Learn how to cook a perfect, fluffy, not sticky Indian White Basmati Rice recipe every time using the Instant Pot pressure cooker. Vegan and gluten-free.
Jump to:
- What is Basmati Rice?
- Ingredients to Make Basmati Rice
- How to Cook Perfect White Basmati Rice in Instant Pot
- How to Cook Pot-in-Pot Basmati Rice
- How to Serve Indian Basmati Rice
- Tips to Make Perfect Basmati Rice in Instant Pot
- Storage Suggestions
- Common Questions
- More Basmati Rice Recipes
- Instant Pot Basmati Rice
What is Basmati Rice?
Basmati Rice (pronounced baz-MAH-tee) is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice traditionally grown in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. - (Source Wiki). The word "Basmati" in Hindi means "fragrant" or "full of aroma."
It comes in two varieties, white and brown. Both have a nutty taste and a distinct smell. It is often served alongside Indian curries or as the main ingredient in the famous rice dish vegetable biryani or rice kheer from the Indian subcontinent.
Ingredients to Make Basmati Rice
You will need only two main ingredients, and the other two ingredients are optional.
- Basmati Rice: This long-grain rice is easily available in local grocery stores. I like Daawat Extra Long rice brand.
- Water: Use plain water in this recipe. You can also use low-sodium vegetable broth to make it more flavorful (adjust salt in this case).
- Oil/Ghee (Optional): adding oil or homemade ghee adds flavor to the grain and helps to keep the grains separated while cooking. However, it's optional. If you are vegan or dairy-free, replace ghee with olive oil.
- Salt (Optional): You can add a little to season the rice.
How to Cook Perfect White Basmati Rice in Instant Pot
Rinse 1 cup of basmati rice 2-3 times until the water runs clear (removes extra starch), and drain the remaining water.
Note: This is a no-soak method, and my rice always turns out soft, fluffy, and separated.
Add the rinsed rice, 1 ¼ cups of water (vegetable broth), ½ teaspoon oil (optional), and salt to the Instant Pot steel insert. Give a quick stir.
- For softer rice: add 1 ¼ cups water.
- For Al dente rice: add 1 cup of water.
Close the lid securely, and turn the vent to "SEALING". Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL (High Pressure) setting and set the cooking time to 4 minutes.
When the Instant Pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then release any remaining pressure before removing the lid.
Open the lid, use a fork or ladle to fluff up the rice, and serve hot with the curry of your choice.
How to Cook Pot-in-Pot Basmati Rice
- In a small stainless steel container (or pyrex glass bowl), add 1 cup of rinsed basmati rice, and 1 ¼ cup water.
- Add 1 cup of water to the 6qt inner pot.
- Place a trivet on the inner pot.
- Then, place a small container with rice and water on the trivet and cover it with a lid. Then, follow the remaining recipe instructions.
How to Serve Indian Basmati Rice
Serve this white basmati rice with any Indian curries, dal, or vegetable sambar. You can use cooked rice in making rice dishes.
Some of the recipes that I like to serve with white basmati rice are
Curry: Serve it alongside chickpea coconut curry, mushroom curry, paneer butter masala, or palak paneer.
Dal: Choose any one of these lentil recipes like dal tadka, rajma masala (kidney beans curry), dal makhani.
Tips to Make Perfect Basmati Rice in Instant Pot
Follow these tips to make perfect basmati rice in the Instant Pot every time:
- Rinsing the Rice: Be sure to rinse the white basmati rice thoroughly before cooking. This helps remove excess starch, resulting in less stickiness and preventing the grains from clumping together.
- Water: Rice Ratio: The water-to-rice ratio for cooking rice in the Instant Pot differs from the stovetop recipe. I use 1¼ cup of water for 1 cup of rice for perfect, fluffy, softer Basmati Rice.
- 'Rice' Setting: You can follow the same instructions and Press the Rice button instead of Pressure Cook/Manual mode. It will default to 12 minutes at LOW pressure. The results are pretty much the same.
- Rest: Do not leave the rice in the pot in warm mode. Otherwise, it will overcook, instead, remove the instant pot insert to the countertop and let the rice sit, covered, for 10 minutes. This will help the rice to steam and yield extra fluffy rice.
- Fluff: Use a fork or ladle to gently fluff the rice, avoiding stirring.
