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.
Osun Flinn says
Please help me. I am counting calories to help lose weight. On your recipes under Nutrition your recipes have Calories: ?kcal. What is a kcal? k means 1,000. Please help me to understand.
I love your cooking videos and always love to watch you, learn from you and try my best at making the delicious dishes you make. You are providing such a valuable service to everyone. Thank you.
Lorena Grater says
kcal stands for “kilocalories”. In this specific rice recipe for example 1 cup dried rice equals 4 servings of cooked rice (as you can read at the top after servings) and the nutrition information is for one serving. So 1/4th of the cooked rice that results from 1 cup of dried rice will be 169 calories (also scientifically called kilocalories, shortened kcal).
Dolly says
Thank you so much for all the trial and error of perfecting these rice recipes for the instant pot. Your chart is my go to for my rice and I tell send the link to anyone who asks me about cooking rice. Thanks again.
Dolly
Dana says
Love the instructions. I was getting fed up with people saying to pressure cook white rice for 20 minutes. I will be back to this site for more info.
Brenda says
Awesome Guide. Received 3qt Instant Pot as a gift. It has stayed packed in garage for almost a year. I was thinking today. I’m going to see what it can do. Love your guide. I eat a lot of rice dishes and this will be great. My only question is what about minute rice? Same 1 to 1 ratio of water and same cook time as regular white rice? Thank you!
Lorena Grater says
I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with minute rice so I don’t know for sure but a quick google search tells me minute rice is already cooked so it doesn’t have to be cooked anymore, just reheated.
John R says
My rice came out very sticky even after rinsing it. I have much better results with a pan on the stove. Will keep trying to adjust the recipe.
Shikha Bansal says
Here are few tips:
Wash rice really well till water runs clear to avoid consumption of arsenic. After washing soak rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain water to remove excess starch which makes rice sticky. Then cook rice in instant pot using 1 cup water for 1 cup of rice. I cook on high pressure setting for 5 minutes. Do natural pressure release for 10 minutes and release any remaining pressure manually after that. Own lid, fluff rice with fork, and remove rice from instant pot
Susan Glass says
How long should I cook brown Jasmine rice, my new favorite! I use your guide all the time but you don’t mention Brown Jasmine, only white.
Lorena Grater says
Same as brown rice :)
Jim Dunaway says
I owned a rice cooker became frustrated with it, more or less cooked rice on stove top. I acquired my instapot, love it for chili, bean soup, etc, thought I’d check out cooking rice. I did a google search found this page, Checked the recipe and thought I can do this.. IT IS SO EASY SO GOOD, I didn’t even have to write it down the One brain cell retained it.. THANKS Jim
Jan says
Thanks for this guide, rice is perfect every time, never had suceess with stovetop rice, scubbed many burnt pan!
Joe B says
I used 1:1 for the instant pot making large batches of rice for home made dog food, and it turned out well, thank you. However, your statement that ALL rices are best cooked with 1:1 would make many Asians laugh.
Tammy O says
Your guide is what I recommend to everyone. I never saw the video until today. I noticed that the recipe and the video says the vice versa of each other for wild rice and rice blends. Which one is 28 minutes and which one is 30 minutes? I want to make sure I have it correct. Thanks!
Lorena Grater says
Always go by the “written” recipe. I recite all my videos by heart and unfortunately make a lot of mistakes. Always trust the written version of any recipe.
Angie says
I put three cups of white jasmine rice in my instant pot with 3 cups of water. Cooked on high pressure for 3 min and did natural release for 30 min. It came out a smidge too hard. Definitely prefer stovetop!
Katie M says
Everything clear, my IP defaults to the “keep warm” setting when done, should I leave that on while waiting for pressure to release or turn off?
Bonnie says
No, it is better to unplug the machine. Leaving it on can just dry out the rice.
Lorena Grater says
Makes no difference. You can leave it with “keep warm” on, you can turn off keep warm, you can even remove the plug. It all works the same. I personally leave the keep warm on because that way I don’t have to perfectly time my main dish. I can be finished with the main dish even an hour after the rice is cooked and the rice will still be warm in the instant pot. I’ve never had a problem with overcooked or dry rice with the keep warm function on for up to an hour.
Brian Hawkins says
Just to be clear, if my bag of rice reads, “Enriched Long Grain Rice” and it is white in color, I should set it for 4 minutes on high pressure and natural release? I’m sorry but I don’t see long-grain white on the chart but it looks like you mention it below that.
Also, the vet has my dog on a strict rice and chicken diet for a month. Can I cook big batches of rice and freeze it in 1-cup portions? Maybe heat the portions up in a microwave or even the Instant Pot? I’ve never frozen rice before.
Lorena Grater says
Yes, long grain white rice should cook fine in 4 mins on high plus full natural pressure release. Yes, you can freeze rice perfectly well. Let it cool a little, then portion it out and freeze right away. Don’t let it sit on the counter for too long or bacteria can grow. To defrost, simply place in the fridge overnight and then reheat in the microwave or instant pot or in a pan.
LuAnne says
I freeze the chicken and rice together in zip loc bags so I have it ready when my pups have tummy issues. If you freeze it on cookie sheets before putting it in bags, you can take out what you need and keep the rest frozen. p.s. Dogs don’t mind eating it cold…no need to heat it. Once it’s thawed, I feed it cold from the fridge.
Seshu Krishnaswamy. ( age 94 ) says
A most thorough, common sense and scientific analysis on the topic of rice and it’s cooking for foolproof result!
I am truly grateful.
Lisa says
Hi, what about white medium grain rice? How long would I cook on high? Thanks
Lorena Grater says
3 minutes on high + full NPR.