How to Make The Best Instant Pot Rice

With these step-by-step instructions, you're guaranteed to make the perfect rice in your Instant Pot EVERYTIME! Simple and fast, your Instant Pot rice will turn out moist and flavorful!

Because who doesn't need more simple in their lives...

I eat rice with a lot of different dishes. It just pairs so well with so many foods. But ya'll, I HATED making rice on the stovetop. It almost always boiled over. And I just don't love rice from a box.

I had heard so many people say that when they made rice in the Instant Pot, it turned out perfect. So I broke down and bought an Instant Pot. And guess what? I've fallen in LOVE with my Instant Pot! I've made so many different recipes in my Instant Pot and rice is hands down one of the easiest recipes to make.

And...this rice recipe only calls for 5 simple ingredients you have in your house:

• Rice
• Water
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Easy, right? I do try to keep things simple. So, how do you cook rice in an Instant Pot? I'm so glad you asked! I don't know about you, but there are a lot of Instant Pot recipes out there that don't really explain how to use your Instant Pot. Their instructions are so vague and the recipe doesn't always turn out right.

But not this one..NOPE! Get ready because I'm going to break this Instant Pot Rice recipe down step-by-step for you so it's SUPER clear on how to make the BEST rice in an Instant Pot!

How to Make Rice In An Instant Pot: Step-By-Step

Step 1

First, measure out 1 cup of rice. Use whatever type of rice you want...Basmati, White Rice, Jasmine, Brown Rice, Wild Rice...etc. In my recipe below, I used long-grain white rice.

Step 2

Next, pour the rice into a food strainer and rinse with water for about 20 seconds.

Step 3

From there, pour 1 teaspoon of olive oil into your Instant Pot.

Step 4

I like to use a basting brush and spread the olive oil around to ensure the bottom is covered. From my experience, this REALLY helps ensure the rice cooks evenly.

Step 5

Then, you're going to add the rice, water, salt and pepper to the Instant Pot.

Step 6

Now you're going to put the Instant Pot lid on and turn it until it beeps. That indicated the lid is on and securely in place. You're then going to move the valve on top of the lid to "Sealing".

Step 7

Now, it's time to plug in your Instant Pot. When you plug the Instant Pot in, it will display "Off". Go ahead and select the Rice setting. Your Instant Pot window should display with a "12" and the pressure should display as "Low Pressure".

Step 8

After a couple of seconds, your Instant Pot is going to start beeping and the display will switch to "On".

Step 9

After a couple of minutes in, the Instant Pot is going to start steaming just a little. This is perfectly normal. I was FREAKED out that the lid was going to fly off when I first used my Instant Pot but I promise...this is part of the Instant Pot process. It's doing it's "magic"!

Step 10

It's important to note that the Instant Pot will display on the "On" setting for a short period of time. Soon after, the Instant Pot will start counting down on the display screen. When it gets to L0:00, it's going to start beeping.

Now, go ahead and move the valve on top of the lid to from "Sealing" to "Venting". This releases the pressure from the Instant Pot, but keep the lid on.

Step 11

Notice that the display window in your Instant Pot is counting down. When it gets to L008, you're ready to remove the lid off the Instant Pot.

Your rice is done! How easy was that? No pots boiling over on my stove and no mess to clean up! Look how perfect, fluffy and moist this white rice looks!

And that's what you will get from this Instant Pot rice recipe...a nice moist rice. Not "sticky" and not dry. Perfectly cooked rice that turns out right every time!

What To Serve Instant Pot Rice With:

• Lemon Butter Chicken
• Pesto Chicken Thighs
• Pinto Beans
• Asian Steak Roll Ups
• Feta and Sun-Dried Tomato Meatloaf 
• Instant Pot Beef Tips

Tips and Tricks for Cooking Different Types of Rice in an Instant Pot

• Versions - Did you know there are different Instant Pot versions/generations?  I've been told that cook times differ based on the version of Instant Pot you own. I have the Instant Pot IP-DUO80 7-in-1 Programmable Electric Pressure Cooker, 8 Qt.
• Spreading Olive Oil - In addition to my reference above, I've noticed that when I spread the olive oil around with a basting brush at the bottom of my Instant Pot the rice cooks more evenly and turns out perfect! YUM!
• Rinsing Rice -  It's a good practice to get into because it gets rid of some of the starches and it truly does provide more of a clean and fresh taste. Personally, I like to use a mesh food strainer because the holes are so tiny. That guarantees the grains of rice don't fall through when I'm rinsing.
• Water to Rice Ratio - There's a lot of debate about this in other food blogger's recipes. You'll often see a 1:1 ratio for rice and water. Well, I don't like dry rice. I like moist, full and fluffy rice so I use 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of water. That's my preference.
• Cooking Different Types of Rice - You can use any type of rice you want in your Instant Pot. The only thing you need to remember is the cook times are a little different based on the type of rice. Here's a quick reference for you:
  • Long Grain White Rice - 12 minutes
  • Basmati - 5 minutes
  • Jasmine - 8 minutes
  • Brown Rice - 25 minutes
  • Wild Rice - 28 minutes

What Other Instant Pot Recipes Can I Make?

I'm glad you asked...because you have a lot of options! Check out these favorites:

• Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken
• Instant Pot Mexican Rice
• 14 Recipes That Will Convince You To Buy An Instant Pot

How simple was this recipe?! You're never going to want to pull out that pot to make rice on the stovetop again! Using an Instant Pot to make rice makes my life so much easier!

If you've tried my recipe for How to Make The Best Instant Pot Rice, leave me a comment! I love to hear from my readers!  And don't forget to rate the recipe below!!