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Make perfect Instant Pot Basmati Rice for a fast side dish that the whole family will love! Made in a flash in a pressure cooker, this delicious basmati rice is great for meal prep and it pairs well with so many dishes.
Basmati rice in the Instant Pot is the perfect recipe for anyone new to pressure cooking. You’ll get perfect results every time and you’ll love that you don’t need to babysit a pot on the stove.
What is Basmati Rice?
Basmati rice is a type of long-grain rice that doesn’t plump up when it is cooked. It is traditionally paired with Indian and South Asian dishes.
It’s perfect with dishes like Peanut Butter Chicken, Air Fryer Orange Chicken, Instant Pot Teriyaki Beef, Air Fryer Tofu, Mung Bean Coconut Curry, Instant Pot Beef Tips and Gravy, or Instant Pot Orange Chicken.
Ingredients
For this recipe, we use only a few ingredients:
- White basmati rice
- Stock/broth, or water
- Olive oil (optional)
- Salt
This recipe calls for the optional addition of oil, ghee, or melted butter. If you saute the rinsed rice in a bit of fat before cooking, it helps separate the grains after cooking and adds lots of flavor. You can always skip this step if you’re short on time.
A fun way to add lots of extra flavor to your rice is to saute aromatics in the oil prior to starting the instant pot. We love throwing in frozen minced garlic, but the sky is the limit for additions.
HOW TO MAKE Basmati RICE IN INSTANT POT:
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Start by rinsing the rice under cool running water in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs clear. When you rinse your rice, you remove excess starch which can cause your rice to be sticky. If you prefer a sticky texture, skip the rinsing step.
Press Saute on the Instant Pot and let it heat up for a few minutes. Add the rinsed rice and olive oil (or butter/ghee), and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Press “off/keep warm” to turn the Instant Pot to off.
Add the stock/broth/water and salt to the Instant Pot. Give it a good stir and then put the lid on.
Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>5 minutes. It will take 5-8 minutes to get up to pressure.
When the rice has finished cooking, the Instant Pot will beep. Press the “keep warm/off” button to turn it off.
Allow the Instant Pot to sit for 10 minutes and then flip the switch to “venting” to do a pressure release and remove any remaining pressure. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve it with your favorite recipes.
Basmati POT IN POT RICE METHOD
The pot-in-pot cooking method produces the same texture as cooking the rice directly in the Instant Pot. But a side benefit is that it’s cooked in a serving dish that you can put directly on the table (along with a hot pad/trivet).
You’ll need: a glass or stainless steel bowl and a wire trivet (hint: most pressure cookers come with the trivet).
Place 3 cups of water in the insert of your Instant Pot and then add the trivet. Mix your rice, water/broth, oil, and salt in a glass or stainless bowl. Cook following the timing noted in the recipe card below.
How to Store and Reheat
Storing Leftovers: Allow the rice to cool and store covered leftovers in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Reheating Leftovers: To reheat, cover, and microwave individual servings for 35-60 seconds.
Freezing Leftovers: Rice freezes very well. Allow it to fully cool and then transfer to freezer-safe storage.
I love freezing leftover rice in these reusable silicone bags because you can actually microwave the frozen rice directly in the bag!
frequently asked Questions
For every 1 cup of rice you use, you’ll need 1 cup of broth or water. No matter how long you cook it, or how much rice you make, keep a 1:1 ratio of rice to liquid.
So if you’re asking yourself “how much water do I need for 2 cups of basmati rice”, it would be 2 cups of water and 2 cups of basmati rice.
Exception: If you do not pre-rinse the rice, add an additional 1/8 cup of liquid per 1 cup of rice when cooking.
Depending on how you like your rice, 4-6 minutes works best. If you like firmer rice, 4 minutes is perfect. If you want something a little softer, then 6 minutes is your best bet.
I find 5 minutes makes the perfect texture every single time.
Yes! I do recommend rinsing it before cooking, but you can still cook basmati rice in the Instant Pot without soaking or rinsing it.
