Life Changing Green Rice Porridge (Instant Pot, Vegan)
I don’t use the term life changing lightly, but this rice porridge recipe fits the bill. It’s a one pot, effortless, green, nutrient-packed twist on one of my favorite things to eat.
I don’t use the term life changing lightly, but this rice porridge recipe fits the bill. It’s a one pot, effortless, green, nutrient-packed twist on one of my favorite things to eat -congee. Also commonly referred to as rice porridge. This version incorporates a lot of chopped spinach. A lot. Enough spinach that your body will notice.
The Cooking Method
I make this porridge in an Instant Pot. You can also make it in a thick-bottomed pot on the stovetop - no Instant Pot necessary. Although, that method requires more babysitting. Similar to this Instant Pot Congee with Brown Rice and Turmeric, you put your rice into the pot, add water or broth, walk away, and start daydreaming about toppings.
Let’s Talk about Toppings
Here you see lime, crushed kale chips and toasted nori, toasted pumpkin seeds (or pepitas), hemp seeds, and jungle peanuts. The tofu is sliced thinly, drizzled with shoyu, and draped over the porridge. Sometimes I spike the whole situation with sriracha sauce, sometimes I don’t.
Getting the Rice Porridge Just Right
I’ve settled on a ratio of brown rice to white rice that works really well. You’ll see that reflected in the recipe. It’s one part white jasmine rice to two parts brown jasmine rice. You can optionally pepper that rice blend with 1/4 cup of other quick cooking grains or pulses if you like - French lentils, adzuki beans, Job’s tears, etc. Or not, totally your call!
I know I say this often, but feel free to use this recipe and ratio as a jumping off point. Next time I might add a bunch of chopped herbs, and use another favorite broth in place of water. I often spike the rice blend with a scoop of quinoa.
I hope you love this rice porridge! It’s nutrient-packed and green. Simple to make. Made with whole foods. Delicious anytime of day. One pan magic. And, the perfect hearty, satisfying canvas to load up with your favorite toppings.
Lastly, for anyone looking for more Instant Pot recipe inspiration, I've set up an Instant Pot recipe category - all my favorite successes are featured there. Or, if you you're on the lookout for good soups & stews, here are all the soup recipes. And, for reference, this is the Instant Pot I used for this recipe: Instant Pot DUO Plus 6 Qt 9-in-1 Enjoy!
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Life Changing Green Rice Porridge
You can absolutely make this on a stovetop if you don't have an Instant Pot. Combine the ingredients in a thick-bottomed pot bring to a simmer, and then cook over low-medium heat until you have a loose porridge. To make this gluten-free, seek out a GF tamari or soy sauce. You can also use a combination of chopped spinach and arugula here.
- 1 cup brown jasmine rice
- 1/2 cup white jasmine rice
- 9 cups water or mushroom broth
- 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/4 pound+ chopped spinach
- 6 chlorella tablets, crushed in m+p (optional boost!)
- (optional) 1/4 cup of other quick-cooking grains: quinoa, millet, french lentils, Job's tears, etc.
- toppings pictured: lime, crushed kale chips and toasted nori, toasted pepitas, hemp seeds, and jungle peanuts. The tofu is sliced thinly and drizzled with shoyu
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Combine the rices (and any bonus grains), water, and salt, in the Instant Pot or multi cooker. Secure the lid, set the pressure release valve to SEALING. Press MANUAL and set for 30 minutes at high pressure. Let the pressure NATURAL RELEASE (30-40 minutes). Gently shake or tap the pressure cooker, and then carefully open away from you. If you like the consistency a bit thinner, add more hot water or broth. Stir in the spinach and green powder (if using)
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Serve the congee topped with whatever toppings you like, I have the ones pictured here listed in the ingredients list. Use as few or many as you like!
For reference, this is the Instant Pot I used for this recipe: Instant Pot DUO Plus 6 Qt 9-in-1.
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Comments
I just made a small batch, and it is so delicious!
I cooked it stovetop, and it only took 40-45 minutes, so the IP is not quicker in this case.
I used short grain brown rice & medium grain white rice, with quinoa and millet as bonus grains. I included a couple of coins of fresh ginger from the beginning, and added a little soy sauce and hot oil along with the spinach at the end.
This recipe is a keeper!
