Easy Instant Pot Rice Recipe

There are many ways to make rice, and perhaps the most classic way is to cook it on the stovetop. In the era of trendy kitchen appliances, however, it's a good idea to put them to use — there's a rice cooker, of course, but there's also the handy Instant Pot. Not only can you cook perfectly fluffy rice in the Instant Pot, but it's incredibly easy to do — just ask recipe developer Jaime Shelbert.

"Making rice in the Instant Pot is my favorite," Shelbert explains. "You just 'set it and forget it.' It is foolproof and turns out every time." She does acknowledge that the Instant Pot method can be a bit more time consuming than other methods — you'll have to give the pot time to build up pressure before releasing it — but you can absolutely count on the mighty appliance to handle nearly all of the work. "It is a no fuss way to prep rice," Shelbert elaborates. "I can set it and not have to tend to it while prepping other food for dinner." If you're preparing rice for lunch or dinner, odds are that you're also preparing something to serve alongside the rice, so you can devote your full attention to the main course, thanks to this easy recipe.

To make Instant Pot rice, you don't need much — in fact, you just need long grain rice, water, and optionally a little bit of salt. Oh, and an Instant Pot, of course.

The first thing you'll want to do is get out a fine mesh strainer and add in the rice. Rinse the rice thoroughly under water to remove any excess starch.

Add the rinsed rice, along with the 2 cups water, and the optional salt, into the Instant Pot. Then, stir it all up. Lock the lid onto the Instant Pot and set the vent to "sealing" before setting the pot to "high pressure" for 4 minutes. Once that time is up, leave the pot as-is for 10 minutes, during which time the rice will cook under pressure. After 10 minutes, carefully move the vent so all the pressure releases.

Carefully remove the Instant Pot's lid and fluff the rice with a fork. You're now ready to serve this easy and classic white rice. 

"Rice is an easy side and pairs with almost anything," Shelbert says. "It goes particularly well with curries and stir frys and can be used in lettuce wraps and burritos, and also alongside sautéed vegetables and a protein." Oh, and if you have leftover rice, Shelbert notes that it makes for perfect fried rice.