Instant Pot Congee
Published Feb 24, 2019•Updated Jul 10, 2023
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Instant Pot Congee is cozy, comforting, and incredibly simple to make. The Instant Pot makes this creamy rice porridge fast and entirely hands-off. All you need is three ingredients and about 30 minutes.
Even though congee originates from China, it’s popular all over Asia and was a staple for Frank and I when we lived in Thailand. When I walked to work on warm Bangkok mornings I would pass vendors ladling steaming hot congee into bowls at stalls along the street. It turns fragrant when handfuls of fresh herbs are piled on top. Morning, noon, or night, if I feel a cold coming on, or just something warm and comforting, congee is my go-to. And if you have an Instant Pot, you should keep this simple, budget-friendly recipe in your back pocket too!
What is Congee?
Congee, also called Jook, is rice porridge that is made by simmering a small amount of rice in a large amount of water until the rice breaks down and turns silky and smooth. It is a savory, comforting meal that can be served any time of day and finished with a variety of toppings.
For making congee in the Instant Pot, the ratio should is 1:8 rice to water.
Step-by-Step Instructions: Instant Pot Congee
- Rinse the rice to remove excess starch.
- Pressure cook. Combine rice, water, and salt in the bowl of an Instant Pot / pressure cooker. Add a knob of fresh ginger for fragrant flavor. Close and lock the lid and pressure cook on high for 22 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally. Don’t open it early or starch may clog the valve.
- Serve warm with your favorite toppings
Toppings for Instant Pot Congee
The best part of congee is the toppings! The sky is the limit, but here are some favorites:
- Fresh herbs (cilantro, green onions)
- Roasted peanuts
- Toasted coconut
- Fish sauce or soy sauce
- Sriracha
- Crispy bacon
- Soft or hard boiled eggs
- Crispy fried shallots or garlic
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Shredded chicken or pork
- Sliced chili peppers
How to Make Crispy Fried Shallots for Congee
I love mixing up my congee toppings, but there always has to be something with crunch. Crispy fried shallots have the tiniest bit of natural sweetness and awesome crunch. They’re like tiny little onion rings, and disappear crazy fast.
To make crispy fried shallots:
- Slice the shallots evenly (so they finish cooking at the same time)
- Add the shallots to room temperature oil and bring the heat up slowly
- Fry the shallots slowly, stirring often, until golden brown, ~10 minutes
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shallots to a paper towel-lined plate
- Sprinkle with some salt
- Serve within 2-3 days!
Variations on Instant Pot Congee
- Flavor with chicken – Add skinless chicken drumsticks or thighs to the rice as it cooks. After cooking, shred the chicken back into the congee and discard the bones.
- Flavor with pork – Same as above, but add pork shoulder or ham bones to the rice while it cooks.
- Flavor with mushrooms – Add dried shiitakes to the rice as it cooks.
Make-Ahead Congee
Congee can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove to serve. The congee may thicken as it sits, so stir in some water if needed.
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Instant Pot Congee Recipe
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot / pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked jasmine rice
- 8 cups water
- 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Rinse rice under cool water.
- Combine rice, water, ginger, and salt in the bowl of an Instant Pot / pressure cooker. (Note: If using ginger, add the piece of grated ginger whole so that it will infuse the congee with flavor but can be removed at the end of cooking. If you like a more intense ginger flavor, you can grate the ginger into the congee, but use half as much as listed.)
- Close and lock the lid.
- Set the pressure cook / manual setting on high for 22 minutes.
- Allow the pressure to release naturally. (Note: This is important. Congee is very starchy and, if the pressure is manually released, it may foam and clog the pressure release valve.)
- If you added a whole piece of ginger to the congee, remove and discard the ginger.
- Unlock the lid. Serve congee warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This has to be one of the most spam filled ad redirecting recipe sites I have ever seen. 4 times trying to scroll down and I get redirected to phishing sites and pop up pages. Nice job
Hi there. Please keep in mind that I am a real person who reads and response to every comment on this site. I also put a lot of time, energy, and money into every recipe, including this congee which I tested over and over again to get the texture just right. I share all of these recipes with the world at absolutely no cost to you, but the only way that I make any money is through ads on the site. Please look into installing an ad blocker in your browser if it bothers you to see the ads.
