Making beef plov in an instant pot is so quick and easy and using brown rice is genius. This Instant Pot Rice recipe is a healthier, juicier and flavor packed version of beef plov | natashaskitchen.com

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This Instant Pot Rice recipe is a healthier, juicier and flavor packed rice pilaf called plov. It all comes together in 1 pot (the instant pot!) and you won’t believe how quick and easy this is.

Traditionally, beef plov is made with white rice, but we used a brown rice which was perfect for the instant pot because it doesn’t get mushy while the beef becomes melt-in-your mouth tender. Brown rice is also way healthier and your hungry people may not even realize it is brown rice. It works so well in this recipe!

P.S. We’ve included our Amazon affiliate links below for the tools we used to make this recipe.

Watch How to Make Instant Pot Rice Beef Plov:

My husband gave me this Instant Pot for Christmas and I am already completely smitten with it! If you own an instant pot, chances are you are obsessed with it also. Let me know about your favorite instant pot recipes in a comment below. I’m so excited to put this amazing little pot to work!

Making beef plov in an instant pot is so quick and easy and using brown rice is genius. This Instant Pot Rice recipe is a healthier, juicier and flavor packed version of beef plov.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Rice Beef Plov:

2 1/2 cups short grain brown rice (500 grams), rinsed and drained*
1 lb beef chuck or beef stew meat, cut into 3/4″ pieces
4 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
3 large carrots, thickly julienned
3 cups (720 ml) very warm water
1 Tbsp salt (we used fine sea salt)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 whole head garlic, unpeeled, cut in half crosswise.
1 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley to garnish – optional

*TIPS FOR SUCCESS: We used organic short grain brown rice (I buy the “Lundberg” brand bag sold in Costco). DO NOT USE quick cooking rice, parboiled or white rice – these would all need modifications in timing and water. Use a standard measuring cup or a kitchen scale to measure the rice (not the measuring cup that comes with your instant pot).

Making beef plov in an instant pot is so quick and easy and using brown rice is genius. This Instant Pot Rice recipe is a healthier, juicier and flavor packed version of beef plov.

If you don’t own an instant pot yet, you can still make beef plov on the stovetop with this recipe and check out the creative grain we used in this newer version – wildly delicious!!

⬇Print-Friendly Instant Pot Rice (Beef Plov):

Instant Pot Rice (Beef Plov)

4.86 from 297 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Making beef plov in an instant pot is so quick and easy and using brown rice is genius. This Instant Pot Rice recipe is a healthier, juicier and flavor packed version of beef plov | natashaskitchen.com
Making beef plov in an instant pot is so quick and easy and using brown rice is genius. This Instant Pot Rice recipe is a healthier, juicier and flavor packed version of beef plov.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 8 as a side dish
  • 2 1/2 cups short grain brown rice, 500 grams, rinsed and drained*
  • 1 lb beef chuck or beef stew meat, cut into 3/4" pieces**
  • 4 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 large carrots, thickly julienned
  • 3 cups 720 ml very warm water
  • 1 Tbsp salt, we used fine sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 whole head garlic, unpeeled, cut in half crosswise.

Instructions

  • Rinse and drain rice and set aside. Set Instant pot to sauté on high heat (push sauté twice to switch to high heat) and add 4 Tbsp olive oil. Once oil is hot (but not smoking), add beef in a single layer and sauté until lightly browned (5 min), stirring occasionally.
  • Add 4 Tbsp butter and chopped onion and stir 3 minutes until softened.
  • Add julienned carrots along with all seasonings (1 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp coriander) and sauté 5 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
  • Spread rice evenly over the top (do not stir). Push garlic halves cut-side-down, halfway into the rice. Pour very warm (or hot) water directly over the garlic cloves so you don't disturb the rice. Use the back of a wooden spoon to poke 5-7 holes through the rice to the bottom of the pot (this helps disburse flavor).
  • Cover and cook on high pressure 30 min (I used the "Multigrain" setting). Let instant pot rest and naturally depressurize 10 min before switching to the venting position to release steam. Make sure the steam is fully released and the pressure valve has floated down before opening the pot.
  • Remove garlic and set aside. Stir rice well to combine ingredients. We squeeze the garlic cloves back into the pot because they are melt-in-your mouth delicious.

