Instant Pot Wild Rice (gluten-free, grain-free, real food)
Wild rice is a beautiful, traditional food that often takes a long time to prepare. Yet, this nutrient-dense pseudograin has 30 times more antioxidants than white rice and is full of fiber! Learn how to cook this gluten-free, nourishing aquatic grass in your pressure cooker. Instant Pot Wild Rice saves time and gives you perfect results every time!
Download your FREE 7-Day Instant Pot Real Food Meal Plan!
I love wild rice. It’s a local food for me because I live in its native region.
It’s high in protein, allergy-friendly, gluten-free, has has 30 times more antioxidants than white rice.
Yet, it has one major downfall….
It takes FOR-E-VER to cook. 😉 (For-e-ver said like Squints from The Sandlot)
The first time I cooked wild rice, it took over an hour on the stovetop.
Although I’m unfortunately part of the “Microwave Generation”, my family and I don’t even own a microwave, so I’m really not whining here.
That’s just a big jump from 20 minutes of cooking sprouted brown rice and sushi rice, which I also cook in my Instant Pot. And ever since I got my IPs (yep, I’ve got 2 now!), I’ve shaved the cooking time off lots of things… from bone broth to pulled pork to ribs and even rendered animal fat!
Now, I’m cutting the cooking time of one of my favorite traditional foods: wild rice!
What is wild rice?
First, contrary to its name, wild rice isn’t rice. It’s an aquatic grass!
It’s called rice because it looks and cooks like rice, but that’s pretty much where their similarities end.
Wild rice is a “pseudograin”, meaning it looks, acts, cooks, and even tastes like a grain, except it’s not. Quinoa and amaranth are also “pseudograins” which are actually seeds! (Learn how to cook quinoa in your Instant Pot.)
Wild rice is the only rice native to North America. Only one other type of wild rice grows in the world — in Asia — where it’s eaten as a vegetable, not as a grain.
Unfortunately, the “paleo diet police” don’t consider wild rice a Paleolithic food. I’m not sure why, though, since it’s been collected, eaten, and even regarded as a sacred food for indigenous North American peoples, such as the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) tribes, for thousands of years.
Wild rice is a healthy source of…
- magnesium, folate, manganese, zinc, and iron
- B vitamins
- fiber (3g of fiber per 1/4 cup — more than oats, quinoa, and all other types of rice!)
- antioxidants — 30x more than white rice!
How To Use Wild Rice
Once you’ve got wild rice cooked up perfectly in your Instant Pot, it’s a great staple to keep in the fridge and add to meals throughout the week!
- Love chicken and rice? Use wild rice instead!
- Do you add rice to soups? Add wild rice instead!
- Add it to burgers, meatloaf, or salmon patties.
- Mix in veggies and fermented soy sauce or coconut aminos, and you’ve got a wild rice stir-fry!
- Try my Salmon & Wild Rice Burgers with Avocado Garlic Aioli!
- Or my Creamy Wild Rice Soup!
Types Of Wild Rice — It Matters!
Updated: 10/06/2017 — I received several comments from readers who tried this recipe and it didn’t work perfectly for them. Their rice ended up cooked, but they were also left with lots of liquid, which they had to strain/drain off.
So, here’s what I’ve figured out…
The type of wild rice you use REALLY matters. There are so many varieties, and I don’t use a variety that can be bought off the shelf at your local supermarket. I buy it from friends who go out in a canoe and harvest the rice by hand, according to traditional Native practices. I pay $11 per pound for this beautiful, local food. (If you don’t have a valuable resource like this, I recommend Wildly Organic’s hand-harvested, hand-parched wild rice.)
Our wild rice (nor Wildly Organic’s) is not patty-grown. It is not dark black or brown; more of a grey-ish brown color.
If your wild rice is patty-grown, black in color, or machine-parched, your results may be different.
This is my best guess as to why others who have followed this recipe ended up with vastly different results. Just know that as long as the rice is cooked through — not too al dente and not mushy, but perfectly cooked — and you’re still left with water, simply drain the water and use the rice. It’s really ok!
And… Altitude!
It’s a thing. Unfortunately.
I am at a low altitude — less than 1,000 feet. Therefore, my cooking time will be less than someone who’s higher, say 3,500 or 6,000 feet.
Since I have not tested this recipe at various altitudes, I have included the liquid ratio and time that worked for ME. And I have tested and re-tested this recipe, and it DOES work for me every time.
So, if you’re at a higher altitude, experiment with a longer cooking time and/or less liquid.
Does wild rice need to be soaked?
Sources are inconsistent on this. Some say yes; some say no.
Rather than relying on mixed messages, I went with a different approach: I asked my friend Kaare, from Finnskogen Farm. Kaare and his wife Pam have been studying and harvesting wild rice for years and years.
And, not only does Kaare know his wild rice, he also knows nourishing food and Ojibwe culture. He says phytic acid is not an issue in wild rice, and to his knowledge, Native people did not utilize any sort of soaking methods to improve digestibility or reduce phytates.
I can also say, from years of eating it, that consuming unsoaked wild rice has never caused any sort of digestive discomfort or reaction for me or any of my family.
Remember: wild rice is an aquatic grass — not a grain like wheat or oats or rye. For this reason, I assume it’s just fine to eat without soaking first. If anyone has evidence or knowledge to the contrary, please share it with us in the comments! 🙂
Instant Pot Wild Rice
I’ve cut my cooking time for wild rife almost by half since switching from the stovetop to my Instant Pot!
The rice is fluffy, tender, and perfectly cooked every time.
Instant Pot Wild Rice is a staple I like to prepare during my weekly meal prep and then have on hand to add to dishes and meals throughout the week.
