With an Instant Pot and less than 30 minutes, you can make fluffy, perfect millet every time! Let us show you how.
Instant Pot Millet
Cooking millet in the Instant Pot is our preferred method because it’s fast, fluffy, and not mushy!
Here’s what you need to know:
- Ratio = 1 part millet : 1 ¾ parts water
- Cook Time = 10 minutes
- Release = 10 minute natural release, then release any remaining pressure
Millet is great for adding to stir fries, bowls, salads, and more! It also goes well with nearly any main, including curries and soups. And even cake!
Did you find this helpful? If so, be sure to check out our Instant Pot Cooking Times Guide for perfectly cooked grains and beans every time!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Instant Pot Millet (Fast, Fluffy, Perfect!)
A quick & simple method for making PERFECT millet in the Instant Pot every time! Just 1 ingredient and less than 30 minutes required!
Servings 4 (~3/4-cup servings)
Instructions
- Add millet and water (or vegetable broth) to the Instant Pot and stir to prevent sticking. Pressure cook on high for 10 minutes (it will take about 8 minutes for the Instant Pot to pressurize before cooking begins).
- Once the timer goes off, allow to naturally release for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. Carefully remove lid once steam has fully escaped.
- Enjoy immediately in stir fries, bowls, salads, cake, or as a side to nearly any main. Store cooled leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 1 month. Reheat in a skillet on the stovetop, adding oil or coconut aminos, as needed, to prevent sticking.
Video
Notes
*Total time includes active cook time, release time, and the time it takes for the Instant Pot to heat up (~8 minutes).
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)
Serving: 1 three-quarter-cup serving Calories: 189 Carbohydrates: 36.4 g Protein: 5.5 g Fat: 2.1 g Saturated Fat: 0.4 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.07 g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.39 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 3 mg Potassium: 98 mg Fiber: 4.3 g Sugar: 0.8 g Vitamin A: 21.5 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 4 mg Iron: 1.51 mg
Speedwell says
I made this in the proportion of 2-2/3 cups of my own unsalted chicken stock (the quantity I happened to have to use up), 1-2/3 cups proso millet, 1 tablespoon butter, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar, in a Duo Mini on the Pressure Cook setting, high pressure. I used the timings as suggested, though due to a phone call I left it on natural release for 16 minutes. The millet was very slightly overdone, more like sticky rice than fluffy, but I wasn’t displeased with it as I intended to use it as a side dish in place of mashed potatoes. 10 minutes NPR would likely have resulted in fluffier millet.
I strongly recommend testing with YOUR millet first as the age and species of the millet may affect the cooking time or amount of water used. I will try this a second time with some foxtail millet I have on hand. I use another, specific, recipe for sorghum millet in which the proportions and pressure cooking time are much different.
Thank you for sharing your experience and recommendations! xo
Shajea says
Too easy!! I like stirring some coconut oil through as soon as the lid comes off. Thank you.
Lovely! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Shajea. xo
Wes Becker says
How much water should we use if we double amount of millet?
Hi Wes, we’d recommend also doubling the amount of water.
Shajea says
I double the water when I double the Millet.
Carol says
Hi, thanks for this. I’m trying to find out the cooking time for millet flakes. I’ve guessed 5 mins, hopefully I’m right.
Hi Carol, we haven’t experimented with millet flakes, so we’re not sure!
Karen says
This is an adaptable recipe. The second time I made it (today) I added a cinnamon stick, and a little cumin to the Instant Pot – The cinnamon-infused millet was so good with some leftover Moroccan stew. Thanks again!
Yum, those additions sound so lovely, Karen! Thank you for sharing! xo
Karen says
This was my first time cooking millet in the InstaPot. It turned out fine!
Great! Thank you for sharing your experience, Karen.
Dee says
Cooked mine for ten minutes in a rice cooker and it came out perfect. So 1 cup of grain to 1 & 3/4 cup of water, I could still have added a little more water but chose to mix in a solution of mushroom cube and water to give it some base flavour
Thanks so much for sharing Dee!
Susan says
Mine came out crunchy, not fluffy. Definitely needs more water, more cooking time or both. But this seems to be true with all grains and legumes in my Instant Pot (yes, the band name pot).
Hi Susan, is it possible you’re setting it to low pressure? Or that you’re located at high elevation?
Candace says
Thanks to you (and the Instant Pot) for making my life easier! I made this millet tonight, per the recipe. I was a little skeptical about the 10 minute cooking time, but it really was perfect. It turned out so well! Then friends dropped by, and I invited them to join me for my rather simple stir fry using the millet instead of rice. They loved it, and so did I. Another easy home run for you and me, minimalist baker! It’s not our first.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Candace! Thanks so much for the lovely review.
