How to Cook Wild Rice in the Instant Pot

Cooking wild rice in the Instant Pot, or pressure cooker, is a quick and easy way to prepare this tasty grain. Instant pot wild rice comes out perfectly soft and fluffy, ready to be used in your favorite recipe.

There are two reasons I love making wild rice in the Instant Pot, or pressure cooker.

First, I can set it and forget about it.

Whenever I cook things like dry beans or grains on the stove, I have a terrible habit of getting distracted and ending up with ingredients burned to the bottom of the pot.

This doesn't happen when you cook wild rice in a pressure cooker. I can turn it on and walk away, knowing it won't burn. Instead, the Instant Pot will keep my perfectly cooked wild rice warm until I am ready to use it.

Second, I can make a large batch of it and freeze it for later.

The bowl of my Instant Pot is a lot bigger than my rice cooker, so I can cook a lot of it in one go.

I love to cook large batches of grains and freeze them in smaller portions for later. This saves me a lot of time and energy. (Check out the storage portion of this post to find out how to freeze your wild rice).

Wild rice is one of the most expensive grains, (check out "A Complete Guide to Wild Rice" to find out why). You should be able to find wild rice in the bulk bins of your grocery store, which will make it a little less expensive.

The Instant Pot is a really useful way to prepare wild rice, so let's get to it!

Jump to:

• 📖 Instructions
• 🔁 Substitutions
• 🥣 Storage
• 💪 Nutrition
• ✨ Top tips
• 🥗 Wild Rice Recipes
• 🍽️ Equipment
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

📖 Instructions

Start by rinsing your uncooked wild rice grains with cool, clean water. This removes any dust or debris that has settled in storage. You do not need to soak your wild rice before cooking it in the Instant Pot.

Add wild rice and water to the bowl of the pressure cooker. Give it a little stir to fully distribute the water and grains.

When cooking wild rice in the Instant Pot, the ratio of water to wild rice is 2 cups to 1 cup wild rice.

Put the lid on the pot and twist, making it seal closed.

Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes, followed by a 20-minute natural release. After 20 minutes, release any remaining pressure by pressing the vent knob on top of the Instant Pot.

Fluff your cooked rice with a fork and serve!

🔁 Substitutions

Adding Flavors

If you'd like to give your Instant Pot wild rice more flavor there are many ways you can do this, including:

• saute garlic and/or onions in the pot before adding the rice and liquid
• adding your favorite herbs
• using broth (chicken or vegetable) instead of water

Wild Rice Medley

Wild Rice is often found in a mix or medley with other kinds of rice, like brown and red rice. If you are planning on cooking a medley of rice in the Instant Pot, the cooking time will be determined by which grain takes the longest.

Cook time for wild rice mix!!!!!!!

🥣 Storage

Once cooked in the Instant Pot, wild rice can be stored in the fridge for about 1 week. Just make sure to keep it in an airtight container.

It can also be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. You'll want to use a freezer-friendly container (I love to use these reusable ziplock bags). In order to prevent freezer burn, make sure rice is completely cooled before placing it in the freezer.

When it's time to thaw your rice, it's best to let it defrost in the fridge overnight. If you forgot to do this ahead of time (me 🙋‍♀️), you can defrost it in the microwave. It's best to add just a little water and cover the bowl. This helps the grains become soft and fluffy again.

💪 Nutrition

For a grain, wild rice is high in protein. It has a lot of fiber and is low in fat. Just one cup of it cooked provides 5% or more of the daily value of thiamin, riboflavin, iron, and potassium; 10% or more of the daily value of niacin, vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, and phosphorus; 15% of zinc; and over 20% of manganese. Wild rice is high in antioxidants.

Some label it as a "superfood" and some claim it is the healthiest form of rice because of its high protein content.

Wild rice is naturally gluten-free.

✨ Top tips

To determine the amount of uncooked rice you'll need, keep in mind that 1 cup of dried wild rice makes about 3-3.5 cups of cooked wild rice.

I have noticed that when I cook wild rice in a pressure cooker, versus on the stove, the individual grains tend to split open. This does not affect the taste at all.

If you'd like to learn more about cooking with and eating wild rice, check out "A Complete Guide to Wild Rice."

If you can't find the rubber ring for your instant pot lid (ugh, me last December), or need to cook your wild rice in some other way, check out "Cooking Wild Rice in a Rice Cooker" or "How to Cook Wild Rice on the Stove."

🥗 Wild Rice Recipes

Wild rice is often used in salads, casseroles, and soups. Here are some of my favorite recipes from around the web.

Creamy Wild Rice Soup

Wild Rice with Mushrooms

Wild Rice Pilaf

Cranberry Wild Rice

🍽️ Equipment

Here are some items you'll need to make this recipe. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying orders, at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting The Incredible Bulks!

There are A LOT of varieties of Instant Pots and pressure cookers on the market. My favorite is the Instant Pot Ultra because I love making yogurt in it. However, 99% of the time I use my Instant Pot I just use the "pressure cook" setting. So if you are looking for a less expensive model, you will get just as much bang for your buck with the Instant Pot Duo.

If you don't have a fine mesh strainer I highly recommend getting a metal one. They are great for rinsing small grains, like rice and quinoa, because they can't fall through the mesh. The metal mesh strainers are a lot more durable than plastic or fabric ones. I've had holes rip in the plastic ones before.

I hope this Instant Pot wild rice tutorial was helpful to you!

✌️ Ems

📖 Recipe