A step by step guide to cooking basmati rice in the Instant Pot using the PIP (Pot in Pot) method. Perfectly cooked Instant Pot rice every time, quick and easy.
You may be wondering whether Instant Pot
There are two ways to make Instant Pot rice. You can either cook it directly in the inner pot that comes with the Instant Pot, or you can cook it in a smaller oven-safe bowl that’s placed inside the inner pot. This is called the “Pot in Pot” method (often referred to as “PIP”). I use a 
If you’d like to make a larger quantity, you can cook the rice directly in the inner pot using my Fragrant Instant Pot Jasmine Rice recipe. For basmati rice, I find that using a 1:1 ratio of rice to water works just great. If you’d like to make Jasmine rice, increase the quantity of water a bit. I use a 1:1.25 ratio of Jasmine rice to water. You could try and substitute chicken broth or coconut milk mixed with water if you’d like to try something different. The coconut milk needs to be thinned out or your Instant Pot may not come to pressure.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to cook perfect Jasmine Rice in the Instant Pot.
How to make Instant Pot Pot in Pot Rice (Step-by-Step Instructions)
- Rinse out 1 cup of basmati rice in a fine mesh sieve.
- Transfer rice from sieve to a Pyrex glass bowl.
- Add 1 cup water to the bowl.
- Pour 2 cups water into inner pot.
- Place trivet in the inner pot.
- Place glass bowl on trivet.
- Close the Instant Pot.
- Make sure the steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until the display reads ‘6’.
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized and the float valve is up, display will count down from 6 to 0.
- Display will read ‘L000’ and start to count up.
- Wait till the count-up timer reads L0:10 (10 minutes.)
- Do a Quick Release: move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. I like to place a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it to the venting position. Remove the towel after turning the knob.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- It’s now safe to open the Instant Pot. (Press ‘Cancel’ to turn off Instant Pot.)
- Your Instant Pot rice should be perfectly cooked.
- Fluff Instant Pot rice with a fork and serve.
Instant Pot Rice | Pot-in-Pot Method (PIP)
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 2
A step by step guide to cooking Instant Pot Pot in Pot (PIP) Rice. Perfectly cooked rice every time, quick and easy.
Ingredients
- 1 cup
basmati rice
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Rinse out 1 cup of basmati rice in a
fine mesh sieve.
- Transfer rinsed rice and 1 cup water to an
oven-safe glass bowl.
- Pour 2 cups water into the Instant Pot’s main compartment (inner pot) and place
trivet in water.
- Place glass bowl on trivet and close Instant Pot. Make sure the steam release handle is in the ‘Sealing’ position.
- Cook on ‘Manual’ (or 'Pressure Cook') mode for 6 minutes. Let the rice stay in ‘Keep Warm’ mode for 10 minutes after cooking is complete.
- Release remaining steam to depressurize Instant Pot.
- Open Instant Pot and fluff rice with fork before serving.
Notes
- To substitute Jasmine rice, change the ratio of rice to water to 1 : 1 1/4 and only cook for 4 minutes.
Courses Side
Cuisine Instant Pot
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 206 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 0.4 g | 1% | |
Sodium 2 mg | 0% | |
Total Carbohydrates 45 g | 15% | |
Protein 4 g | 8% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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 5 Star 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!
You might also like to try these Instant Pot Recipes:
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| Instant Pot Jasmine Rice | Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice | Instant Pot Pot-in-Pot Method |
Jackie
I want to try this while making beef stroganoff. My recipe calls for high pressure for 12 mins then quick release. Would this work? Any suggestions?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Jackie – great question. Unfortunately the cooking times for rice and the beef are too far apart – if it had been just a couple of minutes, I’d have said ‘go for it’. So your option is: cook the beef for 6 minutes less i.e. for 6 minutes. Do a quick release (QR), put in the steam rack and rice, and then continue cooking for another 6 minutes. Another option is to cook the rice and beef for 6 minutes and do a 10 minute natural release, take out the rice and rack and then continue to cook the beef for another 6 minutes. Hope that makes sense!
Lindsey
Simply perfect! This was my first time using the pot-in-pot method. Your instructions were so clear and easy!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for letting me know, Lindsey! The first of many times I hope.
Karen P
Simple directions written in easy step by step format. I love it when food bloggers write their recipes like this because they easily transfer to the My Cookbook App I use on my phone. So convenient! Thank you very much.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thank you Karen 🙂 I’m always happy to hear that!
jb
Hi! My chicken recipe calls for 8 minutes on manual. Will that be too long for pot-in-pot jasmine rice?
Paint the Kitchen Red
JB, yes I think it would get mushy. What you could do is cut the chicken into small pieces. I cook bite-size chicken thighs for 4 minutes – the same time as Jasmine rice. Or cook the chicken for 4 minutes, do a quick release, add the rice and cook for 4 minutes. Good luck.
