Instant Pot Rice - Basmati & Jasmine

A green bowl of white fluffy basmati rice

4.86 from 7 votes

Instant Pot Rice - Basmati & Jasmine

Here's a fail-proof recipe to make perfect Instant Pot rice. Using this easy to remember recipe, you can enjoy light and fluffy Basmati or Jasmine rice in just a little over 30 minutes!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time16 mins

NPR5 mins

Total Time31 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Asian, Indian

Servings:

Calories: 238kcal

Author: Aneesha Gupta

Equipment

Instant Pot

Ingredients

1 cup rice (Jasmine/ basmati) rinsed 2-3 times, basmati soaked for 15 mins
1¼ cup water
¼-½ teaspoon salt adjust to taste (I use ¼)
1 teaspoon olive oil (or ghee)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Rinse Rice & Soak if Using Basmati

I start by rinsing the rice 2-3 times, until water runs clear. Then, I soak the rice (skip for jasmine) in about 2 cups of water, for 10-15 minute (this varies among different brands and length of long grain rice). Rinse again after soaking to remove the excess starch.

Pressure Cook one of Two ways

Turn on the Instant pot. Add rinsed rice, water, salt and oil. Close lid and set to sealing mode. Pressure cook for 6 mins at high pressure on Pressure cook or Manual mode. Alternatively, you can press the 'RICE' mode, which cooks at Low pressure, for 12 mins.
Assemble the soaked and rinsed rice, water and seasoning in an oven safe bowl that fits easily in your Instant Pot. Depending on the size of your pot, add 1-2 cups of water in the inner pot. Place a trivet. Place rice bowl on top of that. Close lid and pressure cook for 6 minutes at high pressure, sealing mode

Release Pressure And fluff Rice

Once cooking time is up, let the pressure release naturally for 5-10 mins. Release the remaining pressure by following the quick release instructions of your model. Open the lid after the pressure pin drops.
Using a fork, gently fluff the rice. No stirring. Then, let the rice rest for 5 mins, uncovered. This evaporates any excess moisture and the end result is fluffier.

Notes

If using a long grain variety, I find that soaking rice for 15 minutes removes excess starch and makes the end result very light and fluffy.
The water-to-rice ratio is way different in the Instant Pot as compared to the stove-top recipe. Using the customizing tips above, use one of the following three ratios: 1:1, 1: 1.25, 1:1.125.
In my test runs, results were exactly the same when cooking rice at high pressure for 6 mins, or, on the Rice mode. So, pick a mode based on your convenience.
NPR or QR? For best results, I let the pressure release naturally for 5-10 minutes, after which I manually release the remaining pressure.
When making rice using the Pot-in-Pot method, add 1-2 cups water in the inner pot based on the size of your pot. For 3 qt and 6qt, add 1 cup. For 8qt, add 2 cups. Please remember: you still have to add water to the rice bowl as per the recipe instructions.
After opening the lid, using a fork, gently fluff the rice. No stirring. Then, let the rice rest for 5 mins, uncovered. This evaporates any excess moisture and the end result is fluffier.

Note: The nutrition facts below are my estimates for Basmati Rice. If you are following any diet plan, I recommend cross-checking with your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition