Instant Pot Basmati Rice

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Is there any food more universally loved than rice? Instant pot Basmati rice is one of those useful foods that spans every culture and can be an amazing addition to every meal. But ugh, it can be such a long process to make rice that’s actually good. 

Instant rice always ends up either dripping wet or sticky, and the texture is never right. Home-cooked rice takes so long, it usually doesn’t feel worth it when you have a busy schedule. Plus, as a homesteader, I truly do not want every cooking appliance known to man around my house. Yes, rice cookers exist, but they take up so much unnecessary space since I can just cook rice another way. And any method that ends up with mushy rice is a no from me.

I’ve had so much trial and error that I’ve learned from when it comes to cooking the perfect, most delicious rice so you don’t have to, and I’ve finally settled my question of what the best process is if you want to create rice that has the perfect texture without having to spend a disproportionate level of time and energy to cook it yourself.

Why Cook Rice in an Instant Pot?

Now, I don’t know about you, but my Instant Pot is my new best friend. Is there any better feeling than just throwing a bunch of ingredients into the pot and knowing you’ll have a full, delicious meal ready to go so much faster than you would if you had cooked the meal conventionally? 

Our moms thought they had it good with crock pots, but high pressure Instant Pots really changed the game when it came to fast, easy food, and I swear they’re a secret weapon when it comes to softer rice. The best thing you could ever do to boost your weekly meal plans is to learn how to master cooking this perfect basmati rice in the Instant Pot. 

Instant Pot Basmati rice cooks up light and fluffy each and every time. No rice cooker, sweating a pot, rinsing grains, or any of that nonsense. I’ve sorted out every detail so you can beef up your family’s meals with very little extra effort on your side.

Now, it did take me a while of experimenting to hone in on the best way to cook it and get the ratio of rice to water right, but after a little trial and error, I have finally found the right rice-to-water ratio, and now I am on a roll with this perfect rice.

What to Pair Instant Pot Basmati Rice With:

There are so many uses for this fluffy basmati rice. You can prepare it on its own as a side dish, or you could add it to your dishes and serve it as a bed with beef, chicken, or any other dish your family loves! The cook time is so short compared to stove top rice, you’ll wind up using this easy recipe every single time!

If you’re a meal prepper, you can absolutely meal prep with your pressure cooker rice. This is a great way to cook a lot of rice fast, and then you can use it to meal prep lunches or dinners for the week for your whole family. If you’re sending kids or a spouse to school or the office, this rice is perfect for their tupperware containers of chicken, broccoli, or whatever other dishes you like to send with them to keep them full and show them your love. The cooking time is so short, you’ll wonder what you were even doing before!

Now, this recipe isn’t the end-all-be-all of your personal mealtime revamp. You can learn all sorts of tips and tricks online about how to tweak the flavors and master your rice in the way you and your family love. There is no need to have “plain jane” rice! You can stir in your favorite spices or seasonings to the rice to make the taste more to your liking or to match the recipe you’re pairing the rice with, but my family will devour this rice by the mouthful just as it is.

The Type of Rice Matters!

Just a disclaimer before I hand over my personal process: Please know that all rice varieties are not the same when it comes to pressure cooking. They all require different water-to-rice ratios, cook times, and they have different options of what you can add to tweak the flavors to match your personal preference. So if you try to apply this exact process to a plain white rice, sushi rice, or another style of rice rather than using rice recipes that are created for that type, you could end up disappointed.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2.5 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp salt

How to Make Instant Pot Basmati Rice:

• Collect your 2 cups of rice, 2.5 cups of chicken broth, and 2 tbsp salt, and mix them all directly in the Instant Pot. Please note that even if you do stir them, they will be separate until they cook together.
• Set your Instant Pot to the Pressure Cook setting, and cook the rice for 15 minutes.
• Let the fluffy rice cool before consumption.

It truly does not get any easier than that! Like I said, if you want to serve this rice with a meal that has a different flavor profile, feel free to tweak my Instant Pot basmati rice recipe and mix in any spices you want. Cooking is supposed to be fun and experimental! I hope this simple recipe takes the stress out of cooking rice for you, and gets your gears turning about every recipe you can pair it with! If you liked this Instant Pot recipe, please check out my recipe for Grandma’s Skillet-Fried Cornbread for another easy side dish your whole family will love!