This instant pot cook-up rice recipe takes all of the labor out of the traditional stovetop recipe but keeps all of the flavors. Have this one-pot meal on the dinner table in just 30 minutes!
Guyanese Instant Pot Cook-Up Rice
I love traditional Guyanese cook-up rice. It’s one of my favorite comfort foods. In fact, it is one of the first recipes I shared on Metemgee. However, as a busy mom of three I don’t always have time to make cook-up rice the traditional way, so I’ve created this instant pot recipe.
This definitely isn’t the cook-up rice recipe my parents used when I was growing up in Guyana but I love how convenient it is! My mother-in-law uses a pressure cooker for hers and although it is delicious, I still prefer instant pot cook-up rice over that method too.
- Guyanese Instant Pot Cook-Up Rice
- Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Cook-Up Rice Recipe
- Ingredients for Instant Pot Cook-Up Rice
- How to Make Cook-Up Rice in an Instant Pot
- Step-by-Step Video Tutorial:
- Storage
- Tips for the Best Instant Pot Cook-Up Rice
- Recipe Variations
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Instant Pot Cook-Up Rice
Making cook-up rice in the Instant Pot eliminates the guesswork of cooking time and temperature. It is also quick and easy, especially with tough cuts of meat. There is no burning or sticking. This instant pot cook-up rice recipe is guaranteed to change the way you make cook-up rice!
Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Cook-Up Rice Recipe
- Easy Prep: If you’re looking for a satisfying meal that is also super convenient, this is it! You gradually add the ingredients and then let the instant pot handle it. It’s a great way to take a hands-off approach to cooking.
- Comfort Food: This is a hearty meal that includes meat, veggies, rice, and plenty of rich flavor. Cozy up with a bowl and enjoy it as leftovers because its even better the next day!
- Versatile: There’s no set list of recipe ingredients so use whatever meat, beans, and spices you’d like.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Cook-Up Rice
Everything is added to the pot and cooked within 30 minutes.
- Rice: I use Jasmine rice. Remember to rinse it before adding it to the instant pot.
- Dried Black-Eyed Peas:
- Beef: I used chuck roast because that’s what I had in my fridge but you can use stew beef instead. Chuck roast is tough so it needs to be tenderized. Use a mallet or knife.
- Carrots: Diced.
- Coconut milk: I make my own coconut milk by blending frozen grated coconut and water and then straining it. Alternatively, use diluted coconut milk.
- Aromatics: I use onion, garlic, and Asian basil (tastes similar to Married Man Poke, a basil variety that is popular in Guyana). I use Asian basil because it is easier to find.
- Green Seasoning: It is a combination of cilantro, thyme, green onions, garlic, and wiri wiri pepper (seeds removed). This is used to season the beef.
- Brown Sugar: This adds depth of flavor.
- Cassareep: This optional ingredient adds color.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Cook-Up Rice in an Instant Pot
Make Green Seasoning Marinade
Make the green seasoning by combing cilantro, thyme, green onions, garlic and wiri wiri pepper (seeds removed) into the base of a food processor or blender cup. Blend until it forms a smooth paste. Then season the beef with green seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper and set it aside.
Carmelize Sugar in Instant Pot
Put the instant pot on sauté and once it’s hot, add oil and then brown sugar. Let the brown sugar cook until it caramelizes and gets to a dark brown color. This may take a while depending on how hot your instant pot gets.
Add Remaining Ingredients
Add chopped onions and cook until onions are soft. Then add the seasoned beef and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes stirring often, allowing the beef to brown on all sides. Once the beef browns add the carrots, black eyed peas, washed rice, and coconut milk.
Then add the remaining salt and pepper, the whole wiri wiri pepper, and the Asian basil.
Pressure Cook on High
Finally put the lid on the instant pot, seal, and pressure cook on high for 25 minutes. When the instant pot has finished cooking, release the steam following the instructions in the instant pot manual. Finally, fluff the rice with a fork and serve warm.
Step-by-Step Video Tutorial:
Storage
Leftover cook-up rice tastes even better the next day! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat it, place it in the microwave.
Tips for the Best Instant Pot Cook-Up Rice
- Do not cut the carrots too small. The instant pot cooks at high pressure so it can disintegrate if it’s too tiny.
- Cut the meat into even pieces so it cooks at an even rate.
- The order that you add the ingredients (onions, beef, and carrots) to the instant pot does not matter. Everything will get cooked!
- Continuously stir the beef as it browns in order to avoid burning the mat.
- If you are using canned coconut milk, dilute it. Otherwise, it will be too fatty and the flavor will overpower the cook-up rice.
- Remember to remove the basil and wiri wiri pepper before serving.
- You may also use cook-up rice seasoning! I love the flavor cook-up rice seasoning adds without having to buy a lot of different spices. Add 1 tablespoon of this instead of salt and other spices to your meat and then another tablespoon to your instant pot when making your cook-up and it is like magic. Perfect flavor profile every time.
- If you don’t already have an instant pot and want to get one, check out my affiliate link here. Seriously though if you don’t have an instant pot what are you waiting for?
Recipe Variations
- Beans: You don’t have to use black-eyed peas; use whichever bean you prefer.
