How to Cook Instant Pot Rice

5 from 8 votes
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Making rice in the Instant Pot couldn’t be easier! Following this easy guide will get you perfect rice every time.

Two bowls of rice in front of an Instant Pot

It’s so easy to cook rice in the instant pot! My rice cooker bit the dust a few years ago and I never replaced it. I got an Instant Pot shortly after and as soon as I realized I could cook rice in it, I never looked back. My old rice cooker did not cook brown or wild rice well at all and I had no control over the cooking times. The Instant Pot cooks rice evenly, consistently, and quickly. Much faster than cooking it on the stove top. It is hands-down my favorite way to cook plain rice. It pairs perfectly with chicken or pork meals, just about anything!

Don’t Use the “Rice” Button

Don’t be tempted to use the rice button on your Instant Pot or pressure cooker. The rice function may work well enough for white rice varieties but won’t work for any other variety. The “rice” function is programmed to “low” pressure and cooks for 12 minutes which gets the job done but all of the water will not be absorbed into the rice making it more sticky. Set your cooking time manually on high pressure for the times suggested above and your rice will have absorbed all of the water. The texture will be lighter and the rice will be ready to serve.

Ingredients

No need for a bunch of ingredients for perfect, fluffy, rice to accompany your meal. Here’s all you need to add to your instant pot: long grain rice, water, salt. That’s it!

For Seasoned Rice

It’s easy to give your rice a little flavor by switching out the water for chicken broth and by adding a few easy ingredients such as finely chopped onion or garlic or a tablespoon of butter. If you want to add meat or vegetables wait until after the rice is cooked. Then toss the rice with the other ingredients in a wok or skillet as you would a fried rice or stir fry.

An Instant Pot liner with water and rice inside


How to Cook Instant Pot Rice

Before cooking rice in the Instant Pot, you’ll need to decide how much cooked rice you need. After that, the steps are easy to follow and perfectly cooked rice awaits!

  • Measure the Rice into the Instant Pot: First, calculate how many servings you need. A good rule of thumb is ½ cup serving of cooked rice per person.
  • Rinse Rice Before Cooking: I almost always rinse my rice before cooking. Rice can be dirty and covered in excess starches. Rinsing doesn’t take that long and it is totally worth the extra step. I like submerging the rice in water in the Instant Pot pot/liner and agitating the rice with my hands. Then I drain off the water continually and repeat until the water runs clear. I prefer this way because any debris that may be present in the rice floats to the top and can be drained off. It also uses less dishes. You can also put the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse until the water runs clear. Either way works. Be sure to drain off the excess water completely before adding the water for cooking.
  • Add Water: The rice-to-water ratio always seems to be the biggest debate when cooking rice. When cooking rice on the stovetop or even in a rice cooker more water may be needed, but not with an Instant Pot. A 1:1 ratio of rice to water is perfect. Nothing more, nothing less. Remember, the rice is being pressure cooked so all that steam and water is staying inside the pot, not evaporating out. I also love this ratio because you can really use anything you want to measure. No measuring cups? No problem. Just use a mug or glass to measure equal measurements. 
  • Add a pinch of salt: This gives the rice some flavor, but doesn’t affect the texture of the rice or the water absorption. Feel free to eliminate this step.
  • Cover the rice: Place the lid on the on the Instant Pot and lock it into place. Turn the knob on top of the lid to the sealing positing.
  • Set the pressure and time on the Instant Pot: For long grain white rice, pressure cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Natural pressure release for 10-12 minutes, then quick release by turning the knob to the venting position.
An Instant Pot with four minutes on the timer

How Long to Pressure Cook Rice

The cooking time of rice in the Instant Pot purely depends on what variety of rice you are cooking. White rice only needs a few short minutes. This includes long grain white rice, Jasmine, and Basmati. Short grain white rice such as sushi rice only needs slightly more time. There is a big jump from white rice to brown rice, wild rice, red rice, and black rice. These need a lot more time or they will be crunchy. Cooking times for these types or rice varieties can vary between 23-30 minutes. To make it easier, I made an easy chart as a guide below.


