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Learn how to cook perfect brown rice every single time with the best Instant Pot brown rice recipe and water ratio. It's my all-time favorite method of cooking and one of those basic Instant Pot recipes you'll come back to over and over again.
When it comes to stretching your grocery budget, learning how to cook staples like brown rice from scratch is a must. Not only is brown rice one of my most affordable pantry staples, it's also nutritious and easy to serve with several cuisines – serve it with anything you'd Serve with White Rice!
While you can always cook rice using traditional stove top methods or a trusty rice cooker, cooking brown rice in an Instant Pot is considerably faster, hands-free, and creates the most consistent results (no burning to the bottom of the pot if you walk away!). Plus, I'll teach you how to freeze brown rice in easy to defrost portions for quick and easy dinners in a pinch.
If you're interested in learning how you can use an Instant Pot to save more money on groceries, make sure to grab my free ebook: 7 Ways an Instant Pot will save you money.
Just 2 Basic Ingredients
- Brown rice: This Instant Pot rice recipe works well with both short grain brown rice and long grain brown rice. I recommend purchasing brown rice from Costco or another cheap grocery store to save money. The larger the bag, the cheaper the rice will be per ounce. Personally, we buy a 25 pound bag twice a year and keep it fresh using the methods I use in my long term food storage.
- Water: I almost always exclusively cook our brown rice in water, but if you prefer a more savory, flavorful rice, feel free to cook in any broth or stock of choice.
How to Make Instant Pot Brown Rice
- Rinse the Rice: Start by rinsing the brown rice under cold water using a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. This helps remove excess starch, preventing the rice from becoming too sticky.
- Add Ingredients to Instant Pot: Place the rinsed brown rice and 2 1/2 cups liquid into the inner pot of your electric pressure cooker. Stir well to combine.
- Set the Instant Pot: Add the lid and place the valve in the “sealing” position. Turn OFF the “keep warm” setting (this will prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot). Pressure cook on manual high pressure for 20 minutes.
- Natural Release: Once the pressure cooking time is complete, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. After that, switch the valve to the “venting” position and quick release any remaining pressure.
- Fluff and Serve: Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve fluffy brown rice while hot as desired, or allow to cool completely and refrigerate or freeze.
Serving Suggestions
Cooked brown rice is as versatile as it gets! Here are a few ideas to get you started, or go back to my Favorite Recipes to Serve with White Rice. I use brown rice interchangeably in several of the recipes!
- Stir-fries: Serve with the Best Vegan Stir Fry Recipes, such as Tofu Fried Rice! You can also make your own stir fry by mixing together vegetables, your favorite protein, like tofu, chicken, shrimp, or ground beef, and your favorite stir fry sauces.
- Buddha bowls: Throw together brown rice, roasted sweet potatoes, an assortment of veggies, your favorite protein, and a delicious dressing.
- Rice and beans: The classic, budget-friendly combo that never fails!
- Curry: A cheap base for your favorite curries. Try my Lentil Curry or Pumpkin Thai Curry.
- Rice porridge: A sweet, budget-friendly breakfast idea!
Instant Pot Brown Rice Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown rice ($0.35) short grain or long grain
- 2 1/2 cups water
Instructions
- Using a fine mesh sieve, thoroughly rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Add it to the Instant Pot.
- Cover rice with 2 1/2 cups of fresh filtered water.
- Add the lid and place the valve in the “sealing” position. Turn OFF the "keep warm" setting (this will prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot). Pressure cook on manually high pressure for 20 minutes.
- Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, before switching the valve to the “venting” position and releasing any remaining pressure.
- Remove lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve while hot as desired, or allow to cool completely and refrigerate or freeze.
Freezing Instructions
- Portion this rice into individual servings or freeze together in a freezer safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator or in the microwave until warm. I typically freeze brown rice in 2 cup servings and reheat in the microwave for 5 minutes, or until fluffy again.
Notes
- Timing does not include pot coming to pressure. This time varies depending on your pot size and brand.
- I always triple the recipe and cook 6 cups of rice in 7.5 cups of water. When you double or trip the recipe, the cook times remain the same.
- 4x this recipe will fit in an 8 qt Instant Pot.
- 1 cup of dry brown rice yields 3 cups of rice.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: The Nutritional Information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.
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Recipe FAQs
Can I use white rice instead?
No, this recipe will not work with white rice. White rice is the same whole grain as brown rice, but has had the bran and germ removed. This refining process not only reduces the nutrient and fiber content of the rice, but also makes it much faster cooking.
If you only have white rice, make my Instant Pot White Rice recipe instead.
Can I add other seasonings?
Absolutely! Feel free to cook in vegetable broth or chicken broth, add garlic powder, onion powder, or even a bay leaf for extra flavor.
How much brown rice does 1 cup of dry rice make?
1 cup of dry brown rice yields about 3 cups of cooked rice.
If I double the recipe do I need to double the cooking time?
No! The cook time remains the same – one of the additional perks of cooking rice in the Instant Pot!
Storage Instructions
Leftover rice can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Freezing Instructions
If you've read through my Freezer Pantry Essentials, you'll know I am obsessed with freezing my own rice!
I always freeze rice using 2-cup Souper Cubes and reheat directly from frozen in the microwave for 5-7 minutes, or until soft and fluffy again. If you'd like to do the same, I recommend tripling the recipe if you have a 6 qt, or quadrupling the recipe if you have an 8 qt. This will yield 18 cups of cooked rice in a 6 qt and 24 cups of cooked rice in an 8 qt.
Then, freeze and defrost as needed. It will save you so much time for weekly dinners I promise!
Recipe Tips
- Make sure to turn the WARM setting OFF BEFORE starting the Instant Pot. Before I figured out this trick, the bottom layer of brown rice would always stick to the Instant Pot. Once I started turning the warm setting off, it stopped sticking. And it makes sense! When it is left on, the residual heat keeps cooking the rice at the bottom and inevitably makes it stick.
- Add a little oil. Adding 1-2 teaspoons cooking oil to the water before cooking can add additional flavor and help prevent the rice from sticking to the pot even more so.
- Measure the rice and water CAREFULLY. When it comes to making perfect rice, it is important to measure carefully. The water ratio is exact. If you use too many cups of water per cups of rice, you will get a mushy mess.
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One Comment
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I love this recipe! My rice cooker died so finding this recipe saved me from needing to replace my rice cooker. I tripled the recipe and froze the extras in my souper cubes to use when I am running short on time.