- Meat: Don’t want beef? Try it with lamb or goat instead or even chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
This Carribean dish is referred to as “cook-up” because the concept of the recipe is to throw together ingredients to make an easy meal or to cook-up a meal! That’s why the ingredients (rice, meat, and spices) are all interchangeable.
Yes. It is preferable to soak the peas first. This helps the peas to cook faster and aids in digestion.
The instant pot is a type of pressure cooker. It has all the capabilities of a pressure cooker with the added advantage of other cooking modes including slow cook, bake, steam, and roast. Instant pots are also safer to use.
Instant Pot Cook-Up Rice
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Coconut oil or other oil suitable for cooking
- 1 1/2 lbs Ribeye cut into 1 inch cubes Can also use stew beef meat or chuck roast
- 1 1/2 cups dried black eye peas soaked over night and rinsed
- 1 large carrot diced
- 2 cups washed jasmine rice
- 4 cups freshly made coconut milk or 1 cup of canned full fat coconut milk plus 3 cups of water
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 Thai Basil Leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar can sub for coconut aminos
- 3 whole wiri wiri pepper or 1 scotch bonnet pepper
Green Seasoning (4 tbsp)
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves removed from stems
- 4 scallions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 wiri wiri pepper seeds removed
- 1/4 cup Marrid man poke leaves (Thai Basil) or 1/2 cup Italian basil
Instructions
- Make the green seasoning by combining cilantro, thyme, green onions, garlic, marrid man poke and wiri wiri pepper (seeds removed) into the base of a food processor or blender cup. Blend until it forms a smooth paste. Then set aside.
- Season beef with green seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper and set aside.
- Put Instant pot on Sauté. When hot add oil and then brown sugar to the bowl.
- Let brown sugar cook until it caramelizes and gets to a dark brown color. This may take a while depending on how hot your instant pot gets.
- Add chopped onions and cook until onions are soft.
- Next add the seasoned beef and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes stirring often allowing beef to brown on all sides.
- Once the beef browns add the carrots, black eyed peas, washed rice and coconut milk.
- Then add the remaining salt and pepper, the whole wiri wiri pepper and the Thai basil.
- Finally put the lid on the instant pot, seal and pressure cook on high for 25 minutes.
- When the instant pot has finished cooking, release the steam following the instructions in the Instant pot manual.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
The information listed in the recipe card is an estimate provided by an online nutrition tool. The tool evaluates ingredient names and amounts then makes calculations based on the number of servings listed for the recipe. It is provided as a general guideline and not as a precise calculation. For precise nutrition information please feel free to add the ingredients to your preferred nutrition calculator or consult a doctor or licensed nutritionist.
Jasmine Says
did not turn out. I followed the measurements, but I found it came out way too mushy. Is it possible I need to reduce the amount of water? I used 3 cups plus 1 cup coconut water.
Althea Brown Says
What kind of rice did you use? Some rice brands need less water. Check on the package for the rice for the instructions on how much water to rice you need and then I would reduce the amount of liquid. So sorry that it didn’t work. Hope you give it another try.
Mandy S Says
Love this recipe! Would the cook time be the same if we didn’t use meat and wanted to make it a vegetarian cookup?
Tellinore Says
Can you use canned black eye? I can’t find dry peas anywhere. Also can I sub chicken for beef? Is it the same cook time?
Fazana Says
My first time making this and it was a big hit. Thanks for your wonderful recipe ????. I used the fresh coconut milk????
Althea Brown Says
Thank you for sharing
Candace Witherspoon Says
Mine started to burn minutes into cooking.
Althea Brown Says
After you sealed it up?
Tracy Says
Yeah, definitely not a fail proof recipe. Coconut milk is too thick to be the sole source of liquid. My pot couldnt even come to pressure. Opened it, everything was starting to stick. No doubt if it had come to pressure I would have gotten the burn notice as well.
A lot of recipes for the instant pot that call for thicker liquids, like cream etc, call for it to be put in at the end of cooking.
Tracy Says
Sorry to report, my pot never came to pressure and while waiting I got the burn notice as well. Opened it up, rice was fully cooked and all mush, meat didn’t get soft, peas and carrots still hard. I spent about 20 min trying to get the pot to pressure. Had to throw it all out. Wasted. So sad.
Althea Brown Says
I’m sorry that it didn’t work for you. The coconut milk used in this recipe is fresh coconut milk not the thick canned variety. It’s explained in the video but I can see I didn’t break it down in the written recipe. Sorry about that. Take a look at the video and see that the liquid is not thick. I’ve made this countless times but I assume people will look at the video and read the post before jumping to the recipe. That’s my mistake. I’ll make the corrections on the written recipe.
Ralph Rajaballey Says
I have made the following adjustments coming from a stove top pressure cooker. i.e. layering.
Brown meat in a skillet.
Add to cold insta pot.
Add liquid and other ingredients except for rice.
Add black eye peas spreading evenly over top.
Add rice at the end spreading evenly over top. ( I also add spinach after that to mine). DO NOT STIR IN beans and rice.
Proceed as normal. The key is to have the liquid at the bottom so it does not burn.
One it is done. Stir every thing together to mix.