After weeks of experimenting, I got it right. Here is your fail-proof guide for Instant Pot Rice. White rice, brown rice, wild rice, and many more, basically an encyclopedia about cooking rice in a pressure cooker.
If you’ve followed along for a while, you know I’m a huuuuge fan of pressure cooking. My Instant Pot Chicken and Rice recipe is not only a hit at my house but thousands of others now, too. YAY!
What Is The Best Rice To Water Ratio?
You’ll 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*
What If My Rice Is Too Hard With a 1:1 Ratio?
If your rice is hard or uncooked that doesn’t mean next time it needs more water, that means, next time it needs more TIME. Did you wait for FULL natural pressure release?
Unfortunately, you cannot “save” undercooked rice in the Instant Pot as putting the lid back on and turning the pot back on just leads to the dreaded burn warning. I recommend adding the undercooked rice to a soup or stew maybe 5 minutes before it’s done simmering.
What If My Rice Is Too Mushy?
You most likely used too much water. 1:1 water to rice ratio is essential for all rice types.
Use the exact same container to measure both rice and water. Some cups are standard American (236ml), others are metric (250ml) and the little plastic cup that comes with the Instant Pot is neither (160ml). So do not use different measuring cups to measure rice and water.
Does 1:1 Apply For 1 Cup Just As It Does For 4 Cups?
YES! When making Instant Pot Rice you need 1 cup of water for every cup of rice, regardless of if you cook just 1 cup or 4 cups.
This is different when you cook rice on the stovetop where evaporation happens. The more rice you cook the less water you need when using a regular pot on the stove.
How Many Cups Of Rice Can You Cook In An Instant Pot?
In theory: 2.5 cups in a 3-quart Instant Pot. 5 cups in a 6 quart Instant Pot. 6.5 cups in an 8-quart Instant Pot.
This is US standard measuring cups and raw dry rice.
So the mathematical thought for the theory is the following:
- 1 cup of raw white rice gives on average 3 cups cooked rice.
- Instant Pots should not be filled more than 2/3 of its full capacity at any time. So we have to take the expanded rice into consideration.
- A 6-quart Instant Pot’s capacity is 24 cups and two-thirds of that are 16 cups.
- There should not be more than 16 cups cooked rice in the Instant Pot and since 1 cup raw makes 3 cups cooked we have to divide the 16 by 3. That makes 5.3 cups.
The calculation is only theory though. I have not tried that many cups in my own 6-quart. 4 cups raw dry rice are the maximum I have cooked myself without any issues and with perfect results.
Natural Pressure Release (NPR) vs. Quick Pressure Release (QR)
What’s better? Hands down, no doubt >> natural pressure release. If you cook rice longer so you can do quick pressure release, with the hope to have the rice cooked faster overall, it gets sticky and mushy.
If you want fluffy rice, I encourage you to be patient and wait for natural pressure release. I timed all rice and there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the timing. Even the same kind of rice in the same amount has had different natural pressure release times.
What Is The Rice Button For?
The rice button was designed only for white rice (regular long-grain, Jasmine, or Basmati rice). It works fine with those types of rice. The shorter high-pressure cooking times with natural pressure release work better though in my opinion.
Also, the Rice Button does not work for any other type of rice but white rice.
Do I Have To Rinse Rice Before Cooking?
Opinions vary widely and there seems to be no right or wrong answer. It’s all up to personal preference. However, thankfully it is irrelevant for the cooking times presented.
Both rinsed and dry rice work with my cooking times and method. Nothing has to be adjusted or changed either way. Just make sure you drain your rice well in a fine mesh strainer if you rinse it. Then use 1:1 ratio.
Instant Pot Rice Cooking Times
Now let’s get to the individual kinds of rice:
White Rice
I’ve tried both Basmati and Jasmin and both cook in the exact same time, 3 minutes high pressure + NPR. The thicker regular long-grain white rice cooks better with 4 minutes high pressure + NPR.
