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    Home » Instant pot

    How to cook basmati rice in the instant pot (perfect rice every time!)

    Published on : Sep 30, 2021 Last Updated : Jun 26, 2022 by Sravanthi. This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Do you love fluffy and flavorful basmati rice for your lunch or dinner? Make this Instant pot basmati rice recipe, enjoy flavourful rice for your meal, and make it special!

    This post will give detailed steps, tips, and tricks to cook perfect basmati rice in an instant pot. And you will also find different flavor variations you could try with basmati rice.

    instant pot basmati rice in a plate

    Contents :

    • What is basmati rice?
    • Ingredients
    • How to make perfect basmati rice every time
    • Basmati rice to water ratio
    • Seasoning basmati rice
    • Recipe notes
    • Variations
    • Serving suggestions
    • Storage
    • Common FAQs
    • Recipe

    What is Basmati rice?

    Basmati is a variety of rice that is long, slender, and aromatic. This variety of rice is majorly grown in the Indian subcontinent. Basmati rice will be long and thin even after cooking it, and that's the specialty of this rice.

    Plain basmati rice is also so flavorful and makes an everyday meal special.

    Ingredients

    Rice: Good quality rice will yield light and fluffy rice. Choose aged basmati rice for better volume, aroma, and fluffiness.

    Water: I used plain water to cook basmati rice in the electric pressure cooker. But you can use any broth as well to flavor the rice.

    Salt: Salt is optional, and you can skip it. We usually do not add salt to the rice as other side dishes like curries and dals will have enough salt. 

    Oil:  Oil will help in making basmati rice fluffy. I do not recommend skipping it. You can use any oil of your choice, like olive oil, coconut oil, or vegetable oil. If you are not vegan, you can use butter and ghee also.

    How to make perfect basmati rice every time

    You can cook perfect basmati rice every time using these simple steps.

    Rinse: Rinsing is an important step, and it will help in removing starch from basmati rice. Rinsing will yield fluffy rice, so do not skip this step.

    Soak: Though soaking is optional, I usually soak my rice for at least 30 minutes. By soaking rice, grains will absorb the water, and they get cooked uniformly. If skipping the soaking step, please use more water for cooking the basmati rice.

    Pressure cook: Carefully drain the water from the soaked rice and keep it aside. Next, brush the instant pot inner pot with oil so that cooked rice will not stick to the pot.

    Alternatively, you can start the instant pot in saute mode. Once it is hot enough, add oil and turn off the instant pot. Spread the oil by tilting the pot or using a brush. 

    Add spices like cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, and cinnamon stick to the hot oil if you want to flavor the rice.

    Now add drained rice, salt, and water to the inner pot. Close the instant pot with its lid and seal the vent.

    Then, start the instant pot in manual or pressure cook mode and cook for 5 minutes on high pressure.

    Pressure release: Once the instant pot ends, wait 5 minutes and do a manual pressure release. Do not wait for a natural pressure release, as it will overcook the rice and make it mushy.

    Fluff it up: Take the inner pot from the instant pot out and fluff it up with a fork. Let it rest for 5 minutes, and fluffy basmati rice is ready to serve!

    Basmati rice to water ratio

    Basmati RiceWater
    Soaked (at least 30 minutes)1 cup1 cup
    Unsoaked1 cup1 ¼ cup

    Seasoning basmati rice

    Though plain basmati rice will also be flavorful, seasoning it will make it richer. So depending on how you want to serve the rice, you can try adding these ingredients.

    • Coconut milk: Cooking basmati rice with plain coconut milk will make it nutty and rich. You can serve this plain coconut milk rice with any curries of your choice.
    • Bay leaf: A simple bay leaf will change the flavor of rice.
    • Spices: You can use whole spices like cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, mace, caraway seeds(shahi jeera), or black pepper to flavor the rice. Powdered spices like turmeric, coriander powder, or cumin powder will also go well.

    Recipe Notes:

    • This recipe is naturally gluten-free and vegan (if not using butter or ghee)
    • Once you release the pressure, remove the inner pot from the Instant pot to stop cooking the rice further.
    • Sometimes, the top layer of rice looks uncooked. In that case, stir it once and close the lid for five more minutes. Then, the remaining heat will cook the rice. And this might happen if you do not soak your rice. So, my suggestion is to soak rice for at least 30 minutes for uniform cooking of rice.
    • Oil in this recipe will make the rice grains fluffy. Do not skip it; you can even use butter or any oil of your choice.
    • Using this recipe, you can only cook white basmati rice. This recipe will not work for brown basmati rice.
    • Cooking time is the same for soaked and unsoaked basmati rice. Only the rice water ratio will change.

    Variations:

    I make these variations with basmati rice when I want to make my lunch or dinner special. You can easily make delicious, flavored rice at home (just like in your favorite restaurant).

    To make these basmati rice variations, all the steps mentioned above will be the same: rinsing, soaking, pressure cooking, and fluffing up. 

    But before pressure cooking the rice, we will start the Instant pot in saute mode and add these additional ingredients.

