Instant Pot Wild Rice

Name: Instant Pot Wild Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Healthy
Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked wild rice (or a wild rice blend); 1 1/2 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth (or water)

by Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition on Dec 24, 2021

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Learn how to make Instant Pot Wild Rice for a quick and easy side dish. Wild rice is a healthy food that can be incorporated into many different types of recipes including soups and salads. Wild rice is naturally gluten-free and vegan.

Don’t be fooled by the name, wild rice isn’t actually rice at all. It’s a highly nutritious seed from an aquatic grass that grows in the shallow part of lakes and streams.

It has a similar shape and cooking process to white rice. Wild rice takes much longer to absorb liquid though, which is why I love to cook it in the Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.

On the stovetop, wild rice takes up to an hour to cook properly while it only takes 30 minutes of hands-off time in the Instant Pot.

It can be tricky to achieve a perfect texture with wild rice. If you undercook it, it will be hard and chewy. This recipe takes out all the guesswork and gives you perfectly cooked wild rice every time!

Contents hide

1 Why You Need This Recipe

2 Key Ingredients

3 Recipe Steps

4 Recipe Tips & Substitutions

5 FAQs

6 Other Instant Pot Recipes You Might Like

7 Instant Pot Wild Rice

Why You Need This Recipe

Healthier than white or brown rice, wild rice is high in both protein and fiber!
You don’t have to watch it, the Instant Pot does all the work.
It tastes delicious on salads or as a base for hearty soups. I love it in my Lentil & Wild Rice Salad.
It’s naturally gluten-free.

Key Ingredients

Uncooked wild rice – You can find wild rice in the grain aisle alongside the other types of rice and quinoa. It costs more than regular rice because it’s hand harvested. You can also purchase wild rice on Amazon.

Many packages of wild rice are sold as a blend with brown rice. You can cook either 100% wild rice or a blend of wild rice with this recipe. Most blends include brown rice or black rice in addition to the wild rice.

Reduced sodium vegetable broth – Vegetable broth can be high in sodium which is why I prefer to buy reduced-sodium broth. You can also purchase Whole30 or Paleo-friendly broth. Be sure to buy broth that’s labeled gluten-free if you can’t tolerate gluten.

Recipe Steps

Step One

Place your cup of wild rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse well with running water.

Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.

Step Two

Pour the rice into a 6-quart instant pot, along with the broth or water.

how to make wild rice in the instant pot

Step Three

Lock on the lid and set the cook time to 30 minutes at high pressure.

Step Four

When the cooking time is complete, let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes. Then, use the natural pressure release to get rid of any remaining pressure.

Step Five

Remove the lid and use a fork to fluff the rice.

Step Six

Enjoy warm.

Recipe Tips & Substitutions

You can easily double this recipe to make more servings.
You can use either 100% wild rice or a wild rice blend for this recipe.
Store any leftover cooked wild rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
There’s no need to soak the rice for this recipe. You only need to rinse it since the Instant Pot will perfectly cook the rice.
You can freeze cooked wild rice. Place the cooled rice into a freezer-safe container or ziptop bag and use within 3 months for best results. To thaw, place the bag in the refrigerator overnight and then use.

FAQs

What dishes can you use wild rice for?

Wild rice is an excellent and nutritious dish to have on hand. It tastes amazing in soups, stews, bowls, and casseroles. It also adds texture and protein to salads. You can add cooked wild rice to veggie burgers or black bean burgers to bulk them up.

Why should I cook wild rice in the Instant Pot?

You can cook wild rice perfectly on the stovetop too, but it’s more time consuming and finicky. You have to watch it while it cooks to make sure it cooks right. Improperly cooked wild rice tastes hard and gritty. The Instant Pot cooks it perfectly every single time.

Is wild rice healthy for you?

Yes, wild rice is a nutrient-packed grain that’s low in calories but high in protein. It’s high fiber content and antioxidant count make it a perfect grain to help fight diseases like cancer and heart disease. Wild rice is a perfect addition to a well-balanced and healthy diet.

Other Instant Pot Recipes You Might Like

Or, check out my entire index of healthy Instant Pot recipes.

I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

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