One of the reasons to love the instant pot is perfectly cooked brown rice. You don’t need to keep that extra rice cooker anymore, and it can free up the counter space. Even though I love white rice, I try to include more and more brown rice in our diet as it is more nutritious than white rice (well, debatable!). If you are looking for pot-in-pot (PIP) Brown Rice in the instant pot, go here.
Table of Contents
Watch How to Make Brown Basmati Rice – Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Is Brown Rice better than White Rice?
There is a big debate over which rice is better. All rice consists almost entirely of carbs, with small amounts of protein and practically no fat. Brown rice is a whole grain, which means it contains all parts of the grain — including the fibrous bran, the nutritious germ, and the carb-rich endosperm. Brown rice has more fiber, antioxidants, and many more important vitamins and minerals.
White rice has had the bran and germ removed, which are the most nutritious parts of the grain. This leaves white rice with very few essential nutrients, which is why brown rice is usually considered much healthier than white.
On the other hand, brown rice contains the anti-nutrient phytic acid, which reduces our body’s ability to absorb certain nutrients such as iron and zinc. Brown rice may also contain higher amounts of arsenic, a toxic chemical. However, this is only a concern if you eat a lot of rice.
With the above facts, I am not recommending either one is better. You make the choice! I prefer to include both brown and white rice in our diet.
How to cook Brown Rice in Instant Pot?
Cooking rice needs perfection in the amount of water and time. I was never able to get that for brown rice prior to using the instant pot. Sometimes, there would be water left, and sometimes, the rice would be undercooked. However, now, with the Instant Pot, I can always cook perfect brown rice.
This is a no-soak method. Just wash the rice, cook it for 22 minutes on high pressure in the instant pot, and release it for 10 minutes at natural pressure. Sounds easy…it actually is!
I like to have rice al dente and separate. I don’t like sticky or mushy rice. Hence I use a 1:1.25 rice to water ratio, which has consistently given me perfect results.
Traditionally cooking basmati rice in a saucepan needs double the water amount than the rice. However, in the instant pot, less water is enough to get perfectly cooked rice.
The same method works well to make rice in Ninja Foodi pressure cooker.
Main things to remember for perfect Brown Basmati Rice
- No soaking of rice
- Rice to water ratio – 1:1.25
- Pressure Cook / Manual for 22 minutes (high pressure, vent sealed)
- 10-minute NPR – Manually release the pressure 10 minutes after the instant pot beeps
Enjoy this perfect brown rice with any curry such as Chana Masala, Chicken Curry and Dal Makhani.
Try out the brown rice and let me know how it turned out. If you want to make Brown Rice using the pot-in-pot method (PIP), check out the recipe here.
You can also check out other variations of rice – Basmati white rice, Jeera or Cumin rice, or other basic recipes such as Steamed Broccoli and Instant Pot Beets.
Brown Basmati Rice Recipe – Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Brown Basmati Rice
- 1 1/4 cup Water
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil, (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt, (optional)
Instructions
- Wash brown rice until the water runs clear.
- Add water and rice to the instant pot insert. If using, add the oil and salt.
- Start the instant pot in manual or pressure cook mode for 22 mins at high pressure with vent in sealing position.
- When the instant pot beeps, do 10 minutes natural pressure release, which means release the pressure manually 10 minutes after the instant pot beeps.
- Fluff the rice with a ladle or fork. Rice is ready to be served with your favorite curry.
Notes
- If you like very soft rice, then increase the amount of water by 1/4 cup.
- Cooking time remains the same even if you double or half the recipe.
- This recipe was created in a 6qt Instant Pot DUO60 Multi-use Programmable Pressure Cooker.
So reliable; great recipe; works every time. I always come back to your site when I forget how to cook brown basmati rice in the rice cooker; perfect texture. Thank you!
Hi – So great to hear that. Thank you for sharing it back 🙂
I’d like to try this for a dinner party. Would it work to triple the recipe? And what’s the cooked yield for 1 cup of rice?