Instant Pot Cheat Sheet

Here is an easy cheat sheet (below) that you can print off and store next to your Instant Pot. Simply right click on the image and click “Save Image As”. From there you can save the image and then open it on your desktop to print. 

A chart showing the times for cooking rice in the Instant Pot
Two bowls of cooked rice next to an Instant pot

Reheating Rice

Rice keeps nicely in the fridge, as long as it’s kept in an airtight container, for up to five days. My favorite way to use up leftover rice is to make fried rice, stir fry, or Mexican rice. I just heat a little oil in a skillet and toss the rice with some seasonings or other ingredients while heating. The oil keeps the rice from sticking together and gives it the perfect texture for these types of recipes. However, if I just want to re-heat the rice as is, I simply heat it in the microwave. Sprinkle a little water over the rice and cover with a lightly damp paper towel. Then heat for 45 seconds at a time until hot, fluffing with a fork between each time.

Tips for Instant Pot Rice

  • I like to fill my Instant Pot so it is about half full. This allows room for the rice to expand and also makes it so the water doesn’t sputter out too much before the Instant Pot seals. No matter the size of the Instant Pot or the amount of rice, the cooking time will remain the same. 
  • The only time I don’t rinse my rice is when I sauté the rice in oil before cooking it in the Instant Pot. I do this when I am making Mexican Rice or Fried Rice because it gives it a better texture for these particular dishes. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should you cook rice in the instant pot?

It depends on the kind of rice you’re using. For plain, white rice you’ll only need four minutes, plus about 12 minutes of release time. Other types of rice will need to cook longer. See our handy cooking guide above.

Should the vent be open when cooking rice in Instant Pot?

Because rice can release starchy water as it cooks and you could possibly clog the lid vent of your instant pot, make sure you move the steam release valve to sealing.

Can quinoa be cooked like rice in the Instant Pot?

Yes, quinoa can be cooked in the Instant Pot. See our recipe for Instant Pot Quinoa.

Read More: How to Cook Instant Pot Brown Rice

More Instant Pot Rice Recipes

Instant Pot rice separated into two bowls next to an Instant Pot

Instant Pot Rice

5 from 8 votes
Making rice in the Instant Pot couldn't be easier! Following this easy guide will get you perfect rice every time.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Natural Release 10 minutes
Total Time 19 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Instant Pot
Servings 6 servings

Video

Equipment

  • Instant Pot (or Pressure Cooker)

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place 2 cups of rice in the Instant Pot liner and cover with water. Agitate the rice with your hand and drain off the water. Repeat until water runs clear.
    An Instant Pot liner with rice in the process of being rinsed
  • Drain off all the water, then add 2 cups of water to the rice.
    An Instant Pot liner with water and rice inside
  • Cover the Instant Pot with the lid and turn knob to the sealing position. Pressure cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Natural pressure release 10-12 minutes, then quick release by turning the knob to the venting position.
    An Instant Pot with four minutes on the timer
  • Uncover and fluff rice with fork before serving.
    An Instant Pot full of cooked rice

Nutrition Information

Calories: 229kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 5gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 6mgPotassium: 170mgFiber: 2gCalcium: 23mgIron: 1mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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5 from 8 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. I use the same one-to-one rice-to-water ratio, but then just press the RICE button on the upper right hand of the panel. It automatically sets the time and temperature. When the rice button finishes, do the 10 min natural release! Perfect rice!!

  2. I am making 8 cups of rice in my instant pot. Do I add 4 mins of cooking time for every cup of rice?

    1. I haven’t made that much rice in the instant pot before, so I am not sure. The most I have done is 4 cups with the times listed.

  3. 5 stars
    I always have a hard time getting brown rice to turn out perfectly. Thanks to your handy chart, it was just perfect. The only way I’ll make it from now on!