Perfectly cooked Basmati Rice flavored with cumin and whole spices made in the Instant Pot. Enjoy these aromatic Instant Pot Jeera Rice (Cumin Rice) with any curry or lentil.
One of the reasons to love the instant pot is perfectly cooked rice. You don’t need to keep that extra rice cooker anymore, and it can free up the counter space.
I have shared Basmati Rice recipe in the instant pot before, however I actually prefer a little more flavor to my rice. One of the regulars in our house is Jeera or Cumin Rice. Cumin Rice is very commonly made in North India with any curry. My mom would always make Jeera Rice at home, so I always prefer this rice over plain rice.
Jeera Rice is so much more flavorful than plain rice, just like my peas pulao. I highly recommend trying it out. This Jeera Rice recipe is naturally gluten-free.
Oh..and add a tablespoon of ghee while making this Jeera Rice, and you will love the aroma of ghee in this rice. And you can very well call this Jeera Ghee Rice! Replace ghee with a plant-based oil to make this recipe vegan.
Cumin Rice Pilaf goes well with curries and lentils such as Chole Masala, Paneer Butter Masala, Chicken Curry, or Dal Makhani.
If you love cooking rice in your Instant Pot, check out this collection of 23+ Instant Pot Rice Recipes!
How to make Jeera Rice in the Instant Pot?
In this recipe, I add whole spices along with cumin. The whole spices add a wonderful aroma to the rice. I usually add the whole spices when preparing rice for a gathering. For everyday rice, I just add cumin seeds.
I used Basmati Rice in this recipe. If using another variety of rice, adjust the rice-to-water ratio accordingly. I like to have rice al dente and separate. I don’t like sticky or mushy rice. The ghee/oil in this recipe certainly helps to get well-done separate grains. That said, everyone has different preferences for rice, so feel free to adjust the recipe to your taste.
- To start preparing, wash and drain the rice. This is a no-soak recipe, but if you prefer, you can soak the rice. If you soak the rice, you can use a rice-to-water ratio of 1:1.
- Heat the instant pot in sauté mode (normal) and add ghee or oil. Then add the whole spices and cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start to splutter, add the rice and stir well. Be careful when adding the rice, as there might be some splutters. Add the water and salt. I use a rice-to-water ratio of 1:1.25 for this recipe.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual / pressure cook mode for 4 minutes at high pressure with the vent in the sealing position. When the instant pot beeps, do a 5-minute natural pressure release, which means manually releasing the pressure 5 minutes after the instant pot beeps.
- Fluff the rice and let it rest for another 5 minutes. Restaurant-style Jeera rice is ready to be enjoyed with your favorite curry.
Main things to remember for Perfect Jeera Rice
- No soaking of rice
- Rice to water ratio – 1:1.25
- Pressure Cook / Manual for 4 minutes (high pressure, vent sealed)
- 5-minute NPR – Manually release the pressure 5 minutes after the instant pot beeps
Pro-tips for perfect Jeera Rice
- Choose good quality Basmati Rice. I use Royal Basmati Rice or Tilda Extra Long Grain Basmati rice for my cooking.
- Wash the rice well. You can wash in a strainer until the water runs clear or in a bowl by changing the water a few times until the water is clear.
- We love to add ghee while making jeera rice. Ghee enhances the flavor a lot. If you are vegan, use your favorite plant-based oil.
- Don’t forget to add the aromatic spices. I just added a few black peppercorns, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, and green cardamom. It is totally fine to skip in case you don’t have these in your pantry.
- Do not overcook the rice. I like to take the steel insert in which I cooked the rice out of the instant pot after opening it so the lower layer is not overcooked.
What to pair with Jeera Rice?
Jeera rice pairs well with any curry or lentils. We love it with the below North Indian dishes:
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Black Chickpeas or Kala Chana Curry
- Rajma Masala (Red Kidney Beans Curry)
- Mutton Masala (Goat Curry)
More Rice Recipes To Try!
Rice & Grains
Instant Pot Sushi Rice
Rice & Grains
Pumpkin Rice
Rice & Grains
Easy Instant Pot Rice & Beans
Instant Pot Jeera Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- 1 1/4 cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 teaspoon Salt, adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
Whole Spices
Instructions
- Wash and drain the rice until the water runs clear.
- Heat the instant pot in sauté mode and add ghee or oil to it. Then add the whole spices and cumin seeds.
- When the cumin seeds start to splutter, add rice and stir them with the whole spices for about 30 seconds. Then add water, salt and stir again. Press cancel and close lid with vent in sealing position.
- Change the instant pot setting to manual / pressure cook mode for 4 minutes, at high pressure with vent in sealing position.
- When the instant pot beeps, do a 5 minute natural pressure release, which means manually release the pressure 5 minutes after the instant pot beeps.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and let it rest for another 5 minutes. You can take the steel insert out of the instant pot, so the bottom layer of rice does not overcook.
- Cumin Rice is ready to be enjoyed with any curry or lentil.
Notes
- To simplify this recipe, you can skip the whole spices.
- You can double or triple the recipe, without any change in the cooking time.
- Be careful when adding the rice as there might be some splutters.
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You can garnish jeera rice with roasted nuts such as cashews.
- Choose good quality Basmati Rice. I use Royal Basmati Rice or Tilda Extra Long Grain Basmati rice for my cooking.
Hi Meeta, Love all of your recipes I’ve tried and I really appreciate that you provide alternatives, like coconut milk in lieu of heavy cream for those of us who need to avoid lactose.
Question: For the recipes that include whole spices, do you get the same flavor advantages if you remove the whole spices before continuing with the recipe? Do the whole spices flavor the ghee/oil? Or can you put the whole spices in a tea ball or something and then remove them before serving? Thanks !
Hi Ruth – Yes, you want to keep the whole spices while the cooking is being done. Hence, spice bags work great. You can remove the spice bag once the rice or curry is cooked. The spice bag can be added later in the cooking process with the rice and water in this recipe. We usually just eat around the whole spices and remove them on the side, but I totally understand that removing them before serving is preferred. I am glad you are enjoying the recipes.
Very easy, tastes great. Cooking times were spot-on for the Instant Pot. Thank you!
Hi – Glad to hear it turned out so well! Enjoy your meal, and thank you for the kind feedback! 😊
Looks delicious! Can we make this in a big batch for a party? Like 5 cups of rice ? If yes how much would be the quantity of water and would the time change? Thank you
Hi Shivani – The cooking time will remain the same. I would increase the quantity of water proportionally to the amount of rice as mentioned in the recipe.
Thank you for responding! So if i take 5 cups of rice , the water should be 5 cups or more?
Hi Shivani – For 1 cup of rice, I suggest 1 1/4 cup water, so increase the water proportionally to 6 1/4 cups for 5 cups of rice.