Instant Pot Basmati Rice

5 from 4 votes

A quick 10 minutes start to finish fluffy basmati rice using your instant pot. An easy way to prepare perfect rice every single time.

Prep Time2 mins

Cook Time8 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Indian, Middle East

Diet: Halal

Servings:

Calories: 294kcal

Author: Amira

Turn on your instant pot to the sauté option and melt ghee.
Add the cup of rice and stir to coat the rice with melted ghee.
Cancel the sauté option.
Pour in the water and season with salt.
Place the lid on and make sure the valve is set to seal.
Pressure cook for 8 minutes on high pressure.
When the rice is done, you can manual release by turning the valve to the release option. This will give you a chewier but thoroughly cooked rice.
You can also wait for it to natural release for 10 minutes and then do a manual release for the remaining pressure. This will give you a softer rice.
Fluff and serve.

I like using ghee as it gives a delicious nutty flavor to the rice. You can use butter or olive oil for a vegan rice.
I do not rinse or soak my basmati rice, rinsing or soaking can affect the rice to water ratio.
It is recommended, if you rinse your rice to reduce the amount of water by 2 tablespoons.

Serve with:

All kinds of stews are great with basmati rice like this beef stew, Bamya or these Moroccan style meatballs.

Storage:

Store any leftover in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freeze cooked basmati rice in an airtight container as well. Frozen rice stays good for about a month.

Reheat:

To reheat, cover loosely and reheat in the microwave for 1 minute, uncover and fluff then reheat again for intervals of 30 seconds until it gets soft again.
If your rice is still dry add a little amount of water and reheat again. You can also reheat in the rice cooker or on the stovetop.

Variations:

You can use herbs and spices. I always make Mediterranean yellow rice by adding a teaspoon of turmeric and a half teaspoon of ground cardamom.