Instant Pot Wild Rice is a delicious and simple side dish that compliments any meal. It also makes a great base for a 'bowl' meal. Perfectly cooked every time in your pressure cooker!
Wild rice has a wonderful nutty flavor with a lovely chewy texture. It's delicious on its own, but I also love to serve it with Orange Chicken, or Mongolian beef. It's a great to stuff your chicken or cornish hens with.
The reason I love cooking it in the Instant Pot is that the texture is perfect every time, the flavor is better, and it's completely hands-off.
Note that it doesn't necessarily take less time in the pressure cooker, but you don't have to babysit it, just start it and let it go.
Things to know about wild rice
Is wild rice actually rice? So this seems like a weird question, but it gets asked often. Word must be getting out.
Wild rice is an aquatic grass, not a grain, though it's referred to as rice because it looks and cooks like all other types of rice.
Health Benefits: It's low in calories and high in nutrients. It's a good source of plant-based protein and has manganese, phosphorous, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin B-6.
A half cup has about 100 calories, 21 grams of carbs and 4 grams of protein. Brown rice has 112 calories, and about half the protein.
So here's how eating Wild Rice can help you:
- high in antioxidants
- Grain free
- reduces inflammation
- helps with weight loss
- strengthen's bones
- Boosts energy
- helps with digestion
- good for your heart
- immune building
- builds muscle
Important Cooking Tips
TIP NUMBER ONE: Always rinse the rice very well, with cold water, in a colander or fine mesh sieve. This rinses away any dust or debris as well as the surface starch which can cause the rice to clump when cooking.
TIP NUMBER TWO: For cooking in the instant pot, use equal parts rice and water. When you cook it on the stove top, it's usually 2:1 water to rice, but much of that steam evaporates and that doesn't happen in the instant pot. It all absorbs into the rice. Too much water will result in mush.
TIP NUMBER THREE: Add thin liquid to the instant pot FIRST, before the rice. Thin liquid equals water or broth. I highly recommend vegetable broth or bone broth for ultimate flavor and nutrition. After adding the wild rice, stir well.
Cooking Times
In case you'd like to try other varieties of rice, here are the cooking times:
- White (or basmati white) 4-8 minutes
- brown rice (long or short grain) 22-28 minutes
- Jasmine 3-5 minutes
Always let the pressure release naturally and completely.
Perfect Pairings
Try this recipe alongside these to complete your meal.
- Stuffed Flank Steak
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Bruschetta Chicken
- Grilled Pork Chops with Cherry Salsa
- Skinny Orange Chicken
More Great Side Dishes
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Instant Pot Wild Rice
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup dry wild rice
Instructions
- Place rice in a colander or fine mesh sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold water until water runs clear.
- Pour vegetable broth in the inner pot of the pressure cooker.
- Add rinsed rice and stir well. Make sure there is no rice sticking to the sides of the pot.
- Place the cover on, turn the valve to 'sealed' position.
- Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally.
Notes
- You can use chicken broth, bone broth, or water in place of the vegetable broth.
- This recipe can be doubled, the cook time remains the same.
- Do not fill the instant pot more than ½ full when cooking rice.
- 1 cup of dry rice yields 3-4 cups of cooked rice.
- When cooking rice in a pressure cooker the ratio is 1:1.
- Add the liquid first, before the rice, this keeps it from sticking to the bottom.
- If using a smaller amount of rice, and a larger instant pot, use the pot in pot method.
Chellie Schmitz
Thanks so much! I love the extra texture and color of wild rice.
Sally
This looks great. We often stick to the same rice dishes and it's nice to see a different idea. I do enjoy wild rice.