• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Your Home, Made Healthy
  • About
    • About Me
    • My Food Philosophy
  • Recipes
    • Air Fryer
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Dressings, Dips, & Sauces
    • Drinks
    • Instant Pot
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
    • Vegetarian
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Cooking Tips
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Cooking Tips
    • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

    Easy Homemade Instant Pot Yellow Rice

    Published: Aug 3, 2021 by Alana Lieberman · As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Save for Later!
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Pin graphic for instant pot yellow rice.

    This homemade instant pot yellow rice is a simple side dish made from fragrant basmati rice, bright and earthy turmeric, and low sodium chicken broth. It is flavorful, fluffy, and easy to throw together as a quick addition to your dinner. Pair it with grilled chicken, black beans, and your favorite vegetables for a healthy and complete meal!

    Instant pot yellow rice garnished with parsley in a stone bowl.
    Jump to:
    • 📋 About the Recipe
    • 🛒 Ingredients
    • 📓 Instructions
    • ⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
    • ❄️ How to Store
    • 🔍 FAQs
    • 💭 One More Tip
    • 🍴 Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    📋 About the Recipe

    • Instant pot yellow rice is a light and fluffy, fragrant rice that's the best side dish for nearly any main dinner dish.
    • This recipe is super quick and easy and comes out perfect every time!
    • The rice is cooked with great texture that's fluffy and not mushy with the help of your instant pot.
    • It's a healthy, homemade side dish recipe that's sure to satisfy nearly any type of eater.
    • Pair homemade yellow rice with grilled chicken or meats, like these chicken kofta kebabs, cajun steak bites or air fryer lamb chops, and a side of vegetables like these healthy carrot fries for a complete meal!

    🛒 Ingredients

    Labelled ingredients for instant pot yellow rice (see recipe for details).

    A few notes about the ingredients:

    1. Basmati rice - basmati is a long grain, fragrant rice that lends it's own flavor to the dish. It turns out tender and fluffy, while it absorbs great flavor from the onion, garlic, and spices.
    2. Yellow onion, garlic - the onion and garlic offer a fresh aromatic flavor to the yellow rice.
    3. Turmeric - turmeric is a bright yellow spice that can be found in the spice aisle of your grocery store. It dyes the rice a vibrant yellow color and offers a warm, earthy flavor to it. Turmeric is also thought to have healing qualities.
    4. Cumin - cumin also adds a warm flavor to the rice. It is slightly zestier than turmeric but they pair perfectly together.
    5. Salt, pepper, bay leaf - salt, pepper, and bay leaf add that additional notch of flavor, bringing it all together. When the bay leaf infuses into the rice, it adds a slight bitterness that actually helps in lightening up the dish.
    6. Low sodium chicken broth - cooking the basmati rice in chicken broth adds another element of flavor as the rice soaks it in. You can opt to use water instead, however, it may produce less flavorful yellow rice.

    📓 Instructions

    1. Set your instant pot to the "sauté" setting and drizzle the bottom of the pot with a thin layer of olive oil.

    Sauteed and seasoned onion and rice in the base of an instant pot.

    2. When the oil is hot, add in the rice, onion, garlic, turmeric, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring every so often so the onions and rice don't stick or burn.

    Rice, onion, seasoning, bay leaf, and broth in the base of an instant pot.

    3. When the onions are translucent, add in the broth and bay leaf. Stir to combine.

    4. Cover the pot and switch the valve to the "sealing" position. Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.

    5. When the timer is up, allow the pot to naturally release for about 10 minutes before carefully switching the valve to "venting" and manually releasing any remaining pressure.

    6. Remove the lid and gently stir the rice so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

    Easy homemade yellow rice in a stone bowl with a serving spoon.

    ⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations

    Instead of basmati rice: you can use brown or jasmine rice, but you'll need to adjust the cook time. For brown rice, pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. For jasmine rice, pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.

    Instead of chicken broth: you can use vegetable broth. You can also try using beef broth or water. However, beef broth might make the dish pretty heavy, while water may not provide as much flavor.

    ❄️ How to Store

    To store: Allow the rice to cool completely before scooping it into an airtight container and storing it in the refrigerator. Store leftover yellow rice up to 5 days.

    To reheat: Reheat leftover rice by drizzling a small amount of water over top, then microwave for a minute or until it is warmed through.

    To freeze: Freezing is not recommended.

    🔍 FAQs

    Is yellow rice the same as saffron rice?

    In a way, yellow rice can be the same as saffron rice. However, not all yellow rice is made with saffron. Therefore, different varieties of yellow rice can also be made with turmeric, so it's important to note the differences.

    Saffron and turmeric come from different plants. Saffron is more expensive than turmeric and has a subtle, slightly sweet taste. Turmeric has a similar flavor profile, but offers a more pungent, earthy flavor. Both lend a yellow hue to the foods they're cooked with.

    Therefore, yellow rice and saffron rice can be synonymous if the rice is made with saffron. Though, many home cooks opt for the less expensive turmeric as an equally delicious substitute.

    Why is my rice sticky or mushy?

    If your rice is mushy, you most likely added too much water or liquid. When there is too much liquid, the rice absorbs too much and becomes soft.

    However, if there isn't enough liquid, the rice will become sticky and burn to the bottom of the pan.

    Make sure to follow recipe instructions carefully to avoid sticky or mushy rice.

    Can I make this recipe on my stovetop instead?

    If you don't have an instant pot or pressure cooker, you can make this recipe on the stovetop instead.

    To make homemade yellow rice on the stove, follow the directions in the same order, but use a large stock pot and increase the chicken broth to about 3 cups.

