Spare Spoons Kitchen
Instant Pot Rice & Grains
The one reference to keep on hand — perfect white rice, brown rice, and quinoa in the Instant Pot, every time. Memorize the ratios and the rest of the kitchen leans on it.
Ingredients
Easier, if you like
- Pot-in-pot: steam a pan of rice on a trivet above a soup or curry so dinner cooks in one pot.
- Batch and freeze: cooked rice freezes well in flat bags — reheat with a splash of water.
Method
Cook's notes
No Instant Pot? The absorption method covers every grain here: bring the water to a boil, add the grain, then cover on the lowest heat — white rice 18 minutes, quinoa 15, brown rice 45 — and rest 5 minutes off the heat before fluffing. The pot just trades walk-away convenience for a timer.
Brown rice: 1 cup rice to 1¼ cups water, 15 minutes on High, then a 10-minute natural release.
Quinoa: rinse well first (it removes the bitter coating), then 1 cup quinoa to 1¼ cups water, 1 minute on High, 10-minute natural release. Fluff and let it sit.
Always natural-release grains — quick-releasing sputters starchy water and leaves them gummy.
Cook them in vegetable broth (or drop in a bouillon cube) instead of water for more flavor; add a teaspoon of oil to keep grains from clumping.
Naturally vegan and gluten-free
Vegan / gluten-free: all three grains are — use oil rather than butter to keep it vegan.
Other grains: the same low-effort approach works for farro and pearled barley (longer times — start around 20 minutes), though those aren't gluten-free.