Instant Pot Brown Rice

Learn how to cook Instant Pot Brown Rice in under 45 minutes (2 minutes of active cooking time). Cooking brown rice in an Instant pot cooks the rice perfectly every single time and cuts short the cooking time half. No soaking, no babysitting the pot, no mushy, uncooked, or burnt rice anymore!

Jump to:

• About This Recipe
• What Is Brown Rice
• Ingredients
• How To Make Instant Pot Brown Rice
• Pro Tips By Neha
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Suggestions
• You Might Also Like
• Recipe Card

About This Recipe

Making brown rice in an Instant pot is the easiest way to get those fluffy, soft, and separate brown rice grains. Cooking brown rice in an instant pot shortens your cooking time to half, the method is hands-off and is perfect for busy weeknights and meal prep!

There are some things as basic as cooking rice but still, most of us fail miserably at it. Cooking perfect rice seems easy, but it can actually be a tricky process. If the cooking time, cooking method, or water-to-rice ratio are not accurate, you may end up with uncooked, hard, crunchy, burnt, mushy, or gummy rice.

There are multiple varieties of rice and each one has a slightly different way of cooking to get the perfect grains post-cooking.

I have experimented with cooking different varieties of rice in many different ways but currently, the instant pot is my favorite method to cook them to perfection. Whether its sticky rice, basmati rice, jasmine rice, or this brown rice, cooking these in an instant pot has changed my dinner game

To make brown rice in an instant pot, all you have to do is to add the rinsed brown rice to the pot along with the exact measurement of water, set the timer, and forget about it! After 45 minutes, you will get the fluffiest brown rice, that you won’t get in stovetop or rice cooker cooking. There is no need for soaking it too.

When cooked over stovetop in a pot, it requires more than an hour of simmering but instant pot brings down this time to only 45 minutes.

Make a big batch, meal prep it and serve it with your vegan, gluten-free or regular dinners as a side dish with a spicy curry, meatballs, stir-fries, or lentils.

Want to try a few more instant pot recipes? Here are some of my most loved recipes lined up for you

• Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken
• Instant Pot Poached Eggs
• Instant Pot Pad Thai
• Instant Pot Sticky Rice
• Instant Pot Dal Makhani
• Instant Pot Jasmine Rice

What Is Brown Rice

Brown rice is unpolished whole grain rice. Unpolished means that the bran, germ, and aleurone layer of the rice is not removed as it is done in white rice. It is nutritious and is extremely high in fiber as compared to white rice.

Because of the fibrous layers on it, it also takes a longer time to cook and the water rice ratio is different as compared to white rice.

Here are some of the health benefits of brown rice

• Enriched with a high content of fibre, it also happens to be gluten-free. It is indeed a rich source of vitamin B6, thiamin, niacin, protein, selenium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and manganese.
• It keeps your heart healthy, as it is high in magnesium.
• Brown rice is also considered great for digestion or other stomach related issues.
• It is great to consume for diabetic people, controls your cholesterol and also reduces the risk of certain type of cancers.
• Brown rice not only aids weight loss but it also perfect as a baby food. It will keep you filled for longer due to its fibre rich properties.

Ingredients

To cook brown rice in an instant pot, you will need just 3 ingredients – brown rice, salt, and water.

Brown rice comes in multiple grain sizes and varieties. Long grain, medium grain, short grain, Jasmine brown rice, Basmati brown rice, etc. I prefer to cook long grain basmati brown rice for my everyday meals. It’s fluffier and nuttier than the short and medium grain.

Note that the cooking time and water to rice ratio will be the same for cooking any of the grain sizes and varieties.

Raw brown rice can be stored for up to six months at room temperature in a cool dry place. To extend its shelf life, store it in the refrigerator or freezer.

Salt – Adding a little salt brings out the flavor of the rice. You can choose to skip adding it though.

Water – Water to rice ratio is very very important to get perfectly fluffy rice. When we cook brown rice in a pot or in a rice cooker, a lot of water is evaporated while cooking. But in the instant pot, the steam is trapped inside the pot and hence we need a lot less water for cooking. For every 1 cup of brown rice, I use 1-¼ measure of liquid. Stick to this measurement while cooking and I can assure you it will come out perfect.

How To Make Instant Pot Brown Rice

Rinse 2 cups of brown rice with water 2-3 times (to remove excess starch) and drain the excess water. Rinsing the rice also makes it fluffier.

Add the rinsed rice to the instant pot.

Add 2.5 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt and stir gently.

Note – You can add a teaspoon of oil while cooking the rice to make the grains fluffier. When making it for everyday use, I try to avoid it.

Close the lid of the pot and set the valve to the sealing position.

Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 22 minutes at high pressure. Instant pot will take some time to build the pressure and start the timer.

Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually by moving the valve to the venting position. Open the lid of the pot and fluff the rice gently using a fork.

Serve the brown rice or transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week or the freezer for 3 months. 

Pro Tips By Neha

Make sure to rinse the rice before cooking. It makes the rice softer and fluffier. Be sure to drain it well and ensure the water-to-rice ratio is accurate.

Cooking rice in an instant pot requires much less water than cooking it over the stovetop or in a rice cooker. So stick to the measurements.

To make the rice more flavorful, swap water with vegetable or chicken broth.

Toasting the rice in little olive oil or butter makes it nuttier. Saute the rice in butter or olive oil for 5 minutes before adding the liquid and then close the lid. The rice will have an earthier and nuttier flavor.

Do not leave cooked rice at room temperature for long. Refrigerate it as soon as it cools down.

I made 2 cups of rice in my 6 qt instant pot. You can double or triple the recipe if you have a bigger size pot. The cooking time will remain the same.

You can make this rice with vegetables, greens like spinach or kale, or with chicken and spice it up with your favorite spice powders.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve instant pot brown rice as a side dish with tandoori chicken, lemon butter chicken, lemon garlic tilapia, roasted zucchini, roasted broccoli, or other grilled vegetables.

Serve it with Indian lentils like dal tadka, dal makhani, or any Indian curry of your choice. It tastes best when served with rich and creamy curries.

Other than Indian curries, you can also serve it with other curries like Thai red curry, Thai green curry, brown stew chicken, etc.

It is also great to serve with meatballs and stir-fries.

You can stuff in burritos or include them in your rice bowls/buddha bowls as well. It is a versatile accompaniment, that tastes great with almost everything.

Use it to make stir-fried rice dishes like gochujang fried rice, kimchi fried rice, lemon cilantro rice, Thai fried rice, turmeric rice, vegetable fried rice, mushroom fried rice, or Schezwan fried rice.

Storage Suggestions

Brown rice tastes the best when served fresh! However, leftovers can be stored in a dry and clean airtight container for about 5-6 days. Reheat it in a pan or microwave, until nice and warm before serving.

If you feel it has become a little dry, then sprinkle a little water on top while reheating.

Cooked brown rice is freezer-friendly. Cool the rice completely and transfer it to a freezer-safe container. Freeze it for up to 3 months. To thaw, let it sit on the counter for a few hours or in the refrigerator overnight.

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