Instant Pot Rice Pilaf - Wild Rice Blend

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This simple Instant Pot Rice Pilaf recipe boasts a delicious blend of brown and wild rice cooked to a perfectly moist and chewy texture every time. It's a flavorful vegan side dish whether you're looking for a hassle-free weeknight meal or want to jazz it up with tantalizing add-ins for special occasions.

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🏆 Top tip
⭐ Why it works
📋 Ingredients
🔪 Steps
📖 Variations
👩🏻‍🍳 Expert tips
💭 FAQ
🍚 More rice recipes
📖 Recipe

🏆 Top tip

You can use any whole-grain rice blend in this recipe. No more worries about the different cooking times of white and wild rice!

⭐ Why it works

Instant Pot method makes cooking whole grains a breeze.
Simple basic recipe - mix and cook without chopping and sauteing.
Flavorful umami-packed seasonings.
Versatile side dish for a variety of meals.
Easily customized with add-ins to make fancy holiday pilaf, Autumn stuffing, or pair with Asian, Mexican, or other International dishes for a themed dinner.

📋 Ingredients

Wild rice, brown rice, parsley, garlic and seasonings on a tile.

Wild rice - my favorite is Minnesota-grown from Maitreya.
Brown rice - short grain provides a moist, chewy texture that complements the lighter, firmer wild rice. Lundberg has an organic product that's easy to find.
Parsley - just the right touch of herbs.
Soy sauce - deep savory umami taste.
Nutritional yeast - a natural ingredient that provides the same rich flavor found in popular box mixes like Near East Rice Pilaf.
Olive oil - is optional; however, a touch of pure extra-virgin oil enhances the taste and glistens the pilaf.

🔪 Steps

Place wild and brown rice in the Instant Pot with aromatics.

Combine brown and wild rice with seasonings in the cooker.
Add water to the pot and stir.
Cook on high pressure for 38 minutes.
Fluff with minced parsley.

📖 Variations

Oval plate wilth wild rice pilaf, asparagus and tofu.

This simple vegan side dish has heaps of flavor on its own, but I also love how easily it can be customized.

Use it to elevate any number of meals, from hosting a Thanksgiving dinner complete with Honey Yeast Rolls and Cranberry Sauce, or bringing Instant Pot rice pilaf to a potluck.

Here are a few variations to inspire your imagination and have fun with the basic pilaf recipe.

Cranberry pecan - Stir ½ cup each chopped dried cranberries and toasted pecans into cooked pilaf.
Mushroom - Saute 1 ½ cups of sliced mushrooms in olive oil and season with 1 tablespoon of cooking sherry or apple cider. Evaporate juices and stir while hot into the cooked pilaf.
Stuffing - Add one tsp. of poultry seasoning to the cooking water. Saute ½ cup each of diced celery, onion, and chopped water chestnuts in vegan butter while the pilaf cooks. Stir vegetables in at the end.
Indian - Add one teaspoon of garam masala or fresh curry powder to the cooking water. Omit the parsley and fluff the cooked pilaf with ¼ cup of raisins and ½ cup of chopped cashews or sliced almonds. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sliced cilantro.
Mexican - Add ½ teaspoon each of cumin powder and dried oregano plus ¼ teaspoon of chili powder to the cooking water. Serve with Fire Roasted Green Salsa or Salsa Fresca.
Asian - Add one teaspoon of grated ginger and ⅛ teaspoon of white pepper to the cooking water. Omit the parsley and fluff cooked pilaf with ¼ cup of sliced green onions.

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert tips

Remove parsley stems before mincing parsley.

Do not rinse rice before cooking unless you thoroughly dry it after.
Remove parsley stems before mincing.
Let pilaf sit briefly with the cover removed and the cooker set to warm if any liquid remains at the bottom of the pot after pressure cooking.
Save time on recipe variations by sauteing cooked vegetables separately while the pilaf cooks. They'll stay fresh and won't become mushy.
Store leftovers by cooling rice pilaf before refrigerating or freezing and storing them in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for one week or for up to 3 months in the freezer.
Reheat leftover pilaf in the oven. Place it in an oven-proof dish, spritz the top lightly with water, and cover. Heat in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.
Reheat leftover pilaf in Instant Pot. Place it in an oven-proof dish, spritz the top lightly with water, and cover. Pour 1 cup of water into the cooker, add a trivet, and set your dish on top. Put the lid on the pot and set it to high pressure for 5 minutes. Release steam from the cooker manually.

💭 FAQ

Bowl of fluffy whole brown rice and wild rice pilaf with a spoon in it.

What is wild rice?

Wild rice is an aquatic grass native to Northern America, where three species are grown for the prized and nutty-tasting edible grain. A fourth species is consumed as a vegetable in China, where the stems of the plant are eaten. This pseudo-grain has the same high fiber as brown rice, with twice the protein and fewer calories. Small amounts added to rice pilaf make a beautiful and festive dish.

Can I use a different rice?

Yes, if you choose whole-grain rice and not white rice, that cooks more quickly. You can use long-grain brown, brown basmati, black, red, and wild rice. Both Lundberg and Bob's Red Mill have blends that work in the Instant Pot.