Cooking rice is simple, but you’d be amazed how much can go wrong in cooking a simple cup of rice! How much water do you add? How long do you let it cook? More often than not, the result is either burnt or clumpy unless you have the experience.
Luckily, the Ninja Foodi makes cooking rice a breeze. This machine is an amazing multi-cooker combining air frying, pressure cooking and slow cooking and can single-handedly handle the cooking tasks that earlier required an array of utensils—hello, spacious countertop!
If you’ve just brought home a Ninja Foodi, cooking rice with it is an excellent starting point. Here’s how to cook the perfect plate of rice with a Ninja Foodi!
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What Rice Can You Cook With Ninja Foodi?
You can use white and brown rice in the Ninja Foodi, in addition to a range of rice varieties, from wild rice to the more luxurious Arborio.
Ninja Foodi units come with a manual that tells you how much water you should use to cook a cup of each variety and how long you should cook it in the appliance.
When cooking white rice, most folks prefer long-grained white rice, such as basmati or jasmine rice.
The extremely health-conscious go with brown rice, which packs a nutritious punch.
Whatever kind of rice you use, ensure you don’t use instant rice from supermarket shelves.
The cooking time and temperatures listed in most pressure cookers do not apply to instant rice or microwave rice, so always use rice you need to boil.
Should You Wash Rice Before Cooking It?
Rinsing your rice before cooking it will get rid of any excess starch. Getting rid of starch will give you a fluffier result, as starch can gelatinize and cause rice grains to clump together.
You can either wash the rice directly in the sink with a sieve or a strainer (provided the sieve is fine enough to prevent the rice from falling through) or use a pot to wash the rice.
In both methods, you’re looking for the water to drain clear, which indicates that all the starch is gone.
Alternatively, soak the rice in cold water for 30-40 minutes. Starch from the rice is released into the water during this period. Later, drain the rice, give it one final rinse for good measure if needed, and cook it.
However, if you’re pre-soaking the rice, reduce the water used in the cooking process since the rice will have already absorbed some water while soaking.
Cooking White Rice With The Ninja Foodi
Cooking white rice with the Ninja Foodi is a failsafe—you get perfectly fluffy rice. Every. Single. Time!
No more burnt or overcooked rice, and to make things easier, you’re not left with a ton of difficult washing up to do after your cooking adventures—you need no accessories or appliances, other than your Foodi, to cook rice.
The cooking time is also minimal.
Here’s our guide to cooking white rice in the Foodi without further ado.
What You’ll Need
Equipment
- Measuring cups for the rice and water
- A metal strainer to rinse your rice
- A spatula for stirring and serving
- A spoon or fork for fluffing the rice
- Your Ninja Foodi, of course!
Ingredients
Mandatory Ingredients:
- A cup of washed white rice (around 200 grams)
- Salt to taste (though a quarter teaspoon is somewhat the standard)
- A cup or a cup and a quarter of water (around 250-300 millilitres)—the amount of water depends on how al dente or soft/gluggy you want your rice
Optional Ingredients:
- A quarter teaspoon of pepper
- A three-fourth tablespoon of salted butter
- Herbs, such as parsley or coriander
The great thing about rice is that it’s so flexible and versatile, so you can use various ingredients to flavour and cook it.
You can also substitute water with broth, but make sure you balance the salt content of the rice in this case (most store-bought broths have salt already).
Cooking The Rice
- Put the washed rice into your Ninja Foodi.
- Pour the broth or water while also adding any seasonings (including salt), herbs, and butter, if included, to the mix.
- Secure the Foodi’s pressure lid (the one unattached to the base); a clicking sound will tell you it’s in place.
- Turn the valve to seal the lid in place.
- Select the “Pressure Cook” mode on the Foodi and turn the setting to “High”.
- Set the cooking time to two minutes.
- Once cooked, your Foodi will beep to let you know that the rice has cooked. Post this, a new timer will start for the natural release of steam from the Foodi.
Let the steam naturally release from the Foodi for ten minutes (this is a highly important step, as the pressure inside may cause an explosion of rice and liquid if you try to remove the lid without releasing the pressure first). - After this, turn the pressure release valve to expel any remaining pressure.
- Once done, open the cooker’s lid and fluff up your rice with a spoon or fork. Then, use the spatula to give it a gentle stir (you don’t want the rice to break or clump together), and serve hot!
If the rice isn’t cooked enough for your taste, pop the lid back on and let the residual steam continue to cook the rice—you don’t need to turn on the Foodi again.
If it’s cooked enough, transfer the rice to a serving bowl so it doesn’t continue to cook in the residual steam.
Some Tips For The Perfect Rice!
- Always keep an eye on both timers (cooking and steam release).
- After putting the rice, water, and seasonings into your Foodi, stir the mix for even distribution.
- Don’t burn yourself by touching the valve; the steam can burn you. Use a spoon or knife, but don’t place your hand on top!
How To Cook Rice In A Ninja Foodi: The Bottom Line
With the Ninja Foodi, you’ll be whipping up perfect rice plates for every meal, no worries!
If you’d like to use a variety other than white rice, refer to the Foodi chart for cooking time and water requirements, and you’ll be dishing out cooked plates of any rice variety like a pro.
