How to Cook Basmati Rice in Instant Pot- A guide on how to cook the perfect Indian Basmati rice in your Instant Pot pressure cooker as per your taste.
Your way of perfect rice can be soft and fluffy or al dente or mushy. Whichever that is- I have you covered!
Why Cook Basmati rice in Instant Pot
Cause 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.
Here is what I found
| RICE | WATER | SOAKING | TIME | PRESSURE | RELEASE | VERDICT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Try1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | HIGH | 10NPR | undercooked |
| Try2 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 6 | HIGH | 10NPR | al Dente |
| Try3 | 1 | 1.25 | 20 | 6 | HIGH | 10NPR | Perfectly cooked |
| Try4 | 1 | 1.5 | 20 | 6 | HIGH | 10NPR | Soft & Fluffy |
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
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
Factors that affect the cooking of Basmati Rice
- Age of the Rice
- Altitude
- The outcome you want- soft/fluffy or al dente
- Soaking
Is soaking the basmati rice necessary?
I found a difference between rice that was cooked after soaking and without soaking.
The rice cooked for the same time, without soaking, always ended up having a bite in the middle of the rice.It didn’t plump up enough.
That said, if you don’t have the time and patience for it, you can do two things
- Measure out the water, rice and delay the cooking by 20 minutes.This way you do things in ONE shot.
- Add 1/8- 1/4 times more water and cook for same time.
How to Cook Indian Basmati Rice in Instant Pot
To make perfect Fluffy Basmati rice, just the way YOU like it, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Wash & Soak the 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)
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.
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(3/4 Cooked)
If you want to make rice that can be layered to make a Dum Biryani,cook the rice to 3/4 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
What to serve with Instant Pot Basmati Rice
You should also read my post on how to make short grain everyday rice in instant pot.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Basmati Rice
Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Instant Pot Chicken Curry
Instant Pot Chicken Korma
Instant Pot Chicken Vindaloo
Instant Pot Tamil Pepper Chicken
Instant Pot Rajasthani Laal Maans
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.
Want to read more about Indian Food made in instant pot?Here is a series i wrote on it.
Part 1: Instant Pot for Indian Cooking
Part 2: Which Instant Pot Model to buy
Part 3: Making Indian Food in Instant Pot(with more than 30 recipes)
Part 4: Instant Pot Frequently Asked Questions
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Basmati Rice
- 1.25 Cups Water* adjust as per the table above
Instructions
- Wash the rice and soak for 20 minutes.*
- Drain and add the rice to instant pot inner pot.
- Add 1.25 cups of water.Close the lid.
- Select PRESSURE COOKER/MANUAL, on HIGH, for 6 minutes with the VALVE in SEALED position.
- Once the cooking is over and Instant Pot beeps,Let the steam escape natually for 10 minutes.Quick Release after that.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and eat!
Notes
Nutrition
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
Do comment if you have a question