Instant Pot Basmati Rice

5 from 12 votes

Learn how to cook Indian Basmati rice perfect, fluffy, not sticky and separated grains every time using the Instant pot pressure cooker

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Keyword basmati rice, basmati rice in instant pot, pressure cooker basmati rice

Diet Gluten-Free, Vegan

Method Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 346kcal

Author Bhavana Patil

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.

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.

I have prepared this dish in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT.

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.

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.