This instant pot breakfast congee recipe is sponsored by Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the companies that keep this blog going.
A super simple Instant Pot breakfast congee made with chicken broth and seasoned with ginger and green onion. It’s cooked until gooey, then finished up with crispy bacon, a sunny side up egg, and chili oil. It takes no time to put together and is comforting at any time of the day. {Gluten-free Adaptable}
Growing up in Beijing, congee was always a family staple that we often serve at any time of the day. When my mom was in the mood for cooking, she’d make my favorite seafood congee or chicken congee with century eggs. When she needed to whip up something fast for a side dish, she’d make millet congee or plain congee so we could use it to wash down dinner.
Today I want to share one of my favorite breakfast congee recipes using the Instant Pot.
Why Instant Pot
For most recipes, the Instant Pot serves the main purpose of reducing the cooking time and number of steps. But when it comes to making congee, an Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) actually makes the congee taste better. Not to mention, it makes the process much easier and faster as well.
When you make congee on the stovetop, you usually need at least 50 minutes to an hour. You need to constantly keep an eye on the congee so the bottom doesn’t scorch and the water doesn’t spill over. The congee usually comes out a bit thin unless you spend some more time boiling off the liquid.
On the other hand, you will not need to supervise at all when using an Instant Pot. The cooking time is 25 minutes. Moreover, because the high pressure releases more starch from the grains of rice, the congee will come out more sticky and gooey.
Breakfast essentials
Bacon and eggs are some of my favorite breakfast essentials because I’m a huge fan of savory breakfast.
I used Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs in my recipe because I like the quality of their eggs. Their eggs have no GMOs, antibiotics, chemicals, or pesticides involved in their organic farming. The hens can roam freely on the pasture and enjoy the sunshine. You’ll see the difference in the richer yolks, with their beautiful orange hue. You can truly taste the difference, as well, in these eggs, since they are more flavorful. If you love eggs, you’ll want to start your day with the highest quality ingredients to fuel your body!
Instant Pot breakfast congee cooking tips
You can make fried eggs in a small pan, one at a time. To make the process faster, I prefer to use a large nonstick skillet. Once I add the eggs, I use a spatula to gather the egg white, so it forms a round or oval shape.
Unlike some traditional Western style fried eggs, which have a more delicate texture, Chinese fried eggs always use high heat so the bottom of each egg is crispy.
To cook bacon, I always use a nonstick pan with no oil. Simply cook it over medium or medium-low heat, so the fat will render off and the bacon will crisp up. Cooked at lower heat, there will be no oil splatter at all.
How to serve Instant Pot breakfast congee
To serve the congee, top the porridge with the fried eggs, crispy bacon, and a handful of chopped green onion, then season it with soy sauce and chili oil to your liking. I highly recommend homemade chili oil in your breakfast congee bowl, because it adds so much wonderful flavor. If you want a non-spicy dish, you can use sesame oil to replace the chili oil.
The congee is mild and fragrant with the hearty chicken broth and aromatics. It pairs so well with the runny eggs and crispy bacon bites! It’s a breakfast dish but I enjoy cooking it for lunch and dinner as well! I hope you like this one as much as I do 🙂
Instant Pot Breakfast Congee
Ingredients
Congee
- 1 cup (240 ml) short grain rice (or medium grain rice)
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 4 slices ginger
- 4 green onions , sliced (and extra for garnish)
- Pinch salt (or to taste)
Toppings
- 8 pieces bacon
- 2 teaspoons olive oil (or vegetable oil)
- 4 large Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce (or to taste)
- 4 teaspoons homemade chili oil , to taste (or toasted sesame oil for non-spicy congee)
Instructions
To cook congee
- Add the rice, chicken broth, ginger, green onion and salt into your Instant Pot. Cover and seal the lid. Select high pressure, and set the timer to 25 minutes. If you’re using a pressure cooker, seal the lid and cook over medium heat until pressure is reached. Then reduce to low heat and cook for 25 minutes. Once done, let the pressure release naturally.
- Once the pressure has fully released, open the lid and stir the congee with a ladle. It might look thin once it’s done cooking, but it will thicken up a bit once you stir it well and let it sit for a few minutes. If you want to change the texture of the congee, turn on the “Saute” function and let it boil down for a few minutes and stir constantly, until it turns thicker. Or you can pour in a bit of hot water and stir it if you want to thin it out.
To prepare the toppings
- Make the toppings while the congee is cooking. Add the bacon to a nonstick skillet and cook over medium heat. Cook, flipping occasionally, until the bacon has turned golden brown and crispy. If it starts to smoke too much, turn to medium-low heat. Once done, set aside to let cool slightly. Then cut or crumble the bacon into small pieces.
- You can use the bacon fat to cook the eggs if you prefer. If not, wipe the pan clean with a paper towel and add the oil. Heat over medium heat until oil is hot. Add the eggs. Let cook, using your spatula to arrange the egg whites so they form rounded shapes. Cook the eggs until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny. Or you can also cook the eggs until your desired doneness.
To assemble the congee
- Spoon the congee into individual serving bowls. For each bowl, top with the egg, drizzle with 1 teaspoon soy sauce, sprinkle with bacon crumbles and green onions (if desired), and finish up with homemade chili oil. Enjoy it while it’s hot!
This looks beautiful! Is there a preferred way to make it if I don’t have an instant pot? I have a slow cooker if that’s suitable? I love congee but have never made it. Thank you!!
You can easily make it on stove top. I’m sure slow cooker works as well but I don’t have a good cooking time since I’ve never tested it before.
Here is a tutorial of how to make it on the stove: https://omnivorescookbook.com/how-to-make-congee/
All you need is to follow the ingredients in this recipe (ginger green onion etc), and double the liquid. For the liquid, you can use half chicken broth and half water since it will evaporate a lot. You can also use all chicken broth for an even more flavorful congee.
My partner does not care for congee but he loved the bacon, fried egg, green onions and chili oil. This was a success!!!
just wondering if you have tried making congee with frozen rice, i am hearing good things about this option. Your recipe is great, i look forward to trying it.
You can. As a matter of fact, my family often use leftover rice for make congee as well. In this case, you need to use way less water because the cooked rice won’t absorb so much as raw rice. The congee texture will be thin, like a soup, not the creamy texture you get by cooking with raw rice.
I love this recipe, one thing, if you just crack an egg over the congee once it’s done then cover and leave the insta pot on warm for a bit the egg just poached over the congee and it’s super creamy and delicious
Thanks for sharing the poached egg tip! Sounds super delicious and I can’t wait to try it out next time 🙂
Good Intro to Congee. Will do it again.