Thanks Eeka! So happy you enjoyed it. It’s still a forever favorite around here as well.
March is the season for drinking porridge and nourishing the stomach, thank you for the recipe!
This looks incredible! How long will the extra servings stay good? Thanks!
I typically aim for a few days.
Your recipes got me addicted to congee (so a big thanks there!). I like to use haiga rice instead of your brown/white rice mix for the same creamy effect and great flavor. Haiga is my usual go-to, it’s great for anything where you want the nuttiness and nutrition of brown rice with a creamier or fluffier texture.
Ahh! Interesting – it sounds like the grains are pearled.
Can you freeze the leftovers?
Hi Nicki! I haven’t but I don’t see why not. Give it a try!
My husbands is a congee person. He loved it!
Tried the green porridge. Everyone in my family except me loves congee. And they lapped this up!
Substitutes: used veggie broth. And sautéed the tofu before adding the soy sauce.
Thanks a lot for the recipe and your blog! Using it to inspire myself to cook more.
Thank you for this! I’ve been eating some version of it for about half of my breakfasts the past handful of weeks so I’ve tried a few slight variations. I like to sauté some fresh garlic and ginger, sometimes turmeric or leeks in ghee before I put the rices and liquids in the instant pot. Once I added a whole bunch of chopped cilantro at the end with the greens, that was good too. I prefer double the salt. Favorite toppings are a fried egg, fresh cilantro, scallions, a sprinkle of ground hot peppers, and fried garlic.
I loved the name of the recipe when I came across it, but now that I’ve made it and ate it, I have to agree that it is life changing! I made it last night in an Instant Pot and added some mushroom duxelles that I had made and froze several months ago. I couldn’t stop eating it! Next time, I’ll add even more spinach and try it with some other grains and lentils added. It is so hearty and delicious! Thanks for this great recipe!
Hi Sally – yes! Completely use it as a jumping off point!
This looks amazing! I’m about to do the group Clean program cleanse in August and I’m looking for recipes so I’m not caught by surprise. I have one question: do you have a chlorella tablet you recommend? I did a google search but I’d love to know what you use? Thanks for a gorgeous recipe!
Hi Jen – to be honest, I try all sorts of different brands & primarily use them as boosts for smoothies. A few favorite general brands – Dr Cowan’s Garden, Sun Potion, Navitas, & E3Live…xx!
I wanted to give you a BIG thanks for this recipe – I love it! I made it the first time early on in quarantine, and since then it’s become a near constant in my breakfast rotation. I love setting it up in my IP then going for an early morning walk, coming home frying up some tofu and digging in, and then enjoying leftovers throughout the week. Thanks for such a delicious recipe, and for bringing me so much comfort in this time!
Thanks for the note Lisa! 🙂
I just made this and the mushroom broth to go with it-delicious! I make soup on the weekend for lunch throughout the week, but this made more than I can eat alone, and hubby doesn’t join me on my soupy adventures! Can I freeze some? How many days does it keep? Thanks! Love your style and recipes
Hi Mary! I don’t see why not. Give it a try! And then thaw before reheating.
I have a bad winter cold and was really craving jook like my mom made for me growing up. This hit the spot. I love the riff on traditional congee – it packs so much texture and goodness with the greens and whole grains. Both comforting and nutritious – thank you.
Thank you Heidi for sharing this recipe. I’m trying to clean up my diet this New Year 2020 and I’m looking for healthy and yummy vegan recipes like this. I can’t wait to make it =)
I was kind of skeptical of this recipe (watery rice? really?) but it was a delight! I had some chard that I needed to use up, so mine ended up being pink!
I threw on sauteed mushrooms, asparagus and fried tofu. Delicious.
looks yummy! I noticed you didn’t soak anything right? haven’t made it yet
Correct. Enjoy!
Add as much or as little as you like!
Do you think this would work in a crockpot?
Sure! 🙂
Looks so good. Can I make it somehow without the Instant Pot?
Sure, just simmer it over gentle heat until the rice breaks down at the congee is the texture you like.
[…] addition. Or, if you have spices left over from chana masala, perfect! We even stir a cup of rice porridge into the leftovers, for an excellent rice […]
You are absolutely right–this recipe is life changing! I have eaten congee in Thailand and Vietnam (for breakfast), but, hands down, this is the best congee! Period. I used brown jasmine rice and french lentils and escarole and kale for the green veggies (that’s what was in my refrigerator), along with lime pepitas and tofu. This is a winner!!
