How to Cook Basmati Rice in Instant Pot

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How to Cook Basmati Rice in Instant Pot- A guide on cooking the perfect Basmati rice in your Instant Pot  pressure cooker as per your taste using Manual and Rice Mode.

Your way of perfect rice can be soft and fluffy or al dente or mushy. Whichever that is- I have you covered!

Making rice is one of the first steps in learning how to cook.There are a lot of ways of making rice.Some prefer steaming it, some like to boil it with excess water to remove the starch.Some like to pressure cook it with exact measurements to get the desired consistency.

Everytime you buy a new type of rice, it takes atleast 1 time to figure out the exact method and ratio of water to rice.The method that i explain below, is one of the easier foolproof method.This method is especially good for beginners because everything is precise.

Why Cook Basmati rice in Instant Pot

Because it's predictable and you get it right every single time with minimal effort and fuss.

Just like the post on How to make Sona Masoori Rice in Instant Pot, I conducted an extensive experiment to find out what works best of basmati rice.This is a precise method which works on most brands of basmati rice.

Do note that this method wont work on brown rice.If you want to make brown rice- here is a guide to make brown rice in instant pot.

Disclaimer- There are a lot of ways of making basmati rice in instant pot.This method has worked for me repeatedly.

What do you need to make Instant Pot Basmati Rice

okay a relatively short list.In fact, you can knock of the last 2 most of the times.

Basmati Rice- Aged good quality basmati rice will be more fragrant and non sticky.
Water- Plain filtered water
Salt- This is optional.Some people prefer to leave this out.
Spices-This is also optional.Though one clove & a bay leaf add a great depth of flavour to the rice.

A note on the quality of Basmati Rice

There are a lot of different types of basmati rice available in the market- Long Grain,Broken,Brown and Black.This guide is for long grain(or medium) white basmati rice- without the husk.

There will be slight vairations in the final result based on

1. Age of the Rice
2. Altitude
3. The outcome you want- soft/fluffy or al dente
4. Soaking

Is soaking the basmati rice necessary?

I did find a difference between rice that was cooked after soaking and without soaking.

The rice cooked for the same time, without soaking, often ended up having a bite in the middle of the rice.It didn't plump up enough. For everyday cooking where the only critiques are my child and husband, I rarelt soak.I just give the rice a good rinse and stick it in the instant pot.

If you don't have the time and patience like me, you can do two things

1. Measure out the water, rice and delay the cooking by 20 minutes.This way you do things in ONE shot.
2. Add ⅛- ¼ times more water and cook for same time.

How to Cook White Basmati Rice in Instant Pot

To make perfecttly cooked Basmati rice, just the way YOU like it, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Rince & Soak the rice.Do make sure to rinse the rice.Sometimes the rice can have husk or dust particles and its essential that you rinse it under running cold water 2-3 times.This is especially needed in the case of organic rice.

Step 2:Dump it in the instant pot inner pot along with 1 times the water.(Refer to the table above to decide your time).To make a softer rice, i use 1.25 times the water for 1 cup of rice.

Step 3:Close and set the timer for 6 minutes in Manual/Pressure cook mode, on HIGH, with the valve in sealed position.

Step 4: Let the Steam escape Naturally for 10 minutes and then Quick release. When in a rush, i Quick release after 3 minutes.

Basmati Rice Water Ratio

Here is a quick rice to water ratio guide for you.Depending on how you are eating the rice, what you are using it for, You can change the ratio.

Cooking Basmati Rice for Fried rice

If you are making rice for a stir fry, fried rice or variety rice- change the ratio and time as follows

1 cup rice:1 cups water and 6 minutes HIGH 10NPR,With 20 min Soaking.

Cooking Rice for Dum Biryani(¾ Cooked)

If you want to make rice that can be layered to make a Dum Biryani,cook the rice to ¾ doneness.

1 cup rice:1 cups water and 5 minutes HIGH 10NPR,Without Soaking.

Here is a great Instant Pot Chicken Biryani and Instant Pot Veg Biryani Recipe for you.

Cooking Basmati rice in Rice Mode

In this mode, instant pot evaluates the amount of rice and water and cooks the rice in low pressure.

This is perfect for newbies.The rice is cooked Al Dente in this case.

1 cup rice:1 cups water and Rice Mode 10 NPR

You should also read my post on how to make short grain everyday rice in instant pot.

Note on Meal Prep with Rice

I usually cook rice as and when I need because I like that flexibility but basmati rice is great for meal prep.If you prefer to make a large quantity to prep in advance or just have left over rice, An easy way to heat it up is

Microwave- Sprinkle the rice with ½ tablespoon of water, cover it and microwave it till its hot and steamy.

Steam- You can also steam the rice in a steamer.

Boil- For a quick refresh, I usually add the cold rice to boiling water, let it stand for 5-6 minutes, before draining the water.

Also! If you are making fried rice of somekind, do not refresh or heat the rice and directly use the cold rice.This will make sure the rice grains are separate.

What to Serve with Instant Pot Basmati Rice

So your rice is made and you are a pro at it..What next? Here is a easy list of dishes that you can make that go well with your rice.
Instant Pot Dal
Instant Pot Cauliflower
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Instant Pot Chicken Curry
Instant Pot Chicken Korma
Instant Pot Chicken Vindaloo

FAQs on Instant Pot Basmati Rice

Why is my Basmati Rice Sticky?

This could be due to various factors but most probably your rice to water ratio was wrong.Making Basmati rice with more than 1.5 times the water will result in mushy rice.
Other reason could be that you soaked the rice for too long.

Why isn’t my Basmati Rice cooked?

This could be due to various factors but most probably your rice to water ratio was wrong.Making Basmati rice with less than 1 times the water will result in undercooked rice.
The other reason could be – No soaking, too less cooking time, rice not under the water.

How do I double/Triple this Basmati Rice recipe

Just add double the rice and water.Set the instant pot settings as same- PRESSURE COOK,HIGH,6,10NPR.

Can I cook Brown Basmati Rice in same way?

Brown rice takes more time to cook.Change the cooking time to 20 minutes, keeping the rest same.

Do you need to rinse basmati rice?

Yes.Rinsing not only helps in cleaning the rice but also removing the starch which makes the rice sticky.

Is soaking Basmati Rice neccessary

While it’s not ABSOLUTELY necessary, soaking results in a more evenly cooked rice.It’s highly recommended.

More Instant Pot Rice Recipes

Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani
Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Instant Pot Newyork Halal Cart Style Chicken & Rice
Instant Pot Mushroom Parmesan Rice
Instant Pot Ghee Rice

Other Instant Pot Rice Recipes

Here are somemore things you can do with that bag of rice in your pantry!

Instant Pot Sona Masoori Rice
Instant Pot Brown Rice
Instant Pot Rice Pudding
Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto

Here are some of my goto Instant Pot Basmati Rice Recipes

Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani
Instant Pot Khichdi
Instant Pot Ghee Rice
Instant Pot Jeera Rice
Instant Pot Kheer