Brown Rice
I’ve experimented with Basmati brown rice and with short grain brown rice and the Basmati cooked faster than the short grain. From all my experiments it seems like the thicker the individual grains, the longer they need. With the exception of wild rice, that one needs long regardless of being a skinny dude. 22 minutes high pressure + NPR for the thin Basmati and 24 minutes for the thick short grain.
Wild Rice
Some people swear the grain HAS to burst open, others swear, it’s best when “just about to burst” and others like it completely unburst. Guess what, you can achieve any consistency you like when you cook Instant Pot Wild Rice. Here are the times for whole unbroken wild rice: 28 minutes (unburst), 30 minutes (some burst some unburst), 32 minutes (burst).
Red Rice and Black Rice
Red rice and black rice is pretty thick and needs quite some time to break down so give it tiiime. It’s round and thick and it takes quite a bit for it to absorb all the water. It’s like a new towel that needs time to get soaking wet ;) 30 minutes high pressure + NPR.
Sushi Rice
I was actually pretty sure this would take just as long as regular white rice but surprise surprise. It’s not as sticky if you cook it or only 3 minutes and this is the only rice you really want to be sticky, right? So increasing the cooking time actually made it stickier and better to work with for sushi. Cooke it 5 minutes on high pressure + NPR.
Wild Rice Blend
Soooo, this one is the trickiest because it has several different kinds of rice that individually cook in different times. I found it cooks best in an in-between time. The wild rice in the mix will be completely unburst but the brown rice won’t be all mushy. Usually, that’ll be 28 minutes high-pressure + NPR. Of course, it will depend widely on what grains exactly are in your blend.
How to Reheat Rice in the Instant Pot
So, I’ve seen a couple of people recommend adding water or oil and stir it in the inner pot and pretty much making a mess, haha.
Um, not my favorite method.
I like things simple. I basically want the same convenience as a microwave but without the waves.
I store my leftover rice in a heat-proof glass container and then place the trivet in the Instant Pot, add a cup of water and place the rice uncovered on the trivet. Put the lid on, knob to sealing and press steam for 5 minutes. Quick pressure release, done!
So here you have it. The longest post in the history of Green Healthy Cooking.
Burn Warning Trouble Shooting
The wicked burn warning, it’s the Instant Pot user’s nemesis! For starters, some Instant Pots are a lot more temperamental than others. You most likely did nothing wrong, however, you are dealing with what we could compare with a toddler with a temper tantrum.
If your Instant Pot is generally one to scream “burn” easily and quickly I recommend you stay close in the beginning phase while it gets the water boiling and trying to get to pressure. When the pot is trying to push up the safety pin but seems to not be able to, that’s the critical moment. Push down on the handle of the lid a little to help it get to pressure.
If the pot tries and tries to get to pressure but can’t too much water evaporates through the valve and thus leaves too little inside the pot and the rice starts to burn.
If even with a little push on the lid, it cannot get to pressure, the sealing ring might not be positioned properly inside the lid. You will have to abort the mission and start over, making sure the sealing ring is still in great condition and placed correctly.
If the Instant Pot was able to pressure cook for most of the time and only showed the burn warning at the end of the cooking time, then just unplug it and wait for natural pressure release. Often times it still manages to cook the rice and just a tiny corner got burnt.
Instant Pot Rice
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice - (Basmati white, Jasmin white, Basmati brown, short-grain brown, red, black, wild, wild blend, sushi)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into the Instant Pot. You can double, triple or quadruple all ingredients in same amounts.
- Make sure sealing ring is placed properly in lid, add lid, turn shut and turn knob to sealing position.
- Cook on high pressure for the number of minutes instructed below depending on the type of rice:White Rice (Basmati or Jasmin): 3 minutesWhite Sushi Rice: 5 minutesBrown Rice (Basmati): 22 minutesShort Grain Brown Rice: 24 minutesRed Rice: 30 minutesWild Rice Blend: 28 minutesWild Rice: 30 minutesBlack Pearl Rice: 30 minutes
- Natural Pressure Release until pin drops. Takes on average 9-12 minutes (max. 18 minutes for 1 cup and max 30 mins for 4 cups).
