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You are here: Home / Recipes and Cooking Tips / How to Make Rice in a Pressure Cooker – Real Food, Real Fast

How to Make Rice in a Pressure Cooker – Real Food, Real Fast

December 21, 2010 by Alea Milham 9 Comments

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How to cook white rice, basmati rice, and brown rice in a pressure cooker The pressure cooker is the great equalizer! It allows you to make real food in the same amount of time, or less, than it takes to heat up convenience items. You can cook rice in a fraction of the time it would normally take when you use a pressure cooker.

The first time I made rice in a pressure cooker it was because my rice recipe was cooking so much slower than the rest of the meal for a dinner party. Out of desperation, I threw the partially cooked rice in the pressure cooker and said a prayer. I was amazed with the results, so much so that I started experimenting with cooking rice in the pressure cooker.

Things to remember when making rice in a pressure cooker:

~ Normally, you can add liquids to the fill line, but when making rice do not fill the pressure cooker more than halfway full.

~ Since the rice absorbs the liquid, the contents will be dry at the end of cooking. I realize this makes sense if you are used to cooking rice, but if you have spent much time cooking with a pressure cooker, you tend to become accustomed to all of the liquid.

~ Do not short change the standing time at the end of the process. For fluffy rice, let it stand for 5 minutes!

Cooking Basmati or White Rice in a Pressure Cooker

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
2 cups water, broth, or stock
1 tablespoon butter (optional, I never add it)

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients to the pressure cooker. Securely fasten lid. Cook over medium-high heat until it is at high pressure.

Reduce heat a little to stabilize and continue cooking for 7 minutes.

Remove from heat and place in sink. Release pressure by running cold water over the lid.

Let rice stand covered for 5 minutes. Check pressure before removing lid. If any pressure has built up, run under cold water again to release it.

N.B. I have an 8 quart pressure cooker so I often triple this recipe and refrigerate or freeze the leftovers to make dinner prep on following nights even faster.
How to make white rice in a pressure cooker Pictured above: Trader Joe’s Basmati Rice Medley cooked in pressure cooker.

Cooking Brown Rice in a Pressure Cooker

Ingredients: how to make brown rice in a pressure cooker

1 cup brown rice
1 3/4 cups water, broth, or stock
1 tablespoon butter (optional, I never add it)

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients to the pressure cooker. Securely fasten lid. Cook over medium-high heat until it is at high pressure.

Reduce heat a little to stabilize and continue cooking for 18 minutes.

Remove from heat and place in sink. Release pressure by running cold water over the lid.

Let rice stand covered for 5 minutes. Check pressure before removing lid. If any pressure has built up, run under cold water again to release it.

N.B. I have an 8 quart pressure cooker so I often triple this recipe and refrigerate or freeze the leftovers to make dinner prep on following nights even faster.

Related Posts:

How to Cook Beans in a Pressure Cooker

How to Make Apple Sauce in a Pressure Cooker

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About Alea Milham

Alea Milham is the owner of Premeditated Leftovers and the author of Prep-Ahead Meals from Scatch. She shares her tips for saving money and time while reducing waste in her home. Her favorite hobby, gardening, is a frugal source of organic produce for her recipes. She believes it is possible to live fully and eat well while spending less.

Comments

  1. Marsha says

    June 27, 2018 at 6:02 am

    The Trader Joe’s Basmati Rice Medley was incredible! I did add the butter and put Guatemalan Chicken from OAMC on top before pressure cooking. What a great one-pot evening!

    Reply
  2. Sarah says

    September 10, 2014 at 7:01 pm

    Helllooo! I am a pressure cooking addict since getting mine a month ago. Thought I read that you had to put oil or butter in there to keep the foaming down. Just wondering.

    Reply
  3. Annie says

    March 12, 2013 at 4:09 am

    This is great. I’ve been using my pressure cooker a lot lately and wondered about rice. I was afraid it might foam up and/or clog the vent. Can’t wait to give this a try.

    Reply
    • Bill Rice says

      October 29, 2013 at 7:02 pm

      I had the same worry. My parents used pressure canners to process veggies, and I started using pressure cookers almost 30 years ago. I experiment a bit, but I really do prefer to benefit from someone else’s experiment. Incidentally, those frozen leftovers reheat well in a pressure cooker although it might be useful to use a spacer and foil to avoid excess water. Thanks, I bookmarked your site!

      Reply
  4. Nancy says

    March 11, 2013 at 8:14 pm

    Would it be the same process for Quinoa?

    Reply
    • Alea says

      March 11, 2013 at 8:20 pm

      Nancy, when you make quinoa in a pressure cooker you only cook it for a couple minutes. I haven’t timed it yet, but I will let you know as soon as I do.

      Reply
  5. Marie Czarnecki says

    January 15, 2013 at 7:01 pm

    I did not know you could cook rice in pressure cooker, thinking it would run over..That brown rice is great because I can cook it for my SHELTIE’S which is better for them…

    Reply
  6. Alea says

    December 22, 2010 at 5:18 am

    Yes, it does freeze well. I either pull it out in the morning and let it thaw in the fridge or reheat it quickly in the microwave. It is a huge timesaver!

    Reply
  7. Jen says

    December 22, 2010 at 3:49 am

    Does rice freeze well? I have a pressure cooker…it's electric. I've been wanting to make more freezer meals.

    Reply

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Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.

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