How to Cook Wild Rice in Instant Pot

Wild rice isn’t just another fancy Indian cuisine to add to the menu. The delicious dish is also healthy and has become a major part of numerous pro-health diet plans. And because it takes a long to cook on the stovetop, an instant pot becomes the quickest way to prepare it. But if you haven’t done it before, don’t worry because it’s easier than you imagined.

Rice Nutrition Facts

Wild Rice- Why All the Fuss?

Though its name says otherwise, wild rice isn’t real rice but an edible grain harvested from grass that resembles rice. Its flavor features a hint of roasted nut and earthiness, reminding you of seeds like quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth. The plant is commonly found in regions of India, China, and North America, with the latter being the only place it’s harvested.

Wild rice is renowned for its dietary advantages and considered healthier than other versions of rice. It’s also packed with vitamin B and minerals and contains a low amount of fat. But perhaps its most significant properties are that wild rice carries 30 times more antioxidants than other varieties, and is also gluten-free.

You’ll find wild rice under different brand names, but in truth, they’re mainly the same. Of course, a slight difference in results may be noticed but it’s usually inconsequential.

Why Use an Instant Pot for Wild Rice?

The traditional cooking methods employ a saucepan and stovetop for wild rice, which may make you wonder if an instant pot is necessary. The truth is a pressure cooker is an excellent way to cook wild rice, and here are reasons why;

Faster Cooking Time: Wild rice is quite time-consuming when prepared on the stovetop, but this cooking duration is heavily cut down with a speedy instant pot.

Less Cleanup: You won’t have to spend time washing a saucepan or cleaning starchy gunk off the stove if you use an instant pot.

Tenderer Rice: The steam pressure employed by the instant pot results in perfectly tender wild rice!

No Babysitting: No need to constantly check the rice in an instant pot. Once the suggested time is set, all you do is sit and wait for the timer to beef!

So, you see now that instant pot wild rice is as appealing as we’ve promised? Now, you can proceed to cook it for your various dishes.

Wild Rice to Water Ratio

The first thing you must note when preparing wild rice is the water to rice ratio. The reason is the instant pot uses the steam pressure generated from the added water to cook the wild rice. As such, too much will cause the seeds to grow mushy, and too little means you get hard rice. So, when measuring both ingredients, consider 1 ¼ part of water for every cup of wild rice. With this measurement, you’ll end up with tender, fluffy results without having to drain the rice.

Prep the Wild Rice

The wild rice needs to be emptied into a colander and briefly rinsed under running cold water. Shake and fluff the rice in the colander as the water runs over it, and let it completely drain before transferring it into the pressure cooker. Note that soaking isn’t suggested, though it’s common for the stovetop method. And the reason is the instant pot will build enough pressure to cook the rice, making presoaking unnecessary.

Water or Broth?

You may choose between water and broth for the wild rice liquid base, and either option is great. But note that water is ideal if your recipe depends solely on the rice’s unique taste. Broth can also work in this aspect, but the rice would come out significantly tastier, influenced by the broth’s flavor. And you can choose any broth from beef to chicken, vegetables, seafood, and mushroom. Whichever you choose, remember the water to wild rice ratio when you measure and pick a low-sodium option for both.

Cooking the Wild Rice

Fill the rinsed wild rice in the instant pot and add the liquid, then, close the lid and seal the valve. Next, set the program to MANUAL for 20 minutes on HIGH pressure, after which you allow a 10-minute natural release. Once the time is elapsed, vent the valve to let out any remaining pressure. Then, gently open the lid and fluff the cooked rice with a wooden spoon.

 

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Note

• The process from prepping the instant pot to natural release takes around 35 minutes. That’s about five minutes for pressure buildup in the instant pot, 20 minutes to cook the wild rice, and 10 minutes for natural release of pressure.
• This timing also works if the recipe ingredients are doubled. But anything higher than double might need an additional five minutes maximum to the cooking time.

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