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    Instant Pot Fried Rice

    March 31, 2021 by Denise Bustard Leave a Comment

    Home / Recipes / Instant Pot Chicken Recipes / Instant Pot Fried Rice

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    Cook up a batch of Instant Pot fried rice for a quick, easy, and flavorful dinner! With soft scrambled eggs, sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce and chicken it's a crowd pleaser.

    When it comes to quick dinners, the Instant Pot is such a hero. From Instant Pot spaghetti and meat sauce to Instant Pot turkey chili, there are so many one pot options that can help you get dinner on the table with minimal effort.

    fried rice in instant pot with wooden spoon
    Table of Contents show
    1 Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe
    2 Recipe video
    3 Ingredient notes
    4 Step by step directions
    5 FAQ
    6 Storage & meal prep
    7 Variations
    8 More Instant Pot Meals
    9 Instant Pot Fried Rice (quick + easy!)

    This Instant Pot fried rice is adapted from my favorite egg fried rice, but bypasses the need to cook your rice ahead. Instead, we cook our rice up in the Instant Pot, saving time and getting this on the table in under 40 minutes!

    Meal prep tip- double the recipe and freeze half, or enjoy for easy lunches through the week!

    Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!

    Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe

    • it's an easy way to cook fried rice, getting it on your table quickly
    • it's kid-friendly and a crowd pleaser
    • you can get creative and put your own spin on it

    Recipe video

    Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped Instant Pot fried rice. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

    Ingredient notes

    labeled ingredients required to make instant pot fried rice
    • rice- you'll need long grain white rice for this recipe, I recommend using basmati
    • chicken- optional but adds protein and makes this fried rice more filling. Swap for shrimp, pork, or leave it out.
    • soy sauce- I've used reduced sodium soy sauce and found the rice needed a touch of salt; if using regular soy sauce, do not add the extra salt; you can taste at the end and add if needed.
    • stock- use chicken or vegetable, or plain water
    • vegetables- carrots and frozen peas are used in this recipe; you could clean out your fridge and add them in; add after cooking if they are more delicate or frozen vegetables.
    • eggs- we scramble the eggs after cooking the rice through; you won't be able to fit much more than 4 eggs, so if you plan to increase the number of eggs, I recommend scrambling them separately and then folding them in with the chicken.

    Step by step directions

    sautéing onions and garlic in instant pot

    1. Sauté onion + garlic- Select the 'sauté' function of your Instant Pot. Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to the stainless steel insert, and add the onion. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent. Make a space in the middle of the pan and add the garlic. Let it cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.

    carrots, onions and rice (uncooked) in instant pot

    2. Other ingredients- Add the stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to get anything stuck off of it. Add the carrots, rice and salt. Mix it up and make sure everything is covered with the cooking liquid.

    instant pot with 3 minutes on the timer

    3. Pressure cook- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to the 'sealing' position. Cancel the 'sauté' function and set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. When the cooking cycle completes, allow for a full natural pressure release (around 15 minutes).

    scrambling eggs in the middle of fried rice in instant pot

    4. Scramble eggs- When the pin drops, open the Instant Pot and select 'sauté' again. Make a space in the middle of the pot, really press the rice against the walls as much as you can. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to the pot, then add 4 beaten eggs. Cook, scrambling with a spatula, until eggs are fully set and scrambled. They may stick to the bottom of the pot a bit so keep scraping and stirring.

    overhead view of fried rice topped with peas and chicken in instant pot

    5. Chicken, peas, soy sauce- When eggs are set, stir them into the rice, then add in the chicken, peas and soy sauce. Mix to combine, and remove the stainless steel insert from the Instant Pot (using oven mitts) so it doesn't burn.

    fried rice in instant pot with wooden spoon

    5. Garnish- top with sesame seeds and/or green onions and enjoy!


    FAQ

    Why don't we use the 'rice' setting on the Instant Pot?

    In side by side experiments, I found that rice cooked on high pressure was fluffier and had a better texture than rice cooked on the 'rice' setting. This recipe has only been tested on high pressure, so I don't know how it would turn out cooked on the rice setting (drop us a comment if you try it!).

    What is the water: rice ratio in the Instant Pot?

    When cooking rice on the stove, we use a 2 cup water: 1 cup rice ratio, however the Instant Pot is a closed environment and very little liquid escapes during cooking. Therefore we use a 1 ¼ cup water: 2 cup rice ratio.

    Can I swap the type of rice?

    You can, however your carrots will be complete mush if you swap for brown rice or a wild rice blend and you may want to stick with vegetables you can add in after cooking.

    If you do decide to swap for brown rice, use a 22 minute high pressure cook cycle, and for a brown basmati/wild rice blend, use 28 minutes. Do a full natural pressure release for both.

    fried rice in blue bowl close up shot

    Storage & meal prep

    Fried rice works great for meal prep, and this recipe can be stored in the fridge or freezer. Consider doubling up the recipe and portioning it out!

