Instant Pot Vegetable Fried Rice recipe is a quick, easy and delicious Indian Chinese-style dish that can be prepared in just 20 minutes in an electric pressure cooker. It makes a great weeknight or lunchbox meal that everyone will love. Veg fried rice is Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, and Kid approved!
I grew up eating Indo-Chinese Fried Rice in India. The authentic fried rice recipe is prepared with cooked or leftover rice. It used to be one of my favorite and frequently prepared lunchboxes back in India when I was working. It is easy to prepare and loaded with veggies.
I have shared Paneer Fried Rice, Burnt Garlic Fried Rice, and Hawaiian Style Pineapple Fried Rice on my blog using leftover rice, and it is perfect for packing for kids' lunchboxes.
When I am in a hurry to make my weekday lunch or dinner, I make this one-pot Indian Chinese fried rice in Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT Pressure Cooker. It is so easy to make and takes less than 20 minutes.
DONT HAVE AN INSTANT POT? You can still make this recipe on the stovetop pan. I have shared the details below.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love this Instant Pot Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe
- Ready in under 20 minutes.
- Easy, quick, and wholesome.
- One-pot recipe.
- Perfect for kids or adult lunch boxes.
- Vegan, vegetarian, nut-free, and can be made gluten-free.
Veg Fried Rice Ingredients
- Rice: I used uncooked jasmine rice in this recipe. You can also use long grain Basmati rice or sona masoori rice. Adjust the water accordingly.
- Onion: I prefer to use sweet onion. You can also use the white part of spring onions or scallions.
- Garlic: Use freshly minced garlic for the best flavor.
- Vegetables: I used carrots, green peas, and sweet corn in this recipe. You may also add other veggies like green beans, bell pepper, and mushrooms.
- Vegetable Broth (or water): I prefer using vegetable broth as it gives more flavor to the dish. You can also replace it with regular water or even diluted Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base.
- Soy sauce: I used light Soy sauce. If gluten-free, you can use tamari or coconut aminos.
- Vinegar: I like to add rice vinegar (or white vinegar), as it adds a slight tang to the rice and elevates the flavors.
- Oil: I used toasted sesame oil, which adds a nutty flavor to the dish. However, you can use any cooking oil of your choice.
- Seasonings: Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Garnish: I like to use the green parts of the spring onions and sesame seeds to garnish the fried rice.
How to Make Vegetable Fried Rice in Instant Pot
Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Heat oil, add minced garlic, and saute for 30 secs or until aromatic.
Next, add the onions and saute for about 2 minutes till the onions turn soft.
Add the mixed vegetables, rinsed jasmine rice, vegetable broth(or water), salt, and Mix well. Deglaze the pot by scraping the bits stuck to the bottom to avoid a BURN notice.
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 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure before removing the lid.
Add soy sauce, white vinegar, black pepper powder, and salt if needed. Toss everything well.
Sprinkle sliced spring onions just before serving. Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Indian Vegetable Fried Rice is ready to enjoy with Gobi Manchurian.
Stovetop Pot Method
- In a large pan or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Then add onion and saute till they get light brown and soft.
- Add the mixed veggies and stir fry until they are tender but crisp.
- Then add soy sauce, vinegar, and saute on a high flame stirring regularly without getting burnt.
- Add the cooked rice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to this and gently mix it evenly. Let this be in a low flame for 2-3 minutes.
- Sprinkle sliced spring onions just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
You can generally eat Veg Fried Rice on your own since they are flavorful. But they also taste great with Indo-Chinese side dishes like
Gobi Manchurian
Sweet Corn Soup
Lemon Coriander Soup
Storage Suggestions
Store: Leftover veg fried rice will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Let it cool completely, and then store it in an airtight container.
Reheat: Sprinkle some water and reheat the fried rice in a wok or skillet on medium heat, stirring occasionally. You can also microwave for a few seconds until it warms through.
Variations for Fried Rice
- Rice: You can use either jasmine rice, sona masuri, or basmati in this recipe. Rice to water ratio will vary for each rice type. For example, for Basmati (1 rice:1 ½ water), sona masuri short grain (1:1 ¾), and jasmine rice (1:1 ¼).
- Protein: Add ½ cup of crumbled paneer (cottage cheese), scrambled tofu, or eggs.
- Greens: Stir in some baby spinach leaves or kale towards the end of the cooking time.
- Spicy: Add either crushed red pepper flakes or a few teaspoons of sriracha or schezwan sauce.
- Oil: You can also use sesame oil or coconut oil for this recipe.
- Other Vegetables: You can also add bell peppers and shredded cabbage after the pressure cooking.
Tips
- Some people like adding soy sauce and vinegar after pressure cooking. Both methods work well.
- Try to use low sodium soy sauce, and if you are looking for gluten-free, use Tamari or also Coconut Aminos to replace the soy sauce, and it’s the best!
Recipe FAQs
The rice variety is significant. I have used jasmine rice in this recipe. You can also use long grain basmati rice (white or brown), sona masuri for this recipe. I do not recommend using sushi rice, risotto rice, or paella rice.
