Instant Pot Vegan Congee

This vegan congee is the ultimate form of comfort food. The ingredients are incredibly simple, but there is a lot of room for creativity with toppings! Just a 15 minute cook time to make this meal in the Instant Pot!

Congee, also known as "jook,"is a common comfort food in Asian countries like Japan, China, India, Singapore, Philippines, and Korea. Essentially, it is a soft rice porridge. On its own it is super simple, just boiled and almost soupy rice. But the toppings are where things can get creative.

This vegan version of congee cooks with ginger and garlic in the vegetable broth. I find that the simplest way to cook this is in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker. This recipe can also easily be done on the stove or even in a crock pot!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Creamy & Comforting - This warm, savory rice porridge is the ultimate comfort meal for a rainy or cold day!
• Authentic Asian Meal - Congee is so common all over Asia, but you can easily make it from the comfort of your own home!
• Simple to Make - Not only is this cozy and tasty, it is also simple and easy to make!

What You Need For This Recipe

Ingredients and Substitutions:

• White Rice - I used regular long grain white rice, but many use jasmine rice or short grain sushi rice. Whatever you have should work!
• Water - Water mixed with vegetable bouillon to cook the rice.
• Vegetable Bouillon - Use vegetable bouillon OR substitute 2 cups of the water (but not all of it) for 2 cups of vegetable broth.
• Ginger - I used whole ginger slices. If you would like to use paste, only add 1 teaspoon to the instant pot.
• Garlic - Whole, smashed, garlic cloves help flavor the rice.
• Toppings - Sautéed shiitake mushrooms, fried garlic, pickled ginger, chili-garlic oil, cilantro, sliced green onions, and sesame seeds. Get creative here!

Equipment:

• Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
• Knife
• Pan (for mushrooms & crispy garlic)

How to make this recipe

Step 1: Prepare the Rice

In a small bowl, lightly rinse the rice so that most of the starch comes off. You don't need to rinse as thoroughly as you might for cooking regular rice, as some starch is helpful here.

Mix the bouillon in with the warm water needed for cooking the rice.

Peel and slice 2-3 large pieces of ginger and smash 3 cloves of garlic

Step 2: Cook the Rice

Add the rinsed rice to the instant pot with the water and bouillon.

Stir in the ginger, garlic, and a pinch of salt.

Close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and pressure cook on HIGH for 15 minutes.

Allow the congee to natural release until the pin drops. This may take up to 30 minutes

Step 3: Make the toppings

While the congee is cooking, prepare the toppings.

You can get creative with these toppings by adding more or different things.

For the Mushrooms: Take the sliced shiitake mushrooms and sautee them in oil or butter until soft. Season lightly with salt.

For the Fried Garlic: Very thinly slice 2-3 cloves of garlic longways. Heat up oil in a shallow pan or pot. Add the sliced garlic to the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. Be careful not to burn.

Slice green onions.

Step 4: Finishing Touches

Once the congee has finished and the pressure has naturally released, remove the lid on the instant pot.

Remove the pieces of ginger and the cloves of garlic from the instant pot using a spoon or fork.

Ladle congee into bowls and top with fried garlic, sautéed mushrooms, pickled ginger, sliced green onions, cilantro, chili garlic oil, and sesame seeds (or toppings of your choice).

Enjoy with a spoon!

Expert Tips

• This recipe makes a congee with about medium thickness. For an even thicker version, reduce the amount of liquid by ½ cup or 1 cup. For a thinner, more soup-like congee, add 1 - 2 cups of liquid.
• You can use vegetable broth instead of bouillon. If you do this, use only 2 cups of vegetable broth. The remaining liquid should be water.
• Many congee recipes use chicken in the cooking process. Since this is a vegan recipe, I did not use it. However, if you would like to, add chicken before cooking. I suggest following this Chicken Congee Recipe if you would like to do so.
• I used regular long grain white rice for this recipe because it is what I had on hand. Many recipes call for jasmine rice or short grain sushi rice. Any of these will work!

Recipe FAQs

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