Jeera Rice In The Instant Pot

Instant pot rice pilaf made with Basmati rice and cumin seeds is an aromatic Asian side dish. This classic recipe of jeera rice is delicious, quick, and easy.

Restaurant-style food at home

If you have ever visited an Indian restaurant, you would have seen Jeera Rice on their menu!

What is Jeera rice? Also known as Cumin Rice, is one of the most popular side dishes served at Indian restaurants and commonly prepared in Indian homes.

Here, the rice is toasted and cooked with whole spices like cumin, cloves, and bay leaves.

The rich aroma helps work up an appetite. You can pair it perfectly with curries or stews.

It is also one of the easiest to make at home, thanks to the Instant Pot. Here are some recipes that can be made in the Instant Pot.

How to make Jeera Rice

Benefits of cumin

One of the key ingredients in this recipe is cumin or jeera (in Hindi). It is a very common ingredient in Asian cooking. In fact, the Indian tempering or tadka almost always includes cumin seeds.

It not just gives flavor to the dish, but it also has lots of medicinal properties.

• Promotes digestion
• Boosts immunity 
• Helps in fighting the common cold
• Has an anti-inflammatory effect
• Contains antioxidants

If you like making spice mixes at home, then check out this homemade cumin powder recipe.

Why this recipe is a keeper

Till the Instant pot came along, I used to always make this dish using leftover or precooked rice. Making rice dishes especially with basmati rice in the Instant Pot is such a breeze now.

I don't have to worry about sticky or mushy rice. It is always perfectly cooked, just the way I want it. There are other reasons to make this recipe of jeera rice!

• A great alternative to plain rice
• An extremely aromatic and flavorful one-pot meal
• Can easily be made vegan with just one swap - ghee
• Cook time is just 4 minutes in the Instant Pot
• No chopping or soaking of any sorts needed
• It is naturally gluten-free

As you can see from the above image, you need very basic pantry staples to make this recipe of jeera rice. Also, since this is made in the Instant Pot, you need that too!

One of the main ingredients to make the most flavorful Jeera rice is a good quality aged Basmati rice. And in the Instant pot, Basmati rice always cooks perfectly.

You can either use the regular cumin seeds or jeera that is easily available in all the grocery stores or use shah jeera (caraway seeds). It is darker and tastes much sweeter than the normal jeera.

Jeera Rice tastes the best when cooked in ghee. However, you can use (dairy or non-dairy) butter or any vegetable oil as well.

Whole spices give this rice an earthy flavor and they lend a wonderful aroma to this simple side dish. If not all, add whatever of these you have handy.

You can view the above video to see how to make this Asian side dish or follow the recipe steps below.

• Wash the rice a couple of times and keep it aside. No need to soak it in water.
• Turn on the Instant pot in saute mode. Add ghee and once it melts, add cumin seeds, fry for 10 seconds.
• Then add the slit green chilies, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, cloves, and peppercorns to the pot. Next, add the cashews and fry till they turn light golden.
• Add the rinsed rice and saute for a couple of seconds. This step is important as it helps to ensure that you get separate grains when cooked.
• Then add half of the chopped cilantro. Add salt, give it a good mix and cook for a minute.
• Next add 2 ½ cups of water, mix, and turn off the Instant Pot.
• Close the lid with the vent in the sealing position. Select pressure or manual mode and cook for 4 minutes. Release the pressure 5 minutes after the pot beeps.
• Open and fluff the rice lightly using a fork. Garnish with cilantro.

Serving Suggestions 🍽 

Serve this Indian Instant Pot Rice Pilaf warm. Drizzle some ghee on top before eating.

The most popular combination is to serve Jeera Rice with Dal Tadka with some raita, pickle, and papad on the side.

The other favorite combo is to serve it with Chana Masala. But you can pair this Asian side dish with any lentil stew or curry.

Some recipes to pair it with

• Instant Pot Chickpeas Potato Curry
• Vegan Meatballs Kofta Curry
• Cauliflower Tikka Masala
• Dum Aloo
• Black Eyed Peas Chili

Always use good quality aged Basmati rice because they are less starchy. Need to wash the rice well but there is no need to soak it prior to cooking.

Ensure that the rice is cooked al dente. The grains need to be separate and not become sticky. Don't add too much water while cooking it.

If you don't have Basmati rice, you can also use regular rice or make this same recipe using cauliflower rice or alternate grains like quinoa, or brown rice. Just adjust the cooking time and water ratio accordingly.

You can prepare this Instant Pot rice pilaf only with cumin seeds and minus the other whole spices. However, that will alter the flavor.

Add green peas, paneer and/or onions to make it even more flavorful.

You can double this recipe of jeera rice, but you need not increase the cooking time. Jeera Rice can be made ahead of time and refrigerated. It stays well for 2-3 days. You may also freeze it.

How to make it vegan

Simply use dairy-free butter or any vegetable oil in place of ghee.

Don't have an Instant Pot?

No problem. You can easily make this Asian side dish on the stovetop. You can do that in two ways.

1. Cook the rice separately using a rice cooker or use leftover rice and then fry all the other ingredients in a pan and add the cooked rice to it. Give it a good mix and it's done!
2. Follow the Instant pot recipe but use a pressure cooker instead.