Want to learn how to make the best Instant Pot rice? Give this recipe a try! People will be asking for seconds.
True story: I sometimes eat this Instant Pot rice as a meal all by itself. This recipe all started when I made my Instant Pot chicken and rice but just wanted the rice all by itself.
I was in two minds about posting this recipe. On one hand, I’ve made it so many times that I can’t understand how it wouldn’t work. I do know that some people have had issues with a burn warning on that other recipe (rice is notoriously tricky), so I don’t want more comments from people saying this didn’t work for them.
But… it’s just so tasty. Imagine a yummy risotto with lemony notes. The rice soaks up all the chicken broth and flavor, and it’s just so tender and creamy (no cream though) and ahhhh I’m not even a big rice person, but I love love love it. I kinda can’t not post it. In my opinion, it’s the best thing I’ve ever made in the electric pressure cooker.
“I could eat the rice from this recipe with every meal!” — Lovely reader Monica on the chicken & rice recipe that spawned this one
How to make rice in the Instant Pot
Sauté the onion in your Instant Pot until soft; add the remaining ingredients (garlic, chicken broth, lemon juice, rice, Italian seasoning, & butter). Be sure to rinse the rice and drain it prior to adding it. Give it all a stir. Close the Instant Pot’s lid, set the valve on “sealing” and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Do a quick release. Give it a stir. Eat.
***Note: There is a chance that a burn warning will occur. I have never seen a burn warning on my own Instant Pot (it’s a 6-quart model), so I am perplexed, but I’ve definitely heard of this happening. I recommend you follow the directions exactly. I’ve tested cooking this rice at various intervals, including 10 minutes, 15 minutes, and even 18 minutes (with chicken breasts in this recipe) and I have yet to get a burn warning or wreck the rice.
If you’re not a fan of soft and creamy rice, you may not like this recipe. It’s definitely not al dente.
Pro tip: You may use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth if this recipe needs to be vegetarian, but I do find chicken broth in general to be more flavorful.
I hope you’ll give this easy Instant Pot rice recipe a try!
Questions? Ask me in the comments below.
The Best Instant Pot Rice
Want to learn how to make the best Instant Pot rice? Give this recipe a try! People will be asking for seconds.
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2.5 cups chicken broth or veg broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup white jasmine rice (or basmati) rinsed
- 4 dashes Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
Press the sauté button on your Instant Pot. Add the oil and onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, then add the chicken broth, lemon juice, rice (rinse it first), Italian seasoning, and butter. Leave the sauté button pressed so it heats up as you're adding the ingredients.
Give the ingredients in the Instant Pot a good stir, and then close the lid, set the valve to "sealing", and press the manual button to cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. It will take 5-10 minutes to get it up to pressure.
Do a quick pressure release once the countdown has completed. Give it a stir and then serve. The rice will be soft and creamy. Sort of like a faux risotto.
Recipe Notes
- I have tested this recipe multiple times in my 6-quart Instant Pot, and it has worked every time without a burn warning (I've heard this can happen in some of the larger Instant Pots when cooking certain recipes - such as ones with rice). I suggest following my instructions exactly as written for best results.
- If desired, use low-sodium chicken broth. I found this recipe to be perfectly seasoned with regular chicken broth, though.
- Makes 4 generous servings, but it'll easily serve 6 as a side.
- Inactive time indicates the time it takes the Instant Pot to get up to pressure.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Lisa says
I followed the instructions as written and it turned out perfectly, fluffy and flavorful. I do have an older instant pot, so maybe that’s why is was so perfect? Anyway, many thanks!
Natasha says
I am so happy it worked out for you, Lisa! Thanks for letting me know!
Jen says
Soooo mushy. I don’t think the stock to rice ratio is right. Used in an instant pot and followed directions to a tee.
Natasha says
Sorry it didn’t work out for you, Jen. Sadly Instant Pots seem to vary, and so this could either be your specific Instant Pot, or you just didn’t like the recipe. The rice comes out soft and creamy for me… risotto-like, but not mushy. As I discuss in the blog post, I’ve made this tons of times (also tested with the chicken and rice recipe this originated from), and it’s always worked out for me.
Jocelyn says
Can I double this in my 6qt? Making it for two families. Thanks!
Natasha says
I think that should work. Have you tried making it as written? I just want to make sure since I know a few people have had issues with burn warnings unfortunately. It’s never happened to me, and I’ve made this many times, but I would hate for any ingredients to go to waste if you start out by doubling the recipe.
Lc says
Love your recipes
Best blog hands down
Although I wish some recipes called for low sodium chicken broth (which is the standard for most recipes), then you can bring it up to salt levels as needed. Every brand is different and almost possible to calculate. Which full sodium chicken broth so you use?
Natasha says
Hi! Thank you! You can feel free to sub any of my recipes with low sodium broth. Honestly, I always just taste and season as I go along anyway. Unless we’re talking health reasons here, taste-wise it doesn’t really make much difference if you use low sodium broth and add more salt at the end or use regular broth and add less salt. I have never actually calculated salt content (just go by taste). I typically buy Campbell’s broth.
Chantell Bertollini says
I spray the inside with Pam even though I also use the oil. I also substitute water with some chicken bouillon because I didn’t have chicken broth.
No burn warning and really amazing. The chicken and rice recipe is my favorite ❤️❤️
Natasha says
Good idea re: Pam! So happy you liked this recipe, Chantell! 🙂
Laura says
I made this exactly according to your recipe, and it is hands-down the BEST rice I’ve ever eaten. And so easy!
Natasha says
I am SO pleased to hear that, Laura!! 🙂 Thanks so much for letting me know!
