Love Mushrooms? This is going to be your new favorite – Easy, healthy & delicious Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf. A flavorful one-pot dish with just 5 ingredients. It is perfect to make on a weeknight and enjoy as a side or as a meal. Even better, make it on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot.
Brown Rice is cooked with onions, garlic, and lots of mushrooms. Topped with green onions…oh so delicious! This Mushroom Rice is a vegan and gluten-free dish.
This mushroom pilaf can be made with white or brown rice. If you love mushrooms, you will love this easy variation instead of plain rice.
It is the best mushroom and rice recipe. Perfect for entertaining or packing for a quick, easy lunch.
This Mushroom Rice can easily be made ahead and heated just before serving, similar to my cilantro lime brown rice and Spanish rice recipe.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this Mushroom Rice?
- It is vegan and gluten-free
- Easy to make
- It can be made with white rice or brown rice
- Includes healthy mushrooms and can add other veggies too!
- To make this cheesy, add parmesan or cheddar at the end after cooking
Ingredients
This recipe uses very basic ingredients. Slice the mushrooms, peel the garlic, and dice the onions.
Mushrooms: I used cremini mushrooms, but other varieties of mushrooms would work, too. Wash and dry the mushrooms with a paper towel or kitchen cloth. Then, slice them.
Rice: You can use brown rice (not the quick-cooking ones) – basmati, or jasmine. You can also use white rice in this recipe. Note the different cooking times for white rice. I don’t soak the rice. Just rinse them until the water runs clear. However, if you prefer, you can soak the rice in warm water for an hour. It helps to reduce the cooking time for rice.
Onions: I used yellow onions. Dice them finely.
Garlic: Peel and mince the garlic.
Olive oil: Needed to sauté the onions and mushrooms.
Broth: I used vegetable broth, but chicken broth would also work. I have used Better Than Bouillon base to make broth. It is just easier to keep at hand for all my cooking. If using it, you may want to skip adding salt.
Green onions: These are optional. Only for garnish. You can garnish with cilantro or parsley too.
How to make Mushroom Rice Pilaf?
Sauté Mushrooms & Keep Aside
This is an optional step. Sauté half of the mushrooms in a large saucepan and take them out to top the pilaf at the end. This gives a crunchy taste of the mushrooms.
Of course, you could also cook them all with the rice. But I like the sautéed crunchy mushrooms on the rice when serving.
Cook Mushroom Rice
To the same saucepan, we will then add some oil, sauté onions, garlic, and the rest of the mushrooms. The mushrooms will first release water, let the liquid dry, and brown the mushrooms.
Then add in the rice and broth. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 35-40 minutes until there is no residual liquid. Stir in between, starting at about 25 mins. (If using white rice, cook for 15 minutes)
I like to cook the mushrooms with the rice so the rice can absorb the mushrooms’ amazing flavors.
Instant Pot Method
Follow the same steps in the stovetop method. The amount of broth used is reduced when cooking in the instant pot, as less liquid is needed to cook in the closed pressure cooker.
Pressure cook for 22 minutes on high pressure (4 minutes for white rice). Then, release the pressure 10 minutes after the beep. Fluff the rice and enjoy!
This was so good; each grain was separate and perfectly cooked. We enjoyed it as our lunch, and the two of us finished it all. I like to sprinkle some lemon juice to give the pilaf a slightly tangy taste.
Pro-Tips
Mushrooms: Don’t slice the mushrooms too thin, as they might disintegrate when cooking with the rice.
Veggies: You can add green peas to this pilaf too. I like to use frozen peas and add them at the end when the rice is almost cooked. For the instant pot method, after the pressure cooking is done, add the peas, close the lid, and let the rice rest for 5 minutes.
Storage: You can store the mushroom rice in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. You can also freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Reheat the rice in the microwave.
What to serve with Mushroom Rice?
Mushroom rice is great on its own, but for a well-rounded meal, pair it with Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks, Baked Salmon, or Lemon Roasted Chicken.
I hope you enjoy this easy, healthy mushroom brown rice pilaf!
More Mushroom Recipes You’ll Love
Brown Rice Mushroom Pilaf
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil, divided
- 2 cloves Garlic , minced
- 1 cup Onions , diced
- 10 ounces Cremini Mushrooms , sliced, divided
- 1 cup Brown Rice , rinsed, can use white rice too
- Salt , to taste
For Instant Pot
- 1 1/4 cup Vegetable Broth
For stovetop
- 2 cups Vegetable Broth
To garnish (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Butter , (optional) skip butter to keep this vegan
- 1/4 cup Green onions , diced
Instructions
- Rinse brown rice and set aside.
For Instant Pot:
- Start the instant pot in Sauté mode and let it heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, half the mushrooms and sprinkle some salt. Cook them for about 4 minutes until they brown. Take out and keep them aside. We will add these in at the end.
- Now add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic and onions to the instant pot. Sauté for 2 mins. Add mushrooms and sauté for another 3-4 minutes until they brown.
