Make dinner and meal prep easy with Instant Pot Long Grain White Rice. It’s a quick, hands-off way to cook perfectly fluffy rice every time!

We also love Instant Pot jasmine rice, Instant Pot basmati rice and Instant Pot coconut rice.

Instant pot long grain white rice in a blue bowl.

I make a lot of rice, a lot! And ever since I got my pressure cooker, Instant Pot long grain white rice has been one of my go-to Instant Pot recipes.

It’s a true set it and forget it recipe that’s ready in just 20 minutes and always reliable. So say goodbye to mushy, undercooked, or burnt rice and serve delicious fluffy rice as a side or add to your favorite stir fry, soup or casserole.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Quicker than other methods: Instant Pot cooks much faster. Once you’ve made perfectly cooked rice in minutes, you’ll never go back to the stovetop or rice cooker.
  • Perfect every time: Cooking long grain rice in Instant Pot takes the guess work out of cooking time, the water to rice ratio is always right, and cooks at the right temperature.
  • Convenient: No babysitting the pot. It can run if you weren’t watching it to reduce the heat after boiling.
  • Recipe specific for this type of rice: This recipe is tailored to long grain white rice. For brown rice, check out my recipe for how to make Instant Pot brown rice.
  • Mess free: Sometimes cooking rice on the stove can be messy if your lid isn’t tight fitting, it can splatter. Happened to me with older pots, but completely mess free with this method!

Ingredients for Instant Pot Long Grain White Rice

The ingredients for Instant Pot long grain white rice are very simple.

Uncooked long grain white rice, cold water, salt.
  • Long grain white rice: As I mentioned above, this recipe works specifically with long grain white rice.
  • Water: Always use cold water rather than hot to ensure even cooking.
  • Salt: A pinch of salt is all you need to add a bit of taste to otherwise bland rice.

How to Make Long Grain White Rice in the Instant Pot

Cooking rice in the Instant Pot is super easy, fast, and hands free!

Here’s a quick overview of the steps, there is also a full recipe card below.

Step by step process how to cook long grain white rice in the Instant Pot.
  • Rinse rice: Just as my grandma taught me, always rinse rice with cold water to remove excess starches. Use a fine mesh strainer, rinse until water runs clear, and drain well.
  • Add water and rice: Pour cold water into the Instant Pot, followed by the rice. Add 1 cup white rice to 1 cup water. The water does not evaporate in the pressure cooker like it does on the stove, so remember 1:1 ratio.
  • Season rice: Add salt and stir so rice is submerged in water.
  • Cook for 3 minutes on high pressure: Close the lid, set pressure vent to Sealing and press Pressure Cook on High pressure or Manual for 3 minutes.
  • Release pressure with natural pressure release: Avoid Quick Release, you want to allow the rice to sit and absorb any remaining liquid. Natural Release allows the pressure to come down on its own, this takes about 10 minutes then you can turn valve to Venting.
  • Fluff with a fork: I always fluff my rice with a fork because stirring cooked rice makes it mushy.
Cooked white rice in Instant Pot fluffed with a fork.

Tips for Best Results

Don’t be stuck with burnt or mushy rice. Here are my top tips for perfectly cooked long grain white rice in Instant Pot.

  • Use any pressure cooker: This recipe will work in any electric pressure cooker that can cook on high pressure. Please see notes about cooking rice on Low pressure below.
  • Rinse the rice well: Use a mesh sieve for best results, not in a bowl. And drain well after too because that extra water can skew the cook time and final results.
  • Use cold water: If you use warm or hot water the cook time will be off.
  • Stir rice before cooking: Be sure rice is fully submerged in water to ensure proper cooking. I know in most of my healthy Instant Pot recipes, I recommend not to stir the ingredients, but this recipe is not one of them!
  • Add seasonings after: You don’t have to season the rice before cooking except with salt but afterwards you can add butter, ghee, or extra virgin olive oil for extra flavor. Depends on how you want to serve the rice.
  • Add salt before pressure cooking: We add salt to the rice to bring out its natural flavors for the most part, not to make rice salty.
  • Replace water with broth: Make rice more flavorful with chicken broth, Instant Pot chicken broth, vegetable broth or beef broth. Be sure it is cold.

Common Mistakes and Troubleshooting Tips

  • Rice is too hard: There’s either not enough water or too much rice. Be sure to measure correctly and use both ingredients without the top in the measuring cup. You can always add a splash of water, stir the rice, place lid back on and let it sit for 3-5 more minutes.
  • Rice is burnt: If you got Burn notice, either not enough water or the vent has been accidentally left on Venting position for some time before Instant Pot came to pressure. Also it might be the time to replace silicone ring in the lid.
  • Rice is too mushy: This means too much water or rice overcooked because you used warm or hot water.
  • Rice is too sticky: Sticky rice usually means the rice was not rinsed. Rinsing helps keep the rice grains separated rather than clumped together.
  • Rice is too bland: Don’t skip the salt, you have to add even a pinch of salt for taste.

