Fluffy Instant Pot Brown Rice Recipe

Fluffy Instant Pot brown rice recipe is here. How to make sure it doesn’t come out dry so you can enjoy this side dish with everything. Make in your Ninja Foodi or Crockpot Express too, any electric pressure cooker works just as great.

If you’ve never really cared for this style of rice, this may make you change your mind. It did for me. Crunchy and dry is the way it always came at restaurants but I wanted to give it another try on my own! I should’ve tried this so much sooner because now it’s a fave.

Ninja Foodi Brown Rice

You can use the directions and timing below with any brand of machine you may have at home. I have them all because I wanted to make sure there wasn’t a difference and there isn’t. The only button change is Crockpot Express says brown instead of saute and Ninja Foodi can air fry, you won’t need either of these functions.

Brown Rice in Instant Pot

You really don’t need much of anything to make this. Just like making Ninja Foodi white rice, it’s just water and if you want to add a pinch of salt. The biggest difference is the cook time. It is a bit more than double, but worth it.

1. Uncooked brown rice
2. Water
3. Salt is optional but suggested

We always serve this with some soy sauce on the side but that is up to you. My husband prefers butter every time. It’s great alongside Instant Pot fish or air fryer salmon for sure.

If you follow the directions below very carefully, including the natural release time you too will likely cook it more and more often. Unlike white rice, this step is a necessity to get this and pressure cooker wild rice light and fluffy.

Brown Rice Ninja Foodi

Here are a few questions you might have before getting started:

Should you rinse brown rice?

You can in order to remove any dust on the outside. Alternatively I usually just lift the pot up and “swish” the rice with the water to do the same thing. This helps it not come out clumpy as well. I do the same thing when making Instant Pot Jasmine rice.

How to Make Brown Rice in Instant Pot

Ok so I am a bit lazy sometimes and I don’t always rinse my rice. I have found that if I don’t it turns out just as if I had if I swirl the pot once the water has been added. It makes it a bit cloudy as the dust washes off.

The rice is perfect every time I make it this way. You can double the recipe too if you want. It even fits in my smaller 6 quart with that amount.

And any type of electric pressure cooker works, including the Ninja Foodi.

• Warm or cold water works just fine.
• It turns out perfect either way.

I use Uncle Ben’s whole grain long grain brown rice for this and when we make slow cooker brown rice but any store brand is fine as well.

Here are step by step directions for the recipe that works well for us every single week. Of course I have it again at the bottom where the recipe card is in fact printable. You can do that and store it in your recipe card box.

Ninja Foodi brown rice to water ratio

It will stay warm in your pot for a while with the lid ajar. Just remember to unplug it or it will stay on warm and will start to burn the bottom of the pot.

What to add to brown rice to make it taste better?

Instead of water you can use beef or chicken broth. Or drop a bouillon cube in with your water and stir until dissolved. We do this when making Instant Pot couscous too and comes out great.

• Garlic salt is a great and easy addition.
• Add a scoop of salsa in before you pressure cook it to give it a Mexican flavor. Somewhat similar to our Instant Pot Spanish rice.
• Butter and some pepper on top is an option.
• I add soy sauce myself.

Can you reheat cooked brown rice?

Yes, but fresh is always best of course. Rice always tends to dry out when stored, and especially when refrigerated.

Add a bit of liquid and cover bowl with a paper towel before microwaving to try and avoid it drying out even more.

Can cooked brown rice sit out overnight?

No. About 2 hours is max once it’s reached room temperature. After that store in airtight containers in the fridge to avoid the growth of bacteria.

Brown Rice in Pressure Cooker

Either way pressure cooker rice has been a game changer for me as far as being able to prepare an easy side dish with meals at dinnertime. Looking for other Instant Pot side dishes to cook on other nights?

• You can make Instant Pot steamed vegetables. Mix a few different ones together and cook all at the same time. We will show you how to do it!
• We make Instant Pot corn on the cob all the time. Fresh or frozen it is a cheap addition to every meal that is always a hit at the table.

And one of our favorite things to serve with pressure cooker brown rice is probably with a frozen roast in the Instant Pot.

This packs our meal with a ton of protein while the rice has the fiber we need in our diets. Many people don’t realize the huge differences between the two styles of rice, but it is pretty big.

Is brown rice good for you?

Absolutely. The fiber from the outer husk that has been left on aids digestion and may reduce the risk of developing cancer, diabetes and high cholesterol.

When my LDL levels were elevated my doctor gave me a list of all the foods I should be integrating into my diet and this was top on the list. It wasn’t my favorite at first (so used to the white variety) but in time I learned to love it.

Which brown rice is best?

Any brand is better than not choosing whole grain period but they do say these are the top 3 when surveyed; Lundberg long grain, RiceSelect Organic, Pride of India’s extra long grain basmati brown rice (basmati isn’t my favorite).