Easy Instant Pot Fried rice or quinoa for the win! This naturally gluten-free/grain-fee and vegetarian recipe is tasty and fun – a perfect side or easy lunch the whole family will enjoy.
Mom life.
Being a mom of lots of kiddos, easy lunches are a necessity for me. Though I’d love to serve my family three-course meals all the time, I neither have the time, energy, or funds to make that a sustainable option for us right now.
Truth be told, we eat a lot of one-dish meals that most people would probable consider side dishes. Mashed potatoes, coleslaw in the summer, fried rice, and cornbread can regular be seen on the table for lunch. And not all together, either.
Thankfully, my kids are super un-picky (minus my nerd), and happily devour just about anything I serve them.
Easy Instant Pot Fried Rice… or quinoa.
A while back I posted a photo of my easy Instant Pot fried rice on my Instagram stories and asked if anyone wanted me to post the recipe. Pretty much everyone said yes. (There was one who said no… we’ll give him/her the benefit of the doubt as to why…). So I put a little cooking tutorial for it up in my stories (if you saw it, sorry for how un-awesome it was – haha!).
Of course I forgot some things in that tutorial… Like how you can add in coconut aminos or Bragg’s aminos with the liquid, and that you can also sub quinoa for the rice. I’m blaming all the forgetfulness on my teething 1 year-old. ‘Cause he can’t defend himself. #winningatmomming
Anywho…
Instant Pot for the win.
Though fried rice is usually made in a skillet on the stove with leftover or pre-cooked rice, I don’t always have the time to make that. And I most certainly don’t usually have pre-cooked rice lying around in my fridge. Mostly because, with 8 people, I don’t usually have leftover ANYTHING. But also because if I do happen to have leftover rice, my hubby whisks it off to the blender to make horchata.
Whether you make this with rice or quinoa, the Instant Pot makes it an instant win (sorry for the corniness…). Unlike the stove-top version where you either have to pre-cook everything or muck up your skillet with sticky rice, this version is super simple and you’re left with only one pot (your IP liner) and a bowl/measuring cup to clean.
All the main ingredients – rice/quinoa, carrots, onions, garlic, spices, broth, and aminos – go straight into the Instant Pot. When those are cooked after a few minutes, stir in everything else and you’re done!
No standing over the stove stir-frying.
More easy meals.
If like this Instant Pot fried rice and you’re looking around for more easy lunches or simple dinners that don’t require tons of time standing in front of the stove (or any weird ingredients), here are a few more of my family’s favorites. They’re all 100% gluten-free, and mostly grain-free, too. I’m sure your family will enjoy them as much as mine does!
- Fluffy Gluten-Free Cornbread
- Grain-Free Scalloped Potatoes
- Garlic Smashed Potatoes in the Instant Pot
- Creamy Potato Salad with Bacon & Chives
- Simple Salad with Leftover Turkey
- Scalloped Zucchini
In the recipe card I’ve linked to some of the products from my affiliate partners that I like to use. Purchasing through these links won’t cost you anything extra. Thanks!
Easy Instant Pot Fried Rice or Quinoa
Free from gluten, dairy, and sugar.
Ingredients
- 3 cups long-grained rice (like jasmine or basmati) or quinoa
- 3 carrots, coined
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 2-3 tablespoons minced garlic
- Himalayan salt & black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ginger
- broth or water
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 4 eggs, whisked
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 green onion, sliced (optional, for garnish)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
Put the rice or quinoa in the Instant Pot (I use the Instant Pot Duo 6 quart 7-in-1) and cover it with water. Just make sure to cover it, no need to measure depth or anything fancy. Add in the veggies, spices and herbs, and aminos. Stir around once or twice to mix a little.
Put on the lid, seal the vent, and set manual for 8 minutes. When it’s done, quick release the pressure.
Pour in half the whisked eggs and gently fold into the rice. Repeat with remaining eggs, then fold in the the peas.
Serve with some sliced green onions and/or sesame seeds, if you like.
This is pretty clever! I think you could probably add other Chinese ingredients like rice wine and a drop of sesame oil. Definitely going to try it! We’re not going out in Florida so I have lots of time to experiment!
Thanks! Those sound like fun ingredients to add, too. 🙂 I hope you enjoy it, Alene!
I don’t have an instant pot can I do stove top?
Yes, definitely! The instructions would stay the same with these notes: you will need 6 cups of water/broth for the recipe. Bring the rice mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover (takes the place of step one in the recipe card above). Let cook covered for 18 minutes. Turn off heat and let set, covered, for about 15 minutes. Add in remaining ingredients and fluff. I hope you enjoy it!