6 Flavorful Instant Pot Rice Recipes (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

Raise your hand if you love white rice 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏼‍♂️ if you follow me on Instagram, you see it is a staple in our house. Today we are stepping up your typical white rice with 6 instant pot rice recipes!

Don’t get me wrong, we love classic white rice. It’s versatile and goes with so many things. But we eat a lot of it, and sometimes it can get a little mundane. And we all know variety in food is so important for sustainable and healthy eating.

So we are spicing it up with 5 flavors you can add to meal time, plus an easy way to make white rice in your Instant pot (or your favorite electric pressure cooker).

Is white rice healthy?

Rice can be a healthy addition to most people’s diet. It is high in carbohydrates, which are your body’s preferred source of energy and are important for active people.

White rice is more processed than brown, meaning the germ and all of the bran layers (hull, husk, and bran) are removed so that what remains is a simple starch (the endosperm). Because it is just the endosperm, white rice can be easier to digest for some.

Both white and brown rice are good options, it just depends on which one you prefer more.

We eat rice a few times a week because it’s super affordable, healthy, and an easy carbohydrate for meals. It’s also a great source of post-workout carbohydrates for active individuals to replenish muscle glycogen stores (energy) and help with recovery (carbs and protein are important post-workout).

Instant pot rice recipes

All instant pot rice recipes call for jasmine rice, water, and salt. Then you can get creative with the flavors. Each flavor only requires 1-3 additional ingredients.

• classic white rice – a classic addition to any meal
• pesto rice – bright and fresh with a little pesto mixed in
• curry rice – made with curry paste and curry powder
• Mexican rice – made with fire-roasted canned tomatoes, canned green chiles, and taco seasoning for a little kick
• saffron rice – cooked with saffron infused water
• coconut rice – rich and also a little sweet since it’s made with coconut milk

How to make instant pot white rice

1. Rinse your rice. Place rice in a nut milk bag or in a fine mesh strainer and rinse until water runs clear, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add all your ingredients. Add your white rice, water, salt, and any other flavor additions depending on what variety you are making in your instant pot. Stir well to combine.
3. Pressure cook your rice. Close the instant pot lid and set the valve to seal. Place on the manual setting on high pressure and set to 3 minutes. Once done, let the pressure naturally release for 8-10 minutes. Manually release the remaining pressure.
4. Enjoy! Fluff rice with a fork and enjoy.

What is the ratio of water to rice in an Instant Pot?

For cooking rice in the instant pot, you want a 1:1 rice to water ratio. That means 1 cup of water for every cup of rice. This will give you rice that is fluffy and tender. You can easily double this ratio to make more rice.

How do you make rice not sticky in the Instant Pot?

If your instant pot rice is sticky, you did not let it cook (or rest) long enough. Rice only needs 3 minutes to cook at high pressure, but if you quick pressure release, it does not give it enough time to absorb all the liquid. You will be left with somewhat moist and sticky rice. Rinsing your rice before cooking also helps it not be as sticky (more below).

Do you have to soak rice before cooking?

You do not have to soak white rice before cooking it in the instant pot. Soaking helps speed up the cooking process, but since white rice doesn’t require a lot of time, it doesn’t make a big difference.

Soaking grains, nuts, and legumes can also help them become more digestible by removing anti-nutrients. Anti-nutrients include phytic acid, lectins, and other enzyme inhibitors. They can interfere with and block how your body absorbs other nutrients and affect digestion.

White rice does not have as many lectins as other grains (such as brown rice) and is easily digested by most. For these reasons, I don’t soak my white rice, but you can if you want.

Do you have to rinse rice before cooking?

Yes, I suggest rinsing rice before cooking. This helps remove the excess starch which can cause your rice to stick together when cooking. It can also help remove any coating that some companies will put on rice (to make it shinier).

I simply add the rice to this nut milk bag and run it under water until the water becomes clear.

Natural release vs quick release

When using an instant pot, you can control how you release the pressure when a recipe is done. How you release the pressure will affect the final product of what you are cooking.

• natural release – this allows the pot to reduce pressure naturally by slowly releasing it. If your recipe needs a little more time to cook or absorb liquid, this can be helpful. I suggest letting the pressure naturally release for 8-10 minutes when making instant pot white rice to make sure the water is fully evaporated.
• quick release – with the turn of a knob, you can immediately release the pressure in the pot so you can open it up. This will not allow the recipe to cook anymore, so you want to make sure it is done if doing so. If you quick release this instant pot white rice, the final product will be a little wet and all of the water might not be absorbed.

Meal prep tips

We love prepping a bunch of rice at the beginning of the week and then having it on hand to pair with some protein and veggies for a quick meal. The thing is, it can dry out as time goes on. I find that leaving your rice a little moister can help with this.

If making it for meal prep, here are my tips:

• use a little more water – using a little more water will leave you with a little wetter rice. You don’t want it mushy, but simply adding 1/4-1/2 cup more water (1/4 for making 1 cup and 1/2 cup for making 2 cups) when cooking can help stay moist as the week goes on (because it will be a little moister when done). You will still want to naturally release the pressure for 8-10 minutes if adding more water.
• less time for natural release – if you don’t add more water, you can simply release the pressure quicker. Try only letting it sit for 5 minutes instead of 8-10 for a little moister rice.

How to reheat leftover rice

The key to reheating rice without drying it out is adding liquid to the rice. This will help keep it moist and tender.

• microwave – add rice to a microwavable safe bowl, breaking it up some. Then add 1 tablespoon of water for every cup of rice you are heating up, sprinkling it over the rice evenly. This will help rehydrate the rice. Cook for 1-2 minutes, depending on how much rice you have, stirring halfway through. I find this to be the easiest and fast way to reheat rice. 
• in a pan – heat up a skillet over medium-low heat with a little oil in it. Add rice, breaking it up in the pan, with a little water (again, about 1 tablespoon or so per cup). Place a lid on the pan and steam for 5 minutes until cooked through.

Storage

• refrigerator – store rice in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
• freezer – cook according to directions and let the rice cool completely. Add to a bag (we love these silicone reusable ones) or a freezer dish – you can use a large container or freeze in individual servings. Defrost for a quick and easy side dish. Rice should last up to 3 months in the freezer.

More easy side dishes

• air fryer carrots
• fried sweet plantains
• arroz verde (green rice)
• rosemary roasted radishes
• cilantro lime coconut rice
• 6 cauliflower rice recipes