Candace says
Yw ;-)
PS One of the oddball ingredients I used in the stir fry was the peel of the eggplant rounds I’d roasted for baba ganoush a couple of days earlier. Instead of the fast and hot approach, this was a slow warming of the stir fry because most of the other veggies (purple cabbage, carrots, shallot, garlic, young jackfruit, and at the last minute, a pile of hand-torn raw red chard leaves) were already cooked, too. Torn or cut into one-inch strips and used sparingly, the black eggplant peels (about 1/3 cup pressed down) added to the visual appeal, and gave a chewy texture that was a nice addition to my vegan food textures. Because of good consciousness, the world food situation, and our good health, I feel it is more important than ever to use all parts of the vegetable and respect the food we do have by using it wisely. May all beings be blessed! May we all have enough to eat.
Sounds delicious, Candace! Thank you for sharing. xo
seli says
Perfect recipe for a fluffy texture just like that of bulgur pilaf we make here in Turkey. But I like my millet a little crunchy, so next time I’ll reduce the cooking time or do quick release and see what happens. Thanks for this recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Candi J Costner-Jensen says
I soaked my millet overnight, I did ten minutes high pressure with a manual release it wasnt complete mush but next time I will try 6 min for soaked millet.
I use your recipes as a base often. Thanks for forging the way 🙂
Thank you for sharing your experience, Candi!
Jim says
I have a timing question. (For what it’s worth, I am using an old-fashioned pressure cooker.)
When you say it takes eight minutes for the cooker to reach high heat, are you including that in the 10 minutes? Or, does the milk cook for an additional 10 minutes after the eight minutes required to reach high heat? (I.e., 10 minutes of heating up, or 18 minutes of heating up… prior to the 10-minute cool down?)
Hi Jim, The millet cooks for an additional 10 minutes after coming to pressure. 8 minutes of heating up, 10 minutes cooking on high pressure, and 10 minutes releasing pressure. Hope that helps!
Jim says
Thank you, so much… That’s perfect! It confirms my intuition. (Even though I’ve come across recipes for quinoa that suggest turning off the heat after only one or two minutes of high heat cooking.)
😇
🙏
Hi Jim, we’re glad it was helpful! Just confirming you’re referring to millet? Quinoa will cook much faster than millet.
Candi J Costner-Jensen says
I forgot to add a rating! Love using millet like couscous five stars.
Yay! Thanks so much for adding stars, Candi! xo
Paige says
I have made this recipe a few times in my Instant Pot, but the millet comes out sticky or gummy (the grains are stuck together) and not fluffy at all. Do you have any idea why this happens and what I can do to prevent it?
Hi Paige, we haven’t had that issue with the Instant Pot, but with stovetop it helps to fluff with a fork at the end of the cook time, then cover and let rest for another 10 minutes. Perhaps try that here after releasing the pressure? Hope that helps!
Paige says
I know why my millet was gummy. I remembered that I used to make fluffy millet in my Instant Pot. What changed? The gummy millet was purchased at an Asian grocery, while previously the fluffy millet was purchased at an Indian grocery. So I went out, bought some millet at the Indian grocery, cooked it up, perfectly fluffy. Different variety of millet at the Indian grocery, it’s called Foxtail millet. In fact they had 7 varieties of millet there. And this fluffy millet has a nuttier flavor, while the gummy millet has a sweeter flavor (actually, I prefer the flavor of the gummy millet). So problem solved!
Does anyone have preferences about what variety of millet they like?
Glad to hear you figured it out, Paige! Thank you for sharing that discovery with us. The millet we usually get at the grocery store doesn’t specify the type, but it looks most like foxtail or barnyard millet.
Gina says
If you soak the millet for 20 minutes before cooking, it will help with that :)
Miranda Rice says
Can the same ratio be used for stovetop? I don’t have an IP.
Yes!
Sharon says
I made this with a few minor modifications. Same amount of millet and water although I did rinse thoroughly until water was clear (three times). I do the same with rice. We eat Asian style so I used dashi powder, a few flakes of wakame, a T of Rice Vinegar, a t. of sugar and a small drizzle of oyster sauce. I used the “porridge” setting for medium pressure and timed for 10 min. with 10 min. natural release. It came out perfect! Moist and fluffy at the same time. This will make the perfect low-glycemic substitution for white rice in some of our Japanese dishes. Thanks!
Sounds wonderful! Thank you for sharing, Sharon! xo
B says
Am I supposed to rinse the millet before I cook it? Or am I supposed to soak it overnight or something?
Hi there! As the recipe instructs you can simply put the millet in the instant pot with the liquid, no rinsing or soaking needed!
