Tikka Masala Rice (Instant Pot Recipe)
Tikka masala rice is an easy Instant Pot recipe that yields aromatic, bold rice any fan of the classic Indian dish. The pressure cooker gives you perfectly cooked, creamy rice laced with all the mouthwatering fragrant spices you love.
Our family loves to get Indian takeout.
The food is so full of fragrant aromas and flavors that we just absolutely crave it.
I’ve learned how to make tasty versions of our favorites right at home including this tikka masala rice.
It’s so good and so easy thanks to the Instant Pot!
What is tikka masala rice?
Tikka masala rice is a popular dish that combines all the flavors rich, earthy, aromatic creaminess of chicken tikka masala with rich, creamy rice.
Our Instant Pot tikka masala rice gives you perfect results each and every time with hardly any work.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Rice– Basmati rice. Soak it first for 15 minutes, then drain it and rinse it.
- Olive oil– To saute the aromatics in
- Onion– A peeled, finely diced yellow onion.
- Garlic paste– You can find this in the produce department near the fresh herbs and ginger paste.
- Ginger paste– You can find this in the same area of the produce department that you find the garlic paste.
- Spices– Coriander powder, smoked paprika, salt, garam masala, ground cumin, turmeric, cardamom, and cayenne pepper
- Tomato sauce– Plain
- Coconut milk– Full fat
- Water
- Cilantro– For garnish
How to Make Tikka Masala Rice in the Instant Pot
The Instant Pot makes this tikka masala rice a breeze!
Just heat the oil in the liner of your Instant Pot on ‘saute’ mode.
Once the oil’s hot, saute the onions in the hot oil, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes until they’ve softened and just began to brown.
Hit cancel’
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and then stir in the seasonings, tomato sauce, and coconut milk into the pot.
Then add the rice to the pot followed by the water.
Stir well to evenly combine everything.
Secure the lid onto the pot and set the vent valve to the ‘sealed’ position.
Cook the rice for 6 minutes at HIGH pressure.
After the Pot beeps, let the rice naturally release for 10 minutes.
Once ten minutes is up, carefully open the vent valve to release any remaining hot steam.
Open the Pot carefully to fluff the hot rice.
Serve with some chopped cilantro for garnish and enjoy.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
Reheat the leftover rice in the microwave until warm.
Is tikka masala rice spicy?
This rice is bold, fragrant, and earthy but not hot and spicy.
If you are sensitive to spicy food, you could omit the cayenne pepper.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure you stir the onions frequently when you saute them so they don’t stick to the bottom. If the onions stick, you may end up getting the burn notice when you pressure cook the rice.
- Don’t skip soaking the rice. It will give you a fluffier end result.
- Make sure you let the rice naturally release for the full ten minutes or the rice won’t be fully cooked.
Other Easy Indian Recipes
Instant Pot tikka masala rice is a yummy, easy way to enjoy the flavors of your favorites at home.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other easy non traditional Indian recipes?
Try these:
If you’ve tried this TIKKA MASALA RICE, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Tikka Masala Rice (Instant Pot Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups basmati rice soaked for 15 minutes, then drained, and rinsed
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion peeled and finely diced
- 5 tsp garlic paste
- 2 tsp ginger paste
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- 1 cup tomato sauce plain
- 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Add the liner to the bowl of your Instant Pot, then hit the 'saute' button and add the oil. Once the oil's hot add the onions to the pot and saute, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes until they've softened and just began to brown.3 tbsp olive oil, 1 yellow onion
- Stir in the garlic and ginger paste, then add the seasonings to the pot. Give everything a good stir to make sure it's all evenly combined.5 tsp garlic paste, 2 tsp ginger paste, 2 tsp coriander powder, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- Add the tomato sauce and coconut milk, stirring to evenly combine.1 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
- Add the rice to the pot followed by the water and stir well to evenly combine.1 1/2 cups basmati rice, 1 cup water
- Add the lid to the pot, turn to close, and set the vent valve to the 'sealed' position. Cook for 6 minutes at HIGH pressure.
- Allow the rice to naturally release for 10 minutes, then carefully open the vent valve to release any remaining hot steam.
- Once safe to do so, fluff the hot rice, then serve with some chopped cilantro for garnish and enjoy.cilantro
Notes
- Make sure you stir the onions frequently when you saute them so they don't stick to the bottom. If the onions stick, you may end up getting the burn notice when you pressure cook the rice.
- Don't skip soaking the rice. It will give you a fluffier end result.
- Make sure you let the rice naturally release for the full ten minutes or the rice won't be fully cooked.
Nutrition
