How to Cook Brown Rice in an Instant Pot

Brown rice is a staple for so many delicious dishes, and it just got way easier to cook! Once you learn how to cook brown rice in an Instant Pot, you'll never go back. This method will produce perfect, fluffy brown rice every time.

Instant Pot Brown Rice

Brown rice is always a hit in my home. We serve it alongside so many dishes and I honestly believe it would go well as side dish with pretty much anything.

The nutty flavor of brown rice just elevates the flavor of the dishes I serve it with. So, whether you're making chicken piccata, pan seared chicken thighs, or beef and broccoli stir fry, you can save some time and energy by learning how to make brown rice in an Instant Pot.

There are so many different ways to cook rice, and making it in the Instant Pot has to be my favorite. It truly makes the perfect rice every time.

It seems like every time I cook rice on the stove top, it boils over. Then, there's this icky mess to clean up once the hot surface has cooled down and it's so frustrating.

Cooking rice in the Instant Pot saves so much hassle and clean-up time!

Why You'll Love this Recipe

This is how I make rice every single time. You are going to love how easy it is!

• Making a large batch of brown rice in the Instant Pot is a great way to meal prep!
• This method of cooking brown rice is essentially set and forget. Once it's going in the Instant Pot, you can take care of cooking other dishes or sit down and relax while you wait for it to finish.
• This easy recipe will ensure you have perfect rice every time. Your brown rice won't be undercooked and crunchy, or over-cooked and mushy.

It's the perfect side dish for just about any meal. And it's a great substitute for white rice or even for traditional Mexican rice if you don't have the time to put that together.

What is An Instant Pot?

An Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker, also called a multi cooker. It has many different settings that you can use in different recipes. You can use the Instant Pot as a rice cooker, a slow cooker, pressure cooker, or even as method to sauté ingredients.

Electric pressure cookers, like the Instant Pot, have the ability to cook a variety of different food quickly, at high pressure. There are multiple different sizes, ranging from a 3 quart to an 8 quart Instant Pot.

If you're looking to reduce your cooking time in the kitchen, an Instant Pot is a great way to achieve that!

Ingredients

• brown rice: Long-grain brown rice is most commonly used, but you could also try cooking brown basmati rice or brown jasmine rice.
• chicken broth: This recipe calls for chicken broth with no salt added. It is easier to control the salt content this way. Feel free to use chicken bone broth or chicken stock if you prefer. You can also use water instead of broth, but the broth will make more flavorful rice.
• olive or avocado oil: Adding a little oil will result in delicious fluffy rice instead of sticky rice. You can use vegetable oil if you do not have olive or avocado oil.
• salt: Be sure to measure the salt so that you don't over-salt your rice. A little salt goes a long way.
• pepper: Feel free to omit this ingredient if you prefer to have plain rice.

How to Make Brown Rice in an Instant Pot

Making brown rice in the Instant Pot is super simple. Let's take it step by step!

Measure out 1 ½ cups of rice and add it to the stainless steel Instant Pot liner. Pour 1 ¾  cup of chicken broth over the rice and stir together.

Need to make more rice? The key here is to use ¼ cup more broth than the amount of rice. If you want to change the amount of rice you are cooking, just be sure to factor that extra ¼ cup in so it cooks perfectly!

Secure the lid of the Instant Pot onto the pressure cooker and make sure pressure valve is sitting the middle, pointing down.

Press the "rice" setting on the Instant Pot and cook on high for 15 minutes.

Once the brown rice is cooked, do a quick release by pushing the steam release valve to the left or right with the end of a spoon or other utensil. Pressure will release quickly and the steam will be hot, don't touch it!

Remove the lid, add in oil, salt, and pepper, then stir to combine.

Serve it up as a side dish, or add it to any recipe that calls for cooked brown rice!

One thing you need to know: Brown rice cooks very differently from white rice. The cook time will be different, and the amount of rice and water ratio may be different. You can still cook white rice in an Instant Pot, just make sure you follow a recipe specific to that type of rice!

How to Store Leftover Rice

This cooking process is the best way to save time for meal prep! Or, you can make a double batch of rice for dinner and save the leftover rice for another meal later that week. Leftover Instant Pot brown rice will store well in the fridge or freezer.

Store your leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Place them in the freezer in a airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Tips for Success

• Don't add too much water or chicken broth to the rice! Put in the specific amount called for and you'll have perfectly cooked rice every time.
• Make sure you do a quick release. If you allow a natural pressure release (also known as a "slow release") it could result in mushy rice.
• Don't opt out of adding oil to your rice. It is truly one of my favorite hacks for making fluffy and flavorful rice.

What to Serve with Brown Rice

Cooked brown rice pair wonderfully with so many dishes. You can pair it with a protein like grilled cilantro lime chicken or eat it in a simple dish like this spring pomegranate brown rice kale salad.

Rice is a staple in stir fries too! You can use Instant Pot brown rice in this easy ground turkey stir fry and make an easy dinner on a busy evening.

Make a delicious taco bowl out of cooked rice and slow cooker salsa verde pork carnitas. Or, serve rice as a simple side dish with sour cream chicken enchiladas.

If you make and love this recipe, please leave a ★★★★★ review below! It means so much to me when you try my recipes, and I'd love to know how it goes. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.