Marge says
I have two 1-pound bags of millet grits (or millet meal I see it referred to). I have a recipe from Bob’s Red Mill site but not for IP, only stovetop. Tiny grains that looks like flour. How to convert this recipe to IP?
½t salt + 1C millet grits/meal + 3C water
Bring water and salt to a boil. Add millet grits/meal and reduce heat. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Maybe combine 1C whole millet and 1C millet grits. How much water and how many minutes in IP?
Hi Marge! We haven’t tried cooking millet grits before, but those instructions sound similar to cooking regular millet on the stovetop. We’d suggest trying our instant pot millet method as written for your millet grits. Let us know how it goes! xo
Marge says
Thanks for your nice reply re the millet grits. I ended up following the package instructions on the stove. It cooked very quickly and was perfect for my “dish,” which is eat a grain instead of bread, so each spoonful of in this case millet grits, I dip the spoon into the peanut or almond butter and then into a jar of Bonne Maman jelly (lemon curd I’m eating now). This is a super healthy little meal or snack and sooooo much better than bread. I’ve done this with quinoa and whole millet. I always have a bowl of cooked grain for this specific purpose. Someone recently gave me a hunk of lox and instead of waiting until I brought home a bagel or bialy, I put my thinking cap on and realized that bread is a grain so why shouldn’t the lox be good with any grain and that then morphed into the nut butter and jelly. (Re the double-dipping, I live alone so it’s fine!! And the lox and quinoa was fabulous. I even added cream cheese and did a sprinkle of Everything But the Bagel seasoning blend.)
I cooked the whole millet today according to your recipe (without the salt) and it came out perfect. Next time I’ll increase the water by 1/4C because I’d like it a little moister. Although I let it natural release and it sat on keep warm for a very long while, so maybe that’s why it came out a little dry. Whatever the case, the millet is really good.
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing, Marge!
Sumiyeh says
Marge, the worry about double dipping isn’t just to be polite to guests. Your saliva on the spoon causes increased rate of spoilage in an open jar.
Just saying, in case you don’t finish up a jar quickly, before it gets molded.
Dawn says
Very nicely done. Perfectly cooked without being mushy!
Yay! Thanks for the kind review, Dawn! xo
Arthur says
I’m having difficulty making fluffy millet in my Instant Pot. I added 1 cup of millet to my Instant Pot, a teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1.75 cups of water. I gave it a stir and then sealed my Instant Pot. I pressure cooked it on High for 10 minutes and after 10 minute NPR I opened the Instant Pot. When I tried to fluff the millet I came up in clumps and was stuck to the bottom of my Instant Pot.
Second time around I added a tablespoon of olive oil. This kept the millet from sticking and for the most part kept it from sticking to itself but it still wasn’t fluffy.
Third time I was told to soak the millet for 8 hours before cooking. I didn’t add the olive oil so it stuck to the pot a little and fluffed into 6 big lumps.
Now I’m being told I must be overcooking the millet and should try steaming it instead of pressure cooking.
Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Hi Arthur, it sounds like it might need slightly more water. Or, if you’re pressure cooking on the “more” setting, we’d suggest trying the “normal” setting instead. Hope that helps!
Arthur says
I have an IP 8 quart DOU EVO PLUS. I’ve kept experimenting and this is the best result I’ve come up with so far.
1 cup of Millet
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 teaspoons of EVOO
Add the above to the inner pot and give it a stir. Make sure you have an even cooking layer. Seal the IP and set to Pressure cook on High pressure for 10 minutes. Set for Delayed start of one hour to give the millet time to soak. When cook cycle is complete do an NPR of 10 minutes and then release the remaining pressure so you can open the IP and then fluff with a fork.
Thanks for sharing, Arthur! We wouldn’t think the larger size/different model Instant Pot would make a difference, but perhaps? Another idea could be your altitude as that can impact how quickly things cook in a pressure cooker.
Maria says
I tried bulgur and worked fine- Bob’s bulgur was cooked but with some body. I would liken to al dente cooked pasta.
Great! Thanks for sharing!
Karissa says
Millet and bulgur look very similar. Do they cook the same?
Hi Karissa, we haven’t cooked bulgur, so we’re not sure. Let us know if you try it!
T says
Thanks for the correct ratio of water to grain (seed)!
So fluffy. Added in a bay leaf, basil, thyme, parsley, black pepper, and cooked it in veggie broth to the instant pot before cooking. I’ll add nutritonal yeast when serving.
Yum!
Yum! Your additions sound delicious. Thanks for the lovely review!
Linda says
Thank you so much for what you are contributing to help us cook better.
xoxo!