Here’s how to cook wild rice in your Instant Pot!
Instant Pot Wild Rice
Wild rice is a beautiful, traditional food that often takes a long time to prepare. Yet, this nutrient-dense pseudograin has 30 times more antioxidants than white rice and is full of fiber! Learn how to cook this gluten-free, nourishing aquatic grass in your pressure cooker. Instant Pot Wild Rice saves time and gives you perfect results every time!
Ingredients
- 2cupshand-parched wild rice
- 5cupswaterbone broth, or a combination
- 2teaspoonssalt
Instructions
- Add the wild rice, water and/or broth, and salt to the Instant Pot.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn until it locks into place. Make sure to seal the vent.
- Press the Manual button and adjust the cooking time to 35 minutes and the pressure to high.
- When the Instant Pot beeps, manually release pressure.
- Open the lid immediately and fluff with a fork.
Pin it!
Our Most Popular Instant Pot Recipes & Posts
Need more no-fail Instant Pot recipes? How about the best Instant Pot information, troubleshooting, and tips? Here are the most popular Instant Pot recipes and posts here at All The Nourishing Things!
- FREE Download: Real Food Instant Pot Dinners 7-Day Meal Plan
- 6 Instant Pot Meal Preps That’ll Save Your Sanity
- 4 Ways The Instant Pot *Really* Does Save Time (+ 8 tips to account for & speed up pressurizing time)
- Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala (Paleo, Whole30)
- Instant Pot Spinach-Artichoke Meatball Soup (Paleo, Whole30, Keto)
- Dairy-Free Instant Pot Queso
- 6 Best Instant Pot Resources (Real Food Only!)
- An Honest Review Of The Instant Pot
- No-Fail Instant Pot Hard-Boiled Eggs
- No-Fail Instant Pot Soft-Boiled Eggs
- Instant Pot No-Peel Applesauce
- Fluffy Soaked Instant Pot Quinoa
- Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Black Beans
Do you have an Instant Pot? Do you cook wild rice?
Updated 10.06.17, 05.02.2018, 07.30.2018, 3.20.2019
Thanks so much for posting this. It works great. For those at altitude, I just made this in an IP at 7000 ft. I used 1 cup Lundberg Countrywild, 2 1/4 cups chicken broth, pressure cook on high for 40 min, natural release for 10 min then manually release remaining pressure. It came out perfect with no additional liquid to drain.
Came out just right! So sweet of you to re-test the recipe!
Wild rice is one of my favorites too! But I’ma rice fiend so all rice will do 😉
How fortunate! My mom just brought me Minnesota grown wild rice and I’ve never used it before..Thanks for the instructions!
Update: 1.25 cups rinsed rice + 2.5 cups water at 30 minutes was perfect. No draining necessary.
Thanks for the update, Tula! I’m glad it worked perfectly for you!
I wonder if all of the kerfuffle about having leftover liquid has to do with people not understanding the difference between cooking wild rice and cooking regular rice. The recipe that I learned from my wild rice-harvesting Minnesota relatives is to cook the rice in a lot of water and drain it when it’s done. I’m currently making my 1st instapot wild rice and have used 1.25 cups rice to 2.25 water. I fully expect to drain it when it’s done.
Thank you for chiming in, Tula! I have been completely dumbfounded at how many people have said this hasn’t worked for them… It works for me every. single. time!
I followed the IP directions in the recipe booklet , ratio was 1 to 3 , way too much water so after 26 minutes , it was done but soup , transferred to stove pot and hope to absorb excess water . I will stick to white and brown rice which has come out perfectly
Black wild rice cooked & delicious but WAY TOO MUCH liquid. Needs decrease to only 4 or 5 cups of liquid, not 6 cups
I’m sorry it didn’t turn out right for you; however, I live in MN and use wild, lake-grown rice with these instructions and get perfect results every time. I do think the variety of wild rice matters, as has been shown through other comments.
I used your recipe this last weekend for Thanksgiving to add to box stuffing. I used a Minnesota rice found at the grocery store (Coborns). I too ended up with rice soup, but the rice was done perfectly. Next time (if I use the same rice) I’ll do 1:1.5 rice/liquid ratio. I had almost 2 cups of liquid strain out from a half recipe. Again, rice was perfect @ 35min HP + 10min natural release (I do that for all my rice).
Can this recipe be divided in half? Will the liquid be halved as well & same Cook time? Thanks!! We love wild rice!
It sure can! Just reduce the liquid proportionately!
Actually, wild rice should absorb all of liquid. I get my rice from Northern Minnesota. When it is fully cooked it should have popped and have the gray inside of the seed show. It should not be a hard kernel. If you cook with broken wild rice it will absorb much more liquid. Also, once wild rice is cooked, you can freeze it and heat it up later. I just got an IP and am going to try your recipe with a bit less water.
My rice is from Northern MN also. I just made this EXACT recipe again this week, for the sole purpose of re-checking all my measurements. The recipe worked perfectly. The rice opened up nicely and all the liquid was absorbed. I’m not sure why others had a hard time, unless they were using patty rice.
This recipe worked perfectly! Wild rice is a seed, not actually rice, so it will not absorb all of the water that is required to cook it. The timing & amounts given in your recipe are perfect! Thank you for sharing!
The rice to water ratio in the pressure cooker is supposed to be 1 to 1. Can you please let me know why you are not doing this?
Because in the IP or on the stove, I always use much more water than rice. Wild rice is different than white rice.
I had the same problem – rice is done but had to strain it. Used Trader Joe’s wild rice.
So sorry! I’m going to have to try again with whole wild rice. I used broken and it came out perfectly. Perhaps decrease the liquid by a cup or so or add 5 minutes to your pressure cooking time?