Last updated on April 19th, 2024
Make perfect brown and red rice every time with this Instant Pot recipe. This method makes the best brown rice, red rice, or brown and red rice mixed together. It’s so simple: combine a few ingredients in an Instant Pot and the pressure cooker does all the work. Plus, it’s just as easy to cook large batches of rice, so you’ll always have some on hand for quick meal prep.
Mixed Brown and Red Rice
Food boredom is a real thing, and it can hit hard on a gluten-free diet. While a variety of gluten-free foods are available, sometimes we get stuck in a food rut and head to the same safe-for-celiac meals over and over again.
One way to beat food boredom is to mix and match varieties of rice.
As long as varieties of rice have similar cook times, you can mix them together in an electric pressure cooker. For instance, red and brown rice both require the same amount of cooking time on the stovetop, so they’ll blend well in an Instant Pot.
The manual to our Instant Pot lists the cook time for brown rice as 20 to 22 minutes, with no notes about quick release versus natural release of pressure. I worked with a base time of 20, 21, and 22 minutes, and 22 minutes yielded the best texture for our family.
When we cook rice on the stovetop we leave it covered to steam for at least 5 minutes before serving. The winning method for cooking rice in the Instant Pot (meaning it got a thumbs-up from our youngest) starts with the manufacturer’s recommended 22 minutes, and then reduces that by 5 minutes for steaming under natural release. If you have the time you could leave the rice to steam for 10 minutes, or even fully natural release.
What if the rice cook times are different?
If the cook time for types of rice is different, they will not cook well together. For instance, white rice is ready in much less time than it takes to cook brown or red rice, and black rice sometimes takes longer. In either case, part of the rice mixture will either lose its texture because it’s overdone, or it will be indigestible because it wasn’t cooked long enough.
If you want to mix rice varieties with different cook times, prepare them separately and then combine them at the end to serve.
Why do brown and red rice need less water in the Instant Pot than on the stovetop?
The rice-to-water ratio in this Instant Pot recipe is 1:1, which is noticeably less that the stovetop ratio. Brown and red rice take longer to cook than white rice, which means they require more water on the stove to account for evaporation. When you use a pressure cooker the lid seals to keep the steam inside, so there’s no need for the extra water.
Cook in Batches Now to Save Time in the Long Run
I like to cook way more whole grains than we need for one meal, then freeze leftovers in airtight glass containers. It’s convenient to have servings ready to go when we need them.
It takes the same amount of time and effort to cook 1 cup, 2 cups, or even 3 cups of rice in an Instant Pot, and cooking more at one time is easier than preparing whole grains every day.
Serving Suggestions:
- Use as base for baby spinach, shredded carrots, and pistachios
- Serve with Roasted Eggplant and Balsamic Chickpeas
- Top with Curried Cauliflower Soup
Recipe Notes:
Sometimes when you release pressure starchy foods like rice cause sputter from the pressure valve. The oil helps to stop the splatter and avoid a potentially dangerous mess.
For more variety to stave off food boredom, build up the flavor by replacing water with broth.
How to Cook Brown and Red Rice in an Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1½ cups brown rice
- 1½ cups red rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Rinse brown and red rice in a sieve with cold water until water runs clear.
Combine water, oil, and rice in the inner pot. Be sure the rice is submerged for even cooking.
Close and lock the lid. Select PRESSURE COOK and HIGH PRESSURE for 18 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for the pressure to build before the timer starts.
Allow steam to naturally release for 5 minutes, then quick release any residual pressure before removing the lid.
Gently fluff the rice and serve warm.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 6 months.
MAKES 9 (1-CUP) SERVINGS
Brown and Red Rice: Instant Pot Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1½ cups brown rice
- 1½ cups red rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Rinse brown and red rice in a sieve with cold water until water runs clear.
- Combine water, oil, and rice in the inner pot. Be sure the rice is submerged for even cooking.
- Close and lock the lid. Select PRESSURE COOK and HIGH PRESSURE for 18 minutes. It will take about 10 minutes for the pressure to build before the timer starts.
- Allow steam to naturally release for 5 minutes, then quick release any residual pressure before removing the lid.
- Gently fluff the rice and serve warm.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 6 months.
I haven’t made this yet but I sure plan to. We’ve been using partial-cooked brown rice (i.e., kind of like instant rice) lately but it’s so different from cooking brown rice from scratch. Making it in big batches like you suggest is a great idea. I especially like the idea of cooking it in broth. I love the flavor chicken broth gives to rice.
Yes, having servings of frozen rice on hand is a game changer on busy nights!
I assume we pressure cook the rice for 30 minutes because your cooking time states 35 minutes. It seems that there’s a typo and you repeat “Allow” directions twice. Just a heads up 🙂
Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention, Paulina! The directions are now correct and the times are clarified 😊
So glad to hear. Excellent recipe, BTW!
Thank you!