Notes

*We used organic short grain brown rice (I buy the bag sold in Costco)
**The meat will brown easier if you leave it at room temperature 30 minutes before starting to cook it.

Nutrition Per Serving

502kcal Calories60g Carbs21g Protein19g Fat6g Saturated Fat59mg Cholesterol917mg Sodium417mg Potassium3g Fiber1g Sugar4070IU Vitamin A2.7mg Vitamin C43mg Calcium2.9mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Rice (Beef Plov)
Amount per Serving
Calories
502
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
19
g
29
%
Saturated Fat
 
6
g
38
%
Cholesterol
 
59
mg
20
%
Sodium
 
917
mg
40
%
Potassium
 
417
mg
12
%
Carbohydrates
 
60
g
20
%
Fiber
 
3
g
13
%
Sugar
 
1
g
1
%
Protein
 
21
g
42
%
Vitamin A
 
4070
IU
81
%
Vitamin C
 
2.7
mg
3
%
Calcium
 
43
mg
4
%
Iron
 
2.9
mg
16
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
Keyword: Beef Plov, Instant Pot Rice
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $$
Calories: 502
Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen

This instant pot plov also reheats really well on a skillet the next day so leftovers are a great thing!

Making beef plov in an instant pot is so quick and easy and using brown rice is genius. This Instant Pot Rice recipe is a healthier, juicier and flavor packed version of beef plov.

Have you gotten on the instant pot wagon? It was actually this recipe that made me fall in love with my Instant pot (ahem 2 hours instead of 15 hours? YES!!!).

What is your favorite recipe to cook in the Instant Pot? I am always looking for new ideas. Thanks in advance my friends. I always love hearing from you :).

Making beef plov in an instant pot is so quick and easy and using brown rice is genius. This Instant Pot Rice recipe is a healthier, juicier and flavor packed version of beef plov. | natashaskitchen.com
4.86 from 297 votes (81 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Olga
    March 11, 2022

    Hi Natasha, where do you buy short grain brown rice? I was at Safeway today all they have is long grain. Or one that just says brown rice but it’s clearly also long grain. Would the plov come out mushy with long grain brown rice?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      March 11, 2022

      Hi Olga, our local grocery store carries it. But I’ve also seen it at Winco, Albertsons & Fred Meyer.

      Reply

    • Kristen
      March 16, 2022

      I could only find short white rice so I used that and cooked for 25 min using the pressure function instead of multigrain. Also I only had 2 cups of rice on hand so I used 2 cups of water. It wasn’t mushy, but did seem a tad wet but I think from the oil? It wasn’t soupy. It was good and my picky son had 3 servings. Next time I will try with broth instead of water to see if that boosts the flavor even more.

      Reply

    • Ruth
      March 24, 2022

      I usually make this recipe exactly how it’s written. I didn’t have any short grain rice on hand. I just made it with long grain. Had a fairly similar crunch to it like it would with the short grain rice. Great texture. Not mushy at all. Still delicious!

      Reply

  • Marina
    February 24, 2022

    Hi Natasha
    Thanks for a great recipe!
    Made it today and it came out great. I tried making plov in IP before and it came out mushy, but brown rice is a game changer.

    Reply

  • Overseas
    February 16, 2022

    I made this with jasmine rice and reduced the time to 20, came out well but the meat was dry.
    I’m thinking next time to remove the meat while I sauté the onions and carrots…what do you think?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      February 17, 2022

      Hi, it could be the change in rice. I haven’t tested that through but it would probably be because the white rice absorbed more liquid and got overcooked before the meat could be tender. I always recommend trying a recipe the way it is written for the first time without making substitutions.

