Instant Pot Salmon and Rice
When you want a flavorful dinner that is so easy to make, you’ve got to try this Instant Pot Teriyaki Salmon and Rice. This gluten-free recipe has only six ingredients and is a family favorite. The leftovers are great for lunch the next day!
This recipe is a main dish and a side dish all in one. It’s a one-pot meal. You don’t have to cook the rice separately making this meal super easy.
Everything but the sauce goes into the Instant Pot and then all you have to do is wait. If you want to round out the dish, you can pair it with any produce you have on hand such as steamed or roasted veggies, corn on the cob, or asparagus.
Why You Need This Recipe
- It’s a breeze to make and perfect for healthy meal planning. You can make it anytime if you keep rice in the pantry and salmon in the freezer. This is a great complete meal for a busy weeknight.
- Homemade teriyaki sauce is simple to make and it has no preservatives!
- Salmon is a great source of protein, B vitamins, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon packs a nutritional punch and it tastes amazing.
Key Ingredients
- Long-grain white rice is rinsed to remove extra starch to keep the rice from becoming gummy. This allows the white rice to cook well in the pressure cooker.
- Frozen salmon fillets cook perfectly in the instant pot and you don’t even need to let it thaw. Use thick salmon portions so they stay nice and tender. Don’t use fresh fish or it will get overcooked.
- Reduced sodium tamari gives the essential flavor of teriyaki sauce without any gluten or excess sodium. You can use coconut aminos for a soy-free option. Or, feel free to use soy sauce if you aren’t on a gluten-free diet.
- Sesame oil has a distinct nutty flavor that adds flavor to the sauce.
- Maple syrup sweetens the teriyaki sauce without too much added sugar.
Please see the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
Recipe Steps
Step One
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear and then transfer to the bowl of a 6-quart Instant Pot.
Step Two
Add the water to the rice and place the salmon filets on top. You don’t need to use a steamer basket or trivet in this case.
Step Three
Lock on the lid and set to 4 minutes cooking time at high pressure.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Step Four
When the cook time is up let the pressure come down naturally for 5 minutes then use the quick release to get rid of the pressure.
Transfer the cooked rice and salmon to a serving dish.
In a small bowl, combine the rice wine vinegar, coconut aminos, sesame oil, and maple syrup. Stir and pour over the salmon and rice.
This Instant Pot Salmon recipe is one of my all-time favorite fish recipes! I hope your family loves it too.
Recipe Tips
- If you aren’t on a gluten-free diet, you can use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos or tamari.
- If you are on a low-sugar diet, leave out the maple syrup.
- If you don’t have sesame oil, you can use olive oil instead.
- Since the salmon is frozen and you don’t have to worry about it spoiling in the fridge this is a perfect recipe to keep on hand when you don’t know what to cook!
- Some people like to serve cooked fish with fresh lemon slices. So, feel free to do that.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQs
The salmon will stay good for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
No, it’s best to use white rice as brown rice takes much longer to cook.
More Healthy Instant Pot Recipes You Might Like
- Instant Pot 15 Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken & Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Chickpea Stew with Coconut Milk
- Instant Pot Porks Chops & Rice
Or, see my entire index of healthy Instant Pot recipes.
Don’t Miss These Salmon Recipes!
Instant Pot Salmon and Rice
When you want a flavorful dinner that is so easy to make, you’ve got to try this Instant Pot Teriyaki Salmon and Rice. This gluten-free recipe has only six ingredients and is a family favorite. Serve the leftovers for lunch the next day.
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain white rice (I recommend Basmati or Jasmine)
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 4 frozen salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each piece)
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos or reduced sodium tamari
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Place your rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse it thoroughly under fresh running water until the water runs clear.
- Transfer the rinsed rice to the bowl of a 6-quart Instant Pot.
- Add the water to the pot with the rinsed rice.
- Place the frozen salmon fillets on top of the water and rice mixture, but don’t stir.
- Lock on the lid and set the time to 4 minutes at high pressure.
- When the cooking time is up, let the pressure come down naturally for only five minutes. Then, carefully use the quick release to get rid of the pressure.
- Remove the lid and transfer the cooked rice and salmon to a serving dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the rice wine vinegar, coconut aminos, sesame oil, and maple syrup. Stir and then pour over the salmon and rice.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- If you aren’t on a gluten-free diet, you can use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos or tamari.
- If you are on a low-sugar diet, leave out the maple syrup.
- If you don’t have sesame oil, you can use olive oil instead.
- Some people like to serve cooked fish with fresh lemon slices. So, feel free to do that.
- The total cooking time includes approximately 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure and 10 minutes natural release.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 438
- Sugar: 3.9 g
- Sodium: 557.8 mg
- Fat: 10.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 42.4 g
- Fiber: 0.6 g
- Protein: 42.4 g
- Cholesterol: 86.9 mg
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About the Author: Carrie Forrest is the author of the best-selling Instant Pot-authorized cookbook, The Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook. She has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition and receives over 5 million annual visitors to her site. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.
This recipe is so good! I’m not a good cook at all. This came out great! I was proud to serve it to my son. Thank you!
This is great recipe. 😊 Super easy. Made it tonight & added some frozen veggies, garlic & ginger.
Didn’t make it quite as clean as the recipe calls for though, I also changed out 1/2 cup of water for white wine 🤭
So simple & quick 💖
I should have read the recipe 1st. Took the salmon out this morning and thawed it out on the counter and we only have minute rice…. I wasn’t thinking…..
Quick, delicious, and most ingredients were on the shelf. Instead of rice wine vinegar, I substituted a dry Pinot Grigio, which worked well. This recipe was very popular with my salmon-loving husband!
So glad you both enjoyed!
Can I cut recipe in half for 2 servings and use the same cookin time?
I don’t think so because that would reduce the water too much and you may not be able to get the pot to pressure. You could always just use 2 salmon filets instead of 4 though, but keep the other ingredients the same. You’ll just have extra rice.
Can I use brown rice in this recipe?
No because it takes a lot longer to cook brown rice and the fish would get overcooked.
How long do I let it cook if the salmon is already thawed?
I’m afraid the rice will get overcooked if you use thawed salmon for this recipe.
I don’t understand this comment.
Wouldn’t thawed fish take less time to cook?
So, why would less cooking time lead to OVERcooked rice?
You have to cook it a minimum of 5-6 minutes to get the rice cooked through. So, if you used thawed fish you would only need 2 minutes and the rice would be undercooked. So, the rice dictates the cooking time and, therefore, requires frozen fish so it doesn’t get overcooked.
Very good – salmon and rice were cooked perfectly. Great marinade/sauce!
Can I place some broccoli in a steamer on top of the salmon for a complete meal?
Yes you sure could! It might be a little mushy, but it will work. You could also use frozen broccoli which would be less mushy. Enjoy!!!
I love this tasty one-pot meal!