- Remove all rice from pot immediately to avoid it sticking to the bottom. If needing to keep warm, leave rice in pot after natural pressure release without opening the lid to avoid steam being released and drying out the rice > making it stick to the bottom.
Notes
- I use a US standard cup. 236ml in volume.
- I, personally, do NOT rinse or wash my rice.
- Cooking time stays the same no matter how many cups you cook.
Pinto Bean Taco with Salsa Verde
Crustless Spinach Quiche
Fail-proof Instant Pot Beans
Marta Godden says
What about soaking rice for 12 hours before hand to reduce lectins. Will this alter the cooking time?
Lorena Grater says
I’ve never tried but I would assume that as long as you drain it well my method should still work.
Lisa says
Can the cup measure ie 160 be used as a minimum amount to cook using same amount of water or does it need to be a cup ie american cup as smallest amount. I want to replace my rice cooker/steamer and this would allow potential to add other meals as well
Lorena Grater says
In a 3-quart Instant Pot you might get away with it but not in a 6-quart because the minimum water requirement for it to get to pressure is one US cup (236ml)
KC says
I mostly cook for 2 people, in case of rice as an addon that’s about 1/3 cup. Mostly the above times hold, although the rice is rather on the undercooked side. But in case of wild race I used 32 minutes and it was really hard. Probably because the IP gets to pressure quicker (5min), and NPR lasts shorter (around 9-10minutes).
So I started experimenting, and the best I got so far is:
1/3 Cup wild rice
1/2 Cup water (so slightly more)
38 minutes + NPR
The result was pretty ok, mostly burst. No water left.
Miriam Robarts says
We cooked 3 cups of (washed) Jasmine Rice (with 3 cups of water) in the Instant Pot on the regular rice setting.
(We tried using the manual setting, but the IP wasn’t cooperating & didn’t seem to be coming up to pressure despite double-checking the lid. So we started over and chose the rice setting, & that worked. 🤷🏻♀️)
It came out well. It was a bit sticky (the way we like to eat it) when it was finished.
Then we spread it out on a sheet pan (lined with parchment paper), and set it on top of ice packs in a cooler overnight. (There wasn’t room in the fridge). It dried out nicely for fried rice the next day.
It made enough for 6 adults & some leftovers. (We had it with chow mein, chop suey, potstickers, & a veggie tray — plus dessert.)
Grace says
I followed the recipe to a T. No steps missed and no substitutions. My short grain rice burned at the bottom while being raw at the top. 3 times.
Heidi says
I am looking for a recipe where rice is steamed without being in the water, i.e., raised above the water in a basket. Do you know how to do this?
Lorena Grater says
I don’t think that’s possible? Rice needs to “absorb” water to be able to cook. It’s a “dried” grain. You are essentially rehydrating it. Just like you would rehydrate any other dried food.
Nikki Ross says
My late mum steamed her rice over water, only way she could cook it perfectly.
Zahra says
Steamed rice is definitely a thing! Rice will absorb the moisture from being enveloped in steam and soften/cook. Steam is also better at distributing heat than water, plus it doesn’t run the risk of waterlogging rice so the steamed method is more efficient at cooking your rice evenly and giving you perfectly fluffy rice every time (especially if you aren’t rinsing off the starches because it doesn’t release as much of them when steamed vs when it’s submerged).
