Make light, fluffy Ninja Foodi rice in mere minutes! This quick and easy recipe will be a staple in your kitchen as a side for all sorts of homemade meals.
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Ninja Foodi rice is one of my favorite side dishes. Good, fluffy rice is so satisfying, and it is also uber flexible. From plain white rice as a side dish, to tasty filler in stuffed peppers, to a delicious and filling base for stir fry, rice in the Ninja Foodi can be stretched, shaped, and flavored into so many filling dishes.
Cooking rice in the Ninja Foodi is so easy, and it makes the perfect rice every time. I love that my Ninja Foodi has both pressure cooking and air fry features! One less appliance on my countertop is always a win!
I used the Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 QT Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer for this recipe. I find this to be a great size for my family of four!
How to Cook Rice in the Ninja Foodi
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
STEP ONE: Add 3 cups of rice to the Ninja Foodi pot.
STEP TWO: Add 3 cups of water to the pot and salt if using. Room temperature or cold water will work.
STEP THREE: Secure the pressure cooker lid on the Ninja Foodi. Make sure the valve is set to “Seal.”
STEP FOUR: Cook on “Pressure” for 4 minutes.
STEP FIVE: Once the cooking time is complete, allow the Ninja Foodi to do a natural pressure release for ten minutes.
STEP SIX: Carefully move the steam valve to “Vent” to release any remaining steam. Remove the lid, then fluff the rice with a fork or spatula before serving.
What to Serve With Ninja Foodi Rice
- Air Fryer Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Air Fryer Pork Loin
- Instant Pot French Onion Chicken
- Air Fryer Breaded Pork Chop
- Shrimp Scampi Recipe Without Wine
- Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
Variations for Ninja Foodi Rice
- Add extra flavor. Exchange the water for chicken broth or vegetable broth.
- Include herbs. After it is cooked and vented, fluff rice with fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro.
- Rinse rice for extra fluffy results. Cover the grains in cool water, swish, and drain. Repeat until the water runs clear before cooking rice in the Ninja Foodi.
- Prefer sticky rice? To get homemade steamed rice like the kind served in Asian restaurants, use jasmine rice and forgo rinsing the rice before cooking. This electric pressure cooker rice will most closely resemble the steamed rice served in restaurants.
More Rice Recipes
How Long to Cook Rice in the Ninja Foodi
You will only cook your Ninja Foodi rice for 4 minutes. But it is important that you allow it to naturally release the steam for 10 minutes.
It is this steam release that allows the rice to fully cook — still much faster than the cooking chart on your rice package suggests! And the steam gives the rice that delicious restaurant-quality texture.
How to Cook Brown Rice in the Ninja Foodi
Ninja Foodi brown rice is just as easy to pressure cook as white rice. Use your package as a guide, but most variations of brown rice still require a 1:1 rice-to-liquid cooking ratio.
I cook my brown rice for 20 minutes on high pressure and allow the Ninja Foodi to naturally release completely.
Tips for Making the Best Ninja Foodi Rice
- Make sure all of the rice is covered with water prior to cooking. Rice that sticks out of the water will NOT cook.
- White rice, brown rice, jasmine rice, wild rice, basmati rice — all require different ratios of liquid to rice and potentially different cook times. Pay attention to the rice to water ratio on your package of rice.
- Add salt to the rice before cooking in your Ninja rice cooker.
- Measure your rice with a dry measuring cup and your water with a liquid measuring cup for best results.
- As soon as the rice is done cooking, transfer it to a serving dish to avoid any rice sticking to the pot.
How to Store and Reheat Rice
You should absolutely make extra rice when you use the Ninja rice cooker. It is easy to make, stores great in an airtight container, and is super easy to work into meals later in the week.
Reheat Ninja Foodi rice in the microwave — just make sure you have a microwave safe container. You can even freeze cooked rice for quick meals later!
More Ninja Foodi Recipes:
- Ninja Foodi Mac and Cheese
- Ninja Foodi Beef Stew
- Ninja Foodi Chicken Wings
- Ninja Foodi Baked Potatoes
- Ninja Foodi Mashed Potatoes
- Ninja Foodi Hard Boiled Eggs
Ninja Foodi Rice
Ingredients
- 3 cups white jasmine rice
- 3 cups water
Optional
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place 3 cups of rice into the Ninja Foodi pot.
- Add 3 cups of water and salt if using, then lightly press down the rice to make sure it is all covered with water. Do not stir. Uncovered rice will NOT cook.
- Place the pressure cook lid on securely and set the valve to seal.
- Pressure cooker for 4 minutes.
- Let natural release for 10 minutes, then carefully move the valve to ent to make sure all of the steam has been released.
- Remove the lid and fluff rice with a spoon or spatula. Enjoy!
I love how fluffy it comes out!
This is so good to know! Thanks, worked like a charm!
I am surprised by this! Thanks for the new idea.
How did we ever cook before electric pressure cookers? Thanks for the recipe and great tips. Rice is a big part of our menu rotation, so I’m hanging on to this recipe!
We use tons of rice. Thanks so much for this simple recipe and all the tips!
Loved how flavorful and easy to make it is. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe, will surely have this again! Well done!
Where does the salt come into the cooking process
Hi Jon, the salt goes in with the rice and water at the beginning. I find adding it brings a lot more flavor to the rice and we always use it.
I’m assuming put on high pressure?
Yes, high pressure!
can i use chicken broth instead of water?
Hi Sharon, Yes! Chicken broth would work in this recipe.