
Instant Pot jeera rice recipe with video and photos.
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About this recipe
Jeera rice is a one-pot popular rice dish made with Basmati rice and flavored with cumin seeds. This gluten-free and vegan dish is one of the easiest recipes to make and pairs very well with dal or any curry of your choice. When made in an Instant Pot pressure cooker, it is ready in 10 minutes, with less than a minute of hands-on time and no prep time. It is made using simple ingredients and the only essential spice here is whole cumin seeds.
It is also served in Indian restaurants as a side dish to curries like butter chicken or paneer butter masala. There are many ways of making it, but this no-fuss Instant Pot recipe here is the only thing you will need when you want perfectly cooked fluffy rice.
Cumin seeds are dried seeds of the herb Cuminum cyminum, which belongs to the parsley family. Cumin seeds are rich in antioxidants and help lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol. It is also useful in improving digestive health and reducing fungal infections. Cumin water is also popularly used for weight management. This dish is an easy and delicious way of incorporating this healthy spice into your diet.
Plain rice is an integral part of Indian cooking and this fragrant jeera rice is a great alternative to plain basmati rice. Read on for ingredients, video recipe, and serving suggestions for this delicious and healthy jeera rice recipe.
Ingredients
Rice: Basmati or any variety of long rice grains should be used. Other rice varieties like red rice or brown rice can also be used to make this Indian cumin rice, however, you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Cumin seeds: This is the main and only essential spice in this dish needed to add the cumin flavor.
Whole spice: I have used bay leaf, whole black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves (see tips section below).
Cilantro (coriander leaves): This is an optional garnish and can be skipped.
Step-by-step instructions
Set the Instant Pot in saute mode (normal) and add olive oil to the inner pot. Add whole cumin seeds and aromatic spices (bay leaf, black pepper, star anise, cinnamon stick, green cardamom, and cloves). Saute for 1 minute (steps 1 and 2).
Drain the water from the soaked rice and add the drained rice to the pot along with salt and 2½ cups of water (steps 3 and 4).
Close the lid and put the Instant Pot on pressure cook mode (high pressure) for 5 minutes. Do a quick release of the pressure and open the lid (steps 5 and 6).
Gently fluff up the rice using a fork. Add fresh cilantro and mix the fluffy cumin rice gently (steps 7 and 8). Perfect jeera rice made in Instant Pot is ready to be served.
Useful tips
Use good quality aged Basmati rice or any variety of long-grain rice to make this dish.
To remove excess starch from the rice, wash the rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Soak the washed rice for a minimum of 15-20 minutes. This will help remove any extra starch from it, making it non-sticky and non-lumpy.
Saute the cumin seeds until they turn slightly dark so that maximum flavors are released. However, take care not to burn them as they tend to burn quickly after this stage.
The whole spices are optional and can be skipped. Alternatively, you can replace them with ½ teaspoon of garam masala.
I have used 1¼ cup of water for every cup of rice. This rice: water ratio gives me perfectly cooked and separated rice. I have used an 8-quart Instant Pot.
This Instant Pot method is the best way to make restaurant style jeera rice. However, you can make this dish in a stovetop pressure cooker. Follow this recipe with a 1:1½ rice: water ratio and cook for two whistles in the cooker.
Add 1-2 green chilies along with the whole spices to make it spicy. Some versions call for adding green peas, however, it is optional. You can also drizzle some lemon juice on it just before serving.
Do a quick pressure release and then use a fork to fluff up the rice after opening the lid of the Instant Pot. If you do a natural pressure release, it will overcook the rice and the final dish will have mushy rice.
Related: Collection of Instant Pot rice recipes.
FAQs
This rice dish pairs very well with dal or Indian curries of your choice. It also tastes great with dal makhani or dal fry. See serving suggestions below for some great recipes to pair with it.
You can freeze jeera rice for up to one month. However, the rice will get dry after freezing so sprinkle a small amount of water before reheating. To reheat, sprinkle a few drops of water on the rice and reheat it in a steamer or on low heat keeping it covered.
Click here for more easy recipes made using Instant Pot.
Serving suggestions
This dish pairs well with most curries and dal. Chicken curry, dal tadka, spinach dal, chana masala, etc. tastes so good when served with this cumin-flavored aromatic rice rather than plain white rice.
- Paneer Tikka Masala
- Paneer Butter Masala / Paneer Makhani
- EASY Matar Paneer in Instant Pot
- Butter Chicken / Murg Makhani (Instant Pot + Stovetop)
- Keema Matar (Ground Meat Curry) - Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Vegetable Korma
- EASY Instant Pot Rajma Masala / Kidney Bean Curry
- Whole Masoor Dal (Instant Pot Lentil Curry)
Bonus
This Instant Pot jeera rice is:
- vegan and gluten-free,
- very easy to make,
- perfect with dal or any curry of your choice.
If you liked this recipe, please don't forget to give a 5-star rating and leave a comment below.
Recipe card
Instant Pot Jeera Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups Basmati rice
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 inch cinnamon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 star anise
- 2-3 cloves
- 2-3 cardamom
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2½ cups water
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped
Instructions
- Wash the Basmati rice thoroughly until the water runs clear. Soak the rinsed rice for 20-30 minutes
- Set the Instant Pot in saute mode (normal) and add oil
- Once it heats, add cumin seeds and whole spices (bay leaf, black pepper, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves). Saute for 1 minute
- Drain the water from soaked rice and add it to the pot
- Add 2½ cups of water and salt. Mix well
- Close the lid and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Do a quick release of the pressure
- Open the lid and gently fluff up the rice using a fork
- Add coriander leaves and mix gently
- Serve with dal or curry of choice
Dawn Conklin says
Love how easy this jeera rice is to make! It is so delicious, we had it as a side dish and everybody enjoyed it.
Sue says
I love finding these easy recipes for my Instant Pot - Thank you!
Natalie says
Wow, this rice is amazing. Lovely flavors and perfectly cooked. I'm excited to give this recipe a try.
Gina Abernathy says
I love one pot dishes and rice is always a welcomed side in my home.
Kayla DiMaggio says
Loving this instant pot jeera rice! The instant pot makes it so easy to make and it was delicious!
Emily says
I love this delicious one-pot rice dish! Thank you for you for your helpful instructions on how to achieve fluffy and flavorful rice.
Jacqui says
Great recipe! Easy to make and easy to follow.
Tavo says
one of my favorite simple Indian recipes! arrived in my kitchen to stay!
Michael DiMaggio says
Loving this jeera rice! The instant pot was so handy in this!
Michelle says
I love all of the flavorful spices in this rice. It's so easy to make in the Instant Pot and the family loves it.
Kaitlin says
Shilpa,
I love trying new recipes that I haven’t tried before, especially from your blog! They are awesome.
Shilpa says
Thank you so much Kaitlin. I am so glad you enjoy my recipes.
- Shilpa
Susannah says
this turned out so great!
Chrysa says
I love the flavoring of cumin seeds. (Easy to make is a big plus too.)