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Home » Recipes » Rice & Grains

Brown Basmati Rice - Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Published August 14, 2017 Updated December 14, 2020 By Meeta Arora 108 Comments | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Brown Basmati Rice
Brown Basmati Rice

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 can free 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.

Brown rice instant pot pressure cooker

Is Brown Rice better than White Rice?

There is a big debate over which rice it 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 and antioxidants, as well as a lot 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 reduce 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 on 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, sometime 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, 22 minutes pressure cook (high pressure) in the instant pot and 10 minutes natural pressure release.  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 cooked 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.

Brown rice instant pot - after cooking

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

Brown rice instant pot pressure cooker - after cooking

Enjoy this perfect brown rice with any curry such as Chana Masala, Chicken Curry and Dal Makhani.

Brown rice instant pot pressure cooker 2

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 basics recipes such as Steamed Broccoli and Instant Pot Beets .

Tried this recipe?Give a rating by clicking the ★ below
Brown rice in a blue bowl

Brown Basmati Rice Recipe - Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Meeta Arora
Perfectly cooked Brown Basmati rice made in an instant pot or pressure cooker.
4.76 from 157 votes
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Servings: 2
Calories: 407
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian, Thai
Diet: Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Method: Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
Prep Time: 2 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Total Time: 37 mins

Equipment

  • Electric Pressure Cooker

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup Brown Basmati Rice
  • 1 ¼ cup Water
  • 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil (optional)
  • ½ 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.

Video

Notes

  • If you like very soft rice, then increase the amount of water by ¼ 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.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 407kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 7gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 595mgPotassium: 206mgFiber: 3gCalcium: 21mgIron: 1.4mg
Keyword instant pot brown rice
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jim says

    April 19, 2021 at 1:34 pm

    This is the best brown rice I've ever had. Your recipe is perfection. Since the first time, I've tried it with broth instead of water, and also once with an added tbls. of soy sauce and a tbls. of honey. Every time it is perfect, no matter how. Thanks for putting this online.

    Reply
    • Piping Pot Curry says

      April 20, 2021 at 8:52 am

      Hi - So happy to hear that. Thank you so much for sharing your experience 😊

      Reply
  2. Louise says

    March 15, 2021 at 3:01 pm

    This recipe turned out perfect brown rice, just like we like it. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Piping Pot Curry says

      March 16, 2021 at 1:58 pm

      Hi - I am glad to hear that. Thank you for sharing it back 🙂

      Reply
  3. Joan says

    March 10, 2021 at 4:11 pm

    Several other recipes for brown basmati rice in an instant pot say to heat on high pressure for only about 5-6 minutes, yet your time on high pressure is 20 min. Big Difference. Why?

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      March 17, 2021 at 7:06 am

      Hi Joan - I wonder if they are using quick cooking or parboiled brown rice. For regular brown rice, I have always needed more cook time. Hope you give it a try.

      Reply
  4. POOJA says

    February 23, 2021 at 7:06 pm

    I cannot believe how perfect this turned out! Mind blown! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Piping Pot Curry says

      February 24, 2021 at 1:53 pm

      Hi Pooja - So happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing 🙂

      Reply
  5. DE says

    February 14, 2021 at 12:08 pm

    I made this exactly as directed. I'm not a rice person, made this to go with red beans and rice. And I have to say, it is great. I can eat it right out of the pot. The ghee and salt make it very tasty.

    Reply
    • Piping Pot Curry says

      February 15, 2021 at 9:06 am

      Hi - So glad to hear that 🙂

      Reply
  6. Kerry says

    January 03, 2021 at 6:17 pm

    I followed the directions exactly as written and the rice came out perfectly! I am going to start using brown rice more often now that I can cook it so easily in the Instant pot.

    Thank you for sharing the recipe!

    Reply
    • Piping Pot Curry says

      January 04, 2021 at 9:02 am

      Hi Kerry - So glad to hear that. Thank you for trying my Recipe 🙂

      Reply
  7. David says

    July 26, 2020 at 7:34 pm

    I followed your instructions verbatim with my Crock Pot pressure cooker and the texture of the rice was perfect. I used Aldi's store brand brown basmati rice. Thank you for this!

    Reply
  8. Bernadette says

    April 07, 2020 at 11:17 am

    This article and the replies were SO helpful.

    Reply
  9. Christine says

    January 25, 2020 at 5:21 pm

    Hi,

    I've made this multiple times and its' come out perfect each time! My fruit market only had Jasmine Brown Rice this time. Would this recipe still work?

    Thanks

    Reply
    • Fuzzy says

      June 17, 2020 at 1:17 am

      Did you ever get an answer about brown jasmine rice? Or figure it out for yourself? I cant find it anywhere!

      Reply
      • Meeta Arora says

        June 23, 2020 at 1:13 am

        The same cooking time would work well for brown jasmine rice too. Hope you enjoy it!

    • Chris says

      July 29, 2021 at 9:16 am

      Yes you can use Jasmine in place of basmati brown or regular brown rice.

      Reply
  10. Six says

    January 20, 2020 at 1:55 pm

    This sounded good for the amount of time it takes to cook, since you wanted the rice firm. And I was glad you told us how you like your rice, so I could make some adjustments, since I wanted it more soft, a little bit closer to sticky rice.

    I added 3 minutes to your cooking time, some extra cooking time, and extra pressure release time.

    I used two parts water to one part rice (like I always do for pressure cooking)--using 3 cups water to 1.5 cups brown basmati rice. I normally add some extra time to go with the extra water, so this time I cooked it for 25 min. at high pressure, waiting for all pressure to Release Naturally, in a 6 quart IP Duo Plus--with the Keep Warm Function/Keep Warm Light turned off. (For short grain brown rice, I like to use 2:1 water to rice, and 27 min. cooking time, with Natural Release of pressure.)

    I try to use brown rice for every dish and every occasion, since all white rice used to be brown rice--no matter how special or gourmet-quality it is--before the brown parts were removed. So I know (if you know where to look) you should be able to find any special kind of rice needed for a specific purpose in a brown, or in a whole-grain version.

    My results were very good. Your recipe was 5 stars, getting the results you like, and mine was also 5 stars, since I wanted mine to be softer.

    Reply
    • Six says

      January 20, 2020 at 2:19 pm

      Thanks for the great recipe. I looked it up to see how to cook the new kind of rice I just got.

      I wrote earlier that I used Brown Basmati Rice, but it turns out it was actually Brown Jasmine Rice, which I think is similar.

      Anyway, it turned out just right.

      The 5 lb. bag I got says this:

      Dynasty Super Premium Grade
      Thai Hom Mali
      Jasmine Brown Rice
      Non GMO, Gluten Free, Kosher
      Product of Thailand

      Reply
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