Ever tried to make steamed Japanese rice in an Instant Pot? This post will teach you an easy, fail-safe method for cooking perfectly plump and shiny short-grain white rice every single time with this popular electric pressure cooker!
Steamed rice is an essential part of Japanese meal. If you don’t own a rice cooker but have an Instant Pot in your kitchen, you can definitely consider using this smart device to make rice for your Japanese dinner. Today we’ll go over how to make rice in an Instant Pot, along with some important tips that I’ve learned from my experiments.
The 3 Dilemmas Before Making Rice with the Instant Pot
Before I go straight to the Instant Pot Rice recipe, I want to tell you why it took me a long time to share this post. If you follow my blog for some time, you probably know that I have my Instant Pot for a while and I love using it to make various dishes.
But why haven’t I used my favorite Instant Pot to cook steamed rice? Here’s why I had avoided using the Instant Pot to cook rice:
1. The rice sticks to the bottom of the inner pot.
Having shiny, slightly sweet, plump, and delicious Japanese rice is true comfort and luxury for me, so I am willing to spend a little more to purchase short grain Japanese rice from Japan (currently enjoy rice from the Kyushu region). When I heard from others about rice sticking to the pot, I determined that I would not cook my precious rice in the Instant Pot. Not one piece of rice would go to waste in my house.
2. The Instant Pot is for the main dish.
Since I use the Instant Pot mainly to cook the main dishes, it’s impossible for me to use it to cook rice at the same time. Unless I am using two Instant Pots for this matter.
3. My Zojirushi rice cooker does an amazing job.
A rice cooker is an essential appliance in Japanese households. My Zojirushi Induction Heating Rice Cooker makes perfect rice every time, and I can even schedule the finished cooking time so the rice is always ready for dinner. That’s another reason why I didn’t need my Instant Pot to cook rice for me.
Finally, the Testing
For the past 3 years or so, I’ve received numerous requests from readers who wish to learn how to make perfect Instant Pot rice (pressure cooker rice). Some of you even wrote me a very personal email that I just felt that I had to give a try. After all, if I could save hundreds of people from wasting their rice, it’s worth my effort.
Please note: Different types of rice—such as jasmine rice, basmati rice, long-grain or medium-grain rice, wild rice, and brown rice—have unique characteristics and we can’t cook the rice the same way. The Rice I’m using in this recipe is Japanese short-grain rice.
Also, 1 cup of rice (240 ml) yields roughly 2 servings or 2⅓ cups of steamed rice.
To make the standard steamed rice, we do not flavor the rice with chicken broth or salt. The only exception is that we use a tiny bit of salt when cooking the brown rice.
I’ve tried two methods:
- Manual pressure cooking with different time periods and natural release timing.
- The preset “Rice” mode on the Instant Pot.
5 Most Important Tips to Make Japanese Rice in the Instant Pot
From my experience in cooking Japanese short-grain rice in my Instant Pot (pressure cooker), I learned 5 important tips. Here are my findings:
1. Soak rice for 20 minutes.
After you rinsed the rice, I tried both soaking rice and skipping soaking rice prior to cook rice in the Instant Pot. Whether it’s cooked in manual mode or “Rice” mode, when I didn’t soak rice, it did not become tender all the way through.
This is probably the only difference between cooking other types of rice. I often get asked why we need to soak Japanese short-grain rice. Unlike the other types of rice, Japanese short-grain rice is plump, and it takes time for the moisture to go through. Therefore, we always soak the rice first, giving the dry rice a head start in absorbing moisture.
2. Drain rice really well.
After soaking the rice in water, drain the rice into a fine-mesh strainer and make sure that the rice has no excess water left. If you don’t drain it well, you actually end up with more water while cooking the rice.
3. The ratio of water to rice is 1 to 1.
The golden rule for the ratio of Japanese short-grain rice to water is 1 to 1.1 or 1.2. So for 1 rice cooker cup (180 ml, 150 g), you will need 200 ml water.
However, when the rice is cooked in the Instant Pot, the steam does not escape from the pressure cooking (less evaporation). Therefore, the best water ratio is one to one: 1 cup of rice to 1 cup of water, or 1 rice cooker cup (180 ml) of rice to 180 ml of water.
4. Cook at high pressure for 2 minutes.
After testing a few different variations, the best cooking time for short-grain rice is 2 minutes on high pressure. I’ve also tried using the “Rice” mode on the Instant Pot, which is set to 12 minutes on low pressure. As both manual and “Rice” mode takes 5 minutes to pressurize, “Rice” mode takes an extra 10 minutes to cook.