Mindy
FINALLY! Rice that came out perfect! I am usually cooking for just two and 1 cup of rice makes the perfect amount for dinner with two servings for leftovers. I love making it with the “pot-in-pot” method–less cleanup–but couldn’t get the texture right with other recipes. I used a “Texmati” rice (Texas basmati-comes in a plastic container), and it was just right. Thank you!!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for your lovely comment! I’m really happy you found it helpful.
Dhanya
Hi Nina,
Do you need to soak the Basmati rice for 20-30 minutes before cooking it using the Pot in Pot method given above? I’m so used to soaking my Basmati rice before cooking it in my electric rice cooker, so I was just wondering.
Thank you for your help!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Dhanya – no, I don’t soak – I just rinse and it comes out great. Make sure you fluff it and let it sit for a couple of minutes after cooking. Good luck!
Donna
I have an off brand pressure cooker and it does not have high and low pressure. It is only capable of 8lbs pressure. If the person with the DUO had the same situation that would explain why their rice was not done. Gotta add more time for lower pressure machines.
Kanwal Rahman
Hi Neena! So glad to have found your site! I am of Indian origin so I do like to cook Indian dishes every now and then although mostly I cook Italian/American food on the stove. I just bought myself this Duo60 V3 (which does not have a MANUAL and ADJUST button) for Christmas. I had a Fagor 4 QT Elite Stove top Pressure cooker which I may have used about 5 in total for the last 3 years I had. I wanted an electric pressure cooker, but it seems complicated and I don’t want to experiment on and on and waste valuable raw materials in the process. I love your simple step by step instructions and will follow as soon as I get the courage to even do the steam cook for water, LOL! I will post then the result of the Basmati rice as that is the rice i eat everyday. Thanks again!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Kanwal, thanks for commenting! So the ‘Manual’ mode on your model is ‘Pressure Cook’ and to adjust the level of cooking between less, normal and more, you will repeatedly press the button of your choice. e.g. press ‘Saute’ multiple times to toggle between the settings. I think you’re really smart to start with rice (eggs is good too) so you get used how the IP works. Watch my beginner’s guide videos (first videos I did – so forgive the production quality 🙂 ) to get started. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. I try to respond as quick as I can. Good luck!
Barbara
By “cup of rice” are you referring to the 6 oz. rice cup that came with the IP, or a standard 8 oz. measuring cup? I just discovered why so many of us have had trouble with the difference in those two!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Barbara – I never use the IP measuring cup 🙂 The important point is that it’s a matter of ratios. So even if you were to use the smaller cup, as long as you use that same cup for the rice AND liquid, you should be fine. Let me know if you have any further questions!
Sydney
Hi! What fantastic info you have in this post and love all the additional varothat have come from the comments. I’ve been using my IP for about a month and in most recipes (for rice and beyond) the guidance is to use the manual setting versus the programmable settings that are in the IP ( such as “rice” or “soup” ). What is your opinion about the programmable settings? Are they valuable or just a gimmick? Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Sydney, if you have an Instant Pot that ‘remembers’ your previous settings for a particular program, then I feel the programs are valuable. For example, I cook eggs at 2 minutes (with 15 minutes natural release), always. So if I pick the egg function and change the time to 2 minutes, the next time I want to cook eggs I can just select the egg program and press start – that’s pretty convenient. However on some Instant Pot models, some specialized functions (like ‘Rice’ which cooks at low pressure) are not useful for me because I like to cook rice at high pressure. btw, this does not apply to the Ultra, where I can change the Rice pressure to high. I hope that answered your question. Thanks for visiting!
Marianne C
Absolutely spot on! Super step-by-step, clear, great follow along photos! My brown rice (Tru Roots sprouted rice quinoa blend, to be exact) turned out perfect. Brown rice nirvana ! Wow
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks, Marianne! I’m glad it worked for you. How many minutes did you cook for (for the benefit of other readers)?
Marianne c
6 minutes, 10 NPR…the product I prepared is a mixture of different grains (including quinoa) so I was apprehensive about cooking time being correct. Also, of note, I used a Pyrex dish -despite some opinions to the contrary – again, super pleased with results. Thanks for your excellent instructions…
Marie
I have 6 qt DUO, used long grain white rice in 1:1 ratio, pyrex glass bowl on trivet that came with the IP, water on the bottom. 6 Min Manual, 11 min natural release, rice is not even cooked, maybe 1/2 cooked. Pot came to pressure fine. I wonder if it’s because long grain requires more water like the jasmine?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Marie, sorry you had trouble. I don’t think the timing should have been a problem – I suspect it was the quantity of water. Did you rinse the rice before cooking? Next time, you might increase the water to 1:1.25 or maybe even 1:1.5. Best of luck.
Sue
I made this for my first time making white basmati rice in my IP. It came out perfect 🙂
Please post more recipes- vegetarian friendly would be great!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for the feedback Sue. Yes, it’s a delicate balance veg vs non-veg. I will try to post something veg soon – as a matter of fact I have the perfect recipe in mind. If you want to subscribe to the newsletter, you’ll get an email when I post a new recipe.
