Instant Pot Brown Basmati Rice

Using an Instant Pot, or pressure cooker, is one of the best ways to cook basmati brown basmati rice because it is so simple. In this guide, you'll find everything you need to know to make the fluffiest brown basmati rice of your life!

I love using my Instant Pot to cook all types of rice because it's almost impossible to burn and because it keeps my rice warm and ready for hours, so I can easily cook it in advance. I can also make larger quantities of rice in it than I can in my rice cooker.

Because of these reasons, pressure cooking is one of the best ways to prepare brown basmati rice.

Brown basmati rice actually comes from the same type of grain as white basmati rice. It just hasn't had its outer shell removed. This means that it has more nutrients and fiber. It also means it has a longer cook time in the Instant Pot than white basmati rice.

Let's get started!

Jump to:

• 📖 Instructions
• 🔁 Substitutions
• 🥣 Storage and Reheating
• 💪 Nutrition
• ✨ Top tips
• 🥗 Recipes to Serve with Brown Basmati Rice
• 🍽️ Equipment
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

📖 Instructions

Start by rinsing your grains under cool, clean water. This helps wash away any debris and built-up starch that has gathered during storage.

You do not need to soak brown basmati rice before cooking it in the Instant Pot.

Next, add your rice and water to the bowl of the pressure cooker. Give everything a stir to evenly distribute the grains.

Place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn it to seal. Pressure cook on high for 22 minutes. Then allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, release any remaining pressure by pushing down the valve on top of the lid. Watch out for steam when you do this!

Open the lid and fluff the rice up. It's ready to be served and enjoyed!

You can increase the amount of rice you use with this instant pot recipe.  Cook time stays the same, but the rice-to-water ratio should always be 1 cup brown basmati rice to 1 and ¼ cup water.

I would not recommend cooking less than 1 cup of rice in the instant pot because it just doesn't provide enough liquid to let the pressure cooker do its job right. Use another method, like the stove or a rice cooker instead.

🔁 Substitutions

You can add more flavor to your pressure-cooked brown basmati rice by using broth (i.e. chicken, vegetable) instead of water. You can also increase the flavor by adding 1 tablespoon of oil and/or ½ teaspoon of salt before cooking.  I personally like to keep my basmati rice plain because I always pair it with a flavorful dish.  If I am eating it plain, however, I season it with butter and salt and pepper after it's done cooking. 

🥣 Storage and Reheating

After cooking in the Instant Pot, leftover rice should be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. The longer it is stored, the more dried out the grains will become, so I recommend reusing them as soon as possible.

The simplest way to reheat your rice is in the microwave. You'll want to use a microwave-safe container that has a lid. Add the rice and break up any large chunks of rice with a fork. Add a few sprinkles of water to help create steam and rehydrate the grains.

Cover the container and microwave for 1 minute. Remove the lid, (watch out for steam) and test the grains. If they are still cold or dry repeat until you're satisfied.

💪 Nutrition

The following nutrition label is for ½ cup cooked brown basmati rice.

Brown basmati rice is considered a whole grain and therefore has various nutritional benefits over white basmati rice, including being higher in fiber and having more magnesium, vitamin E, zinc, potassium, and phosphorus.

✨ Top tips

Oftentimes it is suggested that grains should be soaked before being placed in the Instant Pot. This is not necessary for Brown Basmati Rice because it already cooks pretty quickly.

Don't forget: the rice-to-water ratio is 1 cup rice to 1 and ¼ cup water for brown basmati rice in the pressure cooker.

½ cup of cooked brown basmati rice is considered one serving.

Rice can be left in the Instant Pot on the "keep warm" setting for several hours. The longest I've kept it warm is 4 hours, and it was still soft and fluffy and ready to serve when I opened the pot.

🥗 Recipes to Serve with Brown Basmati Rice

The following recipes are delicious when served over a bed of warm basmati rice.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Dinner in a Pumpkin with Creamy Sausage and Veggies

Easy Chickpea Curry with Coconut Milk

🍽️ Equipment

Here are some items you'll need to make this recipe. Just click the pictures to find out more info about the products, 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 brown basmati rice tutorial was helpful to you! Pressure-cooking basmati rice is just so easy and convenient! Let me know how yours turned out!

✌️ Ems

📖 Recipe