How to Cook Brown Rice in The Ninja Foodi
I’ve mentioned a lot on the blog how big of a fan I am of the Ninja Foodi. It’s my go to when it comes to an all in one appliance so today I’m going to teach you how to cook brown rice in the Ninja Foodi.
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Cooking Rice in The Ninja Foodi
The question is often asked, “Can you cook rice in the pressure cooker?” and the answer is YES!
I love it because it’s such a simple way to cook rice that you have going while you meal prep other items for the week. You’re going to love this method.
What is the Ninja Foodi?
Instant Pot vs Ninja Foodi: Which One Is The Best?
The Ninja Foodi is a multi cooking appliance that does it all. All these appliances are built into one device:
- Pressure cooker
- Air fryer
- Slow cooker
- Dehydrator (only on specific models)
- Oven
- Rice cooker
- Stovetop
You can steam, bake, saute/sear, broil, and more.
I personally love that I can pressure cook a whole chicken and then crisp up the skin after using the air crisper.
When I bought my Foodi, I was able to sell my Instant Pot, multiple air fryers (I had three from different brands), and the slow cooker. It cleared my cupboard space, which is nice for someone like me who is short on storage.
I bought mine here on Amazon and when asked, I always point family and friends to the Foodi. It’s highly regarded in my household.
How much water do I need for pressure cooking rice?
Although most rice is done with a 2:1 ratio (two cups water per 1 cup rice), I found my rice to be swimming when I was using the pressure cooker.
I checked the Ninja Foodi guidelines and it’s recommended to use 1 1/4 cups of water.
Ninja Foodi Rice Cooking Times
Each variety of rice is a little different but here are the main suggestions from Ninja:
- Jasmine Rice: 1 cup water per 1 cup rice, pressure cook for 2-3 minutes. 10-minute natural release, then vent.
- Wild Rice: 1 cup water per 1 cup rice, pressure cook for 22 minutes. 10-minute natural release, then vent.
- White Rice (medium grain): 1 cup water per 1 cup rice, pressure cook for 3 minutes. 10-minute natural release, then vent.
- White Rice (long grain): 1 cup water per 1 cup rice, pressure cook for 2 minutes. 10-minute natural release, then vent.
- Basmati Rice: 1 cup water per 1 cup rice, pressure cook for 2 minutes. 10-minute natural release, then vent.
Why Do I Have to Use Natural Release with Rice?
It’s suggested to use natural release when cooking rice because the rice could get stuck inside the inner rice.
Natural release means the pressure comes down itself, releasing the steam and pressure gradually.
How to Cook Brown Rice in The Ninja Foodi
This Ninja Foodi rice recipe should work just the same in the Instant Pot or any pressure cooker.
I love these method because it’s just so easy, add the ingredients, seal and walk away.
As I mentioned earlier, this is a meal prep must have.
Tip: Add broth (chicken, beef, or vegetable if you’re vegan or vegetarian) to add flavor to the rice.
More Healthy Ninja Foodi Recipes:
- 40 Healthy Ninja Foodi Recipes
- 25 Healthy Ninja Foodi Chicken Recipes
- Ninja Foodi Pesto Whole Roast Chicken Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken Burrito Bowls Recipe
- Pot Roast Soup in the Ninja Foodi (Pressure Cooker and Slow Cooker Option)
- How to Make Bone Broth in The Ninja Foodi in 1 Hour
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Ninja Food Rice
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 1/2 cup water or broth for extra flavor
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- After rinsing the brown rice (to get the dirt off it, rice is super dirty) add the rice, water, and salt to the Ninja Foodi.
- Put on the lid, seal, and set the pressure to high for 15 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then turn the valve to release the rest (it will only take a few seconds).
- Fluff with a fork! Voila!
5 stars. (System wouldn’t let me.) So pleased with this recipe, I cooked a kilo of Spanish brown rice that recommended 45 mins regular cooking time. (Some brown rices here only need 20 mins so maybe the mushiness mentioned.) It came out perfectly with a delicious al-dente texture to it, similar to a firm pearl barley. I cook a lot of brown rice with vegetable stock on the hob so I was positively surprised that the less than 1:2 rice to water ratio would work so well; quite a revelation.
I will next try with boiling water straight into the Ninja to save time. Thanks!
I’m so happy this worked for you Peter! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
I just tried cooking brown rice in my Ninja Foodi using your method, and it turned out perfect! The tips you provided made it so easy to follow. I love how fluffy and flavorful the rice was. Thanks for sharing!
Easy & love it.
Do i have to add time if I double or triple the recipe? I’d like to batch cook a big amount!
Hey Tiffany, I have doubled this recipe with the same time no problem 🙂
I used your recipe for Thrive Market organic sprouted brown rice in my 8 qt one lid Ninja Foodi. The resulting cooked brown rice was perfect – not mushy, slightly chewy. No excess water. Not burned. Perfect. Thank you for posting!
Thank you so much for letting me know Catherine!
I think the idea of using broth for extra flavor is great but this rice turns out mushy for sure.
After trying this method, I looked up other recipes and most recommend natural steam release for 5 min in brown rice. I think letting the steam release for 5 min longer made the rice mushy.
I used the same exact rice you have linked so, not sure what happened other than it sat in the steam too long.
I’m going to play around with this a bit more. It’s fine whenever I make it. I had a reader yesterday comment that it came out perfect but I have had people in the past say similar things. I’m wondering if it’s an elevation thing? Adding to my never ending list to do a deep dive 🙂
Love this recipe! I use brown basmati rice and it turns out perfect.
That’s great to hear Mary! It makes cooking it so much easier, right?
Took ten minutes of reading to get to the recipe. And then cooked my rice to mush by following recipe.
Glad I was only cooking it to add to dog food!
Hey Jim,
I haven’t had this problem before. May I ask what kind of rice you were using? If you were using short grain or minute rice, this could happen.
I made three cups and it was way too mushy.
Good to know Laura. Did you use long grain or short grain brown rice?
How would you adjust the time for a half batch?
Hi Ally,
I’m sorry I missed your comment. I would keep it the same, but I haven’t tested that either. Let me know how it works.