Instant Pot rice is a hands-off way to cook fluffy white rice. This foolproof rice recipe helps to make dinner prep easy!
I love cooking rice in my Instant Pot because it requires so little effort! With five young kids, there’s usually a lot going on in my house when I’m cooking dinner. This Instant Pot rice saves my sanity because once I start it cooking, I don’t have to think about it again until I’m ready to plate it up. I don’t have to watch a pot on the stove or worry about a pot bubbling over.
Instead, I get perfect fluffy rice that practically cooks itself! I serve this rice with so many of our favorite meals, from Beef Stir Fry and Teriyaki Chicken to Baked Salmon.
This recipe works to cook any long grain white rice. I most often make Instant Pot jasmine rice or basmati rice. If you want to cook brown rice, see my Instant Pot Brown Rice recipe.
This Instant Pot Rice
- takes just a few minutes of active prep time.
- turns out perfectly cooked and fluffy, every time.
- is so versatile, perfect for serving with stir fries or using in your favorite rice recipes, like Fried Rice.
It came out nice and fluffy. Excellent recipe!!
Jennifer
Rice to Water Ratio
I’ve tested different rice to water ratios and found that a 1 to 1 water to rice ratio works best for Instant Pot rice. This means that for every cup of rice you need one cup of water. Measure carefully, and use the same measuring cup for both the water and the rice so that your measurement is precise.
Why do you need less liquid when pressure cooking rice, compared to cooking rice on the stove? This is because you lose less liquid to evaporation when you use an Instant Pot pressure cooker.
Flavor Tip!
For more flavorful rice you can cook the rice in chicken broth, vegetable broth or bone broth instead of water. I recommend using a low sodium broth to limit the amount of salt.
How to Make Instant Pot Rice
Here is an overview of the recipe steps. Find the full printable recipe in the recipe card below. If you are new to Instant Pot cooking, you might find my beginner’s guide on How to Use an Instant Pot helpful.
- Rinse the rice. Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse it under cold running water to remove excess starch. Drain the rice well and then put it in the Instant Pot.
- Add the water and stir to combine.
- Pressure cook for 4 minutes at high pressure. Before setting the cook time, check that the steam release valve is in the sealing position. The pot must be sealed for the rice to cook properly.
- Natural release. After the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes by just leaving the Instant Pot alone. Don’t skip the natural release – it’s essential for fluffy, perfectly cooked rice. It also helps to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Rice Setting
I prefer to cook rice using the manual pressure cook setting, not the rice setting. The Instant Pot rice setting is a preset program that cooks for about 12 minutes at low pressure. It can only be used for white rice. I’ve tested cooking white rice using the rice button, and prefer to use the 4 minutes at high pressure method instead. It’s faster and I find that the texture of the rice is better.
How Much Rice Can You Cook in an Instant Pot
The recipe below is for cooking 2 cups of dry rice, which will yield about 6 cups of cooked rice. You can scale the recipe down to cook 1 cup of dry rice. The water to rice ratio and cook time stay the same regardless of the amount of rice you are cooking.
You can cook more rice as long as you don’t exceed the maximum fill lines on your pot. Rice will expand as it cooks, so you have to account for this:
- You can double this recipe to cook 4 cups of rice in a 6 quart Instant Pot, which will make about 12 cups of cooked rice.
- If you have an 8 quart Instant Pot (and need a lot of rice), you can triple this recipe to cook 6 cups rice. This will make about 18 cups of cooked rice.
How to Store Rice
- Always cool and store cooked rice promptly for food safety. You can cool rice quickly by laying it out in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Refrigerate or freeze rice as soon as possible after cooking (within an hour).
- To Refrigerate: Once it’s cooled, store cooked rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
- To Freeze: Cool completely and then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1-2 months. After that, the rice can start to dry out.
- To Reheat: Reheat rice in the microwave, on the stove top, or even in a dish in the oven, covered to trap in the heat and steam. If your rice has dried out you can add a bit of water when reheating.
More Easy Instant Pot Recipes
You may also enjoy these Instant Pot recipes:
Instant Pot Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain white rice, such as basmati or jasmine
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, optional
Instructions
- Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water. Drain rice well and put it in the Instant Pot.
- Add water to the pot, and salt, if desired. Stir. Make sure that all of the rice is in the water, not stuck to the sides of the pot.
- Close the Instant Pot lid and move the steam release valve to the sealing position.
- Use the Pressure Cook or Manual function to cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. The Instant Pot will take about 10 minutes to reach pressure and then the cook time will begin counting down.
- When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes by leaving the Instant Pot alone.
- Carefully move the steam release valve to the venting position to quick release any remaining pressure. When the pin drops down, open the Instant Pot lid.
- Fluff rice and serve.
Notes
- You can substitute low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth for the water. If using broth, omit the salt.