    Coconut basmati rice: 

    Once the pot is hot, add oil, 1-inch cinnamon stick, two cardamoms, and one bay leaf. Stop the saute mode and add the drained rice. And cook the rice using coconut milk instead of plain water.

    Cumin rice:

    Once the pot is hot, add ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds, two cardamoms, two cloves, and one bay leaf. Cumin seeds will splutter and then stop the saute mode. Add drained rice to this and pressure cook it.

    Green peas rice:

    Once the pot is hot, add ¼ teaspoon of cumin seeds, two cardamoms, two cloves, and one bay leaf. Now add green peas, let it cook for a minute, and stop the instant pot saute mode. Add drained rice to this and pressure cook it.

    Indian Basmati rice (Restaurant style Indian spiced):

    Once the pot is hot, add oil, ¼ teaspoon caraway seeds, 1-inch cinnamon stick, two cardamoms, one bay leaf, two cloves, and 6 to 8 peppercorns. Stop the saute mode and add the drained rice.

    As mentioned in the recipe, cook the rice, and the flavorful Indian spiced rice is ready (just like how you get in your favorite restaurant).

    Serving suggestions

    This basmati rice will taste best when served with any curry or dal. Try these healthy and delicious side dishes to go with your basmati rice.

    Chickpeas vegetable curry: Easy curry with mixed vegetables cooked in a soupy coconut broth.

    Indian chickpea curry: Indian spiced chickpea curry.

    Lentil coconut curry: Creamy lentil curry with coconut milk and spinach.

    Black beans curry: Creamy black beans curry with basic spices.

    Storage

    Cooked basmati rice keeps well for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the rice in individual portions and thaw it when needed. 

    As we can cook the rice easily using an Instant pot, I usually make it fresh every time.

    instant pot basmati rice

    Common FAQs

    Can you cook one cup of basmati rice in an Instant pot?

    Yes, you can cook even 1 cup of rice in the Instant Pot. However, to avoid rice sticking to the bottom, grease the bottom of the pot will oil.

    What is the ratio of water to rice in an instant pot?

    If you are soaking the rice for at least 30 minutes, use 1 cup of water for every 1 cup basmati rice. If you are not soaking the rice, use 1 ¼ cups water for every 1 cup of basmati rice.

    How much does 1 cup of dry basmati rice yield cooked rice?

    One cup of dry basmati rice makes almost 3 cups of cooked rice.

    Can we cook rice in large quantities using an Instant pot?

    Yes, you can cook rice in large quantities and use it for get-togethers or as meal prep. Just keep in mind that rice expands almost three times. So water + rice should not go beyond the halfway mark.

    As you are here, you will like my other cooking 101 recipes

    Instant pot kidney beans

    Instant pot black-eyed peas

    Instant pot millet

    Instant pot steel cut oats

    Instant pot chickpeas

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    Recipe:

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    instant pot basmati rice in a bowl

    Basmati rice in instant pot

    Sravanthi
    This Instant pot basmati rice recipe will give detailed steps, tips, and tricks to cook perfect basmati rice in an instant pot. And you will also find different flavor variations you could try with basmati rice.
    4.72 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine Global, Indian
    Servings 3
    Calories 246 kcal

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup basmati rice
    • 1 cup water
    • ½ tablespoon oil
    • ¼ teaspoon salt optional

    Instructions
     

    • Rinse the rice at least 2 to 3 times to remove all excess starch from it.
    • Soak the rinsed rice for about 30 minutes. This step is optional and if you are not soaking the rice, use 1 ¼ cup of water for every 1 cup of rice.
    • Start the instant pot in saute mode. Once it is hot, add oil and spices if you are using them. Now switch off the instant pot.
    • Drain water completely from the soaked rice and add it to the instant pot inner pot.
    • Add water, salt and close the instant pot with its lid. 
    • Seal the vent and start the Instant pot again in manual or pressure mode. Set the timer for 5 minutes on high pressure and let it cook.
    • Once the Instant pot turns off, wait for 5 minutes and manually release the pressure. Do not wait for a natural pressure release. Rice will be overcooked if you leave it for more time.
    • Open the lid, take out the inner pot and fluff it up with a fork or wooden spoon.
    • Close the inner pot with a lid and keep it aside for about 5 to 10 minutes.
    • The flavorful and easy instant pot basmati rice is ready to serve with your favorite curry or dal.

    Notes

    If you are soaking the rice for at least 30 minutes, use 1 cup of water for every 1 cup basmati rice. If you are not soaking the rice, use 1 ¼ cups water for every 1 cup of basmati rice.
     
    Nutrition values are my rough estimates. Please feel free to use your calculator if you rely on them for your diet.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 246kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 4gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 201mgPotassium: 71mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    • Black beans curry (Creamy curried black beans)
    • Black bean chickpea salad
    • Chickpeas and rice

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    Hello, I’m Sravanthi. Here I share easy, healthy, and tasty recipes. I believe in “we are what we eat” and always try to eat homemade food. All my recipes are free from processed foods or ready-made foods and can be done easily without spending much time in the kitchen. more about me!

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