This Instant Pot basmati rice is the easiest way ever to turn out perfect, fluffy basmati rice each and every time! A quick cold water rinse and a few minutes of cooking are all it takes to have your rice ready to serve! It's perfect for meal prepping, too!
Place your basmati rice in a fine sieve mesh and rinse with cold water, using your fingers to stir the rice. Rinse until the water runs clear, and there is no white or milky appearance the water.
1 cup basmati rice
Transfer the rinsed basmati to the inner pot of your instant pot or pressure cooker and add water or broth, cooking oil or butter, and a pinch of salt (optional). Make sure that all the grains of rice are at the bottom, and none are stuck on the sides of the inner pot. *You can saute the rice for 2 - 3 minutes prior to adding water, if desired.
1 ½ cups water, 1 teaspoon cooking oil, 1 pinch salt
Seal and lock the lid in place, and set the 'manual' high pressure cook time to 5 minutes.
Allow the natural release to run for 10 minutes, then finish by quick-releasing the remaining pressure and removing the lid.
Use a fork to fluff the rice, and serve.
Notes
The basmati rice does not need to be soaked before cooking in the instant pot. However, depending on your personal preferences, you may find that method to yield the best results. Rinse the rice in cold water to rinse off starch and prevent the grains from sticking to each other. Do drain off any excess water completely!
This IP basmati rice recipe quantity can be reduced or increased, using a 1:1.5 rice to water ratio. You can use 1 cup rice and 1 ½ cup water, 2 cups rice and 3 cups water, 3 cups rice and 4 ½ cups water, etc with the same cooking time successfully.
1 teaspoon olive oil or butter (or your choice of cooking oil) can be added when cooking your rice.
You can enhance the flavor of your basmati by sautéing the rice with oil for about 2 minutes, prior to adding the water and pressure cooking the rice. Cook your rice for 4 minutes on ‘high setting’ rather than 5 minutes as directed above, if using this sauté option.
Use a broth or stock to match your protein for adding more flavor to the basmati rice. Simply swap the same amount of chicken, beef, seafood, or vegetable broth or stock for the ratio of water needed for your desired portion size of cooked rice.
If you use water and not broth, you can add a pinch of salt to enhance the nutty flavor of your basmati.
Basmati is a long grain rice, and cooks differently than standard white rice. Do not use the ‘rice’ setting (low pressure) on your instant pot or electric pressure cooker.
Store your leftover instant pot rice in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Properly refrigerated basmati rice will last up to 4 - 6 days. Discard any cooked basmati rice that has been at room temperature for 2 hours or more.