Make perfect basmati rice every time in the Instant Pot in 20 minutes! Chewy, slightly nutty, and al dente basmati rice for any meal. The Instant Pot is the best way to make basmati rice, especially with the use of a secret ingredient!
Basmati means fragrant in Hindi and, compared to other kinds of rice, basmati rice is definitely that! It has more flavor than other types of rice making it a favorite for many dishes and meals.
Using an Instant Pot is the BEST way to make perfectly cooked, nutty, and fragrant basmati rice. And it's super quick too! No need to watch over the rice with stovetop cooking and no need for a bulky rice cooker any more! The Instant Pot does it all.
If you have any leftover rice you have to check out my recipe for Instant Pot Fried Rice recipe! Another super easy starch that can be ready in a flash is my Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Skin recipe, so easy and so delicious!
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🙌 Why This Recipe is the Best!
- Perfectly cooked basmati rice ready in just 20 minutes
- No soaking needed!
- Vegan-friendly and gluten-free
- Using the secret ingredient makes clean-up a breeze!
- The quickest, easiest way to make fluffy basmati rice
🍚 Ingredients
Obviously, you'll need rice and water for this recipe, but I also use a small amount of vegetable oil to make this recipe even easier to make and clean up afterward too.
To make perfect basmati rice in the Instant Pot, you'll need:
- Basmati rice
- Cold water
- Sea salt
- Vegetable oil
Check out the recipe card for precise quantities and instructions. There are also substitution suggestions listed below.
📖 Instructions
Only a couple of minutes prep for this recipe and then it will pressure cook in the Instant Pot for about 15 minutes in total. It cannot get easier!
Place rice into a wire strainer and rinse under the tap with cold water. Run your fingers through the rice a couple of times to loosen extra starch while rinsing.
Brush the inner pot of the Instant Pot with vegetable oil. There should be a light layer of oil covering the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pot.
Add the rice, water and salt to the Instant Pot and stir gently a couple of times to distribute the salt evenly.
Close with the lid, seal and pressure cook for 6 minutes at high pressure. Natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then open and fluff with a fork.
Hint: My secret to making perfect basmati rice is to use vegetable oil in the Instant Pot. Using vegetable oil makes it so much easier to remove the rice from the pot and clean it afterward too! No more soaking and scrubbing to clean your Instant Pot after making rice.
I have made basmati rice many times in the Instant Pot before learning about using some oil, and I have not looked back since then! It's the best way to make basmati rice in the Instant Pot, every time!
🙋🏻♂️ FAQs
The ratio of basmati rice to water in the Instant Pot is 1:1. So for every 1 cup of rice, you need 1 cup of water and if you make any changes, always use the exact same amount of water and rice.
This probably means your rice is overcooked. You could have added too much water. Check your ratios and make another batch of rice. With some testing, you will find the right way for your pressure cooker.
I find that the 10 minutes of natural release really helps make the rice fluffy instead of mushy and sticky. Make sure to use the correct ratio of water and rice and don't overcook it either!
Basmati rice takes about 20 minutes to cook in the Instant Pot. It takes about 5 minutes for the Instant Pot to pressurize, then 6 minutes for the pressure cooking followed by a natural pressure release for 10 minutes.
🥣 Substitutions
Here are some substitution suggestions so you can make this recipe with what you have on hand!
- White rice, Brown Basmati Rice - You can substitute normal white rice in this recipe and follow the instructions in the same way. If substituting with brown basmati rice, then increase the pressure cooking time to 18-20 minutes, followed by a 10 minute natural pressure release.
- Chicken or Vegetable Broth/Stock - Substitute the water with broth for more flavor. Reduce the amount of salt in this case.
- Vegetable Oil - Canola oil, avocado oil and olive oil all work well for this recipe.
⏲ Equipment
This recipe has been developed and tested using a 6-quart (5.5 L) Instant Pot Duo. The Instant Pot is perfect for quickly making any starches and vegetable side dishes for meals.
I also used a silicone basting brush to brush the oil evenly in the Instant Pot.
🍶 Storage
Allow leftover rice to cool completely to room temperature before storing it in an air-tight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
I haven't tried freezing the rice before (I usually don't have any leftovers!) but I have heard that it works well. Freeze the rice in small bags or containers for up to 3 months. Allow the rice to thaw completely before reheating and serving.
👨🏻🍳 Top tips
- Doing a Test Run - Pressure cooking involves a lot of factors, so make a test run of the rice and see if you need to adjust anything before making another batch. Add more water if the rice is dry, and less water if the rice is too soft.
- Rinsing the Rice - It's important to rinse the rice to remove excess starch otherwise your rice could end up clumpy and not light and fluffy as it should be!
- Natural Release Time - The rice won't be done cooking after the pressure cooking timer goes off, make sure to leave the rice for 10 minutes to continue cooking and fluff up. Your patience will be rewarded with the best fluffy rice ever.
- Doubling or Tripling Recipe - You can easily double or triple this recipe. Make any adjustments you see fit but the recipe should come out very similar! If tripling the recipe, add a ¼ cup to ½ more water.
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Instant Pot Basmati Rice (Perfect Every Time!)
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
- Silicone basting brush
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked Basmati rice
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- ½ tsp. fine sea salt optional
Instructions
- Place rice into a wire strainer and rinse under the tap with cold water. Run your fingers through the rice a couple of times to loosen extra starch while rinsing.
- Brush the inner pot of the Instant Pot with the vegetable oil. There should be a good layer of oil covering the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pot.
- Add the rice, water and salt to the Instant Pot and stir gently a couple of times to distribute the salt evenly.
- Close with the lid, seal and pressure cook for 6 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take a couple of minutes to come to pressure. Once the cooking timer has elapsed, allow the rice to sit in the Instant Pot and natural pressure release for 10 minutes.
- Release any remaining pressure and open the Instant Pot. Fluff the rice with a fork, trying to avoid scratching the Instant Pot too much. The rice should come away from the inner Instant pot easily due to the oil, which means less cleaning up afterwards and no rice stains.
- Serve the basmati rice with your choice of sides or meal and enjoy!
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