Instant Pot Lemon Rice Pilaf Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Does the rice setting on Instant Pot work? ›

The Instant Pot's rice button is best used for white rice, as it is specifically calibrated to weigh white rice and water and cook the rice accordingly. This is ideal for weeknights when you truly want to set and forget your rice, but not great for cooking different varieties of rice on the fly.

Rinse rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Then if using long grain white rice add just under 1.25 cups of water:cup of wet rice, if cooking basmati it is 1:1 then place in pot (I add a little salt too) and hit 'rice' or low pressure for 12 mins. Perfect each time!

This is probably less water than you're used to using for cooking stovetop rice, and that's because there's very little evaporation when you're using the pressure cooker. This ratio produces fairly firm, separate grains—you can add a little more water, maybe about 1/4 cup extra, if you like softer rice.

Steam the Rice: If the rice is too sticky and you've already fluffed it, you can try steaming it for a few minutes. Place the rice back in the Instant Pot with the lid on, but with the Instant Pot turned off. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the steam to help separate the grains.

For tender grains of rice that easily separate, such as in a pilaf, use 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice. You can also use another liquid like stock in this 2:1 ratio. For slightly chewier, fluffy white rice, use 1 1/2 cups of water for every cup of rice, or a 1.5:1 ratio.

If the grains aren't washed before cooking, this residual starch will gelatinize in the hot cooking water and make the cooked grains of rice stick to each other. In some instances, such as sticky rice varieties like glutinous rice and Arborio rice, this can lead to a very gummy texture.

Microwave on HIGH. Wait 5 minutes or until water is absorbed, then fluff with a fork. Microwave ovens vary. Cooking times are approximate.

As a general rule, 1 cup of uncooked rice will equal about 3 cups of cooked rice. Leftover rice can be used later in the week to make fried rice or chicken rice casserole.

Transfer rice to stovetop or electric pressure cooker and add 1¼ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt, if desired. For each additional cup rice, add only 1 cup water (and additional ½ teaspoon salt).

On average, a standard serving of cooked rice is around 1/2 to 3/4 cup per person. To achieve this serving size, you would need about 2 1/2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup of dry rice per person.

How long does it take to cook rice in a pressure cooker? ›

Typically, cooking a large quantity of rice in a rice cooker takes between 25 and 35 minutes. Different types of rice require different quantities of water and cooking times. Fortunately, a rice cooker is able to gauge when the rice is finished cooking and turns off automatically.

Crockpots / instant pots / all-in-one things are also pressure cookers, and they use pressure to cook the rice in about 9 minutes, compared to 15–20 or so of a rice cooker. Nevertheless, they do take a lot of time to warm up and START cooking, usually around 10 extra minutes.

It reduces the cook time by almost half compared to a conventional covered pot, and it produces evenly cooked results more reliably, since once the vessel has come up to pressure, it becomes a sealed environment that prevents evaporation so a variable like a loose-fitting lid can't throw things off.