- To cook only 1 cup of dry rice, use 1 cup of water. The cook time will be the same.
- You can cook up to 4 cups of dry rice in a 6 quart Instant Pot. Use a 1:1 rice to water ratio and keep the cook time the same.
I followed the recipe. I used 2 cups of long grain white rice and 2 cups of water. I set my IP to manual 4 min. It took about 10 minutes to come to pressure. I let it naturally release for 15 on the dot. I released what little bit of pressure was left. I fluffed my rice plated it and it was still crunchy. To fix it I had to add 1 cup of water now a total of 3 cups used and hit the rice button which is 12 minutes. It set to auto eventually it built up pressure I did not time it but it was at least another 10-15 minutes to do that then I let it go for 3 minutes. I then cancelled it did a quick release and finally it was done. Even in the booklet it says 1:1 ratio 4 minutes for rice which is the same as your recipe, with a natural 15 release, but it didn’t work for me unfortunetly and I am really not sure why.
Seems like not everything that works for 1 person works for another. Any ideas as to why this didn’t work for me?
I’m not sure. This recipe always works for me. It could be the rice you used? Maybe try again with a different long grain white rice? Have you had difficulty with your Instant Pot cooking other foods properly? (I ask because one time I had a defective Instant Pot that I had to exchange.)
Could this be due to different elevations? We’ve recently moved from sea level up to 5000 feet. I can’t bake here to save my life, so I’m concerned that elevation might be an issue with the measurements for the pot as well. I think that higher elevations might require more liquid, but again, I am just learning to use mine. Good luck, I hope we both get this figured out!
No problem cooking anything else and the rice button calls 12 minutes when you push it. So how is it cooking yours in 4 minutes setting it manually, but the preset button says 12 minutes and it is perfect everytime for me?
I have made many things in my IP. It isn’t defective. I have had it since Oct 25th 2019. I use it several times a week. I make lots of rice and it doesn’t matter what white rice I use it is still 12 minutes once it comes to pressure with a quick release. My sisters is the same 12 minutes. I will stick to what I know works thanks for trying to help though.
If your method is working for you, I would have to agree that you should stick to what works. 🙂
Though this did not yield fluffy rice for me (I forgot to wash the rice prior to and it might have been too starchy) this made awesome sticky rice!! Instead of making burrito bowls for lunch, I made smoked salmon sushi and my toddler and husband loved it! I’ll definitely try this again but make sure to wash my rice beforehand! When life hands you lemons, make sushi LOL!
I have a brand new 6 qt Instant Pot
the one with the air fryer anyway
I use it twice now to cooklong grain Jasmine
rice the first time I cook it with 1 to 1 ratio
( 1 cup rice 1 cup water ) and it looks like it’s undercook and the second time I use 1 Instant Pot cup to 1 cup water = 8 OZ and the rice came out sticky ? anyway Im still trying to get use to it so for now Im on training cooking rice LOL
This definitely cooked the rice no problem and didn’t heat up my house. However like a previous poster mine was sticky rice not fluffy. I typically boil and then strain rice when I cook it but the weather it so hot I don’t want to use the stove. I did wash the rice a ton before I started so I don’t think starch was the issue. Any suggestions on why mine was sticky?
Hi KCee, When I cook rice in the Instant Pot it turns out somewhat sticky. One thing that you can try is increasing the amount of water a little bit if you want less sticky rice. You could also try my stovetop rice recipe, although I understand not wanting to use the stove on a hot day!
I have an 8qt and it says 1 1/2 cups liquid to come to pressure. So wouldn’t my rice need more liquid than equal measure?
Hi Stephanie,
2 Cups each of water and rice as indicated in the recipe works best. You could also reduce to 1.5 cups of each if you want less rice.
I followed this to a T, and my rice came out beautifully! Thank you!
The rice really does come out perfect. I just bought a ceramic inner pot for my 3qt Instant pot just in time to try this recipe. Thank you.
Followed instructions as indicated. I used a Jasmine rice. I got the “burn food” notice twice. Wondering what I might have done wrong?
Hi Dee,
You might try troubleshooting with my post about the burn warning.
I leave on my own and cannot decide which size pot to get. I will be using it for rice a lot. So I am wondering if I can do one cup of rice in 6 liter,? I am reluctant to get smaller version as space not s problem and the smaller one is only 10 pound less than the big one.
Hi Linda,
Most recipes for the Instant Pot are sized for and tested in the 6-quart pot so that is the one I would get.
I have only used my instant pot once, and have not made rice
Normally I use minute rice and I cook it in either cream of mushroom soup, or tomato juice. How would you do that in an instant pot?
I would not recommend cooking minute rice in an Instant Pot. I would worry that you would get a burn warning with using cream of mushroom soup to cook rice in the Instant Pot. You could try replacing some of the water with tomato juice (not tomato sauce) – maybe half? If you try it, let me know how it turns out.
