Bright-colored, healthy, a little sweet, a little spicy, this Beets Rice (Beetroot Rice) is an easy way to pack more nutrients in the Rice, especially for kids.

Beets (beetroot) have a earthy flavor and a rich vibrant color. Adding them to rice gives it delicious sweet flavor, which I balanced with garlic and chili to make this Beets Rice or Beets Pilaf – hoping you try and like it! This recipe is good for kids like this spinach rice, flax-seed rice or Rice and Broccoli Pilaf.
Health Benefits of Beets Rice
Beets(Beetroot) are rich in fiber, Vitamin C, folate, and anti-oxidants. In general, having more colors on our plate is useful to pack more nutrition and diverse benefits. Read healthy kitchen habits here.
How to make Beets Rice Vegan?
This Beets rice is Vegetarian; to make it Vegan, simply replace Ghee by a plant-based oil of your choice. It helps the grains stay separated and provides a better texture to rice. You may skip the oil altogether in the recipe, with not much change in flavor.

What is the typical Rice to Water Ratio for cooking Basmati Rice?
These are my mom’s tips for Rice to Water ratio for cooking Basmati Rice and work great for me.
(a) For Pressure cooking, the ratio is 1 to 1 (1:1) for rice that is soaked for an hour or two.
(b) For Pressure cooking, the ratio is 1 to 1.25 (1:1.25) for rice that is just washed and not soaked.
(c) For cooking without the lid on, the ratio is 1 to 2 (1:2).
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What are the Key Ingredients for Beets Rice?
Servings
2
Ready In:
20 mins
Good For:
Lunch/Dinner
Diet:
Gluten-Free
- 1 Cup Basmati Rice (Long grain)
- 1 medium Beet or 1 Cup Coarsely Chopped Beets
- 2-3 Teaspoon salt (per taste)
- 1 Cup Water for Soaking and 1 Cup for cooking
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 green chili (Serrano Pepper)
- 2 tbsp Ghee/Plant-based oil
- Spices
- 2 Bayleaves
- 2-3 cloves
How to make “Beets Rice”?
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Soak Rice in water for an hour. You may skip this step and just rinse with water a few times. If you haven’t soaked the rice, the water required for cooking is 1.25 cups.
Step 2
Add Beets, Water, chili, and garlic to the blender and blend to form “Beets water.” Again, if you soaked the rice, use 1 cup water, else 1.25 cups.
Step 3
Put the Instant Pot in Saute Mode and add Ghee/Oil.
Step 4
Add Bay leaves and cloves.
Step 5
Rinse the water from soaked rice and add to the pot. Stir occasionally the rice for a minute. This will result in a great texture of rice.
Step 6
Add Beets Water prepared in (2) above and salt to the pot. Close the lid in sealed mode.
Step 7
Adjust the setting to “Rice”. The pot should display ’12 minutes.’
Step 8
Let the pressure release naturally. For a Pressure cooker on a stovetop, one whistle and natural pressure release will cook the rice finely.
Step 9
Serve hot Rice with Yogurt, Hummus, or Lentil Curry of your choice.
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Beets Rice
Equipment
- Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- 1 Beet medium or 1 cup chopped Beets
- 1 teaspoon salt per taste
- 1 cup Water for cooking; 1 more for soaking and to be drained.
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 green Chili per taste, I use Serrano Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
Spices
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2-3 cloves
Instructions
- Soak Rice in water for an hour. You may skip this step and just rinse with water a few times. If you haven't soaked the rice, the water required for cooking is 1.25 cups.
- Add Beets, Water, chili and garlic to the blender and blend to form "Beets water." Again, if you soaked the rice, use 1 cup water, else 1.25 cups.
- Put the Instant Pot in Saute Mode and add Ghee/Oil.
- Add Bay leaves and cloves.
- Rinse the water from soaked rice and add to the pot. Stir occasionally the rice for a minute. This will result in a great texture of rice.
- Add Beets Water prepared in (2) above and salt to the pot. Close the lid in sealed mode.
- Adjust the setting to "Rice". The pot should display '12 minutes.'
- Let the pressure release naturally. For Pressure cooker on a stove top, one whistle and natural pressure release will cook the rice fine.
- Serve hot Rice with Yogurt, Hummus, or Lentil Curry of your choice.