    After sautéing the onions, garlic, spices, and rice according to the recipe instructions, add the broth and bay leaf and bring to a boil.

    Cover with a tight lid and turn the heat to low. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes before removing from the heat and fluffing with a fork.

    💭 One More Tip

    To prevent kitchen utensils and serving dishes from turning yellow from the turmeric, make sure to use glass or dark colored serving spoons, plates, and bowls.

    Plastic or light colored tools can often be porous, causing the bright yellow turmeric to dye them permanently yellow.

    If it's too late and the turmeric has already dyed your kitchen tools, you can try soaking them in two-parts hot water and 1-part white vinegar overnight. By morning, the stain should be dissolved.

    Fluffy homemade yellow rice in a stone bowl with cinnamon sticks and greenery off to the side.

    🍴 Related Recipes

    • Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
    • Instant Pot Spanish Rice
    • Perfect Instant Pot Sushi Rice
    • Homemade Beef and Bacon Instant Pot Dirty Rice

    Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!

    📖 Recipe

    Easy homemade yellow rice in a stone bowl with a serving spoon.

    Easy Homemade Instant Pot Yellow Rice

    A fragrant yellow rice made tender and fluffy in a matter of minutes with the help of your instant pot!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
    Prep Time: 21 minutes
    Cook Time: 9 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 277kcal
    Author: Alana Lieberman
    Cost: $10

    Equipment

    • instant pot

    Ingredients

    • olive oil for drizzling
    • 1 ½ cups basmati rice
    • ½ a yellow onion diced
    • 2 garlic cloves minced
    • ¾ teaspoon turmeric
    • a pinch of cumin (or ⅛ tsp)
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
    • 1 bay leaf

    Instructions

    • Set your instant pot to the "sauté" setting and drizzle the bottom of the pot with a thin layer of olive oil.
    • When the oil is hot, add in the rice, onion, garlic, turmeric, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring every so often so the onions and rice don't stick or burn.
    • When the onions are translucent, add in the broth and bay leaf. Stir to combine.
    • Cover the pot and switch the valve to the "sealing" position. Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes.
    • When the timer is up, allow the pot to naturally release for about 10 minutes before carefully switching the valve to "venting" and manually releasing any remaining pressure.
    • Remove the lid and gently stir the rice so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

    Storage

    • To store: Allow the rice to cool completely before scooping it into an airtight container and storing it in the refrigerator. Store leftover yellow rice up to 5 days.
      To reheat: Reheat leftover rice by drizzling a small amount of water over top, then microwave for a minute or until it is warmed through.
      To freeze: Freezing is not recommended.

    Notes

    1. For brown rice: pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. For jasmine rice: pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.
    2. For a vegetarian rice: substitute chicken broth for equal parts vegetable broth or water.
    3. Stovetop instructions: Follow the directions in the same order, but use a large stock pot over medium heat and increase the chicken broth to about 3 cups. After sautéing the onions, garlic, spices, and rice according to the recipe instructions, add the broth and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Cover with a tight lid and turn the heat to low. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes before removing from the heat and fluffing with a fork.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 277kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 193mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg
    Want to Save this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Make sure to follow @yourhomemadehealthy for more delicious recipes!

    Want more recipes like this delivered right to your inbox? Be sure to subscribe above and never miss a thing!

    More Healthy Side Dish Recipes

    • Instant Pot Asparagus
    • Instant Pot Broccoli
    • Instant Pot Boiled (Steamed) Potatoes
    • Wild Rice for Thanksgiving

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Esme

      December 13, 2022 at 1:16 am

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner tonight. It was wonderful! Thank you for sharing. 🙂

      Reply
      • Alana Lieberman

        December 19, 2022 at 4:27 pm

        That's excellent! Thank you 🙂

        Reply
    2. Verónica

      November 22, 2022 at 7:22 pm

      5 stars
      So delicious! Used Long Grain and it was perfect. Thanks 😊

      Reply
      • Alana Lieberman

        December 03, 2022 at 11:55 pm

        Excellent! Thank you for sharing 🙂

        Reply
    3. Anna

      August 03, 2021 at 12:46 pm

      5 stars
      Loved this with barbecue chicken! It’s fresh and healthy. Perfect for my family.

      Reply
      • Alana Lieberman

        August 03, 2021 at 12:47 pm

        That's great to hear! I also love that it goes with so many great dishes!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi There! I'm Alana.

    Headshot of Alana with a green background.

    I'm the recipe developer, photographer, and writer behind Your Home, Made Healthy! I hope to inspire you to create healthy meals for your family without spending tons of time in the kitchen. Although my recipes focus on healthy eating and fresh ingredients, there is no diet talk here. Click below to find out why!

    Learn more about me →

    Healthy Winter Recipes

    • Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
    • Apple Turkey Burgers
    • Chicken Minestrone Soup
    • Greek Chicken Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
    • Brown Sugar and Dill Roasted Carrots
    • Challah Rolls (Challah Buns)

    More Healthy Recipes →

    Popular Recipes

    • Skillet Roasted Corn Kernels
    • Chocolate Baked Oats
    • Mediterranean Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche
    • Healthy Ground Chicken Meatloaf with Vegetables

    Healthy Main Dish Recipes →

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Read our Terms

    Privacy Policy

    Disclaimer

    Terms & Conditions

    Accessibility Statement

    Keep in Touch

    Follow me on Instagram

    Follow me on Facebook

    Follow me on Pinterest

    Sign up for emails, updates, tips, & tricks!

    About

    About Me

    My Food Philosophy

    Contact

    Copyright © 2023 Your Home, Made Healthy