Recipe Tip

In my experience, not measuring ingredients properly can lead to less than perfect Instant Pot rice. Be sure to rinse and drain your rice well because that’s extra water. And when measuring ingredients be sure that the measuring cup is leveled at the top, whether it’s with water or rice.

Close up of cooked rice in pressure cooker.

Can I Use Rice Button on Instant Pot?

Yes, if you have Instant Pot Duo with low pressure option. In fact, it is my preferred method to cook any white rice in Instant Pot. Rice cooked with Rice button is cooked on Low heat for 12 minutes. It comes out even more perfect!

The only problem is that not all Instant Pots have low pressure option. For example, on Instant Pot LUX model Rice button is preset to 12 minutes of cooking on high pressure, which I find is too aggressive on rice. Therefore, I prefer to cook it for 3 minutes on High pressure with 10 minutes of Natural Release in my LUX pressure cooker.

I do have both models and have tested this recipe many ways.

Recipe Tip

Keep in mind that Rice button is good only for cooking white rice. Brown rice, arborio rice, wild rice will need different cook time in the Instant Pot.

What Can I Cook with Instant Pot Long Grain White Rice?

I’ve had lots of ideas over the years! You can add long grain white rice to any meal you want whether it be for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or meal prep.

Here are some of my favorites:

  • Add to soups: Skip cooking rice in turkey and rice soup and add it at the end. My grandma always cooked rice separately for soups because she said it keeps the broth clear.
  • Mix with homemade chicken broth: If you’re feeling under the weather or would like an easy soup, pour some homemade chicken broth over cooked rice, season with salt and pepper and add fresh herbs like dill or parsley. It’s to die for! We always made it growing up as kids because it was so easy.
  • Use as a blank canvas: Make some of my mom’s ratatouille recipe and scoop on top of freshly cooked long grain white rice in the Instant Pot. Unbelievable freshness and flavor!
  • For breakfast: Replace brown rice with white rice in this brown rice pudding and enjoy it for a week of make ahead breakfasts. My dad always used white rice.
  • In stuffed pepper recipes: Got leftover cooked rice? Make these ground chicken stuffed peppers, Instant Pot stuffed peppers or Mexican stuffed peppers.
  • As a side dish: For these Korean ground beef rice bowls.

How to Store

Store: Leftover rice can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Cold rice tastes hard, reheat it and it will soften.

I like to reheat rice in the microwave. It comes out soft and fluffy, like freshly cooked. You can also reheat it in a pot with a splash of water. Simmer slowly while covered.

Freeze: You can freeze rice for up to 3 months. Fully cook, let it cool completely, and transfer to an airtight container. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.

FAQs

Do I have to rinse the rice?

I highly recommend rinsing the rice. If you skip this step your rice may be sticky and taste starchy.

How much water for 1 cup of rice in Instant Pot?

You’ll need 1 cup water for 1 cup of rice in Instant Pot. The rice to water ratio is always 1:1, whether you cook 1 cup or 3 cups of rice.

Can I use minute rice?

No, it is pre-cooked rice and will not work for this Instant Pot white rice recipe.

Can I double or triple the recipe?

Sure! Be sure to double both rice and cups of water, and the cook time will remain the same. Be sure not to go over Max fill line inside the stainless steel pot.

How much does 1 cup of long grain white rice make?

1 cup of uncooked rice makes roughly 3 cups cooked rice. Rice expands once it’s been cooked and has absorbed all the liquid so you’ll have lots for dinner and can save leftovers for the week.

More Instant Pot Rice Recipes to Try

Instant pot white rice with wooden spoon in it.
Instant pot long grain white rice in a blue bowl.

Instant Pot Long Grain White Rice

Make dinner and meal prep easy with Instant Pot Long Grain White Rice. It's a quick, hands-off way to cook perfectly fluffy rice every time!
5 from 1 vote
Servings 3 cups
Calories 275
Diet Gluten Free
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 3 minutes
Pressure Up & Down Time 15 minutes
Total Time 19 minutes

Ingredients  

Instructions 

  • Rinse rice with cold water in a fine mesh sieve thoroughly until water runs clear. Drain really well.
  • In Instant Pot, add rice, cold water and a pinch of salt. Stir to make sure rice is submerged in water. Close the lid, set pressure vent to Sealing and press Pressure Cook on High pressure or Manual for 3 minutes.
  • After, do Natural Release by allowing pressure come down on its own for 10 minutes and then turn valve to Venting to release remaining pressure.
  • Open the lid, fluff rice with a fork and serve as you like.

Notes

  • Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze rice in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or on a counter for a few hours.
  • Using the Rice button: You can use Rice button with Instant Pot Duo or if you have electric pressure cooker that can cook on Low pressure. Cook for 12 minutes on low pressure and release pressure after right away.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 275kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 8mg | Fiber: 3g
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: North American
Author: Olena Osipov
Did you make this recipe?Mention @ifoodreal or tag #ifoodreal!

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About Olena

Welcome! I grew up in Ukraine watching my grandma cook with simple ingredients. I have spent the last 11 years making it my mission to help you cook quick and easy meals for your family!

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