15-Min Instant Pot Basmati Rice

Cooking basmati rice in an Instant Pot is a game-changer for those intimidated by rice. It delivers perfectly fluffy and aromatic rice in just a fraction of the time. Rinse the rice well to remove excess starch, then cook it with the perfect liquid-to-rice ratio for a quick, no-fuss result. The Instant Pot’s pressure-cooking function preserves the delicate flavor and texture of basmati, making it a perfect base for curries, stews, or as a side dish for any meal.

Rice in a white platter with a spoon on a white and yellow tea towel with small plates and forks at the side on a white tiled background.

The Case for Using Your Instant Pot to Cook Rice!

Before diving into instant pot rice, let me just say: I am a cook your rice on the stove top type of girl. Because I am Arab, I was practically born knowing how to cook perfectly fluffy rice. And before developing this recipe, I scratched my head and really thought: why would the instant pot be a better method?

I came to the following conclusions:

One: not everyone is confident cooking rice on the stove top, a method which requires relying on some visual cues for doneness, etc.
Two: If your stove is already quite busy, using the instant pot for the rice side dish is a great way to have a hands-off way of ensuring your rice comes out perfect without babysitting it.

Therefore, this recipe is worthy of sharing with you! And I truly think that for those who are intimidated by rice, using the instant pot is going to be your favourite way of cooking it.

I love rice, in any form, in any way. That is why you will see a plethora of rice recipes on my page, from a classic vermicelli rice to a flavourful hashweh rice, and a fragrant yellow rice, I have them all. So I have purposely kept this recipe very simple: a basmati rice you can whip up in the Instant Pot to serve with almost anything. Serve it with a classic stew like dawood basha and okra or some quick and easy chicken kabobs and mediterranean chicken for an easy meal.

And here’s why it works so well in the Instant Pot: it creates the perfect undisturbed environment for the rice to absorb the liquid. You will notice that we use less liquid than stovetop versions. This is because no water is lost during the cooking process and the rice remains undisturbed.

Recipe Testing Notes: I’ve tested this recipe 6 times. All of those times have yielded good results, with the last few being excellent. The main factor I can’t control for you is the type of basmati rice used. Therefore, I suggest the best rice to use is an aged long grain basmati rice with thicker grains. It has the most flavour and will hold up well in the Instant Pot to produce perfectly fluffy rice with separate grains. I have tried basmati varieties that tend to have thinner grains and this variety will result in rice that is more wet in texture. This recipe will definitely not work with medium or short grain rice.

A Few Notes on Ingredients

This recipe can’t get much simpler but lets talk about some of the ingredients and variations.

Ingredient shot with a white bowl with rice, a small white dish with broth, a small brown bowl with oil and a small speckled plate with salt on a white tiled background.

Basmati Rice: A nice aged long grain basmati rice is essential here for perfectly fluffy rice. Do not substitute with other types of rice, the liquid to rice ration won’t be the same.
Oil: Any oil works here, if you like the flavour of olive oil that would be a good one to use. You may even substitute with butter.
Hot Broth: The liquid must be hot in order to bring the pot to pressure faster. Make sure to check if the broth you are using is salted. If it is, you may need to omit the salt entirely otherwise it can become too salty. The broth adds more depth and flavour to the rice but it can be substituted with water if needed.

Easy Three Step Method

This method has three main steps: washing the rice, cooking the rice, and letting it rest.

First we want to rinse the rice really well in a bowl until the water is clear. This is very important to ensure the rice grains don’t clump together. Start by filling a bowl with enough water to cover the rice and give it a good mix. Drain off the extra water in the sink and refill with water. Repeat a few times until the water is perfectly clear.

Glass bowl with cloudy water from rice on a white tiled background.

Glass bowl with rice and clear water on a white tiled background.

Next, drain the rice extremely well. We want to get off as much moisture as possible to ensure there is no remaining starch. Heat up the oil in the Instant Pot on the sauté mode until hot. Add the rice and gently mix for 30 seconds to coat and lightly toast the rice in the oil. Be gentle, we don’t want to break the grains!

Strainer with rice in it over a glass bowl on a white tiled background.

Instant pot with rice in it on a white tiled background.

TIP: If you’re using water, boil it in a kettle. If using broth, heat it up. Using a hot liquid means the instant pot will come to pressure in 2-3 minutes.

Add the hot broth or boiling water, taste for salt, adjust as needed and cover with the lid. Set to pressure cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. Depending on how much rice you are cooking it should not take too long to come to pressure. Once it’s done, allow it to naturally release for 5 minutes. Basically, don’t touch it for 5 minutes!

Instant pot with rice and broth on a white tiled background.

Closed instant pot on a white tiled background.

Manually release the remaining pressure. Uncover and gently fluff up the rice and separate the grains.

Cooked rice in the insant pot on a white tiled background.

Cooked rice in the insant pot with a spoon in it on a white tiled background.

Cover again partly with the lid and leave it for another 5 minutes to gently steam. This is important to ensure the rice dries up.

Cooked rice in the insant pot with the lid on halfway on a white tiled background.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Refrigerate any leftover rice in an airtight container and consume within 5 days. When reheating, add a few teaspoons of water, cover with a microwave safe lid and microwave until heated through. The water helps to rehydrate the rice after it’s been in the fridge so it reheats perfectly soft and fluffy.

Rice in a plate with two forks with an instant pot in the background on a white tiled background.

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Clik here to view. Rice in a white platter with a spoon on a white and yellow tea towel with small plates and forks at the side on a white tiled background.