Adrianne says
I followed the directions exactly, and it was soup after 10 minutes on manual in my instant pot. Weird. When I cook plain rice, I use a liquid measure for 1 cup broth to every rice scoop (1 cup) rice. When I read the recipe I thought it a bit odd that it called for so much liquid, but I thought maybe adding the other ingredients called for more liquid.
Natasha says
Hi Adrianne! Hmm mine definitely isn’t soupy… that is odd. Mine has sort of a risotto-like consistency. I keep reading things saying how differently older and newer Instant Pot models behave (mine is older). I wonder if that’s what’s happening here. It seems like people either get the burn warning or it ends up soupy. So odd how consistency from IP to IP varies so much. 🙁
Cate says
I just made with white rice and had to start the IP up again for another minute of pressure cook because there was a little too much liquid! Really good though
Natasha says
Hmmm that’s annoying!! Sorry about that. Seems Instant Pots vary a lot. I’ve had people tell me they have rice stuck on/the burn warning. I have yet for that to happen in my Instant Pot.
Cate says
I just made it again tonight because I loved it so much last time, and I used a little less liquid, it was perfect! 🙂 it’s a keeper, I’ll be making this with fish every week!
Natasha says
I am so happy that you liked it! 🙂
Andrew Doherty says
I made this earlier this week and it tasted great. Definitely had that risotto consistency. I followed the recipe exactly as stated (used chicken broth and basmati rice). Thanks for posting this.
Natasha says
Wonderful! I am so happy you liked it. 🙂
Andrea says
I made this tonight and it was so so so delicious. Hardly any prep and very quick to cook in the IP. I did make a couple small changes however. I noticed it only called for 1 cup of rice, I used 1.5 cups since I wanted to have some leftover. And instead of 2.5 cups of broth I used 3 cups. Also, instead of jasmine rice I used well-rinsed Calrose rice since that was all I had. Calrose rice is a bit sticky by nature. It turned out incredible. A lovely creamy texture, similar to risotto. We had it with salmon and broccoli for dinner tonight. I absolutely love this dish and am about to recommend it to all my friends on Facebook❤️
Natasha says
I am so glad you liked it!! Thank you ❤️❤️
Stephanie says
I tried this and while it tasted very yummy, it was very wet.
Natasha says
Hmm I haven’t heard that before. That’s interesting. Usually the opposite. 🤔
Rice says
I agree. Normal rice recipes are 1:1. This was 1:2.5 (or 1 cup rice to 2.5 cups liquid). I was a skeptical, but tried the recipe to the tee. The rice was very, very wet.
Natasha says
Not sure what else to say other than I’ve been finding out Instant Pots tend to vary model-to-model a LOT. What works perfectly in my Instant Pot seems to either burn in another or be too watery. It is very frustrating since obviously I want my recipes to work well for everyone.
Tina McLeod says
Hi can I cook this on the stove top as I dont own a pressure cooker ?
Natasha says
Hi Tina, you could definitely try, but I can’t offer any suggestions on timing or whether it’ll get that same risotto-like quality that comes from the pressure cooking, unfortunately. This was a happy sorta accidental discovery in the Instant Pot for me haha.
Nina says
Could this be modified for brown rice? Maybe a little more broth and a few more minutes? 🤔
Natasha says
Hi Nina! I haven’t tested it. I’m not sure brown rice will ever give that perfect risotto/sticky kinda consistency, but I think it’s worth trying. It’s on my list to test next time I have brown rice at home haha. Let me know your results if you do test. I’m sure others are probably wondering the same thing. 😊
Nina says
I’m going to need to try it! I will let you know.
Nina says
I just make ethics with the brown rice- brown jasmine to be exact. It is amazingly delicious and definitely has that creamy risotto like quality – i used just a splash more broth but probably
About twice the amount of time, i ended up having to restart the IP a couple of times as the liquid wasn’t quite absorbed. So it is definitely doable with brown rice, and though i haven’t yet made the white rice version, I imagine ithis was the desired result. Now to figure out the precise proportions and timing. So so yummy
Natasha says
Very interesting!! Thanks for your comment, it’s very helpful!
Andrea says
Also just made a double batch with brown basmati… Cooked on rice setting for 19 mins and let it sit for 50 mins after it beeps as done. Turned out perfect and delish!
Natasha says
That’s awesome!! Thanks for the tip!
Natasha's Sister says
“People will be asking for seconds.” Yeah not likely since you never made firsts for me. With vegetable broth. Do it now.
Natasha says
HAHAHA NO.
Jessica says
So I am just learning to use the Instapot, and I made this tonight. It was really good, but mine came out more like a risotto than the pictures show. I will make it again regardless, but what did I do wrong?
Natasha says
Seems like it came out perfectly! The rice looks drier in the photos than it actually is. And I’m learning that Instant Pots (especially the newer models) seem to vary so results can differ from person to person.
Hannah says
Hi! Wondering if this will work if I sauté the onion on my stovetop, and then follow the remainder recipe using my pressure cooker (no Instant Pot here). It sounds so yummy – I’m hoping it will! Thanks!
Natasha says
Hi Hannah! I haven’t tested this in a normal pressure cooker (don’t own one), so I really can’t speculate. I am very curious, so if you do give it a try, please report back! 😊
Hannah says
I’ll give it a try this week and report back! Cross your fingers for me!
Natasha says
Good luck! Haha
Lisa says
I wonder if it would help with the burn warnings if after the sauté, to add the stock and scrape the bottom of your pot clean? I did this with another recipe recently and had success. Looking forward to making this! Also is plain white rice not recommended? Thanks!
Natasha says
Hi Lisa! You’d think that would help! I definitely do that when I stir it. It’s a mystery to me why so many burn warnings occur for people. I would say any common variety of white rice should work (jasmine, basmati, etc.). I have never bought the generic “long grain white rice”, but I think I will try and see if it makes much difference in recipes. Let me know how it goes for you!