Instant Pot Yellow Rice

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Welcome back to another “Recreate the Restaurant Meal” adventure! This week’s challenge is my favorite Chicken Shawarma Plate from Pita Wraps here in Arizona. There are several components to this meal, so I decided to create an Instant Pot Yellow Rice to keep things as simple as possible.

For even more delicious pressure cooker recipes, check out the Instant Pot Recipes page.

It took a couple of tries, but this Instant Pot Yellow Rice is pretty dang close to the original…SCORE!! Tomorrow’s challenge is the Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma and Homemade Pita Bread, wish me luck!!!!!

Did you notice that I said original? I am not calling this authentic yellow rice because there are so many different variations. My goal is to recreate a specific meal from a specific restaurant and I have never been to the Middle East to try out the original.

How to make Instant Pot Yellow Rice:

Start by rinsing your rice with cold water until it runs clear…..

Pour it into the liner of your pressure cooker, then add the chicken stock, bay leaf, and turmeric…..

Stir to make sure the rice is evenly distributed.

Secure the lid and make sure the pressure knob is int the “Sealing” position. Press the “Manual” button and adjust the time to 3 minutes using the + and – buttons…..

When your pressure cooker beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes…..

Remove the lid…..

Add the butter, if using, and fluff the rice with a fork…..

The flavor is very subtle and could be used as a side dish with fish, pork, beef, or lamb.

Recipe Notes:

• The original version has no chunks of garlic or onion, so I did not add any. I did try a batch with garlic and onion powders, but I found the flavors to be distracting…so they had to go.
• To make a vegetarian/vegan Yellow Rice, substitute vegetable stock and use a vegan butter substitute or omit the butter completely.
• I added chopped Italian parsley as a garnish, but adding a 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro or parsley would add another layer of flavor.
• This recipe was made using a 6 quart Instant Pot. {affiliate link} I do not own a 3 qt or 8 qt, therefore I do not know what adjustments need to be made.

If you do not have a pressure cooker:

• Bring chicken stock and turmeric to a boil in a small sauce pan.
• Pour in rice and stir.
• Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Do not stir, do not lift the lid until the 25 minutes are up.
• Remove lid, add the butter, and fluff with a fork.

Additional Rice dishes for you to try:

• Instant Pot Fried Rice – always a favorite!
• Instant Pot Spanish Rice
• Classic Rice Pilaf – Stove top, not Instant Pot

Enjoy!!

Instant Pot Yellow Rice

Instant Pot Yellow Rice is the quintessential side dish for your favorite Mediterranean and Middle Eastern meals. It is easy to prepare, which makes it the perfect side dish on busy nights! 

4.54 from 114 votes

Print Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Keyword: side dish, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean,

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes minutes

Pressure Release: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 8 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 Servings

Calories: 158kcal

Author: Lisa Johnson

1/21x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken stock
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

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Instructions

• Start by rinsing your rice with cold water until it runs clear.
• Pour it into the liner of your pressure cooker, then add the chicken stock, bay leaf, and turmeric. Stir to make sure the rice is evenly distributed.
• Secure the lid and make sure the pressure knob is int the “Sealing” position. Press the “Manual” button and adjust the time to 3 minutes using the + and – buttons.
• When your pressure cooker beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
• Remove the lid, add the butter, if using, and fluff the rice with a fork.

Notes

• The original version has no chunks of garlic or onion, so I did not add any. I did try a batch with garlic and onion powders, but I found the flavors to be distracting…so they had to go.
• To make a vegetarian/vegan Yellow Rice, substitute vegetable stock and use a vegan butter substitute or omit the butter completely.
• I added chopped Italian parsley as a garnish, but adding a 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro or parsley would add another layer of flavor.
• This recipe was made using a 6 quart Instant Pot. {affiliate link} I do not own a 3 qt or 8 qt, therefore I do not know what adjustments need to be made.

Nutrition

Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 116mg | Potassium: 119mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.5mg