Whoop! Glad you enjoyed it Joanne! 🙂
This looks so appetizing, Heidi! It will be perfect for those rainy days and nights where we just want to stay indoors and chitchat the coldness away. I am looking forward to making this! Is it OK to omit the chlorella tablets or can you provide an alternative? I would love to make the jasmine rice version and the quick-cooking grains one to see which we like better. Thanks!
Yes, you can totally leave them out. You can even bump up the amount of spinach.
LOVED this! I used stovetop method and an absolutely unholy amount of spinach since i was distracted and ended up using twice as much! Ha! Still fantastic.
For toppings i used soy sauce, black vinegar, loads of fresh cilantro, sesame seeds, scallions and some cubed smoked tofu.
Seriously delicious, cheap, easy recipe i will certainly repeat!
Excellent! Cannot get enough. I used a stovetop and brown Basmati rice. I added use a teaspoon of spirulina, chopped baby kale and white miso. Topped with green onion and toasted pepitas.
Do you think kale and arugula would be a good combination instead of spinach? I have an allergy to it,, but this sounds good!!
Yes! I did spinach and arugula as well, and other have done nettles – it’s super adaptable!
Ack! I was so excited to make this as soon as I saw the post. Well, I started making it and realized that what I thought was brown rice was actually Arborio and not that much of it. So I improvised and in place of the brown rice, I ended up using Arborio, teff and Israeli couscous. I also didn’t have chlorella so I used moringa powder. All in all, it worked out!
Love it, and your version sounds amazing!
Oh man, do I LOVE a savory porridge. This vibrant green color and crunchies make it that much more awesome 🙂
This looks delicious and I will have to give a try. Was wondering if you might be able to post a link or reference a source for some of the ingredients listed which are not necessarily familiar? For instance, what are jungle peanuts and where does one find them? Thanks!
Hi Aruba – no problem! You can source them though a lot of well-stocked natural food stores in the US, or on Amazon.
Lol. You can certainly use regular peanuts, or cashews or almonds! Whatever you like, really!
Can I make this in a rice cooker instead? And dreaming about adding a bit of green curry paste to spice this up… yum! Thanks Heidi! I have a ton of spinach from the market to use.
Hi Rachel, I don’t see why not! And YES to the curry paste addition. Or whisk some of the paste into a bit of olive oil and use it as a drizzle on top!
Looks delicious!
On a side note, I have a white marble kitchen bench like yours. Over time it got all kinds of stains on it that I couldn’t remove. Finally I discovered a recipe that works, and thought I would share in case anyone else has a similar issue.
Mix 1 cup baking soda, quarter cup dishwashing detergent, and hydrogen peroxide to make a paste.
Smear the mix all over the stained area and leave for a few hours. Wipe off and the marble will come up like brand new!
Thanks for this Nat!
Hi,
Where does the soy sauce come in? Is it just a topping?
Hi Christine – Yeah, I just do a little drizzle on top.
I love the look of this recipe and rice with greens is a favorite combo of mine. Do you think I could use spirulina in place of the chlorella tablets? I’ve been trying to figure out how to add spirulina to savory recipes. Thanks for the delicious inspiration!
Hi Jen – yeah, go for it! Do a little at a time until it’s an amount you like.
I love your idea of spinach in the congee and will try it. However, do you think a crock pot will also work? I don’t have an instant pot and not going to buy one now…trying to cut down on appliances but I do have a crock pot.
Hi Tobie – yes, I don’t see why not. You may have to adjust the amount of water here or there, but definitely give it a go!
Hi! I am a little confused because my instant pot does not have a MANUAL button, nor do I see one on yours when I look at the link on Amazon. Can you help?
Hi Amy, You just want to avoid one of the presets here. So, the goal is cooking “high-pressure” for the designated time. I push the pressure button, and then manually adjust the timing. Hope this helps!
It’s getting a bit hot here for porridge after 9am but definitely keeping this one for breakfast or colder months, it’s a nice change from oats and savory porridge is my new obsession. I’ve been trying kimchi porridge and it’s definitely one to try 🙂
Sounds amazing!
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