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    Home » Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Brown Rice and Vegetables

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read the disclosure.    

    Published: Feb 21, 2019 | Updated: Nov 28, 2020 | Author: Paint the Kitchen Red | 26 Comments

    JUMP TO RECIPE
    Instant Pot Brown Fried Rice Pinterest pin - black bowl with rice, peas, carrots, green onions and a serving spoon - Paint the Kitchen Red

    Instant Pot Brown Rice and Vegetables is a healthier version of my Chinese Style Instant Pot Fried Rice recipe.  This brown fried rice recipe is a great way to add flavor to plain brown rice with minimal effort.  To make the recipe non-vegetarian and more substantial, stir in ham, rotisserie chicken, and/or a fried egg to the cooked rice.

    Instant Pot Brown Fried Rice P1 - black bowl of fried rice with carrots peas and green onions with a serving spoon in the middle of bowl

    Table of Contents


    1. INTRODUCTION
    2. TIPS
    3. INGREDIENTS
    4. STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
    5. RECIPE CARD – PRINTABLE
    6. RELATED RECIPES AND GUIDES

    Introduction

    I created this Asian Instant Pot Brown Rice and vegetables recipe because I frequently get questions from readers asking if they can substitute brown rice for the Jasmine rice in my Instant Pot Chinese recipe for fried rice.

    The answer is that it’s not a simple substitution because brown rice takes about five times longer to cook than the Jasmine rice.  So if you just substitute the brown rice, your vegetables would become really overcooked.

    This recipe should be named “unfried” rice because you don’t stir fry it at all but you still get the flavor of fried rice!  It’s a healthier and easy alternative to traditional fried rice.

    And you know what? This Instant Pot Brown Fried Rice tastes so similar to the white rice version that you may end up making this one regularly instead!

    I have to be honest that until I got my Instant Pot I rarely cooked brown rice because it just wouldn’t come out right; overcooked, undercooked, unevenly cooked… You get the picture.

    But now that I use an Instant Pot to cook brown rice, I can get consistent results.  I still love Jasmine rice but when I want to enjoy Thai and Indian curries but I’m trying to eat healthier and watching what I eat, I like to use brown rice, which is higher in fiber than white rice.

    Here are some other rice recipes:
    – Instant Pot Brown Rice
    – Instant Pot Jasmine Rice

    – Instant Pot Chinese Style Fried Rice (White Rice)
    – Instant Pot Parboiled Rice

    Tips and Substitutions


    Pressure Cooking Time

    You’ll notice that the cook time for this recipe is 25 minutes whereas the recipe for plain Instant Pot Brown Rice has a 22 minute cook time.  I find that 22 minutes gives this fried rice more of an’ al dente’ feel and it needs a few more minutes of pressure cooking time to taste more like the regular fried rice.

    You can reduce the cooking time by a couple of minutes if you like your brown rice to be chewier.


    Spice

    To spice up the fried rice, you can add some sriracha sauce along with the oyster sauce and soy sauce.


    Eggs

    The white rice version of this recipe includes scrambled eggs that are added in at the end.  I didn’t include them in this recipe, but you can easily stir in (cooked) scrambled eggs at the end.

    Meat

    If you wanted to add in any type of meat or shrimp, saute at the beginning with a dash of soy sauce and remove with a slotted spoon, deglaze the inner pot (if there’s food stuck on the bottom), and then continue with the recipe.

    Add back the meat or shrimp when you’re adding the vegetables.


    Vegetables

    You don’t need to stick with the vegetables that I’ve suggested. Feel free to use any vegetables of your choice. You can substitute any quick-cooking thawed frozen vegetables or previously sauteed or precooked vegetables of your choice.


    Vegetarian

    If you’re a pure vegetarian, you can substitute vegetarian oyster sauce for the regular oyster sauce.


    What to serve it with

    One of my favorite ways of serving this rice and the white rice version of this recipe is with grilled or baked teriyaki chicken or fish.  Yes, I know we’re mixing cuisines, but it’s so tasty!  And makes for a healthy and easy weeknight dinner!


    If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.

    • Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
    • Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual

    Instant Pot Brown Rice and Vegetables Ingredients

    Instant Pot Brown Fried Rice Ingredients - frozen vegetables, brown rice, onions, oyster sauce, sesame oil, ginger, water, woy sauce, pepper, garlic, oil, green onions
    • Frozen vegetables
    • Brown rice
    • Onions
    • Oyster sauce
    • Sesame oil
    • Ginger
    • Water
    • Soy sauce
    • Pepper
    • Garlic
    • Oil
    • Green onions

    How to Make Brown Rice and Vegetables in the Instant Pot (Step by Step Instructions)

    1. Turn on Saute mode.
    2. Saute onion, garlic, and ginger
    3. Add seasonings
    4. Add rice
    5. Pressure cook
    6. Do a 10-minute natural release
    7. Stir in vegetables
    8. Allow vegetables to cook

    How to Turn on Saute Mode

    Instant Pot Ultra Duo Saute Function collage - arrows pointing to Saute in Duo and Ultra - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Instant Pot DUO:  Select the Saute function.
    • Instant Pot ULTRA:  Select the Saute function and press Start.

    Saute Onion, Garlic and Ginger

    Instant Pot Brown Fried Rice Instructions 1 - add to inner pot: oil, onions, ginger and garlic - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Once the Instant Pot has pre-heated, add oil and allow it to heat up.
    • Stir in onions, and saute till soft, about 1 to 2 minutes.
    • Press Cancel. This will allow the Instant Pot to cool down while you do the next steps.
    • Stir in garlic and ginger.

    Add Seasonings

    Instant Pot Brown Fried Rice Instructions 2 - saute onions, add water, add sauces and spices - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Saute garlic and ginger for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. *
    • Add in water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper.

    * Deglaze with a tablespoon or two of water if there’s any food stuck to the bottom of the inner pot.

    Add Rice

    Instant Pot Brown Fried Rice Instructions 3 - stir all, add rice, rice pushed down into water - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Stir all ingredients and then add in rinsed brown rice.
    • Don’t stir the rice, but push it down with a spatula to make sure all the rice is submerged in the liquid.

    Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 25 minutes

    Instant Pot Duo Manual mode 25 minutes collage - close lid, press manual, press - or +, display shows 25 - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Close the lid and make sure the steam release handle is in the Sealing position.
    • Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads 25 (25 minutes).

    Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 25 minutes

    Instant Pot Ultra pressure cook 25 minutes collage - close Instant Pot Ultra, set time to 00:25 and select Pressure Cook, press start - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Close the lid.
    • Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 25 minutes (00:25).
    • Press Start.

    Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)

    Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cooking collage - display shows On, float valve is down, display shows L0:00 - Paint the Kitchen Red
    Instant Pot Ultra pressure cooking collage - Ultra display shows On, float valve is up, display shows 00 00 - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Instant Pot display will change to On.
    • Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
    • The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display L0:00  or 00 00 and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.

    How to do a 10-minute Natural Release of Pressure

    Instant Pot Ultra and Duo 10 minute Natural Release (NPR) Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Allow the Instant Pot to stay in Keep Warm mode for 10 minutes.

    How to Release any Remaining Pressure on the DUO

    Instant Pot Quick Release collage - move handle to venting, float valve down, lid propped open - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Move the steam release handle to Venting. Any remaining steam will come out of the steam release handle.
    • When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
    • Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.

    How to Release any Remaining Pressure on the ULTRA

    Instant Pot Ultra Release Steam and Open collage - press steam release button, float valve in down position, Instant Pot Ultra is open - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and any remaining steam will come out of the Steam Release Valve.
    • When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
    • Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.

    [Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]

    Stir in Vegetables

    Instant Pot Brown Fried Rice Instructions 4 - cooked rice, stirred, add vegetables - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Add in the thawed frozen vegetables and gently stir the rice and vegetables.