Laura
Could you use coconut milk instead of water?
Paint the Kitchen Red
If you want to use coconut milk you’ll need to dilute it with water or broth. Otherwise, it will probably stick to the bottom and not come to pressure. You can experiment by trying 1/3 quantity coconut milk and then increase the next time you try. good luck.
Shelly Lucier
I have not bought my Instant Pot yet, but I’ve been looking at many many recipes for it. I have to say I love how you illustrate everything! It really takes away from the intimidation factor. Thank you so much.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Glad to be of help. I hope you get your Instant Pot soon and come back and try one of these recipes. And let us know what you decide to make first.
Emily
I just love your detailed instructions. Thanks.
Irene
Thank you for the clear instructions (the link directly to the recipe is my favorite) and no intrusive ads!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for the feedback, Irene! Enjoy your Instant Pot.
Anne
Hi there, I made this tonight and the rice (medium grain) wasn’t even close to cooked after manual 6 minutes at high pressure ad and 10 min NPR. I had to put it on manual for 10 more minutes for it to be done. what might have gone wrong?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Anne, I’m sorry you had trouble. So some basic questions: 1. Did the Instant Pot come to pressure (i.e. did the float valve come up?) 2. Did you use white rice? Could it have been brown rice? 3. Have you made anything else in the Instant Pot, and was your time close to the recipe time? This method should have worked for you, even if you’re off by a minute or two, but not by 10 minutes. I would definitely give it another try after double checking what I mentioned above. Please do keep me posted and best of luck.
Anne
Hi, thanks for the reply. Yes, I have been using the IP for about a year and have cooked all kinds of things in it. The float valve came up and the time counted down as usual. It was medium grain Nishiki white rice. I will try it again sometime. When I finally DID get it to cook it was good.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Sounds like you’re a pro! Hmmm, Nishiki rice I have no experience with but look at what I found from a user on the Instant Pot official website: “The ratio of Rice to Water is 1:1.25 (same as brown rice). I rinsed rice; used rice button on Instant Pot; 10-minute natural pressure release. The rice was perfect – even better than when I use our Japanese electric rice cooker….” Maybe you can try this. Best of luck.
Anne
Hi again,
Thanks for this. I did try it again with the specifications you mentioned, and it was still not cooked. So yesterday I used jasmine rice, did 10 minutes on the rice button and then quick release and it was perfect. Maybe it’s just the type of rice, or my particular pot. Anyway, thanks again , happy rice cooking!
Paint the Kitchen Red
I’m so sorry that you had trouble with the Nishiki rice. I do use this same method with Jasmine rice as well, just a tiny bit more water (1:1 1/8) and 4 minutes. Good luck and thanks for the update.
Linda
Thank you. How would you make 4 or more cups of rice in IP? Are the rice to water ratio same for other types of rice – i.e. long, white grain?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Linda, you can cook long grain rice at the same ratio, but for Jasmine I add a tiny bit more water (about 1: 1 + 1/8) and cook for only 4 minutes. For larger quantities of rice, I just cook directly in the inner pot (not pot in pot) with the same ratio as PIP. Just make sure you don’t fill past the 1/2-full mark, because of expansion.
Sydney Lorenz
For Jasmine rice directly in the pot (I like the crust at the bottom) how long for NPR? Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Sydney, I usually wait at least 10 minutes, but sometimes leave it longer if I’m not around. Works fine for me – I like my rice well done. Here’s my Jasmine rice post:
https://www.paintthekitchenred.com/fragrant-instant-pot-jasmine-rice/
Donna
I’ve been reading a ton of IP recipes from tons of sources and yours was BY FAR the best formatted of them all! Great job with clear, concise instructions that include every single step so folks who are new can follow it! Wow, I am very impressed! Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Donna, Thank you so much for the positive feedback – you made my day! I will make sure I keep doing the step by step Instant Pot recipes. Sometimes, I don’t know if it’s helpful to people, but when I get comments like your’s I am reassured!
Jenn
Is it one regular cup of rice or one cup of the rice cup measure? I get my poor head wrapped so far around the axle. Thx in advance!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Jenn, it’s the ratio that’s important. So just use the same cup to measure the rice AND water – it doesn’t matter which cup you use. I use just a regular cup measure because it’s a larger quantity than the measure that comes with the Instant Pot and we eat a lot of rice! For the water in the inner pot, I just fill the inner pot to the line that says ‘2’ (2 cups). Hope that helps!
Kelley
I just got my instant pot for Christmas, and this recipe, plus your quick start guide are the most helpful instant pot guides that I’ve read so far! Do you know what times I would use for brown basmati rice? Thanks for your guidance!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Hi Kelley! Comments like your’s are so motivating – thanks for the feedback. Try this for brown basmati:
Using same PIP method: 1 cup rice with 1.25 cups water. Cook in Manual mode for 20 mins. Allow to cool naturally for 10 minutes and release pressure. Fluff rice with a fork.