While making rice in an Instant Pot is super straightforward, it’s also easy to make some big mistakes. If you want fluffy — but not mushy — rice, follow these quick and simple steps for the best Instant Pot rice ever.
These steps work with both long-grain (basmati) and short-grain (sushi) white rice, and while some Instant Pots come with a ‘rice’ setting, I’ve found (through plenty of trial and error) that the default settings aren’t the best way. Because Instant Pots are designed to pressure cook and therefore have a very strong seal around the lid of the machine, you'll see less water loss through steam than if you were to cook your rice on the stove or in a rice cooker.
The first time I cooked rice in an Instant Pot, I put in rice and water in a 1:1 ratio and let it run for 12 minutes. The rice was super mushy and sloppy. The second time I used less water, but still found mushy rice. Since then, I’ve perfected the best way to make rice in an Instant Pot. And no, it's not the 'rice' setting.
How to make rice in an Instant Pot
1. Wash your rice
This may be obvious, but I used to be that person who never washed their rice. I find that washing rice is the best way to ensure you’re eating the versatile carb at its best. Washing not only helps the starch mature during cooking, but it also prevents foreign bodies like bugs and unwanted parts of the plant like bran from getting into your meal.
2. Fill the pot with rice and water in a 1:1 ratio
If you put too much water in the pot, you’ll be left with mushy, soggy rice that resembles mush more than anything. But if you put too little water, your rice might not cook all the way through or might scorch the bottom of the Instant Pot. Obviously, everyone’s personal tastes differ — experiment with various water levels to find your favorite amount, but a ratio of one part water to one part white rice worked perfectly for me.
3. Set up the Instant Pot pressure release
If you have the Instant Pot Pro Plus like me, you’ll be able to select your steam release and ‘Nutriboost’. For best results, I found that ‘natural release’ gave me the fluffiest rice, although you’ll be waiting longer. If you’re short on time, select ‘quick release’.
Other Instant Pots I’ve used, like the Duo Plus with WhisperQuiet and the Rio, have a physical steam release vent you have to click into place manually, so just do that.
4. Start the timer
Although the Pro Plus and Duo Plus with Whisper Quiet have rice presets, I don’t use the default time because it makes mushy rice. I set the time to just 3 minutes. Because the Instant Pots take a while to preheat, I’ve found that the ideal length of time to cook white rice is just 3 minutes. Any longer and you risk the dreaded rice mush!
5. Release the steam
If you have the Pro Plus, the steam will release automatically and your phone will notify you when the Instant Pot is ready to open. If you have a different model, after the Instant Pot alerts you that it’s finished, release your steam manually. Be sure to mind your fingers!
6. Serve up your rice
And there you have it! Beautifully fluffy, light, and delicious white rice — perfect for pairing with curries, eating inside burritos, or wrapping in seaweed for super-easy sushi. My favorite way to eat white rice is in kimbap, a Korean seaweed roll.
How to clean your Instant Pot
Although rice is notoriously difficult to get off saucepans, the Instant Pot inner pots are actually dishwasher safe! So you can put the pot in the dishwasher and let the machine do all the hard work.
If you want to wash by hand, though, I found the best way to clean white rice off an Instant Pot is to fill the pot with warm water and dish soap, leave it to soak for an hour or so, and then scrub it with a gentle sponge. Dry with a clean towel and you’re done!
Need to know
If you want fluffy white rice, you don’t need a rice cooker. Instant Pots are incredibly versatile devices with a multitude of settings you can adapt for your own specific needs. You can use the ‘steam’ setting to make cakes, bao buns, and steam veggies. You can use the ‘pressure’ setting to make rich beans in 40 minutes, or pasta in 5! The possibilities are endless with Instant Pots.
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