Instant Pot Brown Rice

Learn how to make Instant Pot Brown Rice that comes out perfect every single time! No more mushy or crunchy rice, but perfectly separated grains without anything sticking to the bottom. You will never cook brown rice any other way.

Since I've discovered this method of cooking brown rice in the Instant Pot, I haven't looked back. It is now the only way I make rice. I haven't owned a rice cooker in years and stove top rice doesn't even compare to this.

Every time one of my friends gets an electric pressure cooker, this rice cooking method is the first recipe I share with them. They now don't cook rice any other way either.

So it's high time, I share this method and recipe with all of you, my online friends. And I hope you have as much success and fall in love with this rice cooking method as well.

HINT: I use the same method with white rice, but cook it for only 7-10 minutes.

Brown rice is a whole grain. While the hull has been removed, the bran and germ are still attached. Therefore brown rice has more nutrients compared to white rice with more vitamins (Bs & E) and minerals (iron, phosphorus, magnesium). This also means brown rice has a much higher cook time. Let's find out how to make perfect brown rice.

Ingredients for Perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice

• Butter, oil, or ghee

This is the key ingredient to keep your rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. It also keep the individual rice grains from sticking to each other too much.

• Brown rice

This recipe and method works for any type of short or long grain brown rice (like brown jasmine or brown basmati rice). However, you may have to tweak the cook time minutes for your specific whole grain rice variety and altitude level

• Water or vegetable or chicken broth

You can cook your brown rice with simple water, but if you are going to use the rice in a savory dish, I highly recommend using vegetable broth or chicken broth as the cooking liquid. This will give you a head start on flavoring your rice even before adding sauces etc. You can also use water + a bouillon cube or salt.

How to Cook Brown Rice in the Instant Pot

1. Preheat your pressure cooker. Add oil, butter, or ghee.
2. Stir in the uncooked brown rice ensuring all the grains are slightly coated with oil, this will keep it from sticking to the pot and prevents clumpy rice. Toast the rice for a minute, this gives it an extra nutty flavor.
3. Pour in the water/broth. Close the lid and seal pressure valve. Pressure cook on high pressure.
4. Quick release the pressure after cooking. Open the lid and fluff up the cooked rice with a fork, wooden spoon, or rice paddle.

What is the water to rice ratio for instant brown rice?

Since there is no evaporation during pressure cooking, I use a 1:1 ratio of water to rice for brown rice. I've learned from my blogging friend Lorena at Green Healthy Cooking that this same ratio applies any other rice that you cook in the Instant Pot.

Should I rinse brown rice?

Many people swear by rinsing rice in cold water before cooking it to remove starches and to prevent sticking. However, since I've started lightly toasting my rice in oil before cooking, I've never had any mushy, sticky rice. So I now save myself this extra step.

If you prefer rinsing your rice, you can certainly do that. But I still recommend lightly toasting it afterwards, before cooking it. Just be sure to drain it well in a fine mesh strainer. You may still have a little extra water, but I haven't found that it affects the final result in any way. No ratio adjustments are needed.

How long does instant brown rice take to cook?

Brown rice takes 23-28 minutes on the pressure cooker.

It depends on your specific rice variety and altitude level. At sea level or moderate altitude brown rice will finish in 23 minutes.

I am at very high altitude, and I have to cook brown rice for 28 minutes for it to not come out still slightly crunchy.

I believe no matter what type of rice and altitude levels, the ideal cook time will be in the 23-28 minute range. You may have to tweak it a bit the first few times you make pressure cooker brown rice, to find your specific sweet spot.

How many cups of rice can you cook in an Instant Pot?

For our family, I always cook 2 cups of rice at a time. But you can also easily scale this recipe down to 1 cup and up to 4 cups (in a 6-quart pressure cooker).

As long as you keep a 1:1 water to rice ratio it works out the same way without any need to adjust cook time.

What to serve with brown rice?

We mostly eat brown rice as a side dish alongside curries or stir fry. And whenever there is leftover brown rice, it can also be turned into fried rice or breakfast rice pudding.

But you can also go as simple as a quick drizzle of soy sauce over your rice.

How to store cooked brown rice?

You can store leftover rice in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It tends to dry out a little, so I recommend adding a couple tablespoons of water when reheating.

Freezing leftover rice is also an option. Use a freezer bag or freezer safe container and freeze for 2-3 months.

More Instant Pot Rice Recipes You'll Love

• Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
• Instant Pot Rice Pilaf - Beef Plov
• Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Rice

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