I’m excited to share a recipe and tell you about The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot! I was given a free copy to review. All opinions are my own. 

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Kathy Hester has knocked it out of the park with her new book The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot! It has quickly moved to the top of the list of cookbooks I recommend.

Kathy understands that sometimes you need really simple recipes, other times you are missing an ingredient and need to make a substitution, and other days you want to try something new and fancy. This cookbook does it all!

I’ve enjoyed all of the recipes I’ve made so far from The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot!

I’ve taken photos of a few of them and I’m excited to share the Winter One-Pot Lentils and Rice recipe. Unless you are new here, know how much I love lentils! First, I’ll tell you about a few other recipes I made from this book.

Check out this oatmeal cooked in the Instant Pot! Kathy used rolled oats and it turned out perfect!

My very favorite thing in the whole world right now is Kathy’s Vegan Cauliflower Queso. I can’t share those recipes but they are worth the price of the book alone! Truly, after tasting the queso you would gladly buy the book. It’s really that good!

Before I get ahead of myself let me tell you a little more about the book. It has 80 recipes and they are all completely vegan! I know that can be a relief when you are looking for Instant Pot recipes.

Plus, it was written for the Instant Pot so you don’t have to figure out how to make it in your pressure cooker if you are using the Instant Pot too.

Some recipes call for oil OR a dry saute with water or broth to prevent sticking. Often, recipes will let you know when substitutions are permitted. I love making substitutions so I appreciated the guidance, I avoided a trip to the store and had confidence my recipe would work.

Instant Pot Winter One-Pot Lentils and Rice

This recipe says it serves four but we stretched it a bit further.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon water or vegetable broth
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3½ cups water
• 1½ cups brown rice
• 1 cup brown lentils
• 1 cup peeled and diced rutabaga (or turnip or potato)
• 2 inches sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon dried marjoram (or thyme)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. For the sauté, use the sauté setting over normal, or medium heat, and heat the water or broth. Add the onion and sauté until transparent, 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and sauté a minute more.
2. For the pressure cooker, add the water, brown rice, lentils, rutabaga, rosemary and marjoram to the onion mixture and stir to combine. Put the lid on and make sure that the vent is sealed. Cook on manual setting at high pressure and set for 23 minutes.
3. Let the pressure release naturally. Season with salt and pepper before serving and add more marjoram and ground rosemary as needed.

I highly recommend this book. There are so many recipes I can’t wait to try! It’s deeply discounted right now on Amazon so get it before it goes up!

You can also try to win your own copy!

Yield: 4 Servings

Instant Pot Winter One-Pot Lentils and Rice

Print

Winter One-Pot Lentils and Rice is an easy and delicious vegan dish made completely in the Instant Pot.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 23 minutes

Total Time 33 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon water or vegetable broth
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3½ cups water
• 1½ cups brown rice
• 1 cup brown lentils
• 1 cup peeled and diced rutabaga (or turnip or potato)
• 2 inches sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon dried marjoram (or thyme)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. For the saute, use the saute setting over normal, or medium heat, and heat the water or broth. Add the onion and saute until transparent, 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and saute a minute more.
2. For the pressure cooker, add the water, brown rice, lentils, rutabaga, rosemary and marjoram to the onion mixture and stir to combine. Put the lid on and make sure that the vent is sealed. Cook on manual setting at high pressure and set for 23 minutes.
3. Let the pressure release naturally. Season with salt and pepper before serving and add more marjoram and ground rosemary as needed.

Did you make this recipe?

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If you’ve been here for a while you know I’m all about easy recipes. I think this Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice recipe is my new favorite. Why? Because you can cook black beans and brown rice together in the Instant Pot! No soaking or precooking. It turns out great, like magic. 

I’ve always been a fan of quick and easy meals. Years ago, when I was a stay at home mom I would still stick to simple meals. I had my hands full with kids, the house, and everything that comes with that role.

Now I work full time, still have to handle all the “mom stuff” and cooking can easily take a back seat to getting a little down time.

That is one of the main reasons I love my Instant Pot. It makes life easier for me. You may love your slow cooker, I used to use mine a lot more. Which ever you choose, having tools that make life more efficient and that set you up to be successful in your goals is a good investment. By the way, I use the 8 quart Instant Pot! You can see the Instant Pot I have at my Amazon Affiliate link.

Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice

This recipe is pretty simple. I wanted it to be a blank canvas so I could add difference spices and flavors. Before you skip over this no-fuss meal give it a try.

It took a few tries to get the beans and rice ready at the same time but this totally worked for us. If you want something with a slightly more complex flavor try my Instant Pot Mexican Casserole!

Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice

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This super easy recipe feeds a crowd. It's mild flavor is perfect for kids who don't like spicy foods. Feel free to spice it up for adults.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 28 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 3 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced onion
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
• 2 cups brown rice
• 2 cups dry black beans
• 8 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 limes (optional)
• Avocado (optional)
• 4 ounce can of diced green chiles (optional)

Instructions

1. Dump diced onion and garlic into the Instant Pot liner.
2. Add the brown rice and black beans.
3. Pour the water into the pot liner and add the salt. If using, add the diced green chiles.
4. Secure the lid with the vent sealed.
5. Select Manual, using the arrows decrease time to 28 minutes.
6. Once the time is up you can press cancel or unplug the Instant Pot. Allow the pressure to naturally release. (I let it set for 20 minutes before opening the lid.)
7. Scoop into bowls and squeeze a lime wedge over bowl and stir. Then add a few slices of avocado for garnish.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Organic Short Grain Brown Rice
• 
  Instant Pot 

Did you make this recipe?

We'd love to see it! Tag us and use #MyPlantBasedFamily!

This recipe makes a lot of food! I estimate at least 6-8 servings depending on how much you eat.

If you want more flavor, try adding your favorite salsa, this homemade Pico de Gallo, homemade guacamole or your other favorite flavors. I almost always make this with a can of green chili now but when I first started making this I left it plain and would spice it up later.

Find more easy and delicious Vegan Instant Pot recipes on my Instant Pot page!

Frequently Asked Questions about Instant Pot Rice and Beans

Do you presoak your beans before adding the rice?

No, I do not presoak the black beans. They need to cook for about the same amount of time as the brown rice so it works to not presoak them.

Can I use white rice instead of brown rice?

We don’t recommend using white rice. Many readers have reported using long grain white rice but we have not tested it. I expect the rice would be mushy. You could try white rice and use cooked beans but I have not tested to water and spice ratios or the cooking time.

If I halve the recipe, do I change the cooking time.

No, you can cut all the ingredients in half but leave the cooking time the same. The black beans and brown rice still need the same amount of time to cook.

The beans and rice come out bland, how can I spice it up?

This recipe is designed to be a blank canvas. People who avoid spicy foods and high salt content will enjoy it but we recommend spicing it up to your comfort level. We add salsa, more spices like chili power, adobo seasoning, cumin or hot sauce. You can read the comments for more ideas, some people loved it, other didn’t, we hope you enjoy it.