Instant pot yellow rice (used 2 cups rice in this recipe but will explain the method for different amounts in the notes) is perfect, fluffy homemade yellow rice made from scratch using rice, turmeric powder and few other ingredients. This is so easy to make from scratch that you wouldn’t need a packaged yellow rice at all, or if you are used to the packaged variety and if you do not have it right now, try this homemade yellow rice from scratch in your instant pot.
Yellow rice is colorful, healthy & delicious and makes the perfect side dish with any meal or as a main dish itself if you pair it with sides like curry, chutney, pickles, veggies etc.
Yellow rice is popular in Mexican, Indian & Cuban cuisines. Though the preparations are different, they all are delicious rice dishes enjoyed throughout the world.
In India, usually spices like turmeric powder and saffron strands are used to make yellow rice although using turmeric powder is more common, less expensive method and also more easy to do.
With turmeric powder, you just need to add the turmeric while you cook the rice and the cooked rice will have a natural, deep, yellow color which will make the rice look golden yellow in color.
With saffron (which is more expensive spice), you need to dissolve the saffron in little warm milk for few minutes before adding to the rice, and also the resulting color will be not as deep as turmeric.
So if you want a light yellow color, saffron is a more good choice, but as said, saffron is more expensive.
We use turmeric in the yellow rice recipe, to make it look golden yellow in color. Turmeric has a lot of health benefits and its a great idea to use it in a variety of dishes that you use in your daily diet.
How To Make Yellow Rice In Instant Pot?
We need the following ingredients to make the delicious and fluffy yellow rice in the instant pot.
- white basmati rice
- water
- butter
- salt
- turmeric powder
- bay leaves
for garnishing
- cilantro leaves
- curry leaves (optional)
Steps To Follow (The Process)
- Wash the rice very well in water, discard the water used for washing the rice and add the rice to the instant pot.
- Add the water, salt and turmeric powder, mix everything well.
- Place the butter and bay leaves also in the pot, gently mix the contents. Make sure the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the instant pot.
- Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position and cook in high pressure for 5 minutes. Once the cooking is done, wait for a natural pressure release for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes of natural pressure release, do a gradual manual pressure release very carefully.
- Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork or gently stir using a good spatula.
- You can garnish the prepared yellow rice with cilantro leaves & curry leaves (if using). Serve the delicious rice with any curry or side dishes as you like.
- If you are serving the yellow rice at a later time, you can keep it closed, but gently stir in between at regular intervals (for a couple of times) which will help the rice not being sticky as it cools down.
More Instant Pot Rice Recipes:
So here is the detailed recipe for instant pot yellow rice using basmati rice & turmeric powder.
Instant Pot Yellow Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups white basmati rice
- 2.5 cups water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- salt as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 bay leaves
for garnishing
- 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves chopped
- 1 string curry leaves optional
Instructions
- Rinse the rice very well in water two to three times and discard the water used for washing the rice. Add the rice to the instant pot.
- Also add the water, salt and turmeric powder, mix well.
- Place the butter and bay leaves on top, gently mix to make sure the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position and cook in high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Once the cooking is done, the instant pot will beep and then do a natural pressure release for 10 minutes. After ten minutes of natural pressure release, do a slow and gradual manual pressure release carefully.
- Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid of the pot and gently fluff the rice with a fork or gently stir using a good quality spatula.
- Garnish with cilantro leaves & curry leaves (if using). Serve the delicious rice with any curry or side dishes as you like. If serving at a later time, keep it closed, but gently stir in between at regular intervals for a couple of times which will help the rice not to stick to each other as it cools down. You may discard the bay leaves before serving the rice, but keeping the bay leaves inside the cooked rice will help enhance the flavor of the rice.
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