Instant Pot Brown Rice

What is Brown Rice?

• Brown rice is unpolished whole-grain rice with the inedible outer hull of the grain removed. While, white rice is more processed by removing the outer hull, bran layer, and cereal germ.
• Brown rice comes in 3 different varieties - short grain, medium grain, and long grain. I like cooking medium-grain brown rice that cooks plump, moist, and tender, and also the long-grain brown basmati rice which has a more chewy texture and nutty flavors.

We love incorporating brown rice into our meals in different ways. In addition to my popular white rice Chicken Biryani, we also enjoy the Instant Pot Brown Rice Chicken Biryani. My Vegetarian Chickpea Biryani recipe also includes instructions to make it using brown rice.

Five Reasons to Make Brown Rice in Instant Pot

1. Easy hands-off recipe - once you set the cooking time and pressure level on the Instant Pot, you can walk away or prep the rest of your meal.
   
2. Faster cooking time - The Instant Pot utilizes pressure cooking, which significantly reduces the cooking time compared to traditional stove-top methods.
   
3. Consistent results with fluffy, perfectly cooked rice.
   
4. Unlike the stovetop recipe, this is mess-free with easy cleanup. There's no need to monitor the pot or worry about stirring, boiling over, or adjusting the heat as you would on a stovetop.
   
5. This recipe works with most varieties of brown rice including basmati and jasmine rice.

How to Make Instant Pot Brown Rice

There are two ways to cook Brown Rice in the Instant Pot depending on the amount of rice you are cooking. The water ratio for brown rice will vary slightly depending on the method you choose.

1. Pot-in-Pot Method

This method works best when cooking less than 1.5 cups of brown rice:

• Rinse 1 cup of brown rice 2 to 3 times under running water. Drain well and add to a stainless steel bowl along with 1.25 cups of water and salt.
• Add 1 cup of water to the main Instant Pot insert. Place the bowl with rice on the trivet and then carefully place the trivet in the Instant Pot.
• Close the Instant Pot lid with the pressure release handle to sealing. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook (Hi) for 22 minutes.
• Allow 10 minutes of natural pressure release. Release any remaining pressure by moving the pressure release handle to venting. Open the Instant Pot. Take the inner stainless pot and the trivet out using heat-resistant mitts. Gently fluff the rice with a fork or silicone spatula.

2. Main Pot Method

Works best when cooking more than 1.5 cups of brown rice:

• Place 2 cups of rice in a wire mesh strianer and rinse 2 to 3 times. Drain the rice.
• Add drained rice to the Instant Pot insert. Add 2.5 cups of water, and salt and make sure all the rice is evenly submerged underwater.
• Close the Instant Pot lid with the pressure release handle to sealing. Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook (Hi) for 20 minutes.
• Allow 10 minutes of natural pressure release. Release any remaining pressure by moving the pressure release handle to Venting. Open the Instant Pot and gently fluff the rice with a fork or silicone spatula.

Serving

Here are some of my favorite curries to serve along with brown rice for a delicious gluten-free Indian meal:

• Instant Pot Chana Masala - the best chickpea curry
• Butter Chicken - chicken cooked in a creamy tomato sauce
• Chicken Tikka Masala - slow-cooked chicken in a flavorful bursting sauce
• Daal Makhani - lightly spiced creamy lentils
• Spinach Daal - easy dump and done Instant Pot lentils

Storing

Cooked brown rice can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. To store it longer freeze single portions in zip-lock bags. To thaw simply take out the bag from the freezer and keep it overnight in the refrigerator or keep it on the counter for half an hour.