Instant Pot Rice Pilaf

Buttery rice pilaf is the perfect easy side dish to go with about any meal and this is a no-fuss recipe our family loves! Making white rice in the Instant Pot has been a game-changer in our house!

Easy Rice Pilaf

Rice is one of our classic, super easy side dishes. Using an electric pressure cooker to save time is the best way we’ve found to make an easy rice pilaf. This classic rice dish goes so well with our Oven Baked Pork Chops, Mozzarella Chicken or Hearty Beef Stew. I like to substitute it for the spicy rice in our Sausage Jambalaya.

Even when we’re enjoying Keto Stuffed Peppers this rice is great to serve on the side because it helps fill up the kids. When grilling I like to make extra Marinated Pork Chops or Chicken Kabobs and then serve reheated extras with our white rice pilaf.

We have an adolescent son that loves all things carbs. He’s really starting to eat a lot more food every day, so we need easy and economical sides like this simple rice pilaf to help fill him up!

It’s so easy to make long grain rice with a butter flavor for a perfect rice pilaf side dish to go with about any meal. We typically serve rice with a second easy side dish of Broccoli, Asparagus or Mushrooms.

Plain white rice is perfect for picky eaters and this rice pilaf is one step fancier, more like restaurant-quality rice that adults can enjoy as much as the kids. It’s so easy to make a big batch and use leftovers in Sausage Fried Rice.

We love the nice, light buttery flavor that is lacking when making rice on the stovetop. One of our favorite meals is Saucy Chicken served over rice pilaf.

Adding Vegetables to Pressure Cooker Rice Pilaf

We love adding mushrooms, peas, carrots, onions and broccoli to our rice, but cooking vegetables in the Instant Pot for more than a minute or two can really obliterate the vegetables or make them too soggy to be enjoyable.

When adding veggies to our rice pilaf I like to saute chopped veggies in the butter in the Instant Pot and remove them before adding rice and pressure cooking.

Once the rice is done veggies can be stirred into the rice and the lid placed on the pot for a minute or two and the heat in the rice and pot will warm the softened vegetables quickly.

How to Make Instant Pot Rice Pilaf

1. Be sure to rinse rice before cooking.
2. Set Instant Pot on saute and melt butter in the bottom of pot.
3. Add water to pot then pour rice over top of water.
4. Sprinkle dried parsley over rice.
5. Seal Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes.
6. Allow a natural release for 10 minutes and then perform a quick release.
7. Open lid and tilt away from you while removing. Stir well and serve.

Just like our Homemade Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce making rice in the Instant Pot is just easier!

Another of our most eaten side dishes is our Instant Pot Mac and Cheese with Velveeta. Check out more of our favorite Instant Pot recipes here.

Tips for Making Rice Pilaf in Instant Pot

• On the stovetop, I use a 1 to 1 ratio of rice and liquid, but I like to slightly increase the amount of liquid used in the Instant Pot
• Yes! Take time to rinse the rice to achieve a higher quality finished product
• Rinse and drain the rice several times until the water is clear
• Washed rice will be fluffier, separate and serve more easily where unwashed rice will form big clumps and stick together more
• Chicken broth is my preferred liquid, but water can be substituted if necessary
• Can add a little fresh flavor by squeezing fresh lemon or lime over the rice
• Rice can be refrigerated for 2 – 4 days, we like to add a pat or two of butter when reheating and stir well before serving
• Rice can be frozen and should be reheated with a bit of butter

Other Easy Dishes to Serve with Rice

• Best Taco Meatloaf
• Applesauce Meatloaf
• Instant Pot Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy
• Stew Meat and Mushrooms in Wine Sauce
• One Pan Vegetables and Sausage

Printable Instant Pot Rice Pilaf Recipe