Make rice quickly and easily in your electric pressure cooker. Instant Pot Rice is a great budget-friendly side dish to include in your weekly meal rotation.
So, you got an electric pressure cooker, eh? Birthday/Christmas present? Or was it something that your friend raved about and you knew you just had to have one?
It’s been a few months and there it is. Still in the box it came in.
You know an Instant Pot/Insta-pot/Power Cooker can be a lifesaver on a busy night. That informercial said so. And your friend still raves about how she makes dinner in like ten minutes every night.
But, what in the world do you do with the thing?
I feel ya. I’ve been there.
I received my first electric pressure cooker as a gift before they were even cool. And it sat in a box for a few years before my sister, who’d also received hers as a gift and left in the box for a few months, said, “You know. It makes really good rice.”
Huh. Really?
While I wasn’t really interested in making dinner in ten minutes because WE ALL KNOW THAT’S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, I was interested in replacing our rice cooker that was on its last legs.
Turns out, my sister was right. It does make good rice.
What is an Instant Pot good for?
If you’ve been wondering how to start using your Instant Pot, well, know that you’re not alone. Hundreds of home cooks have bought one or received one as a gift, and then used it as a foot rest under their desk.
Oh, wait. Maybe that was just me.
Regardless, I’ve heard from lots of people wondering what to cook in their electric pressure cooker.
Some of my favorite Instant Pot recipes are these:
- Perfectly Poached Chicken
- Easy Instant Pot Black Beans
- Simple Hard Cooked Eggs
- Sauerkraut and Pork
- and, of course, rice!
How to make instant pot rice
Instant Pot Rice is pretty easy to make in whatever quantities you like. Cook long-grain white rice in the instant pot in a 1-to-1 ratio. 1 cup of water for every cup of rice.
- Rinse your rice if you desire.
- Place the rice in the instant pot. Add an equal amount of water.
- Secure the lid and turn on the pressure valve.
- Set the machine to manual for 4 minutes. After the cooking time is complete, allow the machine to go into warming mode for 1o minutes.
- Release any remaining pressure, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve.
What should you do with leftover rice?
Store cooked rice in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days. For longer storage, place it in a ziptop freezer bag in the freezer.
Leftover rice is great for making fried rice. In fact, I purposely make extra rice just for this purpose. You can also stir leftover cooked rice into soups, such as Bean and Rice Soup. My kids like to have it for breakfast with some cream and sugar, much like you would eat oatmeal.
Do you have to rinse rice?
For years I have resisted the practice of rinsing rice. It was one awkward step in an otherwise quick and easy process. And my mom and gramma certainly never did it.
However, sources such as Cook’s Illustrated and the Kitchn recommend rinsing long grain rices in order for your rice to have a better texture. They say not to worry about rinsing rice that you want to be creamy in texture, such as risotto.
Other sources, such as Consumer Reports and The New Food Lover’s Companion, recommend rinsing for health reasons; you can remove up to 30% of the rice’s inorganic arsenic content by rinsing it. Brown rice has a higher arsenic content than white, so it’s probably a good candidate for rinsing.
Since some white rices can be coated with talc containing asbestos, a type of preservative, rinsing isn’t a bad idea all the way around.
Do I need an instant pot with the rice button?
My electric pressure cooker has all kinds of buttons for specialty recipes, such as rice, yogurt, or porridge. I’ve honestly never used any of them. I cook everything on manual and it works out very well.
Can I make rice a different way?
Absolutely. You do not have to have a pressure cooker to make great rice, though it is an easy, hands-free way. But, so is Baked Rice.
You can also cook rice in a dedicated rice cooker as well as in a pot on the stove.
How to make rice inexpensively
Rice is generally speaking a pretty frugal food. It’s a pantry staple in cultures the world over, making it abundant and affordable.
However there are some things you can do to make rice even more inexpensively and stretch your grocery dollar:
- Buy rice in bulk. Whether you buy a ginormous bag from ALDI or Costco or fill up a bag yourself from the bulk bins at your local health food store, buying rice in bulk will generally get you the lowest unit cost. Not always, but often. Be sure to compare prices before you buy.
- Store your rice well. Moisture, bugs, and rodents can all eat away at your rice supply. For reals! Store your rice in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. It’s best to store grains at or below 40 degrees F.
- Shop the sales. Even though bulk rice is cheapest, you may not want a 50-pound bag of a specialty rice. One can only eat so much risotto. Check your grocery sales and clearance specials to see when you might find good prices on rices.
- Check your specialty food store. Asian, Indian, and Mexican markets all sell rice affordably. They might also supply special kinds that your standard grocery store might not carry.
Tools I use to make great Instant Pot rice:
These are tools I use to make my rice-making easier:
- fine mesh strainer for rinsing rice
- Instant Pot
- Pyrex Snapware for storing leftovers
- plastic food storage containers for storing uncooked rice
If you prepare this recipe, be sure to share a picture on social media and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
Instant Pot Rice
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Instructions
- Rinse your rice if you desire.
- Place the rice in the instant pot. Add the water.
- Secure the lid and turn on the pressure valve.
- Set the machine to manual for 4 minutes. After the cooking time is complete, allow the machine to go into warming mode for 1o minutes.
- Release any remaining pressure, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Marci Rommal
I did my basmati rice in my instant pot, and it was WONDERFUL. No clumping, no sogginess, no hard core. Just perfect!!
Amber Herrick
Does the method change for long grain brown rice?
Jessica Fisher
Yes, you’ll need to increase the cooking time to 22 minutes.