Brown Basmati Rice In Instant Pot

Instant pot brown basmati rice recipe (no soak method) with long grain brown rice or extra long grain brown rice using the rice button in instant pot pressure cooker.

Long Grain & Extra Long Grain Brown Rice

I tried the regular long grain brown rice and also extra long grain brown basmati rice, both of which cooked perfectly in the instant pot under the same settings.

I used 6 quart instant pot Lux as well as 6 quart instant pot Duo to cook the long grain brown rice and both had same results.

You can also learn here how to cook brown basmati rice on stove top!

About Brown Basmati Rice:

Brown basmati rice is a long grain brown rice very popularly used in India.

Basmati rice is so popular throughout India, but its more popularly used in North India than South India.

However, white basmati rice is more commonly used in Indian cuisine than brown basmati rice for its versatility in recipes.

Unlike the white basmati rice, brown basmati rice is whole grain and more nutritious and healthy.

It contains the bran which is the fiber rich outer coating of the rice, and hence its more nutritious and also more chewy and dense in texture than white rice.

Brown basmati rice comes as long grain rice and also extra long grain rice and there are different varieties available based on the brands as well.

Texture Of Brown Rice Cooked In Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

The texture of the instant pot long grain brown rice using the rice button is perfect and al dente, with each grain separate and chewy, soft texture.

The rice was not overly cooked and not mushy, but it was just perfect if you love chewy al dente rice!

If you want more soft brown rice, you will need to cook the brown rice using the pressure cook/manual button to cook the rice in high pressure, which I will explain later in the post.

See how I made instant pot brown sona masoori rice (medium grain brown rice) by using the 'pressure cook' button in the instant pot pressure cooker.

I used the 'rice' button in the instant pots and the rice (both varieties of brown rice) cooked perfectly in both instant pot models.

Also the brown rice cooked pretty fast using the rice setting in the instant pot, compared to the time they usually take on stove top.

One time, I got the long grain brown rice from 'Great value' which showed a measurement of rice to water ratio of 1:2 cups and a cooking time 45 to 55 minutes on stove top.

So this method will probaby work not just for brown basmati rice but for other long grain rice brands as well I think.

Using instant pot I could significantly reduce the cooking time as well as the amount of water used.

Another time, I used extra long grain brown basmati rice and that too cooked with less water and in less time compared to stove top.

So this method works for both long grain brown rice as well as extra long grain brown rice and its perfect just like the perfect instant pot white rice that you will always want to cook the brown rice in your instant pot!

The best part is that you can easily cook the brown rice without soaking the rice in water first.

If you have time, its always a good idea to soak brown rice due to the associated health benefits, but we may not able to soak the rice in advance every time and so this no soak instant pot method is perfect to cook brown rice whenever you want.

In case you are using soaked brown rice for this instant pot recipe, the rice will be more soft in texture.

How To Make Perfect Instant Pot Brown Basmati Rice

We only use 4 ingredients in this instant pot rice recipe for brown basmati rice and its so easy, fluffy, perfect and delicious.

Ingredients Used

long grain brown basmati rice 2 cups

water 2.5 cups

salt ¼ teaspoon (adjust as needed)

oil 1 teaspoon

Step By Step Instructions

Rinse the water very well and then transfer the washed rice to the instant pot.

Now add the remaining ingredients - water, salt and oil and mix everything well. Make sure the rice is immersed in water.

Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position and press the rice button and cook for twelve minutes. If your instant pot model shows 10 minutes for rice button its fine as well, or if it allows to change the minutes you can adjust to 12 minutes.

Once the cooking is done, press the 'keep warm/cancel' button, and wait for a natural pressure release of about 15 minutes. Then carefully do a manual release to release any remaining pressure.

If you want soft cooked brown rice, you will need to use the 'pressure cook' button instead of the rice button and cook the rice for more time under high pressure.

If you use the pressure cook button for softer rice, you can set the cooking time for 22 minutes to 25 minutes or even upto 27 minutes depending on how soft you want the rice to be (you can see how I make brown sona masoori rice in instant pot following this method of using 'pressure cook' button).

Once the pressure is released, carefully open the lid (the contents will be really hot), fluff the cooked rice with fork, serve with any side dishes!

Below you see the picture of extra long grain brown basmati rice in the instant pot, with added water, ready to be cooked.

And you can see below perfectly cooked chewy, al dente brown rice in the instant pot!

What To Serve With Cooked Brown Rice?

You can enjoy cooked brown rice as a side dish or as a main dish for lunch or dinner. You can use the perfectly cooked brown rice in rice bowls, burritos etc.

I like some vegetarian side dishes with brown rice like this roasted broccoli or instant pot broccoli, roasted cauliflower, baked sweet potato slices, crispy tofu etc.

You may also pair it with any curry like palak paneer, matar paneer, vegan cauliflower curry, instant pot moong dal fry, instant pot mung beans curry etc or anything you like to pair it with!

Tips To Make The Perfect Brown Basmati Rice

This recipe doesn't need soaking of rice in advance so if you are using soaked brown rice, it can turn out more soft or mushy depending on how long you have soaked the rice and what type of brown rice you are using.

So make sure to use unsoaked brown rice for this recipe for perfect results (the soaked rice has definitely its benefits like increased nutrition but we may not remember everytime to soak the rice in advance so if you haven't soaked the rice then this recipe is perfect!).

Make sure to use good quality long grain or extra long grain brown rice for this recipe. If the rice is of not good quality, it won't turn out great.

Also make sure to follow the instructions for the best, perfect cooked brown rice!

Another way to make your brown rice even more tastier is to add some seasoning that you like.

Seasonings For Brown Rice - Tips To Make Seasoned Brown Rice

Instead of plain water, you can cook the rice in broth like vegetable broth to make the brown rice more healthy and tasty.

Also, to make it even more delicious, you can add some butter instead of oil.

To season the brown rice, you can add a little garlic powder or onion powder, or even more spicy seasonings like a little paprika or sliced green chilies, or even chopped cilantro leaves or curry leaves.

If adding cilantro, I suggest adding the leaves once you have done cooking the brown rice.

Also adding a little lemon juice while preparing the rice will give a better texture and a nice flavor to the rice.

These are all ideas to make plain brown rice more interesting, but you have to choose the spices and flavors based on your personal preferences.

See seasoned white rice recipe here.

Below you can read the recipe in detail.