Instant Pot Basmati Rice
This easy Instant Pot Basmati Rice is a seasoned rice recipe made with fragrant cloves, cardamom, and bay leaves, made in under 15 minutes!
Instant Pot Basmati Rice
Instant Pot Basmati Rice is a delicious seasoned rice dish flavored with rich, warm, spices. It is an Indian-inspired rice that is super easy to make in your Instant Pot. In under 15 minutes you have fluffy, spiced rice that pairs perfectly with some Instant Pot Butter Chicken!
Using an Instant Pot is super easy but if you’re new to using one check out our How to Use an Instant Pot guide for a quick overview before you get started.
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What You Will Need to Make Instant Pot Basmati Rice:
- Basmati Rice – Basmati rice is a type of long grain rice from India. It has a nutty flavor and a slightly floral smell similar to jasmine rice which is commonly used in Asian cooking.
- Spices – My basmati rice is flavored with cloves, whole cardamom pods, and bay leaves. I little goes a long way so you only need a few of each for this recipe.
- Instant Pot – You can use an Instant Pot or any similar electric pressure cooker for this recipe.
How Do You Cook Basmati Rice in an Instant Pot?
- Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE and add the butter (or ghee if you have it!) along with the spices. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the spices are fragrant.
- Add the rice, water, and salt to the pot and lock the lid in place.
- Set it to HIGH pressure for 4 minutes.
- After 4 minutes press CANCEL and let the Instant Pot do a natural release for 5 minutes.
- Unlock the lid, remove the bay leaves, cardamon, and cloves, and serve.
How Long Do You Cook Rice in the Instant Pot?
Rice doesn’t require much time in the Instant Pot. I cooked my basmati rice on HIGH pressure for 4 minutes and let it do a 5 minute natural release.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Basmati Rice:
This seasoned basmati rice is delicious and could go with a wide range of dishes. It uses spices commonly used in Indian cooking so I would recommend:
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INSTANT POT BASMATI RICE
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Instant Pot Basmati Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 1 ¼ cup Water
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Butter or Ghee
- 5 Whole cloves
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 Green cardamom pods
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE and add the butter (or ghee) and spices. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the spices are fragrant. Press CANCEL to stop sauteing.
- Add the rice, water, and salt to the pot and lock the lid in place.
- Set it to HIGH pressure for 4 minutes.
- After 4 minutes press CANCEL and let the Instant Pot do a natural release for 5 minutes.
- Unlock the lid, remove the bay leaves, cardamon, and cloves, and serve.
The Instant Pot Basmati Rice was disappointing. No way does the rice cook in 4 minutes plus natural release. Perhaps you soak it overnight, but I did not read anything about soaking in terms of time. My rice was barely done after your 4 minutes plus 5 minutes more. For my taste the tablespoon of fat made the rice almost greasy. The flavor was good.
Hi Robert, I am sorry you had trouble cooking your rice. Most instant pot rice recipes are made within 4-8 minutes. The only thing I can think that may have happened is that the timer started before the pressure cooker was at the proper pressure point.
I’ve made this recipe as an accompaniment to ordered-in curries and it’s been a huge hit! The instructions worked like a charm and the flavour and texture of the rice was divine. I’m making a triple batch on Friday to feed a crowd of people decorating for a Halloween party. I just know it’s going to be delicious!
Great recipe and directions. This is my “go-to”.
Thank you so much!