Instant Pot Brown Rice
Once you make Instant Pot Brown Rice, you’ll never cook it any other way! It’s tender and fluffy every single time and is the hands off way to prepare it. This recipe works for basmati, jasmine, and long and short grain brown rice, and it’s great for meal prep!
Cooking rice is one of the most basic kitchen tasks, yet it can be one of the trickiest things to master.
I’ve encountered my share of mushy, overcooked rice, crunchy, underdone rice, and plenty of bubble overs when cooking it on the stove top.
Brown rice can be especially challenging because it takes longer to cook. It can be very difficult to get the burner temperature just right so that the liquid doesn’t evaporate faster than the rice can absorb it.
This Instant Pot Brown Rice is the hands-off way to prepare perfectly tender, fluffy brown rice every time, and I never want to make it any other way.
I’ve tested every variety of brown rice in the Instant Pot, including long grain, basmati, jasmine and short grain brown rice, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.
Sure a rice cooker can achieve the same results, but the bonus of having an Instant Pot is that you can use it for so many other recipes, including Instant Pot black beans, Instant pot mashed potatoes and so much more.
Be sure to check out this collection of 25+ Easy Instant Pot Recipes for more inspiration!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Instant pot brown rice is the hands off way to cook perfectly fluffy brown rice every single time.
- You need just 3 ingredients for this recipe — brown rice, water and salt.
- The brown rice is perfect served as a side dish, it’s great in bowls, and it’s phenomenal for fried rice.
- It’s great for meal prep and it’s freezer friendly.
Recipe ingredients
You don’t need anything fancy to make this Instant Pot brown rice recipe and you can use almost any type of brown rice.
It’s a basic recipe that can be used a variety of ways as shown in the Serving Suggestions section below.
Ingredient notes
- Brown rice. I’ve tested basmati, jasmine, long grain and short grain brown rice in the Instant Pot, and they all cook up perfectly soft and fluffy. Do not use Instant brown rice as it will turn to mush.
- Liquid. 1 1/4 cups of water gave the brown rice the perfect soft, fluffy texture. If you like a chewier texture, decrease the liquid to 1 cup per 1 cup of brown rice.
- Salt. A 1/2 teaspoon salt enhances the flavor of the rice.
How to make brown rice in Instant Pot
Cooking brown rice in the Instant Pot couldn’t be easier. It’s the hands-free way to prepare it and it’s soft and fluffy every single time.
If you would like to cook 2 cups brown rice in the Instant Pot, simply proceed as directed with 2 1/2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. The cooking time is exactly the same.
- Pro tip: Do not use Instant brown rice as it will turn to mush. This recipe works well with long grain, short grain, jasmine and basmati brown rice.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Rinse the rice thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer or sieve.
- Place the rice, water and salt in the Instant Pot and stir well to combine.
- Secure the lid and cook at High Pressure for 20 minutes, then naturally release the pressure for a minimum of 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid when safe to do so and fluff the rice with a fork.
FAQs
You’ll need 1 cup of water per 1 cup of brown rice for the Instant Pot. Less liquid is needed because much less evaporation occurs when rice is cooked in the pressure cooker than on the stove top.
This Instant Pot brown rice recipe includes 1 1/4 cups water per 1 cup of brown rice for a softer, fluffier texture. If you like a chewier texture, use 1 cup of water.
Long grain brown rice, short grain brown rice, brown jasmine rice and brown basmati rice were all tested in this recipe, and each one worked perfectly.
Do not use instant brown rice as it cooks too quickly and will turn to mush.
Do not use the Instant Pot rice setting for recipe as 20 minutes at High Pressure results in a perfect texture every time.
Cooking 2 cups of brown rice in the Instant Pot will take 20 minutes to cook, which is the same amount of time that 1 cup of brown rice takes to cook. Be sure to naturally release the pressure for a minimum of 10 minutes as well.
Serving suggestions
Instant pot brown rice can be served a number of delicious ways or customized as outlined below.
- Serve it with takeout inspired recipes like chicken vegetable stir fry or honey pineapple teriyaki chicken.
- It makes a great side dish for baked lemon dijon salmon or pork chops with creamy mushroom sauce.
- Serve it bowl style in chicken burrito bowls or fish taco bowls.
- Use leftovers to prepare shrimp fried rice or Italian stuffed peppers. You can also serve leftovers with sautéed Swiss chard and fried or poached eggs.
- It makes a great replacement for quinoa in Greek quinoa salad.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Do not use Instant brown rice as it will turn to mush. This recipe works well with long grain, short grain, jasmine and basmati brown rice.
- Total time includes 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, and 10 minutes to naturally release the pressure.
- This recipe is easily doubled using 2 cups of brown rice and 2 1/2 cups of water. The cooking time will be the same.
More rice recipes you’ll love:
- Almond rice pilaf
- Black rice salad
- Cilantro lime rice
- Coconut rice
- Crock pot chicken and rice
- Dirty rice by the Salty Marshmallow
- Instant pot chicken and rice
- Mexican rice casserole
- Wild rice salad
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Instant Pot Brown Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice rinsed and drained well; do not use quick cooking brown rice
- 1.25 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Place the rinsed and drained brown rice in the Instant Pot. Add the water and salt and stir well to combine. Be sure that all of the rice is submerged in the water.1 cup brown rice, 1.25 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Secure the lid and close the venting valve. Cook at High Pressure for 20 minutes, then allow the pressure to naturally release for 10-15 minutes (note that it will take the Instant Pot 10 minutes to come to pressure before cooking time begins). From there, open the venting valve and quick release the remaining pressure. Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip: Do not use Instant brown rice as it will turn to mush. This recipe works well with long grain, short grain, jasmine and basmati brown rice.Â
- Total time includes 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure, and 10 minutes to naturally release the pressure.
- This recipe is easily doubled using 2 cups of brown rice and 2 1/2 cups of water. The cooking time will be the same.
- For meal prep: Cool the rice quickly by spreading it out on a baking sheet in an even layer. Once cooled, place in an air tight container and store for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
