Instant Pot Brown Basmati Rice

If you are a fan of rice, then you must not miss out on adding brown rice in your diet. It can be easily substituted for white rice in your meals and recipes.

There are different types of brown rice like short, long, medium, and light brown. Brown basmati rice is a long grain variety of brown rice.

It is absolutely easy to make brown basmati rice at home by pressure cooking it in the instant pot. Although brown rice takes longer to cook compared to the white rice, fluffy brown rice can be cooked in the instant pot without soaking.

For a smaller quantity of rice, less than 2 cups, the pot in pot method works best. Larger quantity of rice, more than 2 cups, can be directly cooked in the instant pot liner.

What is brown rice?

Brown rice is whole grain rice in which the bran and the cereal germ are not removed, unlike the white rice. So brown rice is considered healthier than white rice.

Compared to white rice, brown rice is more nutritious and has a lot of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. For all the great benefits of brown rice, you can read this post from healthline.com.

How much water do you put in brown basmati rice?

Brown basmati rice can be easily cooked in the instant pot and needs no monitoring. It can be cooked either way, directly in the liner or by using the pot in pot method.

For smaller quantities of brown rice like 1 cup or 1.5 cups, the pot in pot method works well. If you are making brown rice in larger quantities of 2 cups or more then it is best to make it directly in the liner.

For the pot in pot method, for every cup of brown rice, 1.25 cups of water work well. If you want it a little al dente, you can go with 1 cup of water per cup of rice.

When making a larger batch of rice and using the liner directly, add 1.25 cups of water per cup of brown rice while cooking in the instant pot.

How to cook brown basmati rice in instant pot?

When you want to cook 2 or more cups of brown rice, it is best to cook it directly in the instant pot liner.

Rinse the brown rice thoroughly in cold water to get rid of any residue and starch. Put the rice and water in the ratio of 1:1.25 in the instant pot liner. You can optionally add some salt and a teaspoon of oil.

Pressure cook the rice by pressing the pressure cook or manual button and setting it for 22 minutes. Select the "keep warm" setting so you know how much time has elapsed once the rice is done cooking.

Allow the pressure to release manually for 10 minutes and when the display shows 10 minutes, release the remaining pressure by moving the pressure knob in venting position until the silver pin drops.

Open the lid and fluff the brown rice with a fork.

How to cook instant pot brown basmati rice pot in pot?

In a small stainless steel pot, put the rinsed brown rice and water in the ratio of 1:1.25 cups of brown basmati rice to water. You can optionally add some salt and a teaspoon of oil. Cover the pot with a lid.

Pour 1 cup of water in the 6 qt. instant pot liner and place a trivet inside it. Now place the stainless steel container on top of the trivet and lock the lid with pressure knob in sealing position.

Cook the brown basmati rice for 22 minutes in high-pressure mode. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually.

You can let the entire pressure release naturally. This would not have any effect on the cooked rice except that it would take longer to open the lid. Open the lid and fluff the brown rice with a fork.

What to serve with brown rice?

Brown rice can be substituted for white rice in your meals or dishes. Some vegetarian dishes to enjoy with brown rice are curries like matar paneer and palak paneer. It goes well with dals like panchmel dal made with 5 lentils.

You can also serve it with roasted broccoli or Asian dish like kung pao chickpeas.

What to do with leftover brown rice?

If you have any leftover rice, you can store it in the fridge for 2-3 days. When you are ready to eat, simply reheat it in the microwave, stovetop, or in the instant pot.

Refrigerated rice might end up being a bit dry, you can add a few teaspoons of water while reheating depending on the quantity of rice.

Leftover brown rice can be used to make cilantro lime rice and it goes well with black beans. You can also make fried rice and serve it with veg manchurian.

If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like

• White basmati rice
• Jasmine rice
• Peas pulao
• Lo mein
• Chana dal
• Toor dal (split pigeon peas)

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