Where oh where has this person been living? Thx for the ad blocker tip. I just went to my app store and downloaded “ad blocker” ap. It works just like chrome without all the ads. Maybe I’ve been the one under the rock. Cause this rocks lol thx for the tip author! I’m frequently online and this helps.so much. Just wish all my passwords and saved bookmarks could pop up but no biggie.
This is a WINNER. I’ve made it several times. It works every time and tastes great. It’s a great base for so many flavours. Sometimes I add Thai flavours with fish sauce and lime, or other times I add Parmesan and seasoning. I’ve also taken to adding a splash of soya milk after cooking. It’s a great way to prepare congee.
Yay!! I’m so glad you’ve liked it. And I LOVE those variations – thanks so much for sharing them!
I have made this recipe COUNTLESS times. It always comes out perfect. We love adding Spam or bacon to it. Sometimes Breakfast sausage. I always make eggs for it ( specific to my family’s liking…. hard fried, medium fried, scrambled and poached) we ALWAYS have lots of green onions on hand, some cheese, coconut aminos and some siracha. I make congee any time I get glutened (I am celiac) and it always helps me heal.
Thanks so much Shauna – that’s wonderful to hear!
Hi. I’m having trouble with epiglottal dysphasia that didn’t improve with speech therapy. As I’m only 40, I’ve been looking for alternatives to staple foods I can’t eat anymore because they get scooped back up by my epiglottis and end up trapped in my vallecula. It’s very unpleasant to eat anything lately, let me tell you!
Rice is an absolute staple for me and my nutrition is seriously suffering without it. But you can’t blend rice when it’s cooked, or you get mochi, which is not ideal for this. So I tried pre-ground cream of rice, but that was like eating coarse sand, even with extra water and overcooking it. So I started looking into porridges and found congee and here I am.
I have a couple of questions, if you don’t mind?
* Not all rice cooks the same. What type of rice is best for this recipe?
* I don’t have to blend at all? It just reduces into a creamy mush all on its own?
* I can still wash the rice like normal?
Thanks!
Hi Saige – I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this, but I’m glad you’re on the track to find some new recipes that will work and still taste delicious. Congee sounds like it might be a great fit, and there are so many ways to give the flavor a boost like using different types of broth, adding ginger or other aromatics. It’s true that not all rice cooks the same, but since you don’t have to worry about overcooking it, almost any white rice should be fine here. BUT, to answer your questions 1) I always use jasmine rice 2) no blending needed – it gets this nice texture just through pressure cooking 3) Yes – wash the rice as you normally would. Enjoy!
Hi,
How can I make congee as I don’t have a pressure cooker.
Hi Naveed – just simmer the rice and water on the stovetop over low-medium heat. You’ll need to add more water whenever the rice looks dry.
How long should you cook for if you double the recipe?
I don’t think you should need to change the cook time at all. Since it’s cooking under pressure – it should work just fine if you double the recipe and keep the cook time the same. Hope that helps!
Holiday greetings!
A question about the fresh ginger… ingredient list says 2″peeled. Do I understand correctly that I simply peel the ginger and put it whole into the IP inner pot with the rice and water, no mincing, no grating. Before serving, I would remove the ginger?
Hi Frankie! Happy holidays to you. I’ll add a note to the recipe to clarify. You are correct though that you just put the whole piece of ginger (peeled) into the congee. Then remove it when it’s done. This gives the congee a subtle ginger flavor and makes it easy to remove the ginger after cooking. If you love ginger, it will definitely work to grate it and add it, but I’d reduce the amount to about 1″.
How long do you Natural Realise for?
Good evening. Am looking for a congee recipe to try in the instant pot. Yours seems very straight forward.
Question: Is there any rinsing of the rice before it gets placed in the instant pot? Thank you for sharing.
Hi Ham – absolutely. I would definitely recommend rinsing the rice before making the congee. I’ll make sure we get a note added to the recipe to remind everyone of that!