This Instant Pot Wild Rice Pilaf recipe is a hearty side dish that is a perfect alternative to traditional stuffing for your next holiday feast. The wild rice is perfect for absorbing all the flavors of the herbs and spices. Stir in leftover rotisserie chicken or turkey to make this a delicious one-pot meal that’s not just for special occasions!
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Table of Contents
Introduction
I’ve been wanting to try out wild rice in the pressure cooker for a while now, and finally, I got the perfect opportunity. I was recently featured in the Thanksgiving issue of Devour magazine and this is the recipe I contributed.
One of the standard recipes on my Thanksgiving menu has been a cornbread stuffing that I’ve been making for many years. Recently, I decided to change things up and try a wild rice version of the recipe.
I took my stuffing recipe and used all the same ingredients to make a wild rice version of that recipe using a wild rice blend. The result was a healthier but just as tasty version of my homemade stuffing. This recipe is vegetarian unless you choose to use chicken broth as I do.
I’ve included a quick recipe at the end of this post for cooking plain wild rice blend.
[Go directly to PLAIN Instant Pot Wild Rice Blend Recipe]
Here are some other side dishes you might like to try out!
– Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips
– Instant Pot Beet Salad with Arugula, Goat Cheese, and Walnuts
– Instant Pot Wasabi Deviled Eggs
Tips and Substitutions
Wild Rice Blend
I prefer to use Lundberg wild rice blend for this recipe rather than straight-up wild rice because I like the variety of textures and colors with the different types of rice: wild rice, brown rice, red rice and black rice.
White Wine
If you don’t wish to use white wine, feel free to substitute chicken broth or vegetable broth.
Chicken Broth
This recipe can be made completely vegetarian by substituting chicken broth with vegetable broth.
Apples
I like the tart flavor of green apples but you can use any type of apple. The apples can also be omitted.
Pecans
Pecans can be substituted with walnuts.
Releasing Pressure
This recipe calls for a 15 minutes Natural Pressure Release (NPR 15). This involves waiting for 15 minutes and releasing any remaining pressure using the quick release method.
Dried Cranberries
Dried cranberries are also known by the brand name ‘Craisins’. If you can’t find them, substitute any dried fruit like raisins, dried cherries, apricots, figs, or dates. Or you can omit altogether.
Extra Liquid
Depending on the quantity of liquid that’s released from the vegetables, it’s possible you might have some extra liquid in the inner pot after pressure cooking is complete. If you do, let the rice rest for a few minutes with the lid open and the liquid should dissipate.
Cooking Time
The cooking time I recommend is based on my own texture preference, which I find to be just right, but on the chewier side. If you’d like the rice to be cooked softer, add another 2 minutes of cooking time.
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 make this recipe for Instant Pot Wild Rice Pilaf with wild rice blend.
Instant Pot Wild Rice Pilaf – Ingredients
- Butter
- Salt
- Pepper
- Thyme
- Sage
- White wine
- Balsamic vinegar
- Garlic
- Rosemary
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Celery
- Wild Rice
- Onion
- Mushrooms
- Broth
- Apples
- Pecans
- Dried Cranberries (Craisins)
- Parsley (not pictured)
How to Make Instant Pot Wild Rice Pilaf (Step by Step Instructions)
- Turn on Saute mode
- Saute onion mixture in butter
- Saute spices and mushrooms
- Add broth and wild rice blend
- Pressure Cook the wild rice
- Do a 15 minute natural pressure release
- Stir in apples, pecans, cranberries and garnish.
How to Turn on Saute Mode
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the Saute function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the Saute function and press Start.
Saute Onion Mixture in Butter
- Add butter to the inner pot and allow it to melt.
- Saute the onions, celery, and garlic until the onions are soft, about 2 minutes.
Saute Spices and Mushrooms
- Stir in salt, black pepper, thyme, sage, rosemary, and crushed red pepper.
- Deglaze with white wine, stirring to remove any brown bits.
- Press ‘Cancel’.
- Stir in the mushrooms.
Add Broth and Wild Rice Blend
- Stir in broth and balsamic vinegar.
- Finally, add in the wild rice blend.
- Don’t stir, but push the rice down with a spatula to make sure the rice is submerged in the liquid.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 26 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until the display reads ‘26′ (26 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 26 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 26 minutes (00:26).
- Press ‘Start’.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- 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 15-minute Natural Release of Pressure
- Allow the Instant Pot to stay in Keep Warm mode for 15 minutes.
How to Release any Remaining Pressure on the DUO
- 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
- 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. ]
Add Apples, Cranberries, Pecans and Garnish
- Open the lid and add in pecans, cranberries, and apple.
- Fluff the rice with a fork, and stir the ingredients.
- If there is extra liquid at the bottom, allow the rice to rest with the lid open and any remaining liquid should evaporate.
- Garnish with parsley.
How to Make Plain Lundberg Wild Rice Blend in the Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 cups wild rice blend
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon butter (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse out wild rice blend in a fine mesh sieve and drain.
- Stir together rice, water, salt and butter in the Instant Pot inner pot.
- Pressure cook on high pressure for 26 minutes.
- Do a full natural release of pressure or release remaining pressure after 15 minutes have elapsed.
Notes
- Use the same cup to measure rice and water.
- * One of the most common brands in grocery stores is Lundberg wild rice.
Instant Pot Wild Rice with Cranberries and Pecans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup onion chopped
- ½ cup celery chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste
- 1 tablespoon dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 cup wild rice blend
- ¼ cup pecans toasted, chopped
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup green apple peeled and chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped (to garnish)
Instructions
- Select ‘Saute’ mode and allow the Instant Pot to heat up.
- Melt butter in the Instant Pot inner pot and sauté onions, celery, and garlic until onions start to become transparent.
- Stir in salt, black pepper, thyme, sage, rosemary, and crushed red pepper. Press 'Cancel'.
- Deglaze with white wine, stirring to remove any brown bits.
- Stir in mushrooms, balsamic vinegar and broth.
- Add in the wild rice blend but don’t stir. Just push the rice down with a spatula to make sure the rice is submerged in the liquid. This helps prevent the 'Burn' error or Instant Pot sealing issues.
- Close the Instant Pot lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 26 minutes.
- Do a 15 minute Natural Pressure Release (NPR). Allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes and then release any remaining pressure using the quick release method. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Once the float valve is down, open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. If there is extra liquid at the bottom, allow the rice to rest for 10 minutes with the lid open, and the liquid should evaporate. If not, turn on ‘Saute’ mode and heat for a couple of minutes.
- Stir in pecans, cranberries and apple; garnish with parsley.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. chopped onion, sliced mushrooms, etc.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
Nutrition
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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.
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Bernadette says
I’m so happy to see how you show the various IP’s. However, my IP is the 3qt Duo. I’d like to make half the amount but I’m concerned about the rice ratio.
Can you help with that?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Bernadette, thank you for reaching out. Yes, you should be able to make the recipe in your 3 quart and halve it. The only issue is whether 1/2 cup of liquid will allow your Instant Pot to come to pressure. That can vary based on the Instant Pot. I can get my 6 quart to pressurize with 1/2 cup but others can’t – go figure! Use the same pressure cooking time.
Karan Lewis says
Can you double this?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Yes you can – I’ve doubled it successfully.