Turned out awesome..
Excuse me mine came out a little dry. I’m thinking I didn’t quite get the ratio one to one exact. I’m going to try it again and be more careful to see how it comes out. I was able to rescue the rice though by adding in some extra broth and butter and letting it sit in the instant pot on warm for a little while.
Oh my goodness! I used my instapot to Cook white rice and I used the rice setting…. How absolutely amazing!
Recipe looks great…but I was wondering if I could add jarred salsa? Would you change the liquid measurements?
Thank you! I haven’t tried this with the addition of salsa. If you try it, I would keep the amount of water the same.
I tried your recipe with long-grain white rice, and it came out perfectly. It says you can follow the same recipe for basmati rice, but what about for brown basmati rice? Would it still be the same? I’m making a recipe with brown basmati rice, and I’d like to cook the rice in my Instant Pot. Thanks, Kristine!
Hi Jan, I would recommend trying my Instant Pot Brown Rice recipe for brown basmati rice. I’m so happy that this came out perfect for you!
My big question is do I want or need to leave the keep warm button on when waiting for a natural release of pressure. I worry about my rice scorching on the bottom.
I always keep the keep warm button on. The keep warm setting does not put enough heat to scorch or burn the food.
I made this and used my rice setting only because it’s new and I need to read the manual for doing a manual start haha. I used jasmine rice and vegetable broth. It is cooked although a bit sticky. It’s fine since it’s going right in the fridge for the night and making fried rice with it in the black stone. I will play around with it and read my manual. Thank you!
If doubling or tripling the amount of rice for a large batch, do I need to adjust to cook time or the natural release time? Thanks!
The cook time and release time stay the same for a double or triple batch. The Instant Pot will take longer to come to pressure if there is more liquid in the pot. Be sure to not overfill the Instant Pot, as the rice will expand as it cooks. 🙂
Thank you, this worked perfectly! My rice was in there f on natural release for about 25 minutes while I finished my stir fry, and it was perfectly cooked. We bought a 50 lb bag of rice and I’ve been struggling to find a way to cook it without it ending up mushy or sticking to the bottom of the pot. Thanks!!
Ok, this was my 2nd attempt. First one I got the burn notice. Now I know I set the timer wrong. Followed your recipe exactly. Rice is gummy not fluffy and I did rinse it. It tasted ok. But why is my rice sticking so bad to the pot? Do you hit cancel after the 4 minutes to do the natural release? Or leave it on warm? Yes, I am a beginning Insta potter!
I usually leave it on warm during the natural release. Usually gummy rice is a result of not rinsing it well enough, but if you rinsed it I am not sure. I might suggest experimenting with the amount of water to see if that helps.
I don’t do plain rice. Since this was going with shrimp etouffee I put in saute mode and sauteed onions, celery and bell pepper with olive oil & salt. Added the rice, mixed with veggies and oil, added chicken stock and followed the 4 minutes/15 minutes recommendation. Came out perfect
I have a newer instant pot (sous vide model) and it took forever to reach pressure.Just an FYI for anyone with an IP purchased recently.
Followed the recipe exactly and rice was crunchy. ?
I’m sorry to hear that. It sounds like the pot might not have pressurized properly. This can happen if the valve isn’t set to the sealing position or the sealing ring isn’t fitted into the lid correctly.
Do we adjust the pressure level to low or high?
High pressure, as stated in step 4 of the recipe. Enjoy!
“Carolina white long grain extra large”
I have cooked it twice in my 6 qt. IP.
The first time, directions were 10 minutes cook, 10 minutes release time. A clump of mush.
The second time I followed your directions, minus the salt. Not too sticky, pre rinse is a must, slightly firm (to my liking) ready to be added to something like Red Beans ‘n Rice (I prefer to precook the rice).
5 stars, I think your recipe is perfect. Thanks!
Followed your instructions exactly and my rice was perfect just as described!
Thank you for posting
I just made white long grain rice. It turned out perfect! I was a little nervous of the outcome but now I have another way to make my rice. Thank you!
Oh, after the rice was done I added chicken (cooked in the instant pot earlier in the day) with teriyaki sauce to make a complete meal.
I used your recipe and loved it! Normally I do 1 cup of rice and 1 1/2 cups of water. I modified your recipe and cooked for 4 minutes with 1 1/4 cup of wawater, washing the rice thoroughly. It came out perfect !!! Love it!!! We have a lot of kids practice (sports) during the week and I set it before we leave for practice. When we come back, it’s perfect! Thank you for sharing! Me having my own business and feeding a larger family, it always comes out perfect! Again, thanks for the hack ? love it
I tried something a bit different. This worked perfectly for time, measurements for ingredients, etc. I always rinse my rice thoroughly before cooking. But this time, I sprayed the IP with avocado oil spray, added 1Tbsp grass fed butter, added and briefly cooked the rice on sauté for a couple minutes, then added the water, salt, and switched to the manual for 4 minutes as directed. After the 15 minute release, it turned out to be the fluffiest and tastiest Jasmine rice I’ve made. Prior use, without butter, produced a stickier rice, but also very good. The avocado oil spray on the pot prior to cooking made a really easy clean up. It didn’t stick to the pot and require me to soak it before washing.
