Indian Lemon Rice (Instant Pot Recipe)

Indian lemon rice is a beautiful, sunshine-yellow dish with the crunch of roasted peanuts and lentils. This is a simple, one-pot meal ready in 25 minutes in the instant pot. Vegan and gluten-free!

If you like Indian rice dishes, the instant pot is your best friend! I remember the pre-instant pot days when every other day I burnt the pot of rice simmering away on the stovetop. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember to switch it off and cried tears of frustration when I had to clean the black mess at the bottom of the pot.

Now I can relax knowing that once I have added the ingredients and programmed the appliance, it will do its job without me having to babysit it. Honestly, what a relief! This instant pot lemon rice is one of those recipes that came back on the menu after I started using the instant pot. And it comes out PERFECT. EVERY. TIME.

I like it also because I’m a sucker for easy, one-pot recipes. This turmeric and lemon rice recipe is nothing fancy, but it is a light and refreshing, dump-and-go kinda dish for hungry times. Kids love it (it is lunch bag friendly), husband doesn’t mind it (he’s not a raving fan, admittedly). But that’s more to do with how frequently I’ve started making it these days. Lemon rice overdose, I suspect. But all-in-all, it’s a simple rice dish that doesn’t disappoint.

Ingredients in Indian Lemon Rice

• 1 cup white rice
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp chana dal (split chickpea lentils)
• 1 tbsp urad dal (split skinless black gram lentils)
• 1/4 cup peanuts
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 10-12 curry leaves
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1-2 green chillies
• Salt, to taste

Notes

• The chana dal and urad dal (lentils) are optional. If you’re not into Indian cooking and don’t have these lentils, leave them out. The lemon rice won’t suffer too much for lack of them.
• Do not omit the the curry leaves and mustard seeds, however. They give this dish its distinctive flavor. These ingredients are available in any Indian grocery or on Amazon.
• Use just one green chilli if you want less heat.

Which rice should I use to make lemon rice?

For Indian recipes, I always use white Basmati rice. It is an aromatic long-grain and non-sticky variety of rice that is very commonly used in Indian cooking.

What is the ideal rice to water ratio?

For the instant pot, I keep a tried and tested ratio of one cup rice to one and a quarter cups water. This ratio works every time for me.

How to make instant pot lemon rice 

Preparation (5 minutes)

1. Rinse the rice in a colander until the water runs clear. Drain and soak it in 1.25 cups water.

2. Grate the ginger.

Cooking (20 minutes including pressure build up and release time)

Step 1 – Turn the instant pot to saute and when the display shows HOT, add the oil. Tip in the mustard seeds, peanuts, chana dal and urad dal.

Step 2 – After 30 seconds, add grated ginger, green chillies, curry leaves, turmeric and half cup water. Cook for 2 minutes.

Step 3 – Add the rice and the water in which it was soaked, lemon juice and salt. Mix everything with a spoon and cancel the saute mode.

Step 4 – Close the lid, turn the steam release handle to sealing and press the pressure cooking button. Set the timer to 4 minutes. When the timer beeps, wait for 10 minutes, then release pressure and open the pot. Perfectly steamed lemon rice is ready to be served.

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Indian Lemon Rice (Instant Pot Recipe)

Indian lemon rice is a simple, one-pot meal with the crunch of roasted peanuts and lentils.

• Author: Saima
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4 1x
• Category: Brunch
• Method: Pressure Cooking
• Cuisine: Indian

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 cup white Basmati rice
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp chana dal (split chickpea lentils) – optional
• 1 tbsp urad dal (split skinless black gram lentils) – optional
• 1/4 cup peanuts
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 10–12 curry leaves
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1–2 green chillies
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

Preparation (5 minutes)

1. Rinse the rice in a colander until the water runs clear. Drain and soak it in 1.25 cups water.
2. Grate the ginger.

Cooking (20 minutes including pressure release time)

1. Turn the instant pot to saute and when the display shows HOT, add the oil. Tip in the mustard seeds, peanuts, chana dal and urad dal.
2. After 30 seconds, add grated ginger, green chillies, curry leaves, turmeric and half cup water. Cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the rice and the water in which it was soaked, lemon juice and salt. Mix everything with a spoon and cancel the saute mode.
4. Close the lid, turn the steam release handle to sealing and press the pressure cooking button. Set the timer to 4 minutes. When the timer beeps, wait for 10 minutes, then release pressure and open the pot. Perfectly steamed lemon rice is ready to be served.

Notes

1. All ingredients can be found in Indian grocery stores or Amazon.
2. The lentils are optional. Omit them if you don’t have them.

Nutrition

• Calories: 283.1
• Sugar: 0.7
• Sodium: 599.9
• Fat: 12.3
• Saturated Fat: 1.2
• Unsaturated Fat: 10
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 36.1
• Fiber: 2.4
• Protein: 5.8
• Cholesterol: 0

Keywords: indian lemon rice, instant pot lemon rice, easy rice recipe

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