This Instant Pot Sticky Rice with Sausage recipe recreates the classic dim sim Lo Mai Gai in one step using your Instant Pot.
What Makes Instant Pot Sticky Rice So Great?
- Fast. Make this tasty Chinese dish in under 30 minutes.
- Easy. A simple pour and cook Instant Pot recipe.
- Minimal Cleanup. Make the entire dish in one pot for easy after-dinner cleanup.
- Delicious. A combination of sweet, salty, and umami flavors makes this a dish you will make over and over again.
My rendition of Instant Pot Sticky Rice is less than traditional, but I guarantee it's packed with flavors you'll love just as much as the original.
I definitely made some simplifications when creating the recipe. Here are a few things I changed:
- I didn't use lotus leaves because they're not that easy to get a hold of, and I wanted a dish we could all make on a weeknight.
- I used Chinese sausage instead of chicken.
- For this dish, I used dried shitake mushrooms instead of fresh so that they would keep long enough for me to use in other recipes without spoiling (Pressure Cooker Low Carb Hot and Sour Soup or in the Shrimp Risotto).
What Is Lap Xuong?
The one thing that does require a little planning with this Instant Pot Sticky Rice, is buying the Chinese sausage or Lap Xuong or Lap Cheong ahead of time. I debated whether I should try this with widely-available sausage, but really, there is nothing like that Chinese Sausage, no real equivalent.
Lap Xuong is a pork sausage where the pork has been marinated and then smoked. The end result is a slightly sweet and salty sausage that adds a lot of flavor to this very simple dish.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Dried Shiitake Mushrooms- you can also use fresh mushrooms, just skip the soaking step.
- Glutinous Rice- If you want this rice to be truly sticky, ensure you're using rice with a high amylopectin content.
- Chinese Sausage- This can be a little difficult to find, so make sure you plan ahead.
- Chicken Broth- You can use water in place of broth to reduce the amount of sodium.
- Soy Sauce
- Oyster Sauce
- Sesame Oil
- Kosher Salt
How To Make Instant Pot Sticky Rice
One of the many things I love about this recipe is how incredibly simple it is to make. Follow these four easy steps (it can be reduced to three if you use fresh mushrooms) for an amazing main course.
- Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water while you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
- Add all of the ingredients to the Instant Pot liner, including the soaked mushrooms and stir.
- Cook under high pressure, and then allow it to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes. Release all remaining pressure.
- Remove the Instant Pot lid, stir well and allow to rest until the water or broth is completely absorbed.
Delicious And Traditional Variations
I have no doubt that you're going to love this recipe exactly as it is written, but after you have enjoyed the original version, here are a few ways to change it up:
While cooking
- Dried shrimp
- Peanuts
- Chicken marinated in soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, salt, and pepper
After cooking
- Omelette cut into strips
- Salted egg yolks
Variations
Instant Pot Sticky Rice with Sausage is a flavorful and comforting dish that's easy to customize with different ingredients and seasonings. Whether you want to add more veggies, boost the protein, or give it an international twist, here are some tasty variations to try:
- Spicy- Add a teaspoon of chili paste, sriracha, or crushed red pepper flakes for a kick of heat that complements the savory sausage.
- Vegetable-Packed Version- Stir in peas, diced bell peppers, mushrooms, or shredded carrots for extra color, flavor, and nutrition.
- Cajun- Swap the seasoning for Cajun or Creole spices, and use andouille sausage for a smoky, Southern-style twist.
What Else Can You Use Lap Xuong For?
Here is a small list of other ways you can use the Chinese Sausage, or Lap Xuong once you have it. It keeps forever when kept in its vacuum-packed bag, so you can hang on to it for a bit. But here are some other uses for it:
- Fried Rice
- Omelets (The sausages are precooked so you're just really heating them through)
- In spring rolls
- In a vegetable stir-fry
- With Chinese broccoli, in a light broth, over rice
How Long Does It Last?
Place any leftovers you may have in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For the best experience, try to enjoy them within 3-4 days of preparing the recipe.
Can You Freeze It?
Yes, you can freeze Instant Pot Sticky Rice and Sausage quite successfully. Allow the dish to cool completely before freezing to prevent condensation, which can make the rice soggy. Transfer portions into airtight containers or freezer-safe bags, pressing out as much air as possible to preserve texture and flavor. Label with the date and freeze for up to 2 months.
When ready to eat, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in a skillet or microwave, adding a splash of water or broth to loosen the rice and restore its fluffy texture. While the rice may be slightly softer after freezing, the flavors of the sausage and seasonings hold up beautifully, making it a great make-ahead meal.
