Step-wise Recipe to cook Instant Pot Brown Rice. Nailing that bowl of perfectly cooked fluffy and non-sticky brown rice is not a dream! Soft rice that's perfect for dal, curries and stews. No hard bits!
With detailed tips, cooking time and technique, you will be able to cook brown rice like a pro! Perfect for meal planning, freezing, cooking brown rice in IP is a total life saver for busy weekdays.
Brown Rice is perfect if you are looking to include extra fiber in your meal. Naturally gluten-free and Vegan, Brown Rice is a healthier choice over white rice. The bran in brown rice keeps you fuller for longer.
If you are a beginner with Instant Pot, do try some of the basic recipes like Quinoa, Basmati Rice, Chickpeas, Corn on the Cob and Beets cooked in Instant Pot.
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The best part is once you understand instant pot cook timings and water to rice ratio, you will never go back to the stove top method. What I love most about IP is zero monitoring in the kitchen. Plug, set and off you go to complete your chores!
It can be served with dal, curries, turned into quick Asian stir fries with vegetables, buddha bowl etc.
Video Recipe
Ingredients
Short Grain Brown Rice - The Rice needs to be washed / rinsed couple of times. I always recommend soaking the rice for atleast 20 mins and not longer.
Note - For this recipe, I have used sona masoori rice. It is easily available in leading grocery stores and supermarkets that stock Indian pantry staples.
You can use Brown Basmati Rice also.
Please note, this recipe is only using short grain brown rice.
Water - Indians usually stick to cooking rice with water. No stock is used for flavoring the rice. However, you can use vegetable stock.
NOTE - I DO NOT use Salt or Oil to cook Rice. Our family prefers eating rice with a curry or stir fry vegetables and both these items contain salt.
If you fear that the rice would stick to the bottom, add 1/2 tsp oil (any neutral oil or ghee) and salt to taste or 1/4 tsp.
Water to Brown Rice Ratio
For 1 Cup of Brown Rice (soaked and drained), I have used 1 & 1/2 cups of water in Instant Pot. No hot water required, use room temperature water only.
If using 2 cups of Brown Rice, use 3 cups of water for cooking.
As South Indians, we prefer soft texture rice with our dal, curries and stews.
If you prefer the rice texture slightly more firm, I would suggest using 1 & 1/4 cup of water for 1 cup of Brown Rice. No Change in cooking time.
For a family of 2, such as ours, 1 cup of rice is more than sufficient since it is served with a curry or a side of vegetables / protein.
1 cup of Raw Rice yields a little more than 2 & 1/2 cups of cooked rice.
Instant Pot Setting for Perfect Brown Rice
The soaked rice should be drained well before adding to the Instant Pot. Pressure cook the Brown Rice on HIGH PRESSURE for 22 minutes and NPR or Natural Pressure Release after 15 minutes.
The best part about this brown Rice is that there is NO OIL or SALT used.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1 - Switch on the Instant Pot, add the washed, soaked and drained rice in the steel insert. Add water.
Step 2 - Cover and PRESSURE COOK the Brown Rice on HIGH PRESSURE for 22 minutes, Do a Natural pressure release after 15 minutes
Step 3 - Switch off the Instant Pot, fluff the rice using a fork. Immediately transfer the rice into a serving bowl of container until you are ready to serve.
Top Tips
- Before adding brown rice to the instant pot, drain the water completely.
- After NPR of 15 minutes, Open the lid, Press Cancel or the Instant pot goes in Keep Warm Mode. Remove the steel insert and transfer the rice into a serving bowl or container for storage.
- Once the IP goes in keep warm mode, the grains tend to stick at the bottom due to starch from the rice.
- Use a fork and not a spatula to fluff the rice, especially when it is hot. Do not overmix, be gentle.
Pot in Pot Method
You can cook the rice using pot in pot method. Just add 2 cups of water into the steel insert, place the trivet. Now place the rice bowl (add water and rice in the bowl) on top of the trivet. Rest is as per instructions above.
If you want to cook 2 things at a time, choose ingredients that would require similar cooking time. For eg- I always cook Chickpeas as it takes approximately same time to cook as Brown Rice.
