Im at it. You can store the cooked rice in the fridge or freezer to use for other meals.
Youre going to want to make an ultra large batch of this jasmine rice, because it is absolutely irresistible!
Also Check: My Instant Pot Keeps Saying Burn
Perfect Instant Pot Rice
The best rice I have ever made has been thanks to my Instant Pot. Yes, there, I said it. The Instant Pot, just in case youre new to this crazy contraption, is basically a multi-function pressure cooker with a fancy interface and a spinny knob. The more I use it, the more I love it. Especially when it comes to cooking things like rice and dried beans. I mean, no one actually enjoys cooking those things, right? The Instant Pot is there to do it for you, and faster!
It may sound like Im trying to sell you an Instant Pot, and Im not. For no personal benefit to myself anyways. But, if you struggle to get perfectly soft, fluffy rice that isnt crunchy, gummy, or mushy, you may want to snag one when they go one super-sale .
Ok anyway, lets learn how to make the best Instant Pot rice ever.
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What Is A Rice Cooker
The name of this kitchen appliance says it all. Its a unit specially built to cook different types of rice and other similar dishes. Certain modern rice cookers have been made to be multipurpose.
Meaning, they will perform as slow cookers for making things like eggs, fish, veggies, and even pieces of meat. However, if youre into rice, nothing beats the convenience of utilizing this appliance.
A dedicated rice cooker provides more benefits for rice lovers than just a standard instant pot. The best part? Theyre easy to use. Just measure the rice, add water, some oil, and youre done.
Also Check: How To Cook Frozen Tamales In Instant Pot
Golden Rules For Cooking Perfect Instant Pot Rice :
- Cooking Time : High Pressure for 3 minutes and 10 minutes Natural Release.
- Water-to-Rice Ratio: 1 cup of cold water for 1 cup of white rice
- Instant Pot users: take note that the rice measuring cup that comes with the Instant Pot is only 180 ml
These golden rules must be followed strictly for the best results.
What Is Sticky Rice
Sticky rice is a versatile ingredient used in many forms of Asian cooking. It is a great side to many savory dishes.
In addition to many savory dishes you may be familiar with, like zongzi or shumai, it is also used in dessert recipes. My favorite dessert dish is sticky rice with fresh mango and creamy coconut sauce.
Steaming, not boiling it, is also crucial for creating its unique texture. This instant pot sticky rice is surprisingly easy to pull off at home. Just remember to pre-soak the short rice.
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Should I Use The Rice Button On My Instant Pot
The Instant Pots rice button is best used for white rice, as it is specifically calibrated to weigh white rice and water and cook the rice accordingly. This is ideal for weeknights when you truly want to set and forget your rice, but not great for cooking different varieties of rice on the fly.
Luckily, you can use your Instant Pots manual pressure function to cook white, brown, or wild rice on high pressure in just a few minutes. Heres how to do it.
How To Make Ahead
Brown rice makes the perfect make ahead recipe to help with meal prep! I love to make a large batch of it on the weekend to use in recipes throughout the week. If I see that I havent used it all within the week , I simply freeze it to use later! How great is that?
How Long Will it Last in the Refrigerator?
You can store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
How Long Will it Last in the Freezer?
You can cool the rice after cooking, place in a freezer safe, airtight container, then freeze for up to 3 months.
Recommended Reading: How To Steam Tamales In An Instant Pot
Perfect Instant Pot Basmati Rice Experiment
We conducted 5 tests with Indian basmati rice using different amounts of liquid, cooking time, and pressure release methods in our Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker. Find the full experiment details and results below the recipe.
Since were al dente fans, our perfect Indian basmati rice is Test 3s results fully cooked, firm with a bite, yet has a tint of softness. But if you prefer softer basmati rice, follow Test 5s ratios and pressure cooking methods.
- Softer Rice: If you enjoy softer rice, increase the liquid amount rather than cooking time.
- Rinsing the Rice: If youre rinsing the rice, itll throw off the rice-to-water ratio. So, be sure to reduce 3 tablespoons of water from the 1 cup of water stated in the recipe.
What You Need To Make Instant Pot Rice
Just as if you were making rice on the stove top, you need very few ingredients to make rice in your Instant Pot.
- Rice choose from white, brown, wild blend, jasmine or basmati
- Water or broth use broth and omit the salt for more flavour
- Olive oil you can also use canola oil but I wouldnt recommend butter as it can clog the release valve
- Salt this is optional for seasoning
Also Check: How Long To Pressure Cook Ground Beef
How Much Rice Can You Cook In An Instant Pot
The recipe below is for cooking 2 cups of rice, which will yield about 6 cups of cooked rice. The water to rice ratio and cook time stay the same regardless of the amount of rice you are cooking.
You can cook more rice as long as you dont exceed the maximum fill lines on your pot. Rice will expand as it cooks, so you have to account for this:
- You can double this recipe to cook 4 cups of rice in a 6 quart Instant Pot, which will make about 12 cups of cooked rice.
- If you have an 8 quart Instant Pot , you can triple this recipe to cook 6 cups rice. This will make about 18 cups of cooked rice.
What Is The Best Rice To Water Ratio
Youll be surprised but it is always and for ALL sorts 1:1. Yes, you read that right.
Instant Pot Rice calls for a 1:1 rice to water ratio
You wonder why on the stove different ratios are called for. Well, the secret to rice cooking is that the darker or wilder the rice the longer it needs to cook and the longer something needs to cook, the more water evaporates during the process.
This leads us to the conclusion, that different kinds of rice do not necessarily need different kinds of amounts of water to cook but rather more water to evaporate.
Since the Instant Pot gives a tight seal and high pressure, no water evaporates at all.
So yes, brown rice and even wild rice need the exact same amount of water as white rice in an evaporation-proof environment. *mind-blown*
Also Check: How To Cook Spaghetti In A Pressure Cooker
Why A Natural Pressure Release
A natural pressure release means that you dont need to do anything to the Instant Pot. Once it is done with the cook time, just allow it to slowly come back to a pressure in which you can open the lid. You will know the rice is done when the floating valve on top drops down and you can easily open the lid.
The liquid in the cooked rice is foamy. That foam can shoot through the release valve of the Instant Pot if you use a quick release this is especially true if you used butter!
Using a natural release lets the cooking process stop slowly. The rice continues to cook through the release. If you use a quick release, you may end up with undercooked rice.
How To Cook Rice In An Instant Pot
Hi, friends! Today were going to learn how to cook rice in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker. I guarantee you that this is not the first post on the world wide web on this topic, but as I learned in previous tutorial posts, like how to cook perfect quinoa, just because something already exists on the internet doesnt mean that another version wont be appreciated by someone . So if you are already an Instant Pot rice-cooking savant, feel free to wave as you pass by. And if you are indeed looking for an easy-to-remember method to cook rice in an Instant Pot, youve come to the right place! Lets do this thing.
Cooking rice in an Instant Pot couldnt be simpler.
1:1 Water/Rice ratio White Rice 3 Minutes at high pressure with a natural releaseBrown Rice 22 minutes at high pressure with a natural release
Beth, you mean to tell me you can cook white rice in 3 minutes?
This is one of my favorite things to have cooking while Im making another meal, because its like borrowing time. Im already in the kitchen cooking or doing dishes or whatever, so its easy to throw in the rice and water into the IP and let it go while Im busy. Then, I pack up the rice in containers or plastic storage bags to keep in the fridge or freezer for later meals. It so SO handy to be able to pull out precooked rice whenever I need it, but without the convenience tax thats added on to precooked frozen rice at the grocery store. Its a small time investment with a big payoff.
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