- Scaling: To cook larger quantities of rice, you can double or triple the recipe without needing to adjust the cooking time.
Storage Suggestions
- Store: Store Basmati rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Freeze the leftover basmati rice in a freezer-safe ziplock or storage container for up to 4-6 months.
- Reheat: Sprinkle some water and reheat in the microwave on high for 2-3 minutes till done. If Frozen, allow it to defrost in the refrigerator for a few hours and then reheat it on the microwave oven or stovetop to get steamy fresh rice.
Common Questions
It helps to remove dirt and impurities. It also removes excessive starch, making each rice grain separate and more fluffy.
It's optional. I find this step unnecessary when cooking rice in an electric pressure cooker. However, it will help to reduce the cooking time when you cook rice on the stovetop pot, making the rice soft and fluffy.
You will get 3 cups of cooked basmati rice.
If you have brown basmati rice, it will take 20 minutes on high pressure for firm rice or 22 minutes for softer rice in the Instant Pot.
For every cup of uncooked basmati rice that is being cooked in the Instant Pot, you will need 1 ¼ cups of water. Therefore, you can easily double or triple this recipe.
Note: Cooking rice in an instant pot requires less liquid than the rice cooker or traditional stovetop methods.
Cooking rice with more water than the recommended ratio can result in mushy rice. To help separate the grains, try tossing the raw rice in a little oil (or ghee) before adding water.
'Rice Setting' on the Instant Pot works great for cooking white rice. Follow the same instructions and Press the Rice button instead of Pressure Cook/Manual mode. It will default to 12 minutes at LOW pressure.
Instant Pot Basmati Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice rinsed
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ½ teaspoon oil (or ghee), optional
- salt to taste, optional
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Rinse the basmati rice 2-3 times until the water runs clear (removes extra starch) and drain the remaining water.Note: This is a no-soak method and my rice always turns out soft, fluffy, and separated.
- Add the rinsed rice, water, oil, and salt to the Instant Pot steel insert. Give a quick stir.For softer rice: add 1 ¼ cups water.For al dente rice: add 1 cup water.
- Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then Quick Release the remaining pressure manually.
- Open the lid and use a fork or ladle to fluff up the rice and serve hot with curry of your choice.
How to Cook Pot-in-Pot Basmati Rice
- In a small stainless steel container (or pyrex glass bowl), add 1 cup of rinsed basmati rice, and 1 ¼ cup water.Add 1 cup of water to the 6qt inner pot.Place a trivet on the inner pot.Then place a small container with rice and water on the trivet and cover it with a lid. Follow the remaining recipe instructions.
Video
Notes
Tips to make Perfect Basmati Rice in Instant Pot
- Rinsing the Rice: Rinse Always rinse the uncooked basmati rice before you cook it. This helps to remove excess starch, make it less sticky, and prevent it from clumping together.
- Water:Rice Ratio: Water-to-rice ratio for cooking rice in the Instant Pot differs from the stovetop recipe. I use 1¼ cup of water for 1 cup of rice for perfect, fluffy softer Basmati Rice.
- 'Rice' Setting: You can follow the same instructions and Press the Rice button instead of Pressure Cook/Manual mode. It will default to 12 minutes at LOW pressure. The results are pretty much the same.
- Rest: Do not leave the rice in the pot in warm mode. Otherwise, it will overcook, instead, remove the instant pot insert to the countertop and let the rice sit, covered, for 10 minutes. This will help the rice to steam and yield extra fluffy rice.
- Fluff: Gently fluff the rice with a fork or ladle. Do not stir.
- Scaling: You can double or triple the recipe if you want to cook more rice. The cooking time will remain the same.
Nutrition
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Jaclyn
This was easy & turned out great! Thanks for the perfect recipe 😊
Bhavana Patil
Hi Jaclyn, I am so glad it turned out perfect.
Marie
First time in my life I get the texture right when cooking basmati. Thanks so much!
Bhavana Patil
Yayyyy, that's great to hear Marie 😊
Terunja
Finally, the magic formula for perfect basmati rice. I use 1-1/8:1 water to rice. Thank you!
Bhavana Patil
Thats awsome, i am glad you were able to get the perfect basmati rice.
Ruby Gujral
Thanks a ton forthe recipe
It came out perfect
Bhavana Patil
Hi Ruby, Thank you for trying and sharing your feedback, glad you liked it.