Hi Mike – One cup of raw brown rice typically yields about 2.5 to 3 cups of cooked rice. You can triple the recipe in a 6qt instant pot. Double the ingredients, but the pressure cooking time will remain the same.
If you make 2 cups of rice, do you need to increase the pressure cook time?
Hi Lori – The pressure cooking time remains the same even if you double the recipe.
I come back to this recipe/technique so regularly that when I type “Brown bas-” it shows up. Thank you so much for this info!
Hi Ann-Marie – I am delighted to hear that this is your go-to recipe to cook brown rice.
Mine came out stuck together like sticky rice and too soft for my liking. Is this because I soaked it overnignt first? I do this to remove some of the arsenic and has always been perfect otherwise stove top. This is the first thing I’ve tried in my instant pot. Many thanks
Hi Angie – Yes, soaking the rice will change the pressure cooking time. I would suggest to cook for just 15 minutes for soaked brown basmati rice. Would love to hear how that turns out.
I would also like to know how that went. I have a new instant pot (Home use. We don’t teach that at high-school level.) and I like to use brown rice due to added fibre and additional nutrients that remain after cooking (Prolonged heat destroys Vitamins, but not minerals.) but notice that one pot recipes for meat and veg require less cooking time…so using a PIP method for brown rice with 22 minutes of cook time will make the rest of the meal overcooked and radically change texture and nutrition. I would also like to know, after you have soaked the rice (How long was the soak time?), and drained it, what the actual rice to water ratio should be. Will it be the same 1:1? Would 1:1 be too much or just result in a texture similar to if you had used 1:1.2.5?
Have started experimenting with this. 1 cup of brown basmati rice was soaked in 2 cups water for 14 hours…was supposed to be 12, but did not get home till later, drained it and used 1.25 cups of water (barely covered the rice) in with the rice and 1.5 in the pot liner. Rice came out a tiny bit crunchy on the top after 15 mins at high pressure and 5 mins NR. Rice readily absorbed another quarter cup of hot water from the instant pot.
The rice after soaking had softened considerably compared to the uncooked raw rice. I tried it before putting it in the instant pot. I suspect that whatever water the rice was soaked in, that it did not absorb, that is the amount that needs to be put in with the soaked rice into the PIP pan you are using to cook it properly.
Conclusion…but I still have more experiments to do…that soaking the rice for at least 12 hours and putting it in with enough water, will permit the brown rice to cook faster and at the same rate as the other menu item in the bottom of the pot.
Hello – You are right, if you soak the brown rice for 10-12 hours, it will cook even in 12 minutes in the main pot. I have tried that with my biryani recipe. So 15 minutes for pot-in-pot should work well.
Perfect brown basmati rice-thank you!
Hi – That’s wonderful to hear.
This rice came out great. I used homemade chicken stock for the fluid, and 1/4 more stock. It came out really creamy. I like the rice a little soft so I might try 23 min next time but this came out great.
Hi Jason – Glad to hear you enjoyed the brown rice.
Could you please help me to clarify weather this step (excerpt below) means:
When the pot beeps, don’t touch anything and let it sit for 10 minutes, and efore putting the valve to “venting” to release the pressure?
OR
when the pot beeps, change the valve to “venting” and leave for 10 minutes?
“When the instant pot beeps, do 10 minutes natural pressure release, which means release the pressure manually 10 minutes after the instant pot beeps.”
Oops, “whether” not “weather.”
Hi Clarity – Sorry the recipe was not clea. 10 minute Natural pressure release, means you want to release the pressure manually 10 minutes after the instant pot has completed pressure cooking. You do this by turning the valve to venting on the lid of the instant pot.
Typically the instant pot goes in keep warm mode after pressure cooking is completed and the timer displays how much time has passed. So when the display shows 10:00 minutes, you want to release the pressure. Hope that helps!