    Allow Vegetables to Cook

    Instant Pot Brown Fried Rice Instructions 5 - covered instant pot, rice in bowl, green onions on top - Paint the Kitchen Red
    • Close the lid again and let the vegetables and rice sit in the residual heat for about 5 minutes.  If the lid has trouble closing, move the steam release handle to the venting position (or in the case of the Ultra model, push down on the steam release button).
    • Open the lid and gently stir in scrambled eggs (optional).
    • Transfer rice to a serving bowl and garnish with green onions and cilantro (optional).
    Instant Pot Brown Fried Rice P1 - black bowl of fried rice with carrots peas and green onions with a serving spoon in the middle of bowl

    Healthy Chinese Style Instant Pot Brown Rice and Vegetables

    This Instant Pot Brown Fried Rice is a healthier version of Instant Pot Chinese Fried Rice because it uses brown rice. The recipe is a great way to add flavor to plain brown rice with minimal effort. To make the recipe non-vegetarian, stir in ham, rotisserie chicken and/or a fried egg to the cooked rice.
    4.80 from 10 votes
    PRINT PIN RATE
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 320
    Author: Paint the Kitchen Red

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 1/2 cups brown rice
    • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
    • 1/2 cup onions finely chopped
    • 2 tsp ginger finely minced
    • 1 Tbsp garlic finely minced
    • 1 1/4 cups water
    • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
    • 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
    • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
    • 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
    • 1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots thawed
    • 2 eggs beaten (optional)
    • 3 Tbsp green onions chopped
    • 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro optional

    Instructions
     

    • Rinse and drain brown rice and set aside.
    • Select the Saute function and allow the Instant Pot to heat up.
    • Add vegetable oil to the hot Instant Pot inner pot.
    • Saute onions till translucent, about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often.
    • Press Cancel. This will allow the Instant Pot to cool down while you do the next steps.
    • Saute ginger and garlic for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
    • Add in water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper and stir to mix.
    • Stir all ingredients and add in rinsed brown rice.
    • Don’t stir the rice, but push it down with a spatula to make sure all the rice is submerged in the liquid.
    • Close the lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 25 minutes.
    • Let the pressure release naturally (NPR) for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure using the Quick Release (QR) method.  [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
    • Open the lid and add in the thawed frozen vegetables.
    • Gently stir the fried rice and vegetables until combined.
    • Close the lid again and let the vegetables and rice rest in the residual heat for about 5 minutes. If the lid has trouble closing, move the steam release handle to the venting position (or in the case of the Ultra model, push down on the steam release button).
    • Open the lid and transfer rice to a serving bowl.
      .
    • Optional: scramble two eggs in a frying pan and stir into the rice.
    • Garnish with green onions and cilantro (optional).

    Notes

    • Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. minced garlic, chopped onions, etc.
    • See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 320 kcal | Carbohydrates: 53 g | Protein: 5 g | Fat: 6 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g | Sodium: 858 mg | Potassium: 232 mg | Fiber: 4 g | Sugar: 2 g
    Course Sides
    Cuisine Asian, Chinese
    Main Ingredient rice, vegetarian
    Have you made this recipe? I love seeing your photos! Tag me on Instagram @PaintTheKitchenRed or #PaintTheKitchenRed!

    Thank you for visiting Paint the Kitchen Red. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please don’t use any content without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to this recipe. Thank you!

    I am not a certified nutritionist.  I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers.  If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons,  I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.

    If you loved this recipe, please give it a five ⭐ rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Deb

      June 17, 2022 at 3:53 pm

      Hi,
      Wow, this recipe looks amazing. Did you use a 6 quart IP? Would you suggest any changes for a 3 quart IP?

      I’m on a vegan diet. Any suggestions on how to add tofu or other protein to this dish? I have a microwave and an IP. I may have access to only a 3 quart or hopefully a 6 quart IP.
      Thank you

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        June 21, 2022 at 5:36 pm

        Deb, yes I used a 6 quart. I don’t think you need to change the recipe for a 3 quart. Tofu may overcook if you pressure cook it for that long. If you want to use white rice, it should be fine (pressure cook for 4 to 5 minutes for jasmine). You might get away with pressure cooking tvp with the brown rice. Hope that helps.

        Reply
    2. Kathleen

      May 22, 2022 at 4:45 pm

      This recipe is fantastic! Can I double it? If so, does it change the cooking time?

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        May 23, 2022 at 8:32 pm

        Kathleen, I haven’t doubled this recipe but I do other rice recipes with no issue. You would keep the cooking time the same.