What Do You Serve With Chinese Sticky Rice?
This Sticky Rice recipe is incredibly filling and can easily be served as a full meal. If you want some variety in flavors and textures to serve alongside it, here are a few of my favorite side dishes to add in:
- Fried Egg
- Gyoza
- Egg Drop Soup
- Egg Rolls
- Wontons
Yes, glutinous rice is the same as sticky rice (also called sweet rice or mochi rice), and it's the type you want for Instant Pot sticky rice with Chinese sausage (lap cheong).
The name is a little misleading. It's called "glutinous" because it gets very sticky when cooked, but it doesn't contain gluten.
Regular long-grain rice like jasmine or basmati won't give you that chewy, clumped texture that makes Chinese sticky rice dishes (like 糯米饭 / nuo mi fan) taste like dim sum.
Instant Pot sticky rice turns mushy most often because there's too much liquid or the rice wasn't drained well after soaking. Glutinous (sticky) rice holds onto water and can go from chewy to gummy fast under pressure.
It can also happen if you treated it like jasmine rice (using a 1:1 ratio), stirred a lot, or let it sit on Keep Warm too long, which keeps steaming it.
To fix mushy Instant Pot sticky rice with Chinese sausage (lap cheong), use less liquid next time, soak then rinse and drain thoroughly, and let it rest a few minutes after cooking. If it's already mushy, spread it on a tray to steam off moisture or use Sauté briefly to evaporate excess liquid (gently, so the bottom doesn't scorch).
For Instant Pot sticky rice with sausage, the best choice is Chinese cured sausage. Use lap cheong (lap xuong), usually the sweet-style pork sausage, because it renders flavorful fat and adds that classic dim sum aroma to glutinous (sticky) rice.
Look for links that are firm, slightly glossy, and clearly labeled "Chinese sausage/lap cheong". If you can, pick a brand with a short ingredient list and a good balance of sweet and savory (some are very sweet).
You can also use a spicy lap cheong variant for extra heat, but the traditional sweet pork lap cheong is the most "authentic" flavor for Chinese sticky rice (糯米饭 / nuo mi fan).
It's similar to lo mai gai in flavor and vibe. Both are classic dim sum dishes made with glutinous (sticky) rice and savory add-ins, but they're not exactly the same.
Lo mai gai is typically sticky rice with chicken (often plus mushrooms, lap cheong, and sometimes salted egg yolk) that's wrapped in lotus leaves and steamed, which adds a distinct herbal aroma.
Instant Pot sticky rice with Chinese sausage (lap cheong) skips the lotus-leaf wrapping and usually leans more on sausage (and mushrooms) for flavor, making it a simpler, "pour-and-cook" version that still scratches the same dim sum itch.
More Easy Chinese Recipes
If you love this Chinese Sticky Rice and want to explore more similar flavors, check out some of these other tasty recipes of mine:
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Ingredients
- ½ cup (48 g) Dried Shiitake Mushrooms, (or sub fresh, or other variety of dried mushrooms)
- 1 cup (185 g) Glutinous Rice
- 3 links (3 links ) Chinese Sausage,, Lap Xuong chopped
- 2 cups (500 ml) Water, or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) Soy Sauce
- 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) Oyster Sauce
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) Sesame Oil
- ½ -1 teaspoon (-0.5 teaspoon ) Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water and let them sit there while you get your other ingredients ready.
- In the inner liner of your pressure cooker or instant pot, add in all the other ingredients. Add in mushrooms and stir.
- Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, and then allow it to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes. Then release all remaining pressure.
- Open the pressure cooker, stir to mix well and allow all water to absorb, and serve.
- While cooking
- Dried shrimp
- Peanuts
- Chicken marinated in soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, salt and pepper
- After cooking
- Omelette cut into strips
- Salted egg yolks
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I add dice chicken and a pinch of 5spice and double the rest of the ingredients because honey loves this dish so much! I have even caught him eating it cold stranding in front of an open fridge. Thanks for such and excellent recipe 🩷
Do you know if we can double the recipe in a 6 qt instant pot?
Tried a couple different recipes for my InstaPot, and this is definitely the best!
I made this following reviewer suggestions to reduce liquid to 1.5 cups and no added salt. Texture and flavour was spot on. No grainy bits and done in 20 minutes with no presoaking! I am wowed! This is exactly the reason for using an instant pot - to simplify cooking steps and save time! Good job!