Burn Message while cooking
Burn Message will most definitely not be an issue if you follow the recipe to the "T". However, if there is any issue, Press Cancel, release the pressure manually and remove the steel insert.
Scrape what you can salvage and immerse or soak the steel insert with dish washing liquid and water. Don't let the steel insert to dry out on the kitchen counter, rinse and soak immediately.
Serving Suggestions
DAL / Lentils - Red Lentil Dal, Vegan Dal Makhani, Chana Dal, Pumpkin dal and Dal Palak (Spinach Dal). You can serve the dal and rice with Bhindi Masala, Air Fryer Okra and Aloo Gobi.
Curries / Beans / Legumes - Brown Lentil Curry, Chana Saag, Chana Masala, Rajma Masala and Black Eyed Peas Curry. Serve with a side of Vegetable Raita or Bhindi raita.
Storage and Leftovers
Once cool, transfer it to an airtight container. Under refrigeration, brown rice stays fresh for 4-5 days.
It can also be frozen. Thaw it completely before re-heating in a microwave. For softer rice texture, sprinkle some water over the rice before re-heating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Instead of serving plain brown rice, try loading it up with stir fried vegetables, a mix of Asian condiments like soy, add it as part of Buddha Bowls with avocado and chickpeas, serve it with Dal or a vegetarian curry of your choice.
Soak Brown Rice for 20 mins, drain all the water, rinse once and drain again. Cook the rice on high pressure for 22 minutes, followed by NPR of 15 minutes. Gently fluff the rice with a fork.
For 1 cup of short grain brown rice, use 1 & 1/2 cups of water.
Recipes using Brown Rice
Brown Rice Spinach Dal Khichdi
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Instant Pot Brown Rice
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup Brown Rice use any short grain brown rice variety
- 1 ½ cups Water Extra as required for soaking etc
Instructions
- Wash and Soak 1 cup of Brown Rice for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, rinse and drain the water in a colander and keep aside.
- Switch on Instant Pot, add the soaked and drained rice into the steel insert.
- Add water. Cover and PRESSURE COOK the Brown Rice on HIGH PRESSURE for 22 minutes, Do a natural pressure release after 15 minutes.
- Switch off the Instant Pot, fluff the rice using a fork. Immediately transfer the rice into a serving bowl of container until further use.
Video
Notes
- Please note Cook Time as stated above includes Pressure Cooking + NPR.
- No salt or oil is added while cooking simply because we serve this with curries and stir fry vegetables which contain salt. If you are worried about rice sticking, add 1/2 tsp oil (any neutral oil or ghee) and salt to taste or 1/4 tsp.
- Before adding brown rice to the instant pot, drain the water completely.
- After NPR of 15 minutes, remove the steel insert immediately and transfer the rice to a serving bowl.
- Since the recipe does not use any oil and the Instant Pot goes into the keep warm mode, chances are the grains would stick to the bottom, hence we transfer the rice from the steel insert.
- Use a fork and not a spatula to fluff the rice, especially when it is hot. Do not overmix, be gentle.
- Pot in pot method - Add 1 & 1/2 cups of water in the steel insert, place the trivet. Now place the rice bowl (add water and rice in the bowl as per measurements) on top of the trivet and pressure cook as per instructions above.
- If you want to cook 2 things at a time, choose ingredients that would require similar cooking time. For eg- I always cook Chickpeas as it takes approximately same time to cook as Brown Rice.
- As South Indians, we prefer soft texture rice as accompaniment to curries and stews. If you prefer the rice texture slightly more firm, I would suggest using 1 & 1/4 cup of water for 1 cup of Brown Rice. No Change in cooking time.
- Burn Message - If you somehow get burn message while pressure cooking. Press Cancel, release the pressure manually and remove the steel insert. Scrape what you can save and soak the vessel with dish washing liquid and water. Scrub gently.
- Storage and Leftovers - Instant Pot Brown Rice can be cooled and stored in the refrigerator for couple of days, in an airtight container. They freeze well too. Thaw it completely before using. If you find the rice texture dry after thawing, sprinkle some water and microwave for 30 seconds.
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We will be back again with yet another exciting recipe .. Until then, stay healthy and happy!
Vidya Narayan