      Reply

  • Amanda Becerra
    February 1, 2022

    I was recently in Uzbekistan and was able to purchase Plov spice mix from the outdoor market. I searched high and low for an IP recipe that I thought would work and chose this one. I made some changes and used: 2lbs of chicken thighs, 3 cup Jasmine rice, and added two tablespoons of minced garlic. I used all the same spices listed but added two tablespoons of plov spice mix that I had too. I cooked it for 15minutes with 10min NR. It was a bit mushy for my tastes. So the second time I went with 10minutes with 10min NR and liked the texture much better.

    It was a hit at home and at a family gathering! Everyone kept saying it felt “warm” and a great “comfort food”

    I plan on doing beef plov next! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      February 2, 2022

      That’s great to hear, Amanda. Thank you for sharing some of the changes that you tried, we appreciate it!

      Reply

  • Olga
    January 28, 2022

    Hi Natasha,

    What would be another rice that I can use instead of brown rice when making this recipe? Thanks so much 😊

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 28, 2022

      Hi Olga, you can try other rice, but you will need to adjust to water and time. For example – Jasmine rice will get overcooked in this amount of time, you may try to make that less time, but I haven’t experimented to advise.

      Reply

  • Laura
    January 24, 2022

    Absolutely love this recipe! Thank you for all those delicious recipes that are practical and easy to understand. I have a quick question- is there a way to search within the comments for specific words? So that I don’t have to scroll though tons of comments to find a similar question about the recipe. Thank you

    Reply

    • Natasha's Kitchen
      January 24, 2022

      You’re most welcome, Laura. I’m happy too, that you’re enjoying them! When you are at the page of the recipe you may click Cntrl F on your laptop and type the word to search. If you’re on a mobile device it depends as every brand has different keys.

      Reply

  • JORDAN ROBERT EISENMAN
    January 22, 2022

    This is a great recipe I made it and the moment of truth is seconds were in order. Natasha your recipes are golden!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 22, 2022

      Aww, thank you, Jordan! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

  • JORDAN ROBERT EISENMAN
    January 21, 2022

    Natasha years ago a coworker every day brought in a dish that had its origins in Uzbekistan and I loved it and traded him food that my wife made from El Salvador! This recipe was completely and totally amazing and you for what I would say scored 10 stars! Cannot wait to make the ribs in the instapot!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 21, 2022

      That’s amazing! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Jordan!

      Reply

  • Tricia
    January 15, 2022

    This has become a weeknight family favorite! The chicken and rice is also good. We substitute beef or chicken stock for water and always a heaping tablespoon of Better then Bouillion.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 15, 2022

      That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite! That’s so great, Tricia!

      Reply

  • George
    January 7, 2022

    1-7-2022

    This is only the 2nd recipe I have made as a beginner user of an Instant Pot.
    I made this for the first time last night. It may be that the recipe turned out exactly as it should– it looks nearly identical to your photos. But if this is how it should turn out, my tastes are a little different and I would be grateful for advice on how to modify the recipe without wrecking it:
    1. Finished product seems distinctly greasy, as if I could reduce the quantity of butter and oil by half with improvement. Or would you suggest a smaller reduction?
    2. The ratio of rice to everything else seems excessive– if I wanted to reduce the proportion of rice, how much should I reduce the quantity of water added (in the recipe as it stands now that’s 3 cups of water).

    3. I know that pilaf is supposed to produce a soft and somewhat sticky rice– this seems too soft and too sticky, nearly mushy. If one wants to reduce this quality, does that call for a shorter time pressure cooking, or less water, or what would you suggest?

    Thanks so much. I very much want this recipe to succeed.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 8, 2022

      Hi George, Plov traditionally has a fair amount of oil (our recipe has less than many traditional recipes). Also, it can depend on how much fat content the meat has that you are using. You can try less water or rinsing the rice to avoid stickiness, but this recipe should make more sticky and creamy rice. I hope you love this recipe!

      Reply

    • Tricia
      April 9, 2022

      We actually use sirloin in this recipe which reduces the grease.

      Reply

  • Jim
    January 5, 2022

    I never looked at the grain of rice before, but I noticed it calls for short grain brown rice. I went to the store this morning and couldn’t find anything packaged as short grain. I ended up getting Mahatma Brown Rice, which looks like it might be long rain (says Google). I am going to try this recipe tonight and see how it goes (we’re not super fussy). If you see this in time, do you recommend any changes to the recipe?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      January 5, 2022

      Hi Jim, I haven’t tested with long grain brown rice, but they should be fairly close. You might cook on high pressure for an extra minute with long grain rice.

