Our Brown Basmati Rice Instant Pot recipe creates a healthy side dish with little effort on your part. Making rice doesn’t have to be difficult or take a long time! Your pressure cooker will help you create fluffy rice in just a fraction of the time!
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Why We Love This Recipe
- It’s a healthy side dish.
Brown basmati rice is full of fiber and other nutrients like zinc and vitamin B. Plus it’s a whole grain, unlike white rice. It’s the perfect side dish! - Versatile side dish perfect for meal prep.
Make a big batch to use now or serve with meals throughout the week. So, it’s ideal for meal prep! - Quicker to make in the Instant Pot.
Much faster cooking time than using a pot on the stovetop. And you don’t have to worry about it boiling over or burned rice!
Basmati vs. Jasmine Brown Rice
The two main types of brown rice are basmati and jasmine. So which one should you choose?
If you want a fragrant, tender side dish, take your time cooking jasmine rice in Instant Pot.
For a nuttier flavor profile, go with brown basmati rice instant pot.
Both types use the same water-to-rice ratio, and the cooking time is the same, too.
We like to keep both kinds on hand for more variety. For Asian and Hawaiian dishes like chicken teriyaki pineapple bowl, fragrant Jasmine brown rice is the perfect choice. But, for everyday use, basmati brown rice is a great all-around choice.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Cilantro lime rice brown – For this recipe, we’ll be making basmati brown rice in the Instant Pot. If you prefer another variety, brown Jasmine or any other long-grain brown rice is fine.
- Butter – you can also use olive oil or vegan butter.
- Broth – We prefer low-sodium chicken broth as this gives this dish a nice flavor. But you can also use salt and water or vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.
🎯 New to Instant Pot Cooking?
Read How to Use the Instant Pot first! Then, our Tips and Hacks for the Instant Pot is a great resource for new owners and seasoned IP-ers alike!
Recipe Variations
There are many ways that you can change up this pressure cooker brown rice recipe to suit your taste or what you have on hand. Here are a few ideas:
- Add garlic, ginger, or other spices while sautéing for added flavor.
- Stir in cooked veggies, like peas, corn, or chopped broccoli.
- Mix in cooked chicken, shrimp, or other protein like tofu.
- Top with green onions, cilantro, or other fresh herbs.
- Add in coconut milk to make coconut rice in Instant Pot.
Cooking Brown Rice In Instant Pot – Tips For Success
- Be sure to rinse the rice.
This is the most important step. Rinsing the rice well and draining using a mesh colander can help you get rid of excess starch, debris, and any unwanted materials.
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- Sauté the rice.
Sautéing in butter or oil adds a nice flavor to this side dish and it helps the rice to cook quickly.
- Rice to water ratio.
The broth-to-water ratio is always the same 1:1 regardless of how much you are pressure cooking. So, if you’re making this dish with 2 cups of rice, you’ll use 2 cups of water or broth.
- Fluff the rice before serving.
This helps the grains separate, removes any clumps, and helps to evaporate excess moisture. This will give you perfect, fluffy rice every time.
Tips to Prevent an Instant Pot Food Burn:
Thick and/or acidic foods tend to burn onto the bottom of the inner pot. When this happens, a notice will appear on the pressure cooker’s display as “BURN,” “OvHt,” or “Food Burn.”
Here are some suggestions for preventing and dealing with a burn notice:
- Before pressure cooking, turn the Instant Pot to sauté and let it warm up. Also, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil before adding ingredients to the inner pot This helps to keep food and sauces from sticking and burning.
- If you sauté meats before pressure cooking, deglaze your pot by adding the broth a few minutes before sealing your pot.
- Keep an extra Instant Pot liner insert on hand. If you get a burn notice, then having an extra pot will allow you to safely transfer the food to a clean pot and continue cooking. Plus, an extra inner pot gives you flexibility when pressure cooking.
How long to cook rice in an instant pot or potatoes first, add a silicone lid to that pot, and use the second pot for cooking the meat.
For more information on how to handle a burn notice, read this article from America’s Test Kitchen.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to serve this side dish! Here are a few:
- Pair with chicken, beef, or pork dishes like oven baked chicken tenders no breading, meatballs with chili sauce recipe, hot chicken tenders, Blackstone steak recipe, or oven fried chicken with Bisquick.
- Add it to a hearty soup or stew, like tortilla soup or beef stew.
- Use it as the base for a Buddha bowl or grain bowl.
- Serve it as a breakfast porridge with milk and fruit.
- Make it into sushi or veggie rolls.
- Mix it with cooked beans to make Instant Pot beans and rice.
Recipe FAQs
You can overcook brown rice, but it is not as easy to do as it is with white rice. For perfectly fluffy grains, cook no longer than 15 minutes at high pressure.
If you find that the grains are still a little crunchy after cooking for 15 minutes, set the lid back on the pressure cooker and keep it in the warm setting for 5 minutes.
If you find your rice too mushy, it is likely because you overcooked it or used too much cooking liquid.
To avoid this, be sure to use 1 cup of water or broth for every 1 cup of basmati or brown jasmine rice.
Yes, this rice can be frozen! Place the leftovers in a freezer-safe container and store them in the freezer for up to three months.
When you’re ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat on the stove or microwave. If using the microwave, cover it with a damp paper towel to keep it from drying out. You may want to add a little water or chicken broth as it reheats.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. When you’re ready to serve it, you can reheat the rice in the microwave or stove.
If using the microwave, cover it with a damp paper towel to keep it from drying out. If it’s a little dry, add a splash of water or chicken broth before reheating.
This side dish recipe is a great make-ahead meal prep option! Just cook a big batch on the weekend and portion it out into individual containers. Then you’ll have healthy brown rice ready for quick, easy weeknight meals.
More Side Dishes To Love…
- Tomato Caprese with Fresh Burrata
- Instant Pot Wild Rice Blend
- Cornbread Recipe with Creamed Corn and Jiffy Mix
- Roasted Parmesan Asparagus
If you tried this brown basmati rice recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Brown Basmati Rice Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown basmati rice, or jasmine
- 2 tablespoons butter (can substitute olive oil)
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- Using a mesh colander, rinse and drain rice well, and set aside.
- Set pressure cooker to sauté and add butter or oil to the pot. Once the pot is ready, add brown rice and sauté the rice for 3 minutes. Press cancel to end sauté.
- Add broth to rice and stir to mix and deglaze the pot. Close and seal the lid, and turn or press the vent lever to seal (if needed). Set pot manually to high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Once the pressure cooking cycle is complete, do a natural pressure release (leave the pot undisturbed) for 5 minutes, then initiate a quick release by carefully turning or pressing the pressure release button (refer to your pot's instructions). Fluff the brown rice by stirring before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
This post, originally published in September 2022, was updated with new content in February 2023.
Terry says
Our family loved this recipe! The crunchy cheese topping made it really delicious.