Instant Pot Jeera Rice (Indian Cumin Rice)

Name: Instant Pot Jeera Rice
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 2 cups Basmati rice; 2 tsp cumin seeds; 1 tbsp oil; 1 inch cinnamon; 1 bay leaf; 1 star anise; 2-3 cloves; 2-3 cardamom; ½ tsp black pepper; Salt (to taste); 2½ cups water; 1 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped)

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5 from 42 votes

Jeera rice is a one-pot rice dish made with Basmati rice and flavored with cumin seeds. When made in an Instant Pot, it is ready in 10 minutes, with less than a minute of hands-on time and no prep time. The only essential spice here is cumin seeds. This no-fuss recipe is the only thing you will need when you want perfectly cooked fluffy and flavorful rice.

Instant Pot jeera rice recipe with video and photos.

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About this recipe
Ingredients
Step-by-step instructions
Useful tips
FAQs
Serving suggestions
Bonus
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Comments

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.

FAQs

What to serve with jeera rice?

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.

Can I freeze zeera rice?

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.

Bonus

This Instant Pot jeera rice is:
- vegan and gluten-free,
- very easy to make,
- perfect with dal or any curry of your choice.

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