One of the reasons to love the instant pot is perfectly cooked rice. Being a north Indian, I prefer white basmati rice over any other variety of rice. You don’t need to keep that extra rice cooker anymore, and it can free up the counter space. Try this perfect Instant Pot Basmati Rice.
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Watch How to Make Perfect Basmati Rice
What is Basmati Rice?
Basmati is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice from the Indian subcontinent. This variety has gotten very popular all over the world, with India and Pakistan being the largest exporters of this rice.
How to cook perfect Instant Pot Basmati Rice?
Cooking rice needs perfection in the amount of water and time. With this recipe, you can make perfectly cooked basmati rice. Just soak the rice, then cook it for 4 minutes on high pressure in the instant pot and 5 minutes for 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. That said, everyone has different preferences for rice, so feel free to adjust the recipe to your taste.
I soaked the rice for about an hour and used a rice-to-water ratio of 1:1. Soaking for 15-20 minutes or not soaking them works, too. Although researchers say that soaking rice overnight helps reduce toxins by 80%.
If you have the time, soak them and rinse them before cooking. That said, there have been times when I have forgotten to soak the rice, but they still come out great. If you end up not soaking the rice, then you can increase the rice-to-water ratio to 1:1.25 cup.
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.
Main things to remember for perfect Basmati Rice
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Option 1 (posted in recipe)
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Option 2
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| Soaking Rice | 1 hour | No soaking |
| Rice to water ratio | 1:1 | 1:1.25 |
| Pressure Cook / Manual (High pressure, vent sealed) | 4 minutes | 4 minutes |
| Pressure Release | 5 minute NPR | 5 minute NPR |
Enjoy this perfect basmati rice with any Indian curry, such as Chole Masala, Chicken Curry, and Dal Makhani. This recipe works perfectly if cooking rice in the main pot.
If you are doing pot-in-pot (PIP), then you need to cook for additional time. Check out the pot-in-pot rice recipe.
Try out the basmati rice, and let me know if this works for you. A simple variation of basmati rice is Jeera or Cumin rice.
Want to make Brown Rice in the Instant Pot? Check out the recipe here.
Basmati Rice – Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice, (180 grams)
- 1 cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Ghee or Oil, (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt, (optional)
Instructions
- Wash basmati rice until the water runs clear. If soaking, soak the rice in excess water for 1 hour. After the soaking time is done, rinse the rice.
- Add the water and rice to the instant pot. If using, add the ghee and salt. Start the instant pot in manual or pressure cook mode for 4 minutes at high pressure with vent in sealing position.
- When the instant pot beeps, do 5 minutes natural pressure release, which means release the pressure manually 5 minutes after the instant pot beeps.
- Fluff the rice with a ladle or fork. Let them stand for 5 more minutes.
- Rice is ready to be served with your favorite curry.
Notes
- I add 1:1 rice to water ratio in this recipe as I soaked the rice. You could change the rice to water ratio to 1:1.25 if not soaking the rice.
- If you like very soft rice, then you can increase the water to 1.5 cups for 1 cup of rice.
- This recipe was created in a 6qt Instant Pot DUO60 Multi-use Programmable Pressure Cooker.
I was on the fence between buying a rice cooker or using the instant pot I already have to make rice. I found your recipe and gave it a try and it was so good! And so easy. Thank you for sharing this- it saved me money and counter top space! Also saves so much time instead of my traditional making it on the stove.
Hi Natalia – I’m so glad the recipe worked out for you! It’s awesome that you could make the most of your Instant Pot—saving money, space, and time is a win all around. Happy cooking! 😊
Can I use the same measurements and cook time in a 3qt instapot?
Hi Payal – yes, it should work well.
Do we need to keep it in warm after cooking
Hi Ria – I would suggest taking the steel insert with rice out of the instant pot after it is cooked, as otherwise the bottom layer can get overcooked with the residual heat. I hope that helps.