Instant Pot Fried Rice Recipe (Pressure Cooker Fried Rice) (2024)

FAQs

How much water do I need for 2 cups of rice for fried rice? ›

Recipe Tips

Combine 4 cups of water and 2 cups of white rice in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, then cover and simmer until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

We'll use your Instant Pot's "Rice" cooking program. This function was designed specifically for white rice. It's an automatic cooking mode that runs between 10 to 12 minutes. When the program finishes, wait another 15 minutes for the appliance to cool down and release its internal pressure naturally.

Ever since I got my Instant Pot a few years ago, I've stopped making rice any other way! It's such a simple, basic method, and you never have to worry about it getting gummy or a pot boiling over on the stove. Every time I make rice, I achieve the same results: separate grains, with a pleasing, chewy texture.

Why Rice Needs Less Water in a Pressure Cooker. In tests, we've found that all varieties of rice hydrate properly with a 1:1 ratio of rice to water; additional water is added to account for evaporation. In a conventional covered pot, where water evaporates during the entire cooking time, we add an extra ½ cup water.

Soaking is optional, but we recommend it! Soaking grains helps to remove some of the naturally-occurring phytic acid in the grain, which helps improve digestibility and speed cook time.

The amount of water you add when cooking rice will make a difference. If you find your fried rice is turning out rather mushy, try reducing the amount of water to cook the rice. A typical recipe for cooking long-grain white rice uses a 1-to-1.5 ratio, which means you would add 1 cup of rice to 1 1/2 cups of water.

Pressure cook the rice on HIGH.

Lock the lid in place and set to cook at HIGH pressure for the following times: White rice (basmati, jasmine): 5 minutes. Long-grain brown rice: 10 minutes. Wild rice: 15 minutes.

Overfilling your Instant Pot can affect the pressure that builds up inside, so you might end up with a mushy meal, or one that doesn't cook properly. Also, an overly-full Instant Pot can lead to a clogged pressure release knob, because food and liquid can get sucked up inside.

The Grains Are Mushy

If the rice is only a little sticky, it can be saved. Turn it out into a colander and rinse it under cool water, separating the grains with your fingers. But if it's extra mushy, the best thing to do is start over, make a new batch, and use the overcooked, leftover rice for another purpose.

Too much water or liquid can cause mushy rice. Overcooking can also make the rice mushy. Be sure to pay attention to cook time. Cooking on low pressure instead of high pressure can also result in mushy rice.

Can you pressure fry in a pressure cooker? ›

Ordinary home pressure cookers are generally unsuitable for pressure frying, because they are typically designed for a maximum temperature around 121 °C (250 °F) whereas oil can reach temperatures well in excess of 160 °C (320 °F) which may damage the gasket in an ordinary pressure cooker, causing it to fail.

Close and lock your pressure cooker after the rice and cooking liquid are added, bring your burner to high heat to achieve full pressure, then lower the heat to maintain pressure. After 5 minutes cooking time, remove from heat and do a quick release of the cooker lid, tilting it away from you to avoid hot steam.

While you can use the Sauté function to pan-fry food, your Instant Pot cannot be used as a deep fryer. The appliance will not get hot enough to heat the oil needed for deep frying while it's uncovered.