Instant Pot Brown Rice (Basmati)

Instant Pot Brown Basmati Rice is an easy, hands-off recipe that cooks up fluffy, tender, and delicious. This simple pressure cooker method cuts your cook time and makes getting dinner on the table a breeze. 

Pressure cooker Basmati brown rice is fluffy, nicely sticky, and has the perfect touch of nutty flavor. We gobble this brown rice up with our Crockpot Teriyaki Meatballs—everyone in the family goes back for seconds!

We enjoy eating rice, but cooking rice on the stove top is challenging, and we don't have a rice cooker.

On the stove, it never turns outright.

It often bubbles over and makes a huge mess or seems a bit hard and undercooked. That's one of the reasons we love making brown rice in the Instant Pot! We get perfect results.

Long Grain Brown rice is excellent with Chicken Lettuce Wraps and Slow Cooker Chicken Curry or just a plain rice bowl with veggies.

Why we love this rice recipe

• It's a hands-off way to cook brown rice - you can step away from the stove!
• It always turns out fluffy and delicious - so tender!
• It takes only 5 minutes of active prep time.

This is one of those easy recipes that's a no-fail way to prepare your side dish so you can focus on the other elements of dinner. 

Bonus! Did you know brown basmati rice is the same grain as white basmati rice, but it's more nutrient-dense and the health benefits of being high in fiber, so it's a wonderful whole grain to serve your family. 

What is the Brown Rice to Water Ratio in the Instant Pot

Measurements matter when cooking rice perfectly in your pressure cooker, so you want to be as precise as possible with your water to rice ratio, so you get perfect brown rice.

We use 2 cups of brown rice and 2 ½ cups of water when cooking brown rice in the Instant Pot. 

For enhanced flavor, we often substitute chicken broth and then use 2 cups brown rice with 1 cup water and 1 ½ cups broth. You can also use all broth (chicken or vegetable broth) for the liquid, but we recommend using a low-sodium variety so that it's healthier.

How Long To Cook Instant Pot Brown Rice

How long to cook brown rice in the instant pot is a great question. Our preferred cooking time for brown rice in the pressure cooker is 15 minutes with a natural release, but follow this chart for your perfect texture.

Amount of Rice	Amount of Liquid	Cook Time	Results
2 cups	2.5 cups	15 minutes High Pressure + natural release	fully cooked, tender, and chewy
2 cups	2 cups	15 minutes High Pressure + natural release	firmer texture
2 cups	2.5 cups	20 minutes High Pressure + quick release	slightly firm texture

How To Make - step by step instructions

Step 1 - Rinse Rice

First, measure your rice and then rinse it in cool water to remove the excess starch. Shake off any excess water, let it drain for a minute, and then place the rice in your Instant Pot. 

PRO TIP: You can toast your rice for a richer flavor before cooking it. Just add one tablespoon of olive oil (or coconut oil) to the Instant Pot with your rice (before adding any liquid). Use the sauté mode and cook the rice for approximately 3-4 minutes. Turn off your Instant Pot and follow the remainder of the recipe.

Step 2 - Add Water

Next, add your water (or broth) to the pot and stir to combine. Make sure all of your rice is in the liquid and not sticking to the sides. 

Step 3 - Cook

Now, close the Instant Pot lid and ensure the steam valve is in the sealing position. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook (manual) at high pressure for 15 minutes. 

Step 4 - Natural Pressure Release

For perfect brown rice, let the pressure naturally release once it beeps to let you know it's finished. Just leave it alone - the release can take up to 20 minutes. (Don't quick release)

This is a great time to finish up the rest of dinner!

Once the pressure fully releases, open the lid, fluff your rice with a fork and serve!!

How to store

We like to make a big batch of perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice at the beginning of the week for meal prep. Then use it with recipes like burritos, salads, and roasted vegetables throughout the week. 

This tip is one of our Mom Hacks in the kitchen to cook once and eat twice! 

To properly store your brown rice:

IN THE REFRIGERATOR - Place it in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. 

IN THE FREEZER - Place your rice in a freezer-safe, airtight container and freeze for up to 3 - 4 months. Make sure to follow our tips for preventing freezer burn.

To thaw, place the rice in the freezer overnight. 

To reheat, place rice in the microwave with a sprinkle of water for a minute or less or warm it on low in a saucepan.

PRO TIP: Don't leave your rice at room temperature to prevent bacteria growth. 

Equipment Used

Instant Pot - best-selling pressure cooker for beginners.
Fine Mesh Strainer - a kitchen staple for rinsing fine grains like rice and quinoa.
Measuring Cup - this is the set we've used for years.

Tasty Instant Pot Recipes

Instant Pot Butter chicken - an easy spice-filled way to enjoy Indian food at home.
Yummy Instant Pot Mac & Cheese - the classic recipe that requires only 4 minutes of cook time!
Instant Pot Tortellini Soup - a family-friendly recipe that is so simple to make! The addition of sausage is terrific.
Instant Pot Lemon Chicken - one of our most popular Instant Pot recipes because the lemony sauce is out of this world!
Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti - the meat sauce makes this recipe a hearty and satisfying meal.

Tips & tricks

• Make sure to thoroughly rinse and drain your rice before cooking to remove excess starch, which may make it gummy during the cooking process. 
• Typically, we use Brown Basmati Rice for the recipe. It may not work as well with other types of brown rice.
• We prefer not to add seasoning while cooking, so you can use the rice in a variety of recipes. However, seasonings are wonderful to include if you're preparing your rice to eat immediately. Think garlic, onion powder, pepper, turmeric, or other herbs and spices. 
• To keep your rice moist, we don't recommend keeping it on the warm setting after it finishes cooking. 
• We use the PRESSURE COOKING SETTING, not the RICE SETTING, when cooking rice in the Instant Pot.
• Use a standard measuring cup for your rice, not the cup that comes with the Instant Pot.

Because we love pressure cooker rice so much, we can't wait to try Chicken and Brown Rice in the Instant Pot.

We love hearing from you

If you try this Instant Pot Basmati Rice or any other Suburban Simplicity recipe, don't forget to rate it and let us know how it went in the comments below. We love hearing from you! Better yet, use the hashtag #suburbansimplicity if you make the recipe.

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