Let us get down to the basics today by perfecting the art of cooking brown rice with the Instant Pot!
I have noticed several comments from readers that they are not happy with the texture of the brown rice after it is cooked.
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Cooking rice can get a little tricky at times because the texture depends on the type of rice, the age of the rice, the cooking method, and the type of dish you are preparing.
For the time being, let us focus on how you can prepare easy and heart-healthy brown rice with the Instant pot pressure cooker.
Within the broad category of brown rice, there are many varieties like medium grain, long grain basmati, etc.
Each type has its own unique taste and nutritional benefits. I have prepared all these kinds with the Instant Pot and my favorite among them is the medium brown grain.
Nutritionally, brown rice is recommended for a healthy diet because it is a whole grain and hence has higher fiber content than its white counterpart.
Brown rice tends to be a bit more caloric, but it also contains slightly higher protein and fiber to tip the scales in its favor.
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Ingredients note
With the stovetop method, cooking Brown rice can be a challenging endeavor. That’s because it is one of the longer cooking varieties of rice.
But with the Instant Pot, the process is cut down in half and the process is a lot easier. Just add the rice and water (or vegetable broth), press a button, and you are done! You do not have to monitor the process frequently.
Instant Pot basmati rice method
For preparing brown basmati rice with the Instant Pot, you have to rinse the rice with clean water 3 times and strain the water.
Then add the rice into the inner pot and add water (1.25 cups for every cup of rice), oil, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
Cook for 20 minutes on high pressure and open the lid after natural pressure release. This gets you steamed rice with a grainy texture. If you prefer a softer texture, cook another 2 more minutes.
The grainy texture fits well for any fried rice recipe. Cooked steamed rice stays good in the refrigerator for up to a week. So you can prepare this ahead of time too!
Regular Brown rice method
This kind of brown rice is nuttier and this is the kind you find in most Asian restaurants with red, and green tofu curries.
Any time I prepare a Thai recipe, I used white rice more often than brown, but more so because of my kids’ preferences.
But ever since I got my Instant Pot, I have been making brown rice quite frequently and they have adopted the new taste now.
The procedure is the same as before but for one small but important detail. Brown rice needs a little more water than the brown basmati kind. The water ratio for this brown rice is 1:1.5.
Rinse the rice with clean water 3 times and strain the water. Transfer the rice to the inner pot and add water, oil, bay leaves, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
Close the Instant Pot with its lid. Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 24 minutes. Make sure the pressure valve is in the sealing position. Once the 24 minutes are up, let the pressure release naturally.
Open the pot and fluff the brown rice with a fork and enjoy!
Matta Rice or Parboiled Rice
Matta rice or red rice is highly nutritious because of its outer bran and is called by different names like Rosematta rice, Palakkad Matta rice, Kerala Red rice, or Red parboiled rice.
This rice can be paired with curries or you can use it for fried rice recipes too.
Cooking time is less when you compared with brown basmati brown rice. It takes only 12 minutes under high pressure and the water ratio is 1: 1.5, like the medium-grain variety.
Enjoy the brown rice with curries like tofu butter masala, pineapple tofu curry, and Instant pot palak tofu.
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Brown Rice
Equipment
Process Shot
Check above for step-by-step pictures (most of my recipes include pictures)
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown rice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 ½ cup water - for basmati rice 2 ¼ cup
- ¼ teaspoon pink salt
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
Brown basmati rice
- Rinse the brown rice with clean water 3 times and strain the water.
- Add the rice into the inner pot, add water, oil, bay leaves, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Close the Instant Pot with its lid. Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Make sure the pressure valve is in the sealing position.
- At the end of the timer, let the pressure release naturally.
- After the pressure is released, open the pot and fluff the brown rice with a fork and enjoy!
Matta brown rice
- Cooking time is less when you compared with brown basmati brown rice. It takes only 12 minutes under high pressure and the water ratio is 1: 1.5, like the medium-grain variety.
Brown rice
- The procedure is the same as before but for one small but important detail. Brown rice needs a little more water than the brown basmati kind. The water ratio for this brown rice is 1:1.5.
- Rinse the rice with clean water 3 times and strain the water. Transfer the rice to the inner pot and add water, oil, bay leaves, and ¼ teaspoon salt.Close the Instant Pot with its lid. Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 24 minutes.
- Make sure the pressure valve is in the sealing position. Once the 24 minutes are up, let the pressure release naturally.
Notes
- Always rinse the rice with clean water 3 times and strain the water.
- The addition of oil and salt is optional.
- keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Soaking the brown rice will lessen or reduce the cooking time.
YOUR OWN NOTES
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
I always make rice in the instant pot, but I have never made brown rice in there before. I have got to give this a go! Bookmarked for later!
Uma Raghupathi says
Hope you will try this soon. Thank you
Jacqui DeBono says
I have a new Instant pot, so I must try this out! We have rice a couple of times a week, and this would make it so much easier.
Uma Raghupathi says
Good luck 👍 and thanks
Veronika says
Totally agree that it's so much easier to cook it in Instant Pot then on stove top! Just put it in, turn on, and forget;) Going to make it this weekend!
Paula Montenegro says
I'm always making brown rice and love the idea of using the instant pot. The addition of olive oil and bay leaves, love it! Thanks for sharing.
Bernice Hill says
What a great primer on cooking brown rice in the Instant Pot. I used to make it all the time but actually quit when I got my Instant Pot. I'll give it another try!
GUNJAN C Dudani says
I love your technique and ingredients to make this brown rice. I would love to try it this way. Hopefully my family now enjoys it better.
Ben says
I'm a huge fan of making rice in the pressure cooker, especially brown rice. It takes so much time otherwise.
Chef Dennis says
Wow! This Instant pot Brown rice recipe is really perfect to know. Thank you for sharing! It is really awesome to cook Instant pot Brown rice recipe perfectly!