How to make black rice in the Instant Pot

Posted: August 1, 2023 Updated: April 8, 2024

The final final Instant Pot method in my rice series – black rice. Before writing up this recipe it had actually been years since I’d cooked black rice.

I saw it for sale recently in Aldi and thought I’d buy it. Seeing it there made me recall the first meal my husband ever made for me, salmon, asparagus and black rice. Obviously that meal worked the trick because fast forward five and a half years and he’s on the couch next to me feeding our daughter!

We regularly use our Instant Pot to cook rice. It takes away any guess work on volumes or cooking times and it means we don’t need to hover in the kitchen just incase the pot boils over. If you’ve got a temperamental stove like we do (always too hot or too cold) then I highly recommend cooking rice in the Instant Pot.

BENEFITS OF COOKING BLACK RICE IN THE INSTANT POT

There are two clear benefits for me when I cook black rice in the Instant Pot.

1. I get back an extra space on the stove to cook.
2. I don’t have to come back and check a pot constantly – handy when I’m looking after my baby daughter.
3. It’s the same pot and the same ratio no matter how much rice you want to make.

But of course the biggest benefit is that it’s perfectly cooked every time!

ALL RICE COOKS DIFFERENTLY

You can use the same method for most white rice is when cooking in the Instant Pot.

However, once you get to brown, black or red rice it’s a different story. This is because these types rice have a layer of bran on the outside. Bran is the protective layer of fibre between the inner rice grain and the outer rice husk.

The bran layer slows down the cooking process, necessitating a longer cooking time.

METHOD

Measure out one cup of black rice. Using a large bowl or a sieve, rinse your rice until the water is clear. About three rinses.

Drain the rice and pour it into the pressure cooker. Add one cup of water and stir the rice to ensure all grains are covered by the water. If you are making more serves maintain a ratio of 1:1 rice to water.

Set your Instant Pot to cook for 18 minutes.

Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 minutes.

After ten minutes carefully open the vent to release any remaining steam.

Open the pressure cooker and see your perfectly cooked rice, enjoy!

THINGS TO NOTE WHEN MAKING BLACK RICE IN THE INSTANT POT

Note this recipe makes two large servings of black rice. If you don’t eat a lot of rice this would be closer to three servings.

I encourage you to use a cup of rice as a minimum as this works better with the Instant Pot. Two servings (2/3 cup of rice and 2/3 cup of water) may result in too little water in the pot. This makes it difficult for the Instant Pot to pressurise and may lead to an error message during cooking. 

Trust me, no one wants an angry Instant Pot and uncooked rice!

STORAGE OF black RICE

This method makes about two and a half serves of black rice using the Instant Pot. If you’re a two adult household like me then you’ll have leftovers.

Leftover black rice, like all types of rice, should be cooled and immediately refrigerated for storage. Once you’ve cooked your rice, place any leftovers in a container with the lid off and leave it to cool. You can put the rice in the fridge as soon as it stops steaming – ideally within an hour.

Black rice will keep in the fridge for a few days if it is properly sealed. Personally, I would only keep rice for two days, but it can be kept safely for up to four.

REHEATING YOUR RICE

If you are going to store your rice make sure that it is fully reheated before eating. Leftover rice must be piping hot – no cold spots, no lukewarm rice.

Day-old rice is great for fried rice dishes like Chinese style fried rice, or Indonesian nasi goreng. Cooked rice dries out after cooking and storage. Rice with less moisture is exactly what you want for frying.

If you’re reheating the rice to use as a plain side dish I recommend using the microwave. Stop the microwave mid-way through reheating to stir the rice, ensuring the heat is evenly distributed.

I hope you love this black rice method as much as I did! Be sure to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, too!

Instant Pot Black Rice

Simply the method for making black rice in your Instant Pot.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Natural release 10 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Asian

Servings 2

Equipment

• 1 Pressure cooker

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup black rice
• 1 cup water
• 1 pinch salt optional

Instructions

 

• Measure your rice and rinse with water until the water is clear. This is usually about three rinses.
• Drain the rice and pour it into the pressure cooker. Add one cup of water and stir the rice to ensure all grains are covered by the water. If you are making more serves maintain a ratio of 1:1 rice to water.
• Set your Instant Pot / pressure cooker to cook for 18 minutes.
• Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release for 10 minutes. After ten minutes carefully open the vent to release any remaining steam.
• Open the pressure cooker and see your perfectly cooked rice, enjoy!

Notes

Note this recipe makes two large servings of black rice. If you don’t eat a lot of rice this would be closer to three servings.

When I weighed 1 cup of black rice it came up as 196g. The serving suggestion on my black rice was 75g. This means this recipe has 2.6 servings of black rice. 

It’s important to cook with at least one cup of rice (and water) as the Instant Pot may struggle to reach pressure / avoid burning at lower volumes. 

I personally do not use salt when cooking rice but this is entirely optional.

Keyword Instant Pot, Rice