5. Natural release for 10 minutes and then release the pressure.
Because we do not want a “mushy” texture for rice, we must release the pressure from the Instant Pot after 10 minutes. The rice is still being cooked during this natural pressure release stage, but 10 minutes is plenty of time for the rice to finish cooking. After 10 minutes, there is not much pressure left, so you don’t need to worry about releasing the pressure. Don’t forget to fluff the rice with a rice paddle or fork.
How to Store Cooked Rice
What’s the best method to store cooked rice? Simply freeze the rice in an airtight container and reheat it to enjoy the perfect Instant Pot Rice later on! This is by far the best approach to keeping your rice fresh and moist. Do not keep it in the fridge!
Final Thoughts
With the above methods and tips, you can make perfectly plump and shiny Japanese steamed rice in an Instant Pot. My personal preference is using the manual mode as it’s 10 minutes faster than the “Rice” mode and the texture of the rice was perfect.
Does the rice stick to the bottom of the pot? Well, surprisingly not when you open the lid right after 10 minutes of natural release. I can fluff up the rice nicely without any question.
The only caveat is that you do have to serve or scoop out the whole pot of rice immediately after it is done cooking. There is enough moisture inside the pot that you can fluff and spoon out the rice smoothly without it sticking to the bottom.
However, if you leave the rice inside the inner pot for some time, the rice sadly sticks due to the starch in the rice. And it’s become a hassle to remove the remnants of cooked rice. You would end up having to soak the inner pot in water. It does come off clean eventually, but there is no way I could save the last piece of rice in the Instant Pot (Update: if you buy this non-stick inner pot, no more waste!).
Would I continue to make rice in the Instant Pot? I would not, because I really don’t like wasting my rice. I prefer to cook the main dish in the Instant Pot and cook rice in the rice cooker. Two important appliances that could go hand in hand.
For those of you who are preparing main dishes with other cooking methods like roasting and pan-frying. you can definitely cook your rice in the Instant Pot. Maybe you don’t cook rice very often and prefer not to invest in a rice cooker. Or maybe you’re cooking a large batch of rice in advance for freezing purposes. Then go ahead to use the Instant Pot. That’s what this post is for, and I hope you find it useful.
Will you cook rice in the Instant Pot? Let me know in the comments below.
Other Rice Cooking Methods
- Cook Japanese rice in a pot on the stovetop
- Cook Japanese rice in a donabe on the stovetop
- Cook Japanese rice in a rice cooker
- Cook Japanese brown rice in an Instant Pot
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
How to Make Japanese Rice in an Instant Pot
Video
Ingredients
For 4 Rice Bowls (4⅓ cups, 660 g)
- 1½ cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice (2 rice cooker cups, 360 ml)
- 1½ cups water (360 ml)
For 6 Rice Bowls (6⅔ cups, 990 g)
- 2¼ cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice (3 rice cooker cups, 540 ml)
- 2¼ cups water (540 ml)
For 8 Rice Bowls (8¾ cups, 1320 g)
- 3 cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice (4 rice cooker cups, 720 ml)
- 3 cups water (720 ml)
For 10 Rice Bowls (11 cups, 1650 g)
- 3¾ cups uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice (5 rice cooker cups, 900 ml)
- 3¾ cups water (900 ml)
Instructions
- Before You Start: Please note that Japanese short-grain white rice requires a soaking time of 20–30 minutes. The rice-to-water ratio is 1 to 1 when cooking short-grain white rice in an Instant Pot. Please read the blog post for more details. To cook short-grain brown rice, see my post on how to make Instant Pot Brown Rice.Also note that 1½ cups (300 g, 2 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked rice. This is enough for 4 Japanese rice bowls (typically 150 g each) or 6 onigiri rice balls (typically 110 g each). 1 cup of cooked rice weighs about 5.3 oz (150 g).
- Measure the Rice: Overfill a US cup measure (a ¾-cup measure works well for this) or a rice cooker cup with uncooked short-grain rice and level it off. Put the rice in a large bowl. Repeat until you have the measured amount of rice needed. Here, I‘m preparing 1½ cups (2 rice cooker cups, 360 ml) of uncooked white rice.
To Wash the Rice
- Quick Rinse: Add just enough tap water to the bowl to submerge all the rice. Then, discard the water immediately. Repeat one more time. Tip: Rice absorbs water very quickly when you start rinsing, so this step helps remove impurities from the rice and prevent it from absorbing the first few rounds of milky water.