    1. Portion out into meal prep containers and allow to cool *get into the fridge within 2 hours*
    2. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
    3. Thaw in the fridge overnight (if necessary).
    4. Heat in the microwave until steaming hot, and enjoy!

    Find my favorite meal prep containers here!

    Variations

    • vegetarian- omit the chicken; you can increase the number of eggs for added protein if you'd like (but should scramble them in a separate pan because they won't fit in the Instant Pot).
    • vegan- omit the chicken and try adding scrambled tofu for a protein source
    • tofu- add crispy baked tofu or scrambled tofu (cook separately)
    • shrimp- cook the shrimp in some sesame oil before cooking the eggs; add them back in when you add the eggs back in.
    • mushroom- sautée sliced button or cremini mushrooms with the onions & carrots
    • Vietnamese- swap the soy sauce for a mixture of fish sauce, rice vinegar and sugar to make it Vietnamese-style

    More Instant Pot Meals

    • Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
    • Incredible Instant Pot Lentil Soup
    • Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili
    • Instant Pot Soy Ginger Chicken
    • Thick & Beefy Instant Pot Chili
    • Instant Pot Chipotle Lime Chicken
    • PERFECT Instant Pot Baked Potatoes- all sizes!

    ☆ Did you make this recipe? I'd love to hear how it turned out! Leave me a review and star rating in the comments below. Your reviews help so much!

    fried rice in instant pot with wooden spoon
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    Instant Pot Fried Rice (quick + easy!)

    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Calories: 428kcal
    Author: Denise Bustard
    Servings: 4
    Cook up a batch of Instant Pot fried rice for a quick, easy, and flavorful dinner! With soft scrambled eggs, sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce and chicken it's a crowd pleaser.

    Equipment

    • 6 Quart Instant Pot
    • 8 Quart Instant Pot
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Time to pressurize + natural pressure release20 mins
    Total Time45 mins

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons sesame oil divided
    • 1 onion diced
    • 4 cloves garlic minced
    • 3 carrots finely chopped
    • 1 cup long grain white rice rinsed; see note 1
    • 1 ¼ cups stock chicken or vegetable; water can also be used
    • 4 eggs beaten
    • 2 cups chicken cooked, cooled & cubed; see note 2
    • 1 cup frozen peas
    • ¼ cup soy sauce see note 3

    Instructions

    • Sauté onion + garlic- Select the 'sauté' function of your Instant Pot. Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil to the stainless steel insert, and add the onion. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent. Make a space in the middle of the pan and add the garlic. Let it cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn.
      sautéing onions and garlic in instant pot
    • Other ingredients- Add the stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to get anything stuck off of it. Add the carrots, rice and salt. Mix it up and make sure everything is covered with the cooking liquid.
      carrots, onions and rice (uncooked) in instant pot
    • Pressure cook- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to the 'sealing' position. Cancel the 'sauté' function and set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. When the cooking cycle completes, allow for a full natural pressure release (around 15 minutes).
      instant pot with 3 minutes on the timer
    • Scramble eggs- When the pin drops, open the Instant Pot and select 'sauté' again. Make a space in the middle of the pot, really press the rice against the walls as much as you can. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to the pot, then add 4 beaten eggs. Cook, scrambling with a spatula, until eggs are fully set and scrambled. They may stick to the bottom of the pot a bit so keep scraping and stirring. Do not stir right into the rice until eggs are fully set.
      scrambling eggs in the middle of fried rice in instant pot
    • Chicken, peas, soy sauce- When eggs are set, stir them into the rice, then add in the chicken, peas and soy sauce. Mix to combine, and remove the stainless steel insert from the Instant Pot so it doesn't burn.
      overhead view of fried rice topped with peas and chicken in instant pot
    • Garnish- top with sesame seeds and/or green onions and enjoy!
      overhead view chicken fried rice in blue bowl

    Notes

    1- this recipe was tested with basmati rice but should work fine with any long grain white rice. If you swap for long grain brown rice, adjust cook time to 22 minutes with natural pressure release. For brown basmati wild rice blend, use 28 minutes with natural pressure release.
    2- you can omit the chicken, or swap it for cooked shrimp, pork, or crispy tofu.
    3- if using reduced sodium soy sauce, I suggest adding ¼ teaspoon extra salt.
    Storage
    Cool, and portion out into meal prep containers. Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
    Reheating
    Heat in a frying pan over medium heat, or in the microwave until steaming hot.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.25batch | Calories: 428kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 184mg | Sodium: 1368mg | Potassium: 483mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 8353IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @SweetPeaSaffron or tag #sweetpeasandsaffron

    About Denise Bustard

    Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more. read more

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