Instant Pot Turmeric Rice
This Instant Pot Turmeric Rice is buttery, tender, and fragrant! Serve this rice alongside your favorite grilled or roasted meats, or pair with your choice of veggies and proteins to make grain bowls.
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Cooking rice in the Instant Pot is fast, easy, and results in perfectly fluffy rice every time!
The rice recipe I’m sharing with you today is flavored with both cumin and ground turmeric. Turmeric powder infuses rice with a lovely yellow color and delicate flavor.
Instead of water, this recipe calls for chicken bone broth. This is one of my favorite tricks for making rice taste even more flavorful.
Pair this turmeric yellow rice with your favorite roast chicken or grilled kebabs. We typically use it to create Greek chicken bowls, but the buttery, fragrant flavor of the rice goes well with a variety of dishes!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
✔Full of Flavor: Cooking rice in chicken broth gives it so much more flavor than cooking it in water.
✔Quick and Easy: You can have a batch of buttery yellow rice on the table in just 10 minutes!
✔ Versatile: Serve the rice as a side dish or use it as the base for grain bowls, salads, and more.
Tools You’ll Need
You’ll need a few kitchen tools to prepare this recipe. Here’s what I recommend having on hand before getting started:
- Instant Pot — I used a 6-quart Instant Pot; don’t use anything smaller or else the rice won’t have enough room to expand.
- Liquid Measuring Cup — For measuring out the broth.
- Measuring Cups and Spoons — For measuring the dry basmati rice and spices.
- Metal Sieve — The rice must be rinsed thoroughly before being cooked.
- Cutting Board and Knife — For preparing the shallot.
Recipe Ingredients
You need very few ingredients to make ultra tender turmeric powder rice in the Instant Pot! Use this ingredient list to double-check your pantry, fridge, and shopping list before you start cooking!
For the complete ingredient list and step-by-step instructions, be sure to check out the FREE printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Basmati Rice – A fragrant long-grain rice with a subtle nutty, floral aroma. It cooks up light and fluffy, perfect for absorbing flavors.
- Ghee or Clarified Butter – Adds a rich, nutty depth to the dish while helping to bloom the spices for maximum flavor.
- Shallot – Provides a subtle onion flavor without overpowering the dish.
- Garlic – Adds savory depth that enhances the turmeric and cumin.
- Chicken Bone Broth (or make Instant Pot Chicken Stock) – Adds richness and depth while keeping the rice extra tender and flavorful.
- Ground Turmeric – The star ingredient! It gives the rice its golden hue and provides earthy, slightly peppery undertones.
- Ground Cumin – Adds a warm, slightly smoky flavor that complements the turmeric beautifully.
- Salt – Enhances all the other flavors and balances the dish.
- Lemon Juice – A splash of acidity brightens up the flavors and balances the richness of the ghee.
- Chopped Cilantro – A fresh, herby garnish that adds color and a pop of brightness to the finished dish.
How to Make Instant Pot Turmeric Rice
- Set the Instant Pot to the “Saute” function. Melt the ghee or clarified butter, then add the chopped shallot and cook until tender.
- Add the garlic, turmeric, and cumin. Cook just until fragrant.
- Add the rinsed basmati rice, chicken stock, water, lemon juice, and salt.
- Secure the lid, then manually cook the rice on high for 4 minutes.
- Do a slow release. Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the fresh cilantro just before serving.
The above is simply a quick summary of this turmeric rice recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Rice the rice well — Rinsing the rice removes any lingering dust or debris, and it also removes some of the excess starch which makes for fluffier Instant Pot rice.
- Don’t skip the lemon juice — It does NOT make the rice taste lemony; it simply adds a bright flavor that complements the earthy spices.
- Check your spices — Smell the ground turmeric and cumin before adding to the Instant Pot. If you can’t smell the spices or their scent is very faint, they’re likely old and need to be replaced.
- Do NOT quick release the rice — You want to do a natural release once the rice is done cooking. This creates fluffier grains of rice that don’t clump together.
