Instant Pot Lemon Rice Pilaf Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How does the rice setting work on an Instant Pot? ›

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.

The most commonly used, of course, is water, but you can also use a stock such as vegetable stock or chicken stock for extra flavor. Just keep in mind that if you are cooking white rice, using stock may change its color.

You most likely used too much water. 1:1 water to rice ratio is essential for all rice types. Use the exact same container to measure both rice and water. Some cups are standard American (236ml), others are metric (250ml) and the little plastic cup that comes with the Instant Pot is neither (160ml).

You might notice that this ratio of water to rice is lower than what you'd use if you were cooking the rice on the stove. That's because much less water evaporates from the Instant Pot, so you don't need as much to cook fluffy, tender rice. Once you add the water, it's time to cook!

Rice can release starchy water as it cooks, and you don't want to risk that starch clogging the vent in the lid of your Instant Pot. Make sure you move the steam release valve to sealing. This is a common mistake, and will result in hard, under-cooked rice that will eventually stick to the bottom of your pot.

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.

Traditional recipes insist that for a truly great pilaf you must soak or a least repeatedly rinse the rice before cooking.

The pilaf technique is important, but to guarantee perfect texture, it's also necessary to use the right kind of rice. The best choice is long-grain white rice.

Rice for pilafs, fried rice, and salads all benefit from washing. Even when you're steaming rice for dishes like kimbap or sushi, when you want the grains to stick together slightly, you still want to rinse off excess starch, which can result in unpleasantly mushy rice.

Often people cook rice in a pressure cooker due to paucity of time. If you are also one of those people who use cooker to cook rice, then do not make this mistake again. This causes the starch present in rice to release a chemical called acrylamide, which is harmful for health.

Should I rinse rice before cooking in Instant Pot? ›

Rinsing rice removes any dirt and excess starch that can make the rice sticky, and, I've found, makes the rice taste better. According to Instant Pot's manual, rinsing the rice also makes up for the small amount of moisture lost in evaporation during the cooking process.

You might even receive a burn notice from your pressure cooker. Mushy Rice – When cooking long-grain white rice you want a 1:1 ratio. That means you should add a cup of water for every cup of rice. Too much water or liquid can cause mushy rice.

For white rice set timer for 3 minutes at high pressure. For brown rice, set timer for 22 minutes at high pressure. When the cooking time is elapsed, turn off the Instant Pot and all the pressure to release naturally.

Follow this tip: While at least 1/2 to 1 cup of liquid is essential to well-cooked food in the pressure cooker, too much liquid will pull the flavor out of foods. Unless otherwise specified in the recipe, use just enough liquid to bring the cooker to pressure.

If your Instant Pot rice is mushy, that means you added too much water. It's not the end of the world; drain out any excess water and eat the rice as is.

No matter what kind of rice you're cooking, it's a good idea to let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before opening the pot. This allows the moisture to distribute evenly throughout the grains, and helps it unstick from the bottom of the pot, too.

How do you measure rice in an Instant Pot with your fingers? You can measure rice in an Instant Pot using your finger. Just add a little less water than usual (to about ¾ of the way up the knuckle on your finger), as less water evaporates during pressure cooking.

YES! When making Instant Pot Rice you need 1 cup of water for every cup of rice, regardless of if you cook just 1 cup or 4 cups. This is different when you cook rice on the stovetop where evaporation happens. The more rice you cook the less water you need when using a regular pot on the stove.