- Add brown rice, vegetable broth, and salt. Stir and deglaze the pot. Press cancel and close the lid with the vent in the sealing position.
- Select Manual or Pressure cook mode for 22 mins at high pressure (or 4 minutes for white rice). When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
- Add back in the mushrooms kept aside. Add in the optional tbsp of butter and mix well. Top with green onions and enjoy!
For Stovetop in a pot:
- Heat oil in a medium-large pot or saucepan over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, half the mushrooms and sprinkle some salt. Cook them for about 4 minutes until they brown. Take out and keep them aside. We will add these in at the end.
- Now add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic and onions to the pot. Sauté for 2 mins. Add mushrooms and sauté for another 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally until they brown.
- Add brown rice, vegetable broth and salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 35-40 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir in between starting at about 25 mins. (Cook covered for 15 minutes for white rice)
- When rice is done, add back in the mushrooms kept aside. Add in the optional tablespoon of butter and mix well. Top with green onions and enjoy!
Notes
- I used cremini mushrooms, but regular white button mushrooms will work too.
- I made this pilaf with short-grain brown rice. Long-grain brown rice will work too. You can also use white rice in this recipe.
- White basmati or jasmine rice will also work, however reduce the cooking time depending on the rice you choose. I cook white rice for 4 minutes at high pressure with 10 minute natural pressure release in the instant pot.
- I have used Better Than Bouillon base to make broth. It is just easier to keep at hand for all my cooking. You may want to skip adding salt if using it.
- I like to sprinkle some lime juice just before enjoying mushroom pilaf in the bowl.
Very tasty and healthy in a low cholesterol diet. However, as a non-cook, it would be nice to know early in the recipe what an insta pot is. It came out ok in a sauce pan, but I had all the ingredients ready before I found you need a pressure cooker..
Hi Jonathon – Happy to hear you enjoyed the pilaf. I have the stovetop method included in the recipe, so an instant pot is definitely not required for this dish.
I followed the recipe. Cooked for the 22 minutes. Wasn’t done so resealed and pressure cooked for 10 more minutes. Rice still wasn’t done, chewy but the flavor was there. I’m not loving my
Instapot. Will try on stovetop next time. I used a good basmati brown rice.
Hi Sandy – If the brown rice was not cooked in 22 minutes, I wonder if the pot was sealed properly? Did you see any steam coming out throughout the cooking time? In my experience, instant pot works great for brown rice. If you find that there was a chance the pot did not come to pressure, do the water test once again to make sure it is functioning properly. Hope that helps!
Hi, this sounds so wonderful but I was wondering if you can cook the rice with the cooked mushrooms in a rice pot?
Hi Carol – I have not tried, but no reason why you could not use the rice pot/cooker to cook the sauteed mushrooms with the rice.
Can i ask why you add half the mushrooms back in after and not all of them?
Hey Ella – I wanted the rice to soak in the flavors from the mushrooms, which is why I left half of the mushrooms in while cooking the rice. Hope you enjoy it!
My husband and I have been meal planning with this recipe for a few weeks now, and we’re still not tired of it! Absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Moriah – So glad to hear you are enjoying the pilaf. Thank you for sharing back your review!
Thanks for a great recipe! I found it while looking for a way to use my Imperfect rice, so I knew I had to make this recipe after reading your story. I made it on the stove and used butter and chicken broth, in place of oil and veggie broth.
Hey Jill – So glad to hear you enjoyed the Pilaf. Thank you for sharing the modifications you made.
I followed this recipe exacty. It burnt in my instant pot. I had to throw it away.
Hello – Sorry to hear. Trying to figure out the issue – What brown rice did you use? I wonder if the type of brown rice used was different. Was the instant pot sealing ring properly in place? As if the sealing ring is not properly installed, steam can escape causing the food to burn and stick to the bottom. I hope to help figure out the issue. Thanks!
Hi my friend thanks for posting your experience because I did the same thing on a similar recipe. I made it and it came out perfect! The only thing I did differently was bought the rice to a roiling boil while it was still sauting, canceled saute then put it manually on 22 minutes (brown basmati) but did it on LOW like you would normally cook rice. I hope you try it again because the recipe is really, really great! Oh yeah I used the insta-pot!!!
Do you think this recipe could be cooked in advance by a day? I’ve got a lot of cooking to do for Rosh Hashanah and would love to add this to my menu.
Hey Deb – Yes, you can cook this a day in advance and it will be fine. Just heat it in the microwave (maybe covered with a wet kitchen towel paper) so it stays moist when you serve. Hope you enjoy it!
If I double or triple the recipe how much do I increase the pressure cooking time in the Instant Pot?
Hey Anushka – The pressure cooking time will remain the same even if you double the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!
Do you add the first batch of cooked mushrooms after the rice has cooked? It looks good, btw.
Hey Laura – Yes, I mix them back in after pressure cooking. I have updated the recipe card. Thank you and hope you enjoy it!