- Wash: Next, use your fingers to gently agitate the wet rice grains in a circular motion for 10–15 seconds. Using very little water allows the grains to rub against each other. It also reduces the absorption of impurities from the starchy water.
- Rinse: Add tap water and immediately discard the cloudy water. Repeat one more time.
- Repeat Wash and Rinse (steps 2 and 3) two more times. When the water is almost clear, drain the rice well.
To Soak the Rice
- Soak: Add more tap water to the bowl to submerge the rice completely, and soak the rice for 20–30 minutes before cooking. Soaking is a must for short-grain rice! Here‘s how the rice looks before and after soaking for 20 minutes.
- Drain: After soaking, drain the rice in a fine-mesh sieve and set it aside for 10 minutes to drain completely. If you don’t have time to wait, then shake off the excess water the best you can.
To Cook the Rice
- Transfer the well-drained rice to the inner pot of the Instant Pot and add the measured water. Here, I'm adding 1½ cups (360 ml) water for my 1½ cups rice.
- Make sure the rice is level and evenly distributed in the pot. Close and lock the lid.
- Set the program to High Pressure for 2 minutes and it will automatically start cooking. Make sure the steam release handle points to Sealing and not Venting. The float valve goes up when pressurized, after about 5 minutes. When it’s finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the Keep Warm mode.Pressure Release: Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. DO NOT EXCEED 10 MINUTES (I recommend setting a timer). After 10 minutes, quick release the remaining pressure: Place a kitchen towel over the steam release valve and turn the steam release handle to the Venting position until the float valve drops down. While only a little pressure should remain after 10 minutes of natural release, please take care not to place your hand or face over the steam release valve.
- Once you‘ve quick released the remaining pressure, open the lid. Fluff the rice with a rice paddle and serve warm.
To Store
- Transfer the warm rice to airtight containers and cover with the lids to keep the moisture in. Let cool completely before storing the containers in the freezer. The best way to store Japanese rice is to freeze, even if you use it the following day. Read my tutorial post.
Notes
- Rice Mode: 5 min (to pressurize) + 12 min (to cook on low pressure) + 10 min (let it steam)
- Manual Mode: 5 min (to pressurize) + 2 min (to cook on high pressure) + 10 min (let it steam)
This is a PERFECT method for cooking Japanese rice….I followed the instructions to the letter and when I opened the InstantPot, the rice was beautiful. It was delicious. This will save so much time during meal preparation. Thank you!
Hi Jill! Yay! We are so happy to hear this recipe worked well for you! Thank you for following the recipe and your kind feedback.
This does not work. I ended up with hard crunchy half cooked rice, still lots of water in the pot not absorbed by rice.
You ruined my lunch, thank you very much.
Hi Onlyfish,
Thank you for trying this recipe. We are sorry to hear your rice did not turn out well.
We use this recipe many times, but we never have the problem. Could you please check to make sure the steam release handle points at “sealing” and not “venting.” And the float valve goes up when pressurized (it takes roughly 5 minutes to pressurize). Then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then proceed with quick release. (Step 8)
We hope this is helpful.
Old reply, but might help someone in the future. Your issue was most likely due to the large circular ring lid seal not being in place properly. You always want to check the seal on the instant pot before use. If steam is coming from the sides of the lid and not the steam vent, the seal isn’t in place and the rice won’t cook.
I’ve ruined rice a few times by forgetting to check the lid seal.
My Korean daughter-in-law gave me a Cuckoo multicooker. I learned that it needs to be a less than the programmed rice time (7 minutes). Have you used that brand of rice cooker?
I use Tamaki brand haiga rice and mix with Korean barley. Have you done an article on the different types of Japanese rice? My Japanese mother switched to haiga later in life saying it was healthier. I’m trying to decrease my cholesterol so eating less rice and mixing with other grains. My dil got me to mix grains. Is that a Korean thing?
Love your blogs.
Hi Kane,
Nami has a recipe that uses a Cuckoo multicooker. She made rice and soup curry: https://www.justonecookbook.com/soup-curry/.
Currently, Nami’s article only covers white rice and brown rice.
Haiga-mai becomes very popular in Japan, and it’s actually healthier, so we will make sure to add that to the request list. Thank you!
IT WORKED! I have a small kitchen and I got an instant pot so cover multiple bases including rice cooker. Every other time I’ve tried to make rice it gets burnt and gloppy. THIS CAME OUT PERFECT!
Hi Muffy reyes!
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and for your feedback!
We are so happy to hear this recipe worked out perfectly!
What about cooking authentic BROWN short grained Japanese rice in an Instant Pot?
