I’m a big fan of my Instant Pot for making meal-times easier. I often use it for side dishes, like this orange almond rice pilaf. Rice is one of my favorite things to cook in the Instant Pot and has almost completely taken over for my cooker. I love that you can easily use the sauté function before steaming the rice to impart lots of flavor.
♥ Related: Instant Pot Broccoli in Zero Minutes
In this case, I sweat just two aromatics in olive oil before stirring in the rice and it makes for a fantastically fragrant rice pilaf. The orange here isn’t overpowering and more floral than sweet tasting. The toasted almonds added at the end lend a nice crunch to the dish.
I usually make rice in the Instant Pot first while I’m getting other dinner elements together because it can stand to sit warming in the Instant Pot for at least 20-minutes without any harm. In this case, wait until very close to serving before adding the almonds to preserve the texture.
♥ Related: Curried Carrot Risotto
This is also an endlessly adaptable method. Having tacos? Switch the shallot for garlic and orange zest for lime zest. Making a light fish dish? Swap out the orange zest for lemon. I am sure I’ll be playing with these ingredients for a long time (and will post recipes here when I do!)
This recipe was created in a 6-quart Instant Pot Lux and should work with any 6-quart capacity cooker.
Instant Pot Orange Almond Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp shallots diced small, ~1/4-inch dice
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp orange zest zest of ~1 orange
- 2 cups Jasmine rice
- 2 cups chicken stock low sodium, if store-bought
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to the sauté function. Use the medium heat option of this function. Add the olive oil and let the oil heat up for a minute. Add the shallots and the kosher salt. Cook for about 3 minutes allowing the shallots to soften, but not brown. Add the orange zest and stir well into the shallot and oil mixture. Cook for a minute.
- Add the rice to the pot stirring to combine. Ensure rice is coated with the now-flavored olive oil. Toast for 2 minutes.
- Turn off the sauté function. Add the stock. Stir to combine. Scrape down the sides of the Instant Pot to ensure all rice granules are covered in stock and not stuck to the sides of the pot.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot. Depending on the Instant Pot model you have, either select "manual" or "pressure cook high" button. Set the timer for 6 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, set a small frying pan over a medium heat on the stove. Add the almonds and toss or stir frequently until the almonds are toasted to a light golden brown color. Set aside.
- When the Instant Pot timer goes off, allow the pot to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes. Then open the lid and use a fork to gently fluff the rice. Sprinkle in the toasted almonds, fluffing more to combine. Serve.
Notes
- I like to make my rice before I start cooking other elements of a meal because this will keep nicely for at least 20-minutes warming in the Instant Pot while I cook other things. In this case, wait until you’re close to serving before removing the Instant Pot lid, fluffing, and folding in the almonds.
Things You Might Need For This Recipe
Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
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Pistachio Strawberry Linzer Cookies
This is my new favorite rice, and I love rice in all forms and cooking methods. The aroma is amazing and the almonds add really nice texture.