Perfectly cooked Fragrant Instant pot Spinach Chickpeas rice or palak pulao made in the instant pot. Kid friendly and vegan, this Instant pot rice is perfect with a side of raita and papad
If you own an instant pot then you will know cooking rice is a breeze. I love the fact that I do not have to count the whistles or worry about burnt bottoms. While a rice cooker does a great job of cooking rice too, I love how you can finish the whole cooking with just one instant pot.
Pulao / pilaf / pulav is a common rice dish in most Indian households. It is basically a fragrant rice dish with some veggies and spices. It’s a great way to use up veggies and since they are flavorful you don’t need a whole other curry or side dish to go with it. A raita / yogurt or achaar/ pickle on the side and you are good to go. Most Indian lunchbox recipes will have some sort of pulao in them because they are easy to make, packs well in lunchboxes and get’s done in no time.
This Instant pot Palak pulao or Spinach rice is an incredibly easy recipe. I like to make this often as it’s a great way to include greens in my kid’s diet. I keep it pretty simple most of the time with slight variations in the veggies I might add. The whole recipe can be done in 30 minutes. Now isn’t that perfect for the weekdays when you have so much to do?!
Curries and side dish to go with this Instant pot pulao recipe
Variations to this Instant pot Spinach rice / Palak pulao
- I like to keep it simple with just garam masala and coriander powder for flavoring so the kids don’t bite into the whole spices while eating. But you can add whole spices while tempering to make it more flavorful.
- Also vegetables like carrots, green peas, green beans, potatoes can be added to the pulao to make it more nutritious and healthy. I have just used sweet corn here as that’s what I had in hand
- You can also add vegetable broth/ coconut milk instead of water to cook the rice. Gives it a lot more flavor
Tips to make the best Pulao / rice in the instant pot
- Make sure you wash your rice well before cooking.
- Soak the rice for 15 minutes in water before cooking for best results.
- While measuring the liquid to be added to the rice, take into consideration the liquid in the form of tomato puree/ spinach puree/ yogurt etc that you may have added in the recipe.
- Let the rice rest for 10 to 15 minutes before you fluff and serve them.
- Do not break the rice while stirring to keep the grains long and separate. Stir gently.
Other Instant pot rice recipes you may like
Instant pot Lemon rice with carrots and bellpeppers
Let’s see how to do this Instant pot Spinach rice / Palak pulao
Quick and simple Indian spinach and corn rice with mild spices. Goes well with a side of yogurt and papad or any curry
- 2 cups spinach
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 small piece ginger
- 1 to 2 green chilly / serrano chilly (Substitute with 1/2 tsp chilly powder)
- 1/2 lemon squeezed and juice extracted
- Handful of cilantro leaves (optional)
-
1
cups
White Basmati Rice 
- 1 onion chopped fine
- 1/2 cup sweet corn
- 2 tbsp ghee / avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
-
1
tsp
Kasoori Methi / Dried fenugreek leaves - 1 tsp garam masala
- salt to taste
- 1 cup water
-
Soak the rice in water for 20 minutes
-
Puree the ingredients mentioned to make the spinach puree with very little water and set it aside. Make sure you make a smooth puree. (Don't add a lot of water while grinding. Just 2 to 3 tbsp should be enough to grind the spinach)
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Switch on the saute mode in your instant pot and add the oil/ ghee. When it becomes hot, add the cumin seeds and let it sizzle.
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Now add the chopped onions and saute it for 2 to 3 minutes with a pinch of salt.
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Add the spinach puree, kasuri methi leaves and saute for 2 minutes.
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Switch off the saute mode. Now add the soaked rice, water/ stock, sweet corn, salt, garam masala mix everything and cook on manual / pressure cook mode for 5 minutes.,
-
Release pressure after 10 minutes, Let it rest for 10 minutes, fluff and serve.
You can also cook the rice in vegetable stock/ thin coocnut milk instead of water.
Veggies like carrots, beans, potato, green peas can be added along with corn.
Add more/ less chillies depending on your spice levels
Introducing rice to your baby? If you are making this for a baby. I would cook them a little bit softer by adding extra 1/4 cup water and adding green peas instead of corn so they are easy for them to chew.
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The rice cooker has made its way from the run-down kitchen of a single parent’s home to that of every family in America. While we have all heard of the wonderful time-saving feature this appliance can provide, no one seems to be talking about the fact that it makes cooking rice so easy! With just a few simple steps, anyone can enjoy the same amount of satisfaction that their parents used to get from a traditional stove and a deep pot.