How to Cook Rice in an Instant Pot®

We love to use the Instant Pot® for so many reasons—it’s easy to use, multi-functional and cleanup can be a breeze. You can make anything from pasta to meatloaf to cheesecake inside and get perfect results every time. It even has convenient one-touch controls for a variety of foods, from yogurt to meats to, yes, rice. But when it comes to cooking rice in the Instant Pot®, it’s not entirely as simple as pressing the “rice” function and letting the multicooker do its job.

In general, the Instant Pot®’s RICE button is best used for white rice, as it is specifically designed to weigh the rice and water in the pot and cook the rice accordingly. When you’re in a pinch and truly want to dump everything into a pot and walk away, this function works well. But if you’re looking to make the best version of white rice possible or any other variety of rice (such as brown or wild), you’ll need to take a more manual approach.

Thankfully, using the manual pressure cooking function is also extremely easy and yields tender, fluffy rice in any variety in a matter of minutes.

Manual Pressure Cooking Times by Rice Variety

Generally speaking, you can cook varieties of rice on HIGH pressure in the Instant Pot® for the following amounts of time:

• White rice: 5 minutes
• Brown rice: 10 minutes
• Wild rice: 15 minutes

For all varieties, it’s best to let the Instant Pot® naturally release for 10 minutes to yield fluffy results without sticking or burning.

Congratulations: Now you’ve got a greater understanding of the Instant Pot® and its rice functionalities. So let’s actually make some rice! Here’s how to cook white rice (including jasmine or basmati) in an Instant Pot® in three easy steps.

What you’ll need:

• 6-quart Instant Pot®
• Fork

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white, basmati or jasmine rice, well-rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter

Step 1: First, add all ingredients to the Instant Pot® insert and give everything a quick stir.

Step 2: Secure the lid and set the pressure valve to SEALING. On the Instant Pot®, select MANUAL and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.

Step 3: After the 5 minutes, press CANCEL and let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, set the pressure valve to VENTING to quick-release the pressure. Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.

How to Cook Brown Rice or Wild Rice in an Instant Pot®

For brown rice or wild rice, the directions above remain mostly the same (remember to follow the longer cooking times for each variety listed above!), but the amount of water will vary. Here are the amounts of water needed for brown rice or wild rice:

• 2 cups brown rice = 2 1/4 cups water
• 2 cups wild rice = 3 cups water

Now that we know how to cook the most common types of rice in the Instant Pot®, let’s cover a few frequently asked questions!

Q: Can I substitute the water?

A: Yes! You can substitute the water either partially or entirely with vegetable, chicken or beef broth, if desired.

Q: Can I substitute the butter?

A: Yes! You can use 1 tablespoon olive, vegetable or coconut oil in place of the butter.

Q: What if my rice comes out undercooked?

A: Unfortunately, you can’t just add more water, seal the Instant Pot® and continue cooking the rice until it’s fully cooked through. Instead, transfer the undercooked rice to a medium saucepan on the stove and add 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook on low heat 5 minutes, or until water is fully absorbed and rice is tender. If the rice still isn’t tender enough after 5 minutes but has absorbed all the water, add another 1/4 cup water, cover and cook on low heat another 5 minutes.

Q: Do I need to rinse the rice before adding it to the Instant Pot®?

A: We’ve tested cooking rice in an Instant Pot® both ways—with and without first rinsing the rice. While both yield delicious results, you’re more likely to get the most perfect rice if you rinse it first. Rinsing rice removes any excess dirt or starch (which can make the rice sticky or gummy).

Q: How much cooked rice do you get from cooking 2 cups uncooked rice?

A: 2 cups uncooked rice makes about 6 1/2 cups cooked rice.

Can’t wait to make the best, fluffiest, most flavorful rice of your life? Here are our favorite recipes on Pillsbury that deserve to be served on a bed of perfect rice made in the Instant Pot®.