How to make pot-in-pot rice in your Instant Pot–this method for cooking rice is perfect when you want to cook rice, along with your main dish, but in a separate vessel.
How to make pot-in-pot rice video
Today I’m showing you a trick I use all the time! Making rice in my Instant Pot at the same time as something else. The rice turns out great and you don’t need to get out a separate pot to cook the rice on the stove. Winning! Instead of me typing out the words to explain how this works I just made a video to demonstrate how I make pot-in-pot rice.
If you’d like to see more of my Instant Pot YouTube videos I post a new Instant Pot video every Tuesday. We’d love to see you over in our 365 Days of Instant Pot Recipes facebook group as well.
Pot-in-Pot Rice Cooking Tips
- White Rice, Jasmine, Basmati, all work well for recipes that call for less than a 15 minute cooking time.
- Brown Rice and Wild Rice are sturdier and take longer to cook. If your recipe calls for at least a 22 minute cooking time you can use one of these types of rice.
- If your rice isn’t quite done when you open the pot then cover the rice and allow the rice to steam, while you are tending to your main course.
- See the printable rice cooking chart below for rice to water ratios and cooking times. If you like a firmer rice, use less water. If you want a softer rice, use more water. I’d start experimenting with just a tablespoon at a time.
- I like to use my stainless steel pan* to cook my rice in. Sometimes I use a Fat Daddios cake pan*. Glass and Pyrex pans don’t work as well, as they need a longer cooking time.
Instant Pot Recipes that use Pot-in-Pot Rice
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
Instant Pot Fiesta Lime Chicken and Rice
Instant Pot Southwest Chicken Bowls
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
And more…
Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken and Rice
Instant Pot Chicken Broccoli Rice Bowl
Instant Pot Hawaiian Haystacks
Instant Pot Yellow Chicken Curry and Rice
Instant Pot Spicy Coconut Drumsticks
Instant Pot Cheater Korean Beef and Rice
What Equipment Did You Use?
To make Instant Pot pot-in-pot rice I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. You can use your 8 quart Instant Pot as well. A 3 quart will not work with this as you’d have to have a tiny inner pot.
I used a stainless steel pan* to cook my rice in. You can also use a cake pan*.
In the video I used my silicone sling from the OXO brand*. It’s my favorite!
Instant Pot Rice Cooking Times
I’ve made a free printable rice cooking times cheat sheet for you! I hope you find it handy. I keep mine in the kitchen so that I can easily find the water to rice ratio and how many minutes I’m supposed to cook the rice for. You can easily print this cheat sheet by clicking here. For pot in pot rice the times can be longer than what it is indicated in the chart below. Just make sure the cooking time is at least what is indicated in the chart. For a softer rice use the ratios below for a firmer, drier rice use 2-3 Tbsp less water than what is indicated below.
Pin this cheat sheet for later!
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
I found a product called “Crock Pockets” they are silicon, the company makes pockets for the Instapot and Slow Cooker. Have you tried them? and do you think they would work as pot-in-pot with rice and chicken (specifically your Adobo Chicken).
I think they should be fine, just make there they are BPA-free, made of food-grade silicone, and are heat resistant to 450F
Thank you so much, Karen, for all the sharing you do!
I’m curious about the rice when placed with recipes that vary from at least 4 min to 22 min. Yes, I went through a bunch of the recipes to see how long you can cook the rice. But does it ever overcook and get mushy?? I keep my own notes so I’d just like to know. TIA ;-D
I’m surprised that it really seems to do okay with any of those cooking times. It cooks and then it just stays warm until ready to eat
can a stainless steel mixing bowl be used to cook the rice?
If it fits in your pot, should be great!
Thanks for your reply!
Just just couldn’t wait to try it, and, yes it worked just fine. Glad I did!
Your instant pot rice recipe turned out great, but it made more rice than I needed. Can you make only rice using the Pot in Pot method & how is it done?
Thanks–your recipes are the best & they always work!
Yes you can. Just pour 1 1/2 cups water into the bottom of the instant pot. Then pour rice and water in a pan and lower the pan on a trivet into the bottom of the pot. Cook 5 minutes for white rice and 22 minutes for brown rice. Use 10 minute natural pressure release.
Thank you Karen for replying so quickly
I cannot get this (or any other pot in pot rice for that matter) recipe to work! I followed your directions to the T, used a stainless steel pot as my pot in pot, but my rice was as uncooked as it was when I put it in the pot. Tried 8 minutes instead of 3 and same thing. Am I using the wrong rice? My rice is long grain white rice, not parboiled. I have no problems cooking this same rice in the inner pot itself, but this pot in pot stuff apparently is impossible for me to do. What am I possibly doing wrong?