I’ve been looking for a pressure cooker recipe for cooking for than 2 cups of long grain white rice. I decided to try this one on Thanksgiving morning, of all mornings! It came out perfectly in my Ninja Foodi!!! Thank you.
2 cups of rice, 2 cups of water and 1 tsp of salt.
4 minutes on high pressure, natural release.
Opened up the pot at 25 minutes.
Came Out Perfect.
Thanks Kristine!
My rice was sticky and “clumpy” but I forgot to rinse it before I put it in the Instant Pot. Could that be the reason?
I followed your instructions to the letter!
Instant Pot rice does stick together some, but not rinsing the rice could make this happen even more. I’d suggest rinsing the rice next time.
Worked beautifully! I blended the water with garlic, scallions, dill and spinach ala Jamie Oliver. Delicious.
I did 4 cups each of rice/water, but added about 1/2 cup extra water. Set it for 5 minutes then let is natural release for about 20 minutes while finished up grilling my chicken. It made perfect sticky rice for me, which I prefer! Using this recipe from now on!
It came out nice and fluffy. Excellent recipe!!
Followed instructions but forgot to rinse and it turned out perfect! Thank you!
Why do I not need to add more cooking time if I’m doubling the recipe? I guess I’m just thinking more rice needs more time. Thanks for any info!
Jill
Hi Jill, When you double Instant Pot recipes the cook time stays the same. (The pot will take a bit longer to reach pressure when there is a greater volume of liquid, but you should use the same amount of pressure cooking time.) Think of it like this: if you were cooking twice as much rice or pasta in a pot on the stove, would you need to cook it longer? You wouldn’t. 🙂
My go to rice recipe because it’s perfect every time
Rinsed and followed 1:1 as recipe said. Worked perfectly! Thanks!
My wife and I plan to use an Instant pot to make Mexican rice.
The recipe uses a rice cooker and calls for 8 cups of uncooked rice and 10 cups of broth/water plus (3) 14.5 oz. cans of fire roasted tomatoes.
Total liquid required is about 15.5 cups.
Am thinking we should reduce the total amount of liquid (broth/water plus tomatoes) by half if the ratio of liquid to uncooked rice is 1:1 when using and Instant Pot.
Your thoughts are appreciated.
WPT
Hi William,
I suggest following my Instant Pot Mexican Rice recipe. I tested it many times to find the perfect rice to liquid ratio when making Mexican rice in the IP. Enjoy!
Excellent information on how to use an instant pot.Thank you.
So the rice was awesome. Made it together with the crock pot sesame chicken and it hit the spot! However, the rice came out sticky – not a problem for eating, but it made cleaning out the instant pot a real task. I saw others saying the same – any remedies?
I’ve used my Instapot a lot, so I’m very familiar with it. I noticed the lid did not seem to want to go on easily, and I it didn’t want to come off easily, either. Never had that happen before and I just used it two days ago. So today I’m wanting to make large batches of cooked white rice to freeze dry. I tried your recipe using 4 cups long grain white rice and 4 cups of water….using the same 4 cup measuring cup, and rinsed and rinsed and rinsed it. Normally, I would use a dry measure for the rice and glass measure for the liquid but not this time. Perhaps that was the problem. I noticed the water level, after stirring it well in the pot, didn’t quite seem to be enough but I closed the lid anyway. I think another 1/4 to 1/3 cup more water might have been better. Used the pressure cook set to 4 minutes, came ON, and I walked away. Yes, the burning notice showed up and it was barely beginning to have a very slight scorch appearance in spots but nothing more. It was more sticky than I had hoped for and not quite done all the way. I’m going to freeze dry it anyway and then hope that it will rehydrate and finish cooking in foods with more liquid and simmer time. I will be sure to label this appropriately for that purpose.
Thank you! This is the 4th recipe I’ve read for instant pot rice and none of the others mentioned why Not to use the rice button! It turned out great and then I Had to click on risotto! Trying that next week!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this rice recipe! I think you will love the risotto! 🙂
This worked out great for me. I I have an 8 QT instant pot. I did a 1-1 ratio. I was using white rice for fried rice that I bake in the toaster oven. I have a ninja. After cooking I immediately transferred to a bowl then to the refrigerator. Next day the rice was perfect for fried rice. I know altitude was mentioned. I live at sea level. Thanks for the Post.