This Instant Pot Brown Rice Pilaf with vegetables is light, fluffy, tasty and easy to make! The perfect side dish. Cooking brown rice in the Instant Pot makes it foolproof and gives it the best texture and flavor!

Brown rice is typically known for being hard to cook. It takes a long time for it to cook on the stovetop or in the oven and doesn’t always turn out the best. But the Instant Pot changes everything! In fact, I can now honestly say I enjoy brown rice more than white rice because of how easy and tasty the Instant Pot cooks brown rice!

This is my first time sharing an Instant Pot recipe on my blog and I am so excited to be sharing this recipe with you all today! Your story may be similar to mine. My husband asked me a couple of Christmases ago if I would like an Instant Pot and I wasn’t sure but decided to give it a try. I’ve used it off and on over the last couple of years not quite in love with it yet. Recently I’ve been enjoying making brown rice in it and have been amazed at how EASY it is! And the brown rice comes out light, fluffy, and flavorful!

Why Make this Instant Pot Brown Rice Pilaf:

It’s a life-changing way to cook brown rice!

Quicker than stovetop and oven

Foolproof- It comes out perfect every time!

Once the vegetables are sauteed, set it and forget it! (for 32 minutes!)

It makes for a healthy and tasty side dish that goes great with most main dishes

 

How to Make Instant Pot Brown Rice:

Rinse the rice (it helps it to not be gummy by removing extra starch)

Dice vegetables before you make the recipe

Sautee the vegetables in a little butter (or olive oil)

Add spices, then garlic and rice (toasting the rice makes it more flavorful)

Pour in the chicken broth (or vegetable broth) making sure that all the ingredients are in the liquid

Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 22 minutes

Let it naturally release for 10 minutes then turn the knob the vent

Fluff with a fork, add parsley and enjoy!

 

Main Dish ideas to serve with this Brown Rice:

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Meatballs

Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken

3-Ingredient Taco Chicken

Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa

Easy Meatloaf

I’ve tested this recipe multiple times just this past month to make sure it’s perfect for you all! I know you will love it and would love to hear what you think after you try it! Feel free to switch up the vegetables in this recipe. You could just add onion or add more vegetables like celery. My kids love carrots and seem to enjoy bell peppers and onions when cooked so that’s what works for us. (And it makes the rice even better!) 

You can also add fresh herbs but I always have dried herbs in my pantry so that’s what I typically use. 

I know a rice recipe isn’t the most exciting thing but it makes me so happy to have this recipe now because dinner just got so much easier! I know how busy life can be and making dinner every night can be tiring. 

If you ever need a super quick but healthy and tasty recipe you could just grab a rotisserie chicken (I love the one from Costco) and serve it along with this rice.

(Bonus tip: Make a chicken bone broth using the bones from the rotisserie chicken then you can use that chicken broth to make this rice recipe again!)

What if I don’t have an Instant Pot?

Put it on your Christmas list! Santa would love to bring you one I am sure.
But really there are two options to make this recipe if you don’t…

Oven:

Rinse the rice, add it to a greased 8×8 pan. Pour in 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth. Add the 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Cover tightly with a double layer of foil. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Meanwhile, saute the vegetables on the stovetop in a pan with the butter and add the rosemary, thyme, and pepper. Once the rice is cooked and slightly cooled, mix in the vegetable mixture then top with parsley. 

Stove Top:

Rinse 1 cup of brown rice, boil 8 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt on the stovetop, in a large heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. When the water is boiling, add the rice. Stir and partially cover, cook on medium-high heat for 30 minutes. Shut the heat off, drain the rice in a strainer, then quickly return to the pot and cover tightly for 20 minutes so the steam finishes cooking the rice. Meanwhile, saute the vegetables on the stovetop in a pan with the butter and add the rosemary, thyme, and pepper. Once the 20 minutes of steaming time is up, mix in the vegetable mixture then top with parsley. 

Yield: 6 servings

Instant Pot Brown Rice Pilaf

Print

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 47 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter, unsalted (or olive oil)
• ½ cup finely diced onion
• ½ cup finely chopped carrots
• ½ cup finely diced bell pepper (red, orange, yellow, green or a mixture)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice (basmati rice or long grain)
• ½ teaspoon rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced (or ½ tablespoon dried parsley)

Instructions

1. Rinse rice in a fine-mesh strainer until water is clear.
2. Add butter to the inner steel container of the Instant Pot
   and select the sauté function. Once the butter is melted, add the diced onion,
   carrots and bell peppers. Stir occasionally until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the spices: rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.
4. Stir in the garlic. And stir constantly for about 30
   seconds.
5. Add the rice and stir for about 30 seconds.
6. Add the chicken broth.
7. Secure the lid, turn the valve to seal, and select the manual
   or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 22 minutes. (It will take about 6 minutes for it to come to pressure before the cooking cycle begins.)
8. When the timer goes off, let it naturally release for 10
   minutes. (Basically, just let it alone for 10 minutes.)
9. After the 10 minutes are up, turn the valve to vent to
   quick-release pressure, fluff the rice with a fork and add in the parsley. Taste
   and add more salt and pepper, if needed. (If you think the rice needs to be a little
   more done, put the lid back on for a few minutes or so.) Allow rice to rest for a few minutes.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

To double the recipe the cooking time is still the same. It just takes the Instant Pot
longer to come to pressure and seal.

Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

You can freeze this brown rice for up to 3 months.

Recipe adapted from Simply Happy Foodie and Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

 

**PIN IT!**