Thanks!
Hi Kari!
Nami has a brown rice version here; https://www.justonecookbook.com/instant-pot-brown-rice/
Enjoy!
This recipe worked great! Perfect rice. Much quicker than the rice cooker. Thank you.
Hi Joan,
We are so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
Thank you for your kind feedback.🙂
Hi Nami,
I’ve always loved your recipes. My rice cooker finally decided to move on so I’m looking to cook my short grain rice in my IP.
I know you have put 1:1 ratio for rice to water but what if I just wanted to cook 1/2 cup of rice instead of a full cup? I usually don’t like to keep left over rice so I try to cook what I need. Any advice would be great.
Hi Michelle!
Thank you very much for trying many of Nami’s recipes!
Most of the Instant Pot requires at least 1 cup of the liquid inside the pot to pressurize it. So it may not work for a small amount.
On the Instant Pot, if you press the “Manual” or “Rice” button twice the “keep warm” feature is turned off and rice won’t stick to the whole bottom of the pot. I get a spot occasionally but it cleans up well.
Hi Lorene! Thank you so much for sharing your tip with us!
Hello! When making this recipe, should my instant pot be on pressure cook mode or steam mode? Thanks!
Hi Summer, I use regular high pressure on pressure cooker (manual) mode. 🙂
Followed the instructions, even put a bit oil. Went to “BURN” in a few minutes…
Hi Alex! I’m sorry that happened to you. Something is not right. I’ve made it so many times without “burn” sign and I know my readers have been making it too (I receive emails/feedback). Is it possible that you didn’t rinse the rice properly (still have starch left in the water that was at the bottom of the pot?). How about the amount of water? It should not get a burn sign. 🙁
Yes I rinsed it and let it soak… might be the type of rice… Will try again.
Hi Alex! Thanks for your response. Ohhh!! This is very specific to Japanese short-grain rice recipe. We cook rice differently from other types of rice. 🙂
Hi Nami, thanks for the cooking rice tips. My family cooks long grain jasmine rice. Are your methods for short grain rice applicable for the long grain? Appreciate reply. Thanks.
Hi Gemma! I don’t really cook jasmine rice so I am not a good person to give advice on cooking jasmine or long grain rice… I know that it’s not needed to soak rice… but as for cooking time etc, I really have no experience or knowledge. Sorry, I can’t be helpful, Gemma!
I always cook my rice in the pressure cooker because I cook large amounts at a time, and because I don’t have space for a dedicated rice cooker of any size. That said, I didn’t realize I needed to use less water because the steam does not escape, so that is one thing I learned today! I also don’t pre-soak my rice, so that is another thing I learned today!
I will use this method the next time I cook rice, and I look forward to the results, so thank you.
Hi Robyn! Please let me know how it goes! Japanese rice always need soaking, it makes a huge difference. 🙂
Hatchi ju Hatchi
“I determined that I would not cook my precious rice in the Instant Pot. Not one piece of rice would go to waste in my house.” My mother in law always teased me about not wasting a grain of rice and using a bit of ocha to wash out my rice dish….”it takes 88 days to grow it so don’t waste it
hatchi ju hatchi It took 88 days to grow it…..so dont waste it
Hi Bond! Instant Pot sells non-stick inner bowl, and with that, I think we won’t waste any rice. So if anyone who wants to just get one (rice cooker or instant pot), I recommend getting a non-stick inner bowl. 🙂 I need a rice cooker separately and an IP for main dish!
Thank you. I just wish there were a “print” button.
Hi Amy! There is. It’s inside the recipe card. 🙂
I’ve tried this recipe a few times, but I weigh everything instead of using measuring cups. The first time I used 300g of rice and 360g of water (1 ml = 1g) as indicated, but the rice came out very soft and almost mushy. I tried a few more times, reducing the water and steaming time a little, but the rice was still too soft. When I checked the weight of the rice from the measuring cups that came with my Instant Pot, and from my old rice-cooker – 2 Instant Pot cups is 355g and 2 rice-cooker cups is 340g of rice. When I tried 1:1 by weight on 2 minutes High Pressure in the Instant Pot, the rice came out perfect!
Hi Ken! Every time I switch the brands of rice (I usually get rice from Toyama or Hokkaido – imported, purchased in Nijiya, OR California-grown short-grain rice), I have to adjust the amount of rice. They are all short-grain rice, but the moisture content inside the rice varies and they somehow cook differently (super interesting!). So you may notice you have to adjust from time to time… always the first batch of rice is a water test for me. I’m glad you figure out the perfect amount this time!