Instant Pot Basmati Rice

A pressure cooker is a great hands-off method for rice that works every time! Here’s how to make Instant Pot basmati rice.

Looking for an easy way to cook rice? If you’ve got a pressure cooker, it’s a rice cooker too. Try this Instant Pot basmati rice! It’s a hands-off method that results in fluffy, perfectly cooked rice in just over 20 minutes. No gummy rice, no risk of over cooking or under cooking it: it’s perfect every time! Alex and I love using a pressure cooker for rice because you essentially “set it and forget it”. This leaves the stove—and our brains—open for preparing the main part of the meal.

What’s basmati rice, anyway?

Basmati rice is a long grain rice traditionally grown in India and the surrounding countries (Pakistan, Nepal, etc). Because of that, it’s best paired with Indian-style curries, like this Easy Chickpea Curry. The flavor is nutty and floral: the name “basmati” comes from the Hindi word for “fragrant”.

Basmati rice fits into a category of rice called “aromatic rice”. These are medium to long grain rice varieties like jasmine rice that have a nutty aroma and flavor. (What’s the difference? See more at Basmati vs Jasmine Rice.)

Tips for how to cook Instant Pot basmati rice

Cooking basmati rice in a pressure cooker is very simple! The hardest part is waiting the 10 minutes for the natural release. Here’s what to remember:

• You’ll add 1 part basmati rice and 1 part water. The recipe below calls for 2 cups.
• The cook time on High is 8 minutes (white rice) or 20 minutes (brown rice). Keep in mind it takes about 5 minutes to “preheat” first.
• Natural release for 10 minutes. Remember to set a timer for 10 minutes so you remember to let out the steam after the natural release!

White rice vs. brown rice

When white rice is so much quicker than brown rice: why eat brown rice? In short: brown rice has more nutrients because it’s less processed. So Alex and I try to eat brown when we have time. Here’s the breakdown:

• Brown rice is less processed = more nutrients. White rice has its hull, bran and germ removed. Brown rice has only the hull removed, so it keeps the nutrient-packed bran and germ. This means it has more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than white rice.
• Brown rice has more fiber. 1 cup of cooked white rice has 0.6 grams fiber, but 1 cup cooked brown rice has 3.2 grams of fiber, 13% of your daily need. (Source)

Want more? Go to Brown Rice vs White Rice.

Ways to serve Instant Pot basmati rice

Basmati rice is best served with Indian-style curry recipes! While you can’t make these with your pressure cooker, the nice part about Instant Pot basmati rice is that you can set it and forget it. It’s totally hands off, and it frees up the stovetop so you can make the curry. Here are a few of our favorite curry recipes:

• Easy Chickpea Curry The ultimate healthy and easy weeknight dinner! It’s done in 20 minutes, totally plant based, and full of flavor.
• Vegetable Curry This easy vegetable curry is the best way to eat your veggies! Cauliflower, bell pepper and chickpeas swim in a flavor-packed broth.
• Quick Coconut Lentil Curry This coconut lentil curry has it all: it’s a fast and easy dinner idea that’s healthy and full of flavor. Perfect for weeknights!

More Instant Pot rice recipes

We love cooking rice in our Instant Pot, because it’s mainly hands off and comes out perfectly cooked! here are a few more of our pressure cooker rice methods:

• Instant Pot White Rice Perfect white rice in your pressure cooker!
• Instant Pot Brown Rice Here’s how to cook brown rice: it’s quicker than stovetop.
• Instant Pot Jasmine Rice Jasmine rice is perfect with Thai-style curries like this Shrimp Curry.
• Instant Pot Spanish Rice The perfect side for tacos and enchiladas! Also called Mexican rice, it’s easy to make in a pressure cooker.

This Instant Pot basmati rice recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

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