I went exactly by your recipe and it was perfect. I even doubled the amount to ensure I had some leftovers. Thanks for posting.
Hi Debbie – So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing it back 🙂
Hi! After doing the 22 mins manual pressure about 4 mins in the steam was coming out like crazy for a long time. So I got nervous and shut it off. Is that normal before the 22 minute countdown?
Yes the pressure cooker will release some steam periodically, totally fine.
This is my first time cooking a brown rice perfect!
Detailed but super easy steps to perfectly cooked brown basmati rice. I used a little of “this and that” as other reviewers suggested.
Thank you for this recipe!
Happy to hear the brown rice turned out great. Thanks for sharing back!
Very informative, the way its explained its very easy, i love rice specially basmati rice and i love to try various type of rice recipes. Indian rice is one such thing that always delight me, like pulav biryani and more, early waiting to see more rice recipe from you.
I’ve tried making brown rice in my Mealthy pressure cooker, following their directions, and it never turned out right. I followed these directions exactly, including the ghee and slat, and it’s absolutely perfect. Best brown basmati I’ve ever had. Thank you.
Hi Sara – So happy to hear the brown rice turned out perfect. Thank you for sharing back your review!
This is my favorite way to make brown rice. I buy Della brand organic brown rice from Costco and make it with this method. My husband usually hates brown rice, but he enjoys it when cooked this way. I’ll swap the water for stock or broth based on what I have available or what it’s being served with. I also always add one bay leaf per cup of rice and a little garlic & onion powder.
Hi, That makes me really happy.Thank you for sharing it 🙂
Thanks for testing & sharing this recipe. My daughter had stopped eating brown rice, but she’s fine with brown basmati when it’s fluffy.
Hi Derek – Happy to hear your daughter liked the brown rice. Thanks for sharing back!
I tripled the recipe and the rice came out perfectly, thanks so much!
Hi Jessena – Happy to hear the brown rice cooked perfectly!
Tried this today and the rice was cooked perfectly. Thanks for the instructions.
Hi- So good to hear that 🙂
Followed the recipe to the T and the rice was so undercooked and watery. Had to start over.
Hi Ali – I am surprised the rice did not cook in 22 minutes of high pressure. Seems like something was wrong, maybe the instant pot did not come to pressure. Can you share what type of rice you used?
Thank you for this fab recipe. I cooked it at 21 mins which made it just aldente I used tilda brown basmati rice
But defi my goto recipe from now on
My on question is how long do I cook the rice for for 2 cups? Thank you so much 🥰
Hi Meeta – Glad to hear the rice cooked perfectly to your liking. The cooking time will remain the same even if you double or triple the quantity.
If you read the healthline article you linked to, you’ll see that there’s no good health reason to choose white over brown rice. The phytic acid and arsenic risks are minimal, and the benefits of brown over white rice easily overwhelm them. Stuff like reduced risk of diabetes, weight control, antioxidants, reduced risk of heart disease. Meanwhile phytic acid *may* block some nutrients from being absorbed, and you have to eat an awful lot of rice to be worried about arsenic.
I throw some green lentils in with the rice, and use chicken stock instead of water. And a bit of white miso for some nice umami. Makes a good side dish.
Hi Roger – Thanks for sharing the details. I like to vary with a variety of sides – white rice, brown rice, quinoa, bulgur. Love the addition of moong dal and the umami flavor!
Roger, not sure if you’ll see this but can u tell me how much lentils U add to rice, when U add it, are the lentils dry? Also do U increase the amount of water to the pot? I’ve wanted to try lentils but don’t know how to cook or flavor them. Thanks.
Hi Chris – I would suggest to add 1/2 cup whole moong bean to 1 cup brown rice. Increase the cooking water to 2 cups. Also, you can add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, cumin, and Garam Masala to flavor the lentils and rice. Here is a Lebanese lentil and rice recipe if you want to check out – https://pipingpotcurry.com/instant-pot-lentils-rice-mujadara/