        Reply
    3. Cara

      June 08, 2021 at 2:59 am

      4 stars
      Hey, I just tried this recipe but my rice wasn’t quite cooked through and there was a bit of liquid in the bottom. Do you have any suggestions why? Does rinsing the rice add too much liquid? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        June 09, 2021 at 2:05 pm

        Cara, the extra liquid was probably due to the rice not being done yet. Were you using an 8 quart Instant Pot? You might want to add 2 to 3 minutes onto the cook time.

        Reply
    4. Vini

      December 22, 2020 at 12:05 pm

      All other brown rice recipes call for 2x as much water as rice. Yours calls for LESS water. Is this a typo?

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        December 22, 2020 at 4:02 pm

        Hi Elizabeth, if you’re following a recipe and using the steam release method that is recommended by the author, your food should be cooked and you should be able to open the Instant Pot at that point. Please read this article on the Natural vs Quick Release Methods. Hope that answers your question.

        Reply
    5. Odessa Baker

      October 27, 2020 at 10:44 pm

      5 stars
      This is terrific weekday go-to meal. I’ve just started using my Instant Pot and am looking to develop a solid library of recipes to use with it. My first time doing this recipe, I made it as a main course so toward the end of the rice cooking time, I quickly stir-fried up some additional veggies to add. I used the same pan with veggies to scramble up the egg used in the recipe. The result was great; I’ll be making it again, trying different variations on the veggies and proteins. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        October 28, 2020 at 11:28 am

        You’re very welcome Odessa! I’m thrilled to hear you really enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for commenting.

        Reply
    6. Louise Wills

      August 11, 2020 at 5:19 pm

      How much water down one output in the pot with the rice? I may have missed that step somehow. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Louise

        August 11, 2020 at 5:21 pm

        Never mind. Found it. Sorry

        Reply
    7. Dr. J

      March 19, 2020 at 7:52 pm

      5 stars
      This was easy and really good! Instructions and seasoning were spot on. The only thing I added was a bit of TVP shreds I soaked and seasoned before stirring in with the veggies.

      Next time I’ll cook the rice about five minutes longer because I like mine a little softer.

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        March 20, 2020 at 11:44 am

        Thanks Dr. J! Good to hear you were able to adapt with TVP.

        Reply
    8. Liz Csordas

      March 08, 2020 at 6:54 am

      4 stars
      easy! topped with baked tofu and friend egg.

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        March 08, 2020 at 2:06 pm

        Thanks for sharing, Liz! Glad you liked the recipe.

        Reply
    9. Yoanna

      February 17, 2020 at 11:07 am

      5 stars
      Very tasty and easy to make!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        February 22, 2020 at 7:40 am

        Thanks for your comment, Yoanna. Glad you liked the recipe 🙂

        Reply
    10. Rose

      May 12, 2019 at 10:40 am

      Hi, I’m going to making this recipe tomorrow and I want to double it. How would I do it? Would I double everything, including the time? I don’t want the rice to be mushy if I double it. Anyways, really excited to try this!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        May 15, 2019 at 9:09 am

        Rose, so sorry I didn’t see this comment sooner. Hope you had good luck with it. To answer your question, you would double everything but the time. Also make sure your total content doesn’t go over the 1/2 mark, due to expansion.

        Reply
    11. Lily

      April 24, 2019 at 11:40 am

      Is the brown rice uncooked or cooked?

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        April 24, 2019 at 12:04 pm

        Lily – it’s uncooked and rinsed.

        Reply
    12. Dawn

      March 17, 2019 at 8:50 pm

      Hello. To double the recipe, what changes do I need to make? Double everything except for the time? I have the IP Ultra – 6 QT. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        March 18, 2019 at 4:52 pm

        Dawn, I haven’t doubled this recipe – just make sure that the ingredients (before cooking) don’t go over the 1/2 mark. And yes, you would double everything and keep the time the same. Thanks for your question and hope you like it!

        Reply
    13. Cynthia Siples

      March 10, 2019 at 4:18 pm

      5 stars
      My very picky little girl loved this. It has become a new family favorite. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Paint the Kitchen Red

        March 11, 2019 at 4:49 pm

        Virtual high five! Thanks for letting me know – it’s very much appreciated 🙂

        Reply

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