This Instant Pot Broccoli Rice and Cheese Casserole is an easy and popular side dish that goes well with almost anything! It’s so creamy and satisfying, it almost passes for a meal by itself.
Since it already has veggies, grains, and dairy covered, you just need some meat to round out your meal. For a really easy dinner, just add some diced chicken!
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What You’ll Need
This Instant Pot Broccoli Rice and Cheese Casserole has simple, wholesome ingredients.
- Broccoli
- Cheddar cheese
- Long grain rice
- Chicken broth
- Butter
- Onion
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
Equipment
You won’t need anything other than your Instant Pot for this casserole unless you want to transfer it to a serving dish when it’s done.
How to Make Instant Pot Broccoli Rice and Cheese Casserole
This recipe is super duper easy because we’re basically just using our Instant Pot as a rice cooker, a job it does beautifully.
Step 1: Saute garlic and onions
You could skip this step, but if you do, you’ll miss out on some amazing flavors. So, take the extra couple of minutes for it.
Set your Instant Pot to Saute and wait for the display to read “Hot” then add butter, chopped onion and minced garlic.
Saute for two or three minutes, just enough to pull those flavors out and soften up the onions a little.
Step 2: Cook rice
Press “Cancel” and add the rice, chicken broth, and a little salt to the pot.
Secure the lid, make sure the valve is set to sealing and press the “Manual” button. Set the time for 10 minutes for white rice or 25 minutes for brown rice.
When the cook time ends and the alarm beeps, immediately move the valve to venting to quick release the pressure.
Step 3: Add remaining ingredients
When the pressure has fully released, remove the lid, stir the rice, and add the broccoli.
Put the lid back on and leave the Instant Pot on warm for 20 minutes to give the broccoli time to cook.
After 20 minutes, remove the lid again and add the cheese.
Stir the cheese in. The heat from the rice and broccoli will melt it.
Your Instant Pot Broccoli Rice and Cheese Casserole is ready to serve! If you like casserole recipes, you should try my Instant Pot Cheesy Hamburger Potato Casserole.
Like exact measurements? Me too! Here are the details for this Instant Pot Broccoli Rice and Cheese Casserole.
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📋 Recipe
Instant Pot Broccoli Rice and Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 white onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ cup long grain white rice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on saute mode and add butter, onion and garlic to the inner pot, stirring while cooking for 2-3 minutes until slightly tender. Add in rice, chicken broth, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Close the instant pot lid and turn pressure valve to seal. Cook on manual high pressure for 10 minutes. Allow for a quick pressure release.
- Stir, and add in broccoli florets. Close the lid and let sit for an additional 20 minutes to steam the broccoli.
- After 20 minutes, stir in the cheese and serve.
Nutrition
More Instant Pot Side Dish Recipes
Looking for more side dishes you can whip up in your Instant Pot? Check out Instant Pot Creamed Brussel Sprouts and these other recipes:
Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Salad
Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole
More Instant Pot Resources
Love your Instant Pot? Find more Instant Pot Recipes here. And check out my favorite Instant Pot Hacks.
You definitely deserve a 5-star review for this one. Made it exactly as the recipe called for, was a little skeptical about the amount of stock compared to rice but did it anyway and it turned out perfect. This was simple, quick and delicious, thank you for the recipe, will be making this again for sure!
I’m so glad it turned out for you! Thanks for sharing your skepticism because if someone else is feeling the same way, your comment might inspire them to try it also. Thanks for commenting.
This is a family favorite!! We make this weekly!! We have recently become a vegetarian family, and this recipe has made the transition super easy for our family to make the switch. So glad I found you! Can’t wait to see what other recipes you have!!
Thanks for letting me know that this is a family favorite. I’m glad it’s helped you as you change your eating habits.
Can you use brown rice?
You can use brown rice, but since I haven’t cooked it with brown rice, I can’t tell you how much liquid you need to add or how much cooking time.
Can I freeze this?
Here’s an article that gives you tips on how to freeze it. https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-freeze-a-broccoli-casserole/
If I wanted to add chicken, would I add it in with the rice?
Yes, but cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces first, otherwise it may not cook through all the way.
I have a question concerning your instructions: “Put the lid back on and leave the Instant Pot on warm for 20 minutes to give the broccoli time to cook.” Does it really take 20 minutes on warm to cook the broccoli? Wouldn’t it turn to mush that way? When I steam broccoli alone in the steamer basket in the IP, I set it to Manual High 0, and it turns out perfect, semi-soft just the way I like it. I’m afraid 20 minutes on warm would not give me the desired results. I welcome your comments.
Hi Lorraine,
I saw your email before I checked comments so I sent you a response there. I’m pasting the answer here in case others have the same question.
Once you remove the lid after the rice has cooked, all of the steam has been released and much of the heat. When we replace the lid, we aren’t reheating it or having it build pressure again, so basically the broccoli is only cooking from the warmth of the rice. Having the lid on simply prevents the dish from cooling since warm mode on the IP is very low.
I don’t find the broccoli to be too mushy after 20 minutes. It comes out exactly as I like it. However, since the “steaming” portion of the recipe doesn’t require you to bring the pot to pressure, you can simply check the broccoli at any point you suspect it might be done to your preference. If it needs more time, just put the lid back on. I hope this helps!
I would like to use frozen broccoli – how would you adjust this recipe?
Frozen broccoli shouldn’t change the recipe much. However, I would remove your broccoli from the freezer to thaw slightly while the rice is cooking. This will help ensure the steam time gets the broccoli warm enough.
The flavor of this recipe will likely be good, but the method is terrible. After leaving the broccoli in for 20 minutes, it was still almost completely raw, meanwhile the rice was bordering on mushy. I currently have this recipe in the oven trying to save it.
Hi Jessica, thanks for your feedback. I’d like to figure out what went wrong in your batch since I make this often and haven’t had the same trouble. Did you by chance use short grain rice? It cooks much faster which would have caused the mushy rice you experienced. Also, were your broccoli florets large? That might explain why they didn’t cook through. Any details you can provide will help me add details to the recipe to prevent other readers from having negative results. I appreciate your time and feedback!
Love this recipe! It’s so easy and a great way to get my kids to eat their veggies!