It is recommended to increase the cooking time by 5% for every 1,000 feet above 2,000 feet.
Since this recipe just needs 4-6 minutes of active cooking time, start by increasing the cooking time by 1 minute and then test to see if the rice is cooked to your liking.
You’ll also want to increase the liquid by 1-2 tbsp and make sure you perform the full 10-minute natural release before doing a quick release.
For Instant Pot basmati brown rice, you’ll need to add an extra 1/8 cup of water/broth and cook for 19 minutes with a 10-minute natural release.
PRO TIPS/RECIPE NOTES
- The cooking time will remain the same no matter how much rice you make. That being said, the more rice you make, the longer the Instant Pot will take longer to come up to pressure and depressurize.
- Each cup of uncooked rice will yield three cups of cooked rice.
- Do not use the cup markings on the inside of the Instant Pot to measure your dry rice or water. Use a dry ingredient cup for the rice and a liquid measuring cup for the water/broth.
- With a stainless steel Instant Pot insert, some rice will stick to the bottom and sides after cooking. Simply soak the insert in warm water for a bit and then clean it as usual.
- I love using broth/stock in place of water. Check out these posts on How to Make Chicken Bone Broth, Turkey Bone Broth, and Where to Buy Bone Broth for inspiration.
- Make sure to turn the Instant Pot off once it has finished cooking. This will prevent the rice in the pot from scorching while you wait for the pot to depressurize.
More Great Instant Pot Rice Recipes
Instant Pot Basmati Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice {uncooked}
- 1 tsp olive oil, butter, or ghee {optional}
- 2 cups water {or broth}
- 1 tsp salt {optional}
Instructions
- Rinse uncooked rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cool water until the water runs clear. (about ~2 minutes)2 cups basmati rice
- Press Saute on the Instant Pot and let it heat up for a few minutes. Add the rinsed rice and olive oil (or butter/ghee), and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Press “off/keep warm” to turn the Instant Pot to off.1 tsp olive oil, butter, or ghee
- Add the stock/broth/water and salt to the Instant Pot. Give it a good stir and then put the lid on.2 cups water, 1 tsp salt
- Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”.
- Press Manual>High Pressure>5 minutes. It will take 5-8 minutes to get up to pressure.
- When the rice has finished cooking, the Instant Pot will beep and switch to ”keep warm". Turn it to "off".
- Allow it to sit for 10 minutes and then flip the switch to "venting" to remove any remaining pressure.
- Carefully open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork or rice scoop.
Pot in Pot Method
- Place 3 cups of water in the insert of your Instant Pot and add the wire trivet.
- In a glass or stainless steel bowl combine rice, water (or broth), and optional salt and olive oil. Mix
- Follow steps 4-8 above.
Notes
- If you do not rinse your rice, increase the water by 1/8 cup per cup of rice.
- Each cup of uncooked rice will make 3 cups of cooked rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I definitely will be trying it because you made notes on how to do it in high-altitude. Since I live at 8500 feet, I appreciate that.
Glad it is helpful, Phyllis! My friend lives in Denver and once mentioned how none of my Instant Pot recipes had the same cooking times for her. That led me to do some research, and I make sure to include that info now.
Made this last night! Went to make some rice on the stove and realized it’s brown rice and didn’t feel like waiting 40+ minutes for it to cook… but once I had it in the IP, I was adding up the time.
Still learning the ways of the Instant Pot, so correct me if I’m wrong. So if I am making brown rice, I set the timer for 19 minutes. Is that 19 minutes in addition to the 5-8 minutes for the pressure to build? If so, making the rice in the instant pot isn’t much faster (8+19+10= 37 minutes). Stove top directions say 40 minutes.
One major bonus is I’m doing the pot-in-pot method so one less dish to wash!
And the rice came out delicious, so there is also that ????
Yep! If you look at the time in the recipe card it also includes “pressurizing/depressurizing” time in the total time.