      Reply

  • M
    December 31, 2021

    Thanks for this recipe. A friend recommended it and I would like to try it. I have an itty bitty 3 quart instant pot – will the recipe fit or should I 2/3rds it? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 31, 2021

      Hi M, one of our readers stated this recipe fit a 3-quart pot with “no room to spare.” I think 2/3 o4 3/4 of the recipe should work great. If you try it, let us know how it worked out!

      Reply

  • Marina
    December 22, 2021

    Loved this recipe same way I love every other recipe here! It turned out ok but my instant Pot timer never went off. It had On on multigrain for over 30 min and then I just gave up. Tried to see if changing multigrain to pressure cook would change anything and it showed “food burn”. I depressurized it and opened up. It was all cooked. Any tips on how to handle Instant Pot on that setting? What did I do wrong? Thank you!!!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      December 23, 2021

      Hi Marina, I’m not sure why the timer would not go off. Maybe it’s an issue with the instant pot itself? Make sure the venting knob is set to the sealing position so you don’t lose too much steam as it cooks and so it can come to pressure.

      Reply

  • Ruth
    December 14, 2021

    For those who say the rice is a bit under cooked…soak your brown rice for an hour in water, or longer before you start cooking…this usually works.

    Reply

  • Robin
    December 1, 2021

    Natasha, could I use long grain brown rice instead of short grain? Would I change anything if so? I’d love to make this tonight.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      December 1, 2021

      Hi Robin, I haven’t tested with long grain brown rice, but they should be fairly close. You might cook on high pressure for an extra minute with long grain rice.

      Reply

  • Bryan
    November 19, 2021

    My family loves all of your recipes, but this one definitely stands out. It reminds me of my Ukrainian grandma. Thank you!!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 19, 2021

      That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Bryan!

      Reply

  • L2021
    November 8, 2021

    Hi Natasha,
    I made this a handful of times and the flavor of this is amazing. I only have one issue: seems like the rice never cooks all the way. It’s always a little hard. I am using the same brand and type of rice you use, and I followed your directions to the T. I checked multiple times, and I know I followed your directions exactly. What do you think it is? Do you have any tips for me, OTHER than what you already listed in your directions?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 8, 2021

      Hi Lilia, It’s hard to say without being there; when I try this, it cooks through perfectly! I’m curious if elevation or other factors play a role here. If that continues to happen, I recommend adding a minute or two of more pressure cook time. Also, make sure you set it on high.

      Reply

  • Simon B
    October 30, 2021

    Holy moly!!
    I’ve been eating plov in restaurants in Brooklyn for over 10 years. I don’t even know how I discovered it. I love lamb and I love rice. Together is simply heaven. For the last few weeks I’ve been craving plov and since I’m a chef I decided to look up the exact recipe and procedure. I’ve watched every video and read every recipe on the Internet. Then I realized that I need a special pot which I don’t have so I started to research Dutch ovens when I came across your instant pot recipe. I read it and watched your video. Then I realized how much I dislike brown rice. So I read all the comments. Turns out I’m not the only one. I followed your recipe with the recommendation of one of the reviews. It came out more than perfect. Best plov I’ve ever had!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 30, 2021

      I’m so glad you gave my recipe a try, Simon! Thank you for sharing your feedback!

      Reply

  • Emma
    October 25, 2021

    I have a pressure cooker. How long should I cook it? It usually takes 10 mins to preheat to high pressure and then leave it 30 mins?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 26, 2021

      Hi Emma, the Instant Pot is essentially a pressure cooker with a couple of differences, and this should work great in a standard pressure cooker.

      Reply

  • Sheila Russin
    October 25, 2021

    This recipe looks so good. I do not have an instanta pot. Can I use a pressure cooker? 🥰

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 25, 2021

      Hi Sheila, yes, this should work great in a standard pressure cooker.

      Reply

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