Ways to Serve This Rice
My family loves making Greek chicken bowls with this turmeric yellow rice! The bowls include the following:
- This rice (duh!)
- Greek chicken
- Tomato cucumber onion salad or Greek pico de gallo
- Tzatziki sauce
- Crumbled feta
Really though, you can pair this rice with almost any grilled or roasted protein of choice.
- Chicken: Grilled lemon rosemary chicken, balsamic chicken, bruschetta chicken, Greek chicken thighs.
- Pork: Foil pack pesto pork chops, Greek pork kebabs, smoked pork shoulder.
- Sides: Traeger asparagus, grilled zucchini and squash, grilled baby artichokes
Recipe FAQs
Got questions about how to make this recipe? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.
Can I use another type of rice?
Yes, you can use any type of rice you’d like. Just remember that each type of rice has a different cook time (brown rice takes closer to 20 minutes in an Instant Pot, for example.)
Reference my Instant Pot Rice Recipe to see the different cook times for each kind of rice.
What does turmeric powder do to rice?
Adding turmeric powder to rice not only gives “yellow rice” its signature yellow color, but it also imparts a subtle earthy flavor.
When paired with the chicken bone broth and clarified butter, the resulting turmeric rice tastes much richer and heartier than classic steamed white rice.
Can this recipe be made in advance?
Of course! This rice reheats well in the microwave (add a splash of water, if needed) and is perfect for meal prepping too!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
Let any leftovers cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container. It will last up to 4 days.
I also have a detailed guide on How to Freeze Rice, should you want to extend the shelf life of your Instant Pot turmeric rice even further. If frozen correctly, cooked rice will last up to 2 months.
Try Making Turmeric Rice at Home!
Next time you’re looking for an easy turmeric rice recipe, give this Instant Pot version a try!
Did you love how quick and effortless it was to make in the Instant Pot? Leave a comment and a star rating below—your feedback helps others and makes my day!
On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see a photo of your rice!
More Rice Side Dishes Recipes:
Coconut Rice is a budget-friendly side dish made with just four simple ingredients! Serve it alongside your favorite Asian-, Caribbean-, and Latin American-inspired dishes. If you’re bored of eating plain white rice, make this coconut milk version next time!
Sun-Dried Tomato Rice Pilaf is packed with so much texture and flavor from the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and spinach.
Almond Rice Pilaf is made with fragrant basmati rice, slivered almonds, fresh garlic, and butter.
Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.
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Instant Pot Turmeric Rice
This Instant Pot Turmeric Rice is buttery, tender, and fragrant! Serve this rice alongside your favorite grilled or roasted meats, or pair with your choice of veggies and proteins to make grain bowls.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups rice (we prefer basmati)
- 1 ½ tablespoon ghee or clarified Butter
- ⅓ cup finely diced shallot
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro or parsley, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
Rinsing the Rice
- Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer that has holes small enough that the rice will not fall through. Run the rice under the faucet using cool water to rinse it. Allow the excess water to drain while you proceed with the recipe.
Cooking the Rice
- Heat the ghee or clarified butter in the instant pot insert using the sauté function.
- Add the shallot and saute until it becomes tender and translucent, about 2 minutes..Then, add the minced garlic, turmeric, and cumin, and saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Turn off saute function.
- Transfer the rinsed rice to the instant pot along with the salt, chicken stock, water, and lemon juice, Stir until the ingredients are combined.
- Lock the lid in place, and cook over high pressure for 4 minutes. Slow release the pressure from the Instant Pot. After all the pressure has naturally released, open the lid, tilting it away from you to block any escaping steam.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the chopped cilantro or parsley. Serve.
Notes
Ghee: I purchase ghee at costco, but you can also find it on Amazon. Or, you can make clarified butter yourself.
Chicken Bone Broth: I buy mine at Costco, but use your favorite chicken broth or make it yourself.
Lemon Juice: Doesn’t make the rice lemony! It adds just a touch of brightness along with the earthy flavor of the spices.
Note that fluffing the cooked rice with a fork keeps it lighter and doesn’t mush the grains together.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 123Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 325mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy. This provided information is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
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