You can also add the following vegetables after pressure cooking.
- Bell peppers
- Shredded Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Snap peas
Yes, you can, Add these frozen vegetables after pressure cooking and mix well with sauces.
Yes!
More Indo-Chinese Recipes
- Vegetable Hakka Noodles
- Garlic Noodles
- Mushroom Fried Rice
- Chapati Noodles
- Pineapple Fried Rice
- Paneer Fried Rice
- Cauliflower Fried rice
- Burnt Garlic Fried Rice
More Rice Recipes
If you’ve tried this easy vegetable fried rice recipe or any other recipe on Indianveggiedelight, then don’t forget to rate the recipe. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see the latest recipes!
Instant Pot Vegetable Fried Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil or olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 cup mixed vegetables (carrot, green peas and sweet corn)
- 1 ¼ cups water (depends on rice variety) or vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Garnish:
- 2 tablespoon green onions
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Firstly, press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Next, add oil and once it's hot, add minced garlic and saute for 30 secs or until aromatic.
- Next, add the onions and saute for about 2 minutes till the onions turn soft.
- Add the mixed vegetables, rinsed jasmine rice, water, salt, and Mix well. Deglaze the pot by scraping the bits stuck to the bottom to avoid BURN notice.
- Close the lid on the pot. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set the timer to 4 minutes.
- When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then quick release the remaining pressure manually.
- Remove lid away from you. Add soy sauce, white vinegar, black pepper powder, and salt if needed. Toss everything well.
- Sprinkle sliced spring onions just before serving. Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Indian Vegetable Fried Rice is ready to enjoy with Gobi Manchurian.
Stovetop Pot Method:
- In a large pan or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Then add onion saute till they get light brown and soft.
- Add the mix veggies and stir fry until they are tender but crisp.
- Then add soy sauce, vinegar, and saute in a high flame stirring regularly without getting burnt.
- Add the cooked rice, salt, and ground black pepper to this and gently mix it evenly. Let this be in a low flame for 2-3 minutes.
- Sprinkle sliced spring onions just before serving.
Video
Notes
Variations
- Rice: You can use either jasmine rice, sona masuri, or Basmati in this recipe. Rice to water ratio will vary for each rice type. For example, for Basmati (1 rice:1 ½ water), sona masuri short grain(1:1 ¾), jasmine rice (1:1 ¼).
- Protein: Add ½ cup of crumbled paneer (cottage cheese), scrambled tofu, or eggs.
- Greens: Stir in some spinach leaves or kale towards the end of the cooking time.
- Spicy: Add either crushed red pepper flakes or a few teaspoons of sriracha or schezwan sauce.
- Oil: You can also use coconut oil or sesame oil for this recipe.
- Vegetables: You can also add bell peppers and shredded cabbage after the pressure cooking.
Tips
- Some people like adding soy sauce and vinegar after pressure cooking. Both methods work well.
- Try to use low sodium soy sauce and if you are looking for gluten-free use Tamari or also Coconut Aminos to replace the soy sauce and it’s the best!
Krissy says
Are you using fresh or frozen veggies?
bhavana says
Hi Krissy, I have used fresh carrots and frozen peas and corn here.
Charlotte says
Hello, do you suggest adding egg before or after pressure cooking? Thanks.
bhavana says
Hi Charlotte ,I would recommend adding scrambled egg after pressure cooking.
You can push some cooked fried rice to side ,turn on the SAUTE mode and break an egg in the middle of the pot.cook for sometime and mix with the rice.Hope this helps.
Cheryl Northrup says
I made this tonight amd my husband loved it. The jasmine rice was mushy, though. I accidentally used too much water; could that be why? I added soy curls to make it more filling, and don't use oil. I will definitely use it again, probably with brown rice, which s what I usually use. Definitely a keeper; thank you! I'm also very interested in finding a biryani recipe similar to what we had in Manila-we loved it and want to replicate it.
Bhavana Patil says
Thanks for your feedback Cheryl. Yeah excess water made it mushy for sure. This is my favorite Biryani recipe from my blog Vegetable Biryani which is restaurant-style one ... But I do have more Biryani options on my blog, Do check them out 🙂
Kim Lippy says
Question...before I make this, could you tell me please, what is fried about this fried rice?
Bhavana Patil says
Hi Kim, Traditional veg fried rice is made in the Wok, where veggie are first sauteed till tender, and cooked rice is added and tossed with sauces and seasoning. But this is a one pot pressure cooker fried rice recipe. Hope this helps
Kate says
Could you use quinoa in this recipe instead of rice? If so how do you adjust for cooking time and ratios?
Bhavana Patil says
Hi Kate, Yes, you can definitely make it with quinoa. Cooking time for quinoa would be 2 minutes on HIgh pressure and Natural pressure release. for 1 cup of quinoa, add 11/4 cup of water. One of my Instant Pot quinoa recipe for reference https://www.indianveggiedelight.com/vegetable-quinoa-pulao/