Hmmm. That is super weird. Maybe bump up the time even more to see what happens. Is the pot reaching pressure? Do you put water in the bottom of the inner pot?
I am having trouble with my rice. I tried long grain white rice according to the chart. 3 minutes on high pressure with 10 NPR. It was very overcooked (mushy) and wet. I am using an 8qt pot. Do I need to make adjustments because of the larger pot. I am only cooking rice-not the pot in pot method. Help!
Yes, I would adjust for the bigger pot. I would try 1 minute with a 10 npr. What is your rice to water ratio?
Dear Karen,
I love your recipes. I have a question for you. When I use your “Print” button option, I don’t have any problem with it printing a copy of your recipe but it doesn’t give me the option of saving the recipe to my computer recipe files. I am not very good at the computer so I don’t know how to save it from my printing screen page or if I’m doing it wrong because once I have printed it, the recipe disappears and I end up back on your web page where the original recipe is. I could paste and copy the original recipe from your web page to a document but that seems like a hard way to do it. I would love to keep your recipes on my computer in case I loose my printed copy. Is it all right for me to save your recipes onto my computer recipe file once I find out how to do it? Can you help me??
The best way that I know how to do this is push the print button and then copy and paste the recipe onto a document. Hope this helps!
I use Chrome because one of my print options is to save as a PDF. Saving as a PDF looks just like the printed page but then I can save to my computer files. I think that is easier than copying and pasting, less work.
I have something on my computer dont know how i did it but i can file all recipes there. maybe google it the icon is called ” Copy ME That ” I must have downloaded it somehow
Hi Karen! You said in the video to put the trivet on top of the chicken in the instant pot and then put the pot on top of the trivet. My questions are these: does that mean that the chicken is sitting flat on the bottom of the instant pot? Because it seems like a lot of the recipes for chicken call for the chicken itself to be put on a trivet.
Also, putting the trivet & pot on top of the chicken doesn’t hurt the chicken or stick to it?
And, lastly, do the instructions mean that pot in pot rice cooking wouldn’t work if the chicken has sauce on it? I got to this page by clicking on a link from your Hawaiian Chicken recipe, which is cooked with bbq sauce basted on top of the chicken.
Thank you so much for your site and all these wonderful recipes. And thank you for your patience with my questions. ~Sandy
Yikes I totally misspoke. You put the chicken on top of the trivet.
If cooking pot in pot rice with the hawaiian chicken then you’d set the pot in pot rice on top of the chicken. The chicken will be on top of the trivet. Try to balance it as best as possible.
Hi Karen,
Your video about garlic chicken also has the pot in pot option for rice and it said the same directions there, as well (chicken and sauce on bottom, and trivet and then pan). Just letting you know in case you wanted to fix it.
Hello Karen
When we want to cook rice in a dish in the Instant Pot, how much water should we put in the Instant Pot before we add Rice with its water?
1 1/2 cups should be perfect.
Thank you Karen
I have another question. I ordered some
stainless steel dishes like yours but I haven’t received them yet. In the meantime, what would you recommend for me to cook my rice?
I have CorningWare and Pyrex dishes.
Thank you.
I’d try pyrex first. You may need a little more time.
Thank you Karen!
I’ll try the Pyrex.
Thanks for all of your ideas for us. Love em!!
My question is not about this recipe but on your Facebook page – Join 365 Days of Instant Pot Recipes. I am having trouble at first connecting to the site, then after answering questions asked and hit the submit button, nothing happens. If I close out, it says that I should answer the questions to move on. Can you tell me what I need to do to join it?
There was a huge glitch yesterday in facebook. I’m assuming if you try again today it will be easier to join! Let me know.
Do you pre wash / rinse your rice as to remove excess starch?
not usually, but if you don’t want it so sticky you can do that 🙂
Hi Karen,
Can Knorr’s side dishes be cooked in IP and if so doe’s one just follow directions on package?
I’m unfamiliar with Knorr’s products myself but here is an article I wrote about those types of foods in the IP. You may just have to experiment to see what works and what doesn’t. https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/boxed-foods-made-in-instant-pot/
Hi Karen,
What about brown Basmati rice and brown Jasmine rice?
22 minutes for brown basmati, 1 cup rice to 1.25 cups water
20 minutes for brown jasmine, 1 cup rice to 1.25 cups water
Thank-you!