Straka Adamz says
I live in the uk and this my first time cooking anything in the pressure cooker or using it period. I washed my 3 cups of long grain basmati rice and added 3 cups water. That wasn’t the problem the blonde was when I pressed the rice button it gave a preset of 12 minutes on low pressure. I didn’t know if I should leave it at the machine preset or go with your 3minutes high pressure so ,half way through while still in the preheat stage I changed it the high pressure your instructions recommended but since you keep emphasising you being and using US everything I opted to go 6 minutes instead of the 3 minutes you said . As I was writing this it finished cooking already . But I realised the keep warm was on so I tried to off it but it refused so I switched of the socket and unplugged it now iam waiting for the 30 minutes of NPR you said. You must be laughing your tail off for all my instant pot rookie blunders. Wish me luck if it’s mush I will add garlic pepper shrimp and pretend I intended it to be porridge, if it’s uncooked I will follow your advice portion it out and freeze it for soups what I dread is burnt but I don’t see the burnt warning you said would appear.
Question:
will the cooking be affected since I changed both pressure and cook time mid cooking cycle ?
This is for both rice ow and anything else I try in the future.
Ps: I didn’t know cooking varies between countries on the same equipments
Alex says
That’s how rice is cooked in Laos. Put the rice in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water. If you can do it over a wood fire, even better, it gets a smokey flavor. They do it to a variety of dry rice, or sticky rice, and when it is done they grab off a chunk at roll it into a ball in their hand, The rice isn’t crunchy, but it is firm with a nice chew to it. Laos food is amazing!
Miriam says
I’ve had Laotian sticky rice, but I didn’t know how it was cooked. Thanks for the interesting info!
Laura says
I recently made four cups of Jasmine rice in my 8 quart Instant Pot using this method. The rice was just right with the (3) minute cook time. However, it was already a bit sticky when I opened the pot and although I removed the rice as quickly as possible, there was a fair amount stuck to the pot. This is the closest I have gotten to perfect rice in my IP in four years of use. Does anyone have suggestions to reduce the stickiness?
Cindy L. says
Hi therre! LOVE your research.
Just a quick question. What do you suggest if I’m making a one-pot meal with rice? Specifically, I want to make my orange chicken with Jasmine rice in the pot, rather than in a steamer like most recipes call for. I’m a rebel against steaming and feel like it can be done together, which would be much more simpler for me.
If you’re not sure, then let me ask you this. Using your 1:1 ratio, does this mean that there is no liquid left over AFTER you cook the rice?
Lorena Grater says
No liquid at all. Correct. I don’t have an answer for the orange chicken, sorry. Never tried.
No Good says
Turned out terribly. I knew 1:1 didn’t look right when I put it in the Instantpot. Came out undercooked, chewy, crunchy, way too dense. I ended up putting more than double the recommended amount of water after it had finished and letting it soak in during the keep warm function and it absorbed but still feels undercooked.
Catty Cee says
I always use a 1:1 ratio in my Instantpot. Swish your pot around to make sure all the rice is covered. But you absolutely have to rinse your rice first! This removes all the extra starch that will absorb all your water. I use Pressure Cook 3min make sure your knob is set to sealing. When it’s done cooking it will beep and start counting up. natural release usually about 15min. Hope this helps 😚
Chase Taylor says
You said in your recipe that you do NOT wash your rice, yet in the comments you say it’s a must. Which is it?
Rae says
– The person who said their rice was crunchy probably did not wait for the natural pressure release to finish.
– The person who commented on that with suggestion to rinse the rice is not the author of the recipe.
– The person who came in all hot over rice rinsing needs to settle down and work on their reading comprehension.
– I am also not the author of the recipe but I use this for every type of rice, every quantity, every time. And it’s perfect every time. Not that it matters, but I also do not rinse my rice.
Katy Barth says
The person who wrote the previous comment cracked me up.
I usually make good rice. Last night I used my usual stovetop method but got distracted by dinner guests and ruined the rice. Tried this today. It is easy peasy and safer when there is a crowd.
I used Cahokia white rice, prepared as specified. The rice came out how I like it.
Lorena Grater says
Sending you love :)
Lorena Grater says
? I never said it’s a must in any comment. I even have a paragraph about the rice washing in the blog post.
Lorena Grater says
I am 99% you didn’t wait for natural pressure release.
Gary says
1:1 works out just fine. Have never had any issue like this while cooking various types of rice, worked out great every time.