Learn how to cook Indian Basmati rice perfect, fluffy, not sticky and separated grains every time using the Instant pot pressure cooker.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup basmati rice (rinsed)
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon oil ((or ghee), optional)
  • salt (to taste, optional)

Method

Instant Pot Method

  1. Rinse the basmati rice 2-3 times until the water runs clear (removes extra starch) and drain the remaining water. Note: This is a no-soak method and my rice always turns out soft, fluffy, and separated.
  2. Add the rinsed rice, water, oil, and salt to the Instant Pot steel insert. Give a quick stir. For softer rice: add 1 ¼ cups water. For al dente rice: add 1 cup water.
  3. Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 4 minutes.
  4. When the instant pot beeps, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then Quick Release the remaining pressure manually.
  5. Open the lid and use a fork or ladle to fluff up the rice and serve hot with curry of your choice.

How to Cook Pot-in-Pot Basmati Rice

  1. In a small stainless steel container (or pyrex glass bowl), add 1 cup of rinsed basmati rice, and 1 ¼ cup water. Add 1 cup of water to the 6qt inner pot. Place a trivet on the inner pot. Then place a small container with rice and water on the trivet and cover it with a lid. Follow the remaining recipe instructions.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.