Instant Pot Toasted Brown Rice

Name: Instant Pot Toasted Brown Rice
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup brown rice (long-grain); 1 tbsp butter (or neutral oil); 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock; 1/2 tsp salt (optional, adjust to the stock); 1 tsp onion powder (optional, for pilaf); 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional, for pilaf)

Nutty, fluffy brown rice made in the Instant Pot, with the grains toasted in butter first to bring out the flavor of the bran. Cooked in low-sodium chicken stock instead of water for a richer result. An optional garlic-and-onion-powder bloom turns it into a quick pilaf.

Yield

4 servings

Prep

5 min

Cook

35 min

Total

40 min

Side rice brown rice instant pot pressure cooker pilaf high-protein

Ingredients

4 servings

1 cup brown rice (long-grain)
1 tbsp butter (or neutral oil)
1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 tsp salt (optional, adjust to the stock)
1 tsp onion powder (optional, for pilaf)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional, for pilaf)

Method

1
Rinse
Rinse the rice in a strainer until the water runs mostly clear, then shake it fairly dry. Rinsing off surface starch matters more under pressure than on the stovetop, where trapped starch is the main cause of gluey rice.
2
Toast in butter
Set the Instant Pot to Saute and melt the butter, giving the pot a couple of minutes to actually heat. Add the rinsed rice and toast 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the grains smell nutty and darken slightly. Brown rice has an intact bran layer, so it takes and rewards the toast more than white rice does.
3
Bloom the seasoning (optional)
For a pilaf, stir in the onion powder and garlic powder in the last 30 to 60 seconds of toasting, just long enough to bloom in the fat. Use powders rather than fresh here: they release flavor in fat but do not scorch the way fresh garlic does on Saute mode. If the garlic darkens past golden it has gone bitter, so add the stock promptly.
4
Add stock
Cancel Saute. Pour in the chicken stock and salt, scraping the bottom of the pot as you pour so nothing is stuck (stuck bits can trip a burn warning). The 1 to 1.25 liquid ratio is higher than the 1:1 used for white rice under pressure, because the bran resists water uptake, but far lower than the 2:1 used on the stovetop.
5
Pressure cook
Seal the lid, set to high pressure, and cook 22 minutes. The pot spends about 10 minutes coming to pressure, which is part of the cooking as well.
6
Natural release
When it beeps, let the pressure release naturally for a full 10 minutes before venting any remainder. This step is where the bran finishes hydrating off the residual heat; quick-releasing straight away leaves the rice at the bottom wet and underdone.
7
Fluff
Open the lid and fluff with a fork. If the batch comes out a touch firm, add a little more stock (up to about 1.4 cups per cup of rice) next time; if it is at all wet, cut back slightly.

Notes

Ratio and timing are tuned for toasted brown rice; the toast firms the grain, so this runs leaner on liquid than untoasted brown rice would. Butter tastes better for the toast; use neutral oil to keep it dairy-free alongside fish. The toast step is slightly less effective in the Instant Pot than in a stainless pan, since Saute mode tops out cooler, so if you love the result it is even better started on the stovetop.