I am more and more falling in love with my Instant Pot that I got during the amazing Black Friday sale when the 7-in-1 Instant Pot was marked down to just $69!
I love that I can cook so many different things in it so quickly. I love that I can put the ingredients in it and set the timer and then just leave it — instead of having to watch the stove, wait for the water to boil, and/or make sure the water doesn’t boil over.
It kind of feels like a slow cooker on steroids. You just dump the ingredients in, program the time, and leave it be to do it’s thing… while you get on with your life!
I’ve just barely scratched the surface of the world of Instant Pots and I am starting to clearly understand why people are such raving fans of this appliance! There’s so much it can do — and it makes eating at home and getting dinner on the table so much easier!
There are many, many bloggers out there who are sharing incredible Instant Pot recipes. However, I knew there are some of you who haven’t yet gotten your Instant Pot out of the box and you are feeling scared, just like I was when I first got mine.
So I thought it would be fun to share some very beginning Instant Pot recipes on my blog over the next few months as I learn how to use my Instant Pot. My hope is that these will inspire you to not let your Instant Pot sit in the box any longer! Get it out and start using it — you’ll be so glad you did!
Instant Pots have a Rice button on them that you can use to cook white rice or basmati rice. However, we pretty much only use brown rice at our house, so that needs to cook quite a bit longer than white rice.
Here’s how to make brown rice in the Instant Pot:
Brown Rice in the Instant Pot (for beginners)
- Pour two cups rice and two cups water in the removable metal pot. (You can do any measurement of rice and water that you choose. Always use a 1:1 ratio… meaning 1 cup water for every 1 cup of rice.)
- Plug your Instant Pot in. Turn it on and press MANUAL.
- Adjust the + button to 22 (for 22 minutes).
- Line up the arrows on the lid and turn the lid until it locks (and sings music to you!)
- Make sure the lid is closed and turn the vent lock to closed (turn it to sealing). This vent lock is loose — or at least it is on mine. Just make sure it is turned to sealing not venting. (See a photo here with more details on this. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.)
- It will take about 5 minutes for the Instant Pot to heat up. It will start making hissing noises. Don’t be alarmed.
- Once it is heated up, it will start counting down from 22 minutes down to zero.
- You can literally just leave the Instant Pot and go about your day. It will shut off once the 22 minutes are up and it will naturally release the pressure within 20-ish minutes of it shutting off and then the rice is ready.
If you want to serve the rice right away and don’t want to wait for the natural pressure release, here how to do that:
- Let the rice cook for 22 minutes.
- Once it is at zero on the countdown, wait 5 minutes to let the pressure naturally release.
- Then, use an oven mitt to turn the vent lock to venting (so that it’s open). VERY IMPORTANT: This will shoot out steam. A lot of hot steam. This is releasing the pressure. Make sure you have on an oven mitt. Make sure there isn’t a cupboard or anything above your Instant Pot that all the steam is going to shoot up to. And KEEP YOUR FACE AND HANDS AWAY FROM THE VENT when you are turning it. It is HOT!
- Let the steam fully release (the floating valve will drop down when it’s released).
- Open the lid and your rice is ready!
Okay, I know that sounds like a lot of steps. But trust me on this, after you’ve used your Instant Pot one time, it will be so much easier. I promise!
{Need some hand holding to make this recipe? Watch my video here.}
I put the brown rice in the Instant Pot to cook before I made dinner and then started dinner. I didn’t come back to it until about an hour and a half later. I took the lid off, let it cool, and then, once it was cooled, I scooped it out and put it into airtight freezer bags and froze it.
So easy! So simple! I love that I can just put the ingredients in the Instant Pot, turn it on, and leave it and then come back to it later. I don’t have to worry about it burning or boiling over or over-cooking. I don’t have to mess with watching for the water to boil or setting the timer and then turning down the burner.
More and more, I see why people are such big fans of this kitchen appliance!
Looking for another great beginner Instant Pot recipe? Check on my post on How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot.
Thanks so much. I got the IP last year, but I’ve been intimidated by it – tried it a couple times but felt like fish out of water. I really appreciate your step-by-step guide. It may seem rudimentary to some, but it’s just what I needed!
Just started using the InstaPot I got before Mothers Day. Appreciate getting recipes and tips. Still learning the different buttons…is there a reason why you chose Manual over Rice? Thx
Because I was cooking brown rice, you have to cook it longer than the manual time (which is set up for white rice).
From what I have read, the multigrain function is for brown rice, have you tried it?
Just got my IP yesterday and used this recipe for brown rice; it came out great. I ruined a few batches at first by trying to halve the rice/water content to 1 cup each. For anyone just starting out, anything less than 2 cups of rice/water tends to get burned or not cook all the way. Now getting ready to try the hard boiled egg method mentioned above…
Helpful! Thanks for the tip
Hi. Did I miss it, or does your post not say what pressure (high or low) to use when cooking the rice?
I don’t believe that my Instant Pot has an option. I just turn it on manual and put the time in.
I just got my instant pot last week at a Khols Sale. Love it. I am looking forward to more tried and true recipes. I haven’t tried rice yet. Thanks for sharing.
Woohoo!
One trick I learned is to put a kitchen towel over the vent when you do quick release so the steam isn’t as much of a problem.
That’s a great trick! Thanks so much for sharing!
I also leave a towel over the top while it is cooking — just in case a child or pet would bump the vent. Helps reduce risk of burns.
I have never even heard of an Instant Pot until now! What kinds of things can you cook in them ? Feeling really behind, lol!
Alicia–Google it! Your world will be changed. Essentially, this is your grandmother’s pressure cooker, but instead of it being a stove top model, it cooks electrically and has many more functions: saute, slow cook, etc. While you have to keep a close eye on a manual pressure cooker to make sure it doesn’t go dry/you cook for the appropriate amount of time, the electric models are really nice because they are more of a “set it and forget it” appliance.
Incidentally, you can get multiple brands of electric pressure cookers, not just “Instant Pot” despite the incredible marketing around the Instant Pot brand.
Wow, thanks Beth!
Does anyone know if you could use part water and part cream of chicken soup in the IP for a creamier rice?
We made the same recipe, only we added 1 cup of salsa, and homemade taco season. Then we cooked our pinto beans and made refried beans from the recipe we got from an older moneysavingmom.com recipe, and made freezer bean and rice burritos. Soooo delicious!