Instant Pot Brown Rice

Instant Pot brown rice is easy to make and comes out perfectly every time! No more guessing games when it comes to making rice!

My instructions and recipe for Instant Pot jasmine rice and Instant Pot white rice have been pretty popular, and since not all rice is created equal, I thought it would be helpful to show you how to make brown rice in your pressure cooker as well.

Rice is a tricky thing to make (crunchy! sticky! mushy!); and sometimes it’s so difficult to get the correct consistency.

Or maybe I’m just rice-challenged.

I recently had a fun afternoon with my friends, a group that we informally call “Cooking Club.” I’ve talked about our “Cooking Club” in the past, but basically it was my way to form friendships when we moved (back) to this area of the state.

I’m happy to say that, not only do we sometimes cook together, we’ve become a group of friends who support and lift each other up. We even occasionally let our husbands join in on some of our gatherings. 

There are always SO many laughs. One of our early gatherings was at my friend Renee’s house for an Instant Pot Cooking Club. That evening it was a small group of five of us and I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard. 

It was kind of a disaster, to be honest. We were all newbies at using our Instant Pots, and we were learning together. I think some of the best moments in life are when things don’t go as planned, and this was no exception.

The chicken we made was still raw in the middle when it came out of the Instant Pot. One of the Instant Pot lids got stuck on the wrong pot. And I mean stuck. It took 20 minutes, a husband, and tools to remove the lid. There were a few more mishaps, as well.

Renee decided we needed a do-over, and I think she was right. This time we had 10 women and quite a few kiddos running around but the cooking was much more successful. We were each armed with a pressure cooker, a recipe, and ingredients.

We made Instant Pot macaroni and cheese, Instant Pot sweet potatoes, Instant Pot baked potatoes, Instant Pot boiled eggs, and my friend Laura adapted my slow cooker chicken and wild rice soup for the Instant Pot, which turned out great.

Other things on the menu were Instant Pot rice with cilantro and lime, and Instant Pot shredded chicken. Needless to say, we all went home with leftovers! 

It was a great day with great friends, and I think we may have even converted a few people that were on the Instant Pot fence. 

About Instant Pot Brown Rice

If you haven’t yet converted to pressure cooking, rice might be what convinces you. It really does come out perfectly and is almost completely hands-off. Brown rice takes a little longer to cook than other varieties of rice but the cooking method is the same.

Rice is very easy to make in an Instant Pot. The first thing you’ll do is rinse the rice. This step is important, so make sure to rinse it well.

Simply put the rice, water, salt, and oil in the insert of your electric pressure cooker. Push down any rice that is stuck to the edges.

Secure the lid, set the timer, and walk away. Remember to allow extra time for the pot to come to pressure.

When the timer goes off, let the cooker sit undisturbed for 10 more minutes. This is called a natural release (of pressure). After ten minutes, “quick release” (manually release) any remaining pressure. Fluff up the rice with a fork and it’s ready to serve.

Rice to Liquid Ratio

We tested and tested and tested to make sure this was perfect for you! We found the best rice to liquid (water or broth) ratio is 1:1. That means for every 1 cup of rice you add, you’ll need 1 cup of water or broth. Doesn’t get much easier than that!

Keeping the same rice to water ratio, you can make 1 cup, 2 cups, or 3 cups of rice in your Instant Pot. Each cup of dry rice yields 3 cups of cooked rice.

Whether you’re cooking 1, 2, or 3 cups of rice, the actual cook time will remain the same. However, the time it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure will increase as you add more rice and water, so factor that into your prep/cook time.

You’ll find the recipe card near the end of the post with complete instructions for varying amounts of rice and nutrition information.

What You’ll Need

• Long Grain Brown Rice: This recipe is written for long grain brown rice, which also includes brown jasmine rice and brown basmati rice.
• Water: Rice absorbs the water as it cooks. You can substitute chicken broth or vegetable broth for more flavor, if you prefer.
• Oil: A small amount of oil adds flavor and better texture to the rice. Try olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, or butter.
• Salt: Don’t skimp on the salt. Rice tastes best with plenty of salt. We usually use kosher salt which has coarser grains. If you use a fine textured salt, use less.

FAQs

Make-Ahead Idea

One of the great things about rice is that you can make a large batch and freeze the extra. It freezes, thaws, and reheats beautifully so you can thaw it whenever you need rice for a side dish, a stir fry, or just when a craving for rice hits. You can easily add it to casseroles, too. We love this easy zucchini casserole made with brown rice.

Storage & Reheating Tips

Leftover rice can be refrigerated in a covered container for four days. Rice can be frozen in a labeled freezer bag for up to six months. Label the bags with the amount of rice and the date. Flatten the bags slightly so they’ll lie flat in the freezer and thaw more quickly.

To thaw, refrigerate overnight, set on counter for a couple of hours, or microwave for 45-60 seconds.

Reheat in your microwave oven, on the stove in a saucepan, or in the oven. To keep the rice from drying out, stir in a little extra water or broth.

Rice and Stir Fry Recipes

Make brown rice to serve with these tasty stir fry recipes. Make a double batch of rice and use the leftover rice for fried rice tomorrow!

• Easy Beef and Vegetable Stir-Fry
• Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry
• Shrimp and Vegetable Stir Fry with Lemon and Garlic
• Chicken Stir Fry with Ginger and Basil
• Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry
• Honey Balsamic Chicken with Vegetables (an easy sheet pan “stir fry”)
• Sweet Chili Chicken Stir-Fry
• Szechuan Chicken Stir-Fry from Cooking Light
• 30 Minute Tempeh Stir-Fry from Minimalist Baker