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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!
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).
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)
Ingredients
- 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
**The meat will brown easier if you leave it at room temperature 30 minutes before starting to cook it.
Nutrition Per Serving
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!
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 :).
The Beef Plov was so nourishing that it was hard to stop eating it. But, we did and now we are looking forward to leftovers for tonight, 2 days later!
I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review Carolyn!
I bought my instant pot just to try this recipe!
Right away I put it to the test. Made it for dinner last night. It was delicious!!!
Now, Natasha, I need more instant pot ideas and recipes :).
Thank you for scrumptious food I feed my family!
I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe Olga! There will definitely be more instant pot recipes to come. Thanks for sharing your fantastic review!
I made this tonight and it was delicious and easy to make. I used beef broth instead of the water for added flavor.
Great idea Kim! I’m glad you enjoy the recipe. Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
Thanks for this recipe! I followed exactly as directed, but used 2 lbs of rump roast because it was the smallest package they sold. I didn’t adjust the cooking time and it came out great! This was delicious and my fussy almost-2-year-old would stop after each bite to point at it and say , ‘yuuuummmm’! Thanks so much and thanks for the great, easy-to-follow video!
My pleasure Corrine! I’m glad to hear the recipe was such a success. Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
Good recipe, came out delish. I also added chick peas to it to make it a more authentic Uzbek plov.
Yum, that sounds good Alena! Thanks for sharing your great review!
You have 6 quart one?
Hi Svetlana, yes 6 Qt. I have a link to it in the recipe above 🙂
Plov was a forgiving and delicious recipe. It turned out great with 1 cup of Lundberg black rice and 1 1/2 c water. We loved it.
I’m glad you love the recipe Susan! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Natasha how big is your instant pot? Do you like that size?
I plan to buy it, but not sure about the size.
Hi Svetlana, this is the one I use and it’s ideal for our family of four.
Is this recipe the same for pressure cooker
It was very good, but a little bland. I would definitely add more spices next time. The combination of all the spices is quite tasty!
Hi Nataliya, you can definitely add more spices to taste. This blend and amount of spices worked best for our family (the kids loved it!) and I think more would have been overpowering for them, but you can absolutely spice things up even more 🙂
If I use regular white rice in this recipe do I need to add less water or still I add 3 cups ?
Hi Liliya, white rice is not ideal because it would become overcooked by the time the beef was tender. 30 minutes in the pressure cooker is much beyond the recommending pressure cooking time for white rice which is why brown rice works so well. It cooks perfectly when the meat is tender.
If you’re looking for more of a white rice taste, you could use parboiled rice. I used it in this recipe and it turned out great! It doesn’t get mushy like white rice.
I make a super quick chicken and potatoes in the IP. Cut chicken thighs into whatever size you want and saute on HIGH in IP, it may brown a little and get stuck, so use a wooden spoon to get all the brown pieces off of the bottom of the pot, lay quartered potatoes on top of the chicken and add a couple of tablespoons of prepared ranch dressing and spread the dressing and mix everything together. Cook on POULTRY for about 8 minutes. I do not add extra water because the chicken releases a lot of liquid. You can do quick or natural release. I also make PLOV but with chicken. Basically you follow all the steps above but use the rice function for basmati rice, and use about 1/4 less water than you would have used on the stove.
Sounds delicious Anna, thanks for sharing!
Can I use slow cooker please
Hi Vedrana, the slow cooker would probably require some modifications and much lengthier cooking. I haven’t tested plov in a slow cooker so I can’t provide specific instructions. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. I do have a few stove-top versions as well if you don’t have an instant pot. They are also very good 🙂
I had no time yesterday to say this but this was really good!
My little 5 year old nephew ( Vanya )
Loved it! He took soo much!
Thank you! I am glad to be on your website and share them with my little bibi boys!
You’re welcome Lena! I’m glad to hear the recipe is a hit. Thanks for sharing your wonderful review!
This recipe is fantastic! Soooo delicious, but using brown rice is KEY!
Natashinka, please teach us to make yogurt (from raw milk) and baby back ribs in the instant pot. Please, please, please….with a cherry on top!
Homemade yogurt with homemade jam on top is so nutritious and delicious but it’s such a long process. It would be great to be able to make it in the instant pot.
Hi Tatyana, thank you for the ideas, I will keep those in mind and thank you for trying the recipe 😀.
My favorite recipe is to cook seasoned baby ribs in the IP. I put onions and celery under the trivet, add a cup of water to it, put seasoned ribs on the trivet, manual meat setting for 30 min, and finish roasting ribs in the oven with favorite sauce on top for 10 min. Meat falls apparat, delicious!
Yum, that sounds delish, I’ll definitely keep that recipe in mind! Thanks so much for sharing!
Ive been using instant pot for 3 years and I can tell you this is the best thing I have on my counter top, can’t live without it. Everyone should have one. Natasha I’m following you for a long time and use your recipes a lot. You are the best cook! When I saw you began using IP I got even more excited, now we are going to have even more delicious things to eat!
Sounds like you enjoy your instant pot as much as I do! Thanks for following Maya and sharing your thoughtful comments!
Made this last night – came out quite well, following directions. We thought it was a bit bland, despite whole onion/head of garlic, so next time, I will double the spices. Thanks for sharing
You are welcome and thank you for making the recipe 😀
This recipe looks amazing and I would love to try it, but don’t own an instant pot. Is it possible to cook it on stove top?
Hi Michelle, I would recommend checking out our stovetop plov recipes. We have our classic beef one and another one with buckwheat (my personal favorite).
If I’m doubling the recipe do I need to double the time like instead 30 minutes do 60 min ?
Hi Liliya, I haven’t tried doubling it, but I think it should still work in the same amount of time even if it is doubled since the timer doesn’t start on the pressure cooker until the proper heat and pressure are reached so it should cook in the same amount of time. That is my best guess 🙂 Let me know if you experiment!! If the rice is too firm for you, you can run it for an extra 10 minutes afterwards.
Does the Multigrain setting add a presoak? I adjusted to 30 minutes and it was not coming to pressure. I finally changed my setting to pressure cook and the recipe was awesome, but I am confused about the Multigrain setting…. any advise?
Hi Elizabeth, the multigrain does not add a presoak. It just comes to pressure and then starts the timer as a normal pressure cook setting would from what I understand. Sometimes, if you turn it on and then turn it off and turn it on again (as I have done in the past when testing), it seems to take longer to come to pressure before the timer starts. Not sure why that is.