Wild Rice in the Instant Pot

Wild rice is one of my favorite types of rice! It’s flavorful, fluffy, and one of the healthiest rices out there — loaded with protein and nutrients! Wild rice in the Instant Pot is quick and easy to make rather than the 45+ minutes it takes to cook it on the stovetop.

Did you know that wild rice is not actually a rice? It’s an aquatic grass! Native to North America and Asia, it grows naturally in shallow freshwater marshes and along the shores of streams and lakes.  

What makes wild rice healthy?

Wild rice is more than just packed with nutrients, it also has 30 times more antioxidant activity than white rice!¹ Wild rice also has twice as much protein as other rice with 4 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber per ½ cup serving.

Wild rice and all whole grains are incredibly heart healthy; whole grains help slow the buildup of plaque in the arteries, decreasing your risk of heart disease.

Is there arsenic in rice?

There could be. I know this sounds terrible but before you shun rice forever, hear me out. I assure you that the benefits from eating rice far out-weight any possible arsenic risks and there are actions you can take to help reduce exposure!

Arsenic is a naturally occurring heavy metal found in rock, soil, and water. Inorganic arsenic is what we really need to worry about and it can be found from contaminated soil and groundwater from livestock manure, fertilizer, pesticides, or industrial waste. The reason arsenic levels can be higher in rice than other grains is because rice crops sit in standing water.

Here’s what you can do to reduce the chance that your rice is tainted with arsenic:

• Buy rice grown in California! Avoid buying rice from southern U.S. states (I’m looking at you, Texas) as the fertilizers of yore used to be arsenic-laced when growing cotton crops.
• Soak rice for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly before cooking with fresh water.
• Cook rice with much more water than instructions call for. Once rice is finished cooking, strain extra water out and rinse rice one more time. This step alone can reduce any arsenic levels by 50% but unfortunately some water-soluble B vitamins will also be lost.² I usually don’t do this, but know that the option is there for you.

Print Recipe

Wild Rice in the Instant Pot

How to make perfect, fluffy Wild Rice in the Instant Pot every time!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Instant Pot, sides

Cuisine: American, Asian

Keyword: Instant Pot, sides

Servings: 4 servings

Author: The Wandering Veggie

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cup Wild Rice
• 2 cup Cold Water
• ½ tsp Salt

Instructions

• Soak 1 ½ cup rice in cold water for 15 minutes. After soaking, rinse rice thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer.
• Place rinsed rice, 2 cups cold water, and ½ tsp salt inside Instant Pot.  
• Seal lid and set Instant Pot to High Pressure for 20 minutes. Do a full natural release. Enjoy rice immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

Don’t forget to put leftover rice in the fridge promptly! Rice (and beans) are prone to bacteria that causes food-borne illness after being left out at room temperature for over two hours.

 

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19630388/
2. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/rice/#:~:text=The%20average%20GI%20for%20brown,risk%20for%20type%202%20diabetes.