Today, we are talking about how to cook zongzi in an Instant Pot. Cooking freshly made zongzi can take 7-8 hours on the stove. In an Instant Pot, it will take about 90 minutes (1 hour under high pressure, plus time for the pot to pressurize and release naturally).
What Are Zongzi?
Zongzi are Chinese sticky rice dumplings, wrapped in bamboo leaves. They are almost like tamales––just with bamboo leaves instead of corn husks, and sticky rice instead of corn masa. They are normally served around the Dragon Boat Festival, which occurs near the summer solstice (this time of year).
We have covered several zongzi recipes here on The Woks of Life, including our Shanghai Pork Zongzi, Cantonese-Style Zongzi (with pork, Chinese sausage, peanuts, and salted egg yolk), and sweet red bean jianshui (alkaline) zongzi.
Those recipes contain everything you need to know about preparing the filling and how to wrap the zongzi. In those posts, we use a simple cooking method of simmering the zongzi for 7-8 hours in a pot.
Instant Pot Zongzi to the Rescue!
If you are looking to save some time and have an Instant Pot in your kitchen, cooking zongzi under pressure is much faster, taking a fraction of the normal cooking time.
- The Instant Pot reduced the traditional cooking time from 7-8 hours to 90 minutes, saving time and energy.
- The pressure cooker will penetrate the zongzi all the way through, yielding a gooey, melt-in-your-mouth texture. While we just posted our “Lazy Zongzi” recipe, in which the rice is steamed together in a container, the texture will be more like lo mai gai (a dim sum sticky rice dish). You could steam it for hours, but the rice texture will never turn gooey.
- The Instant Pot will cook without as much heat and steam, leaving your kitchen environment cooler-–especially nice in summer.
If you have an Instant Pot on hand and enough room in it to cook a big batch of zongzi, I would definitely recommend cooking them this way. There is no sacrifice in taste or texture.
Important Notes When Cooking Zongzi in an Instant Pot
Note 1: Good zongzi are not overstuffed.
This is especially important when cooking them in an Instant Pot. It shouldn’t be loose, but you also want to avoid packing in too much rice. Here’s why:
- Sticky rice expands as it cooks, so if the rice is compacted too tightly when raw, there isn’t much room for the rice to expand.
- The rice will take longer to cook through.
- The texture may turn out dense and chewy, rather than gooey.
- Flavor from the other filling ingredients (such as pork belly, sausage, or other umami elements) won’t seep into the rice as easily.
- Most importantly, the bamboo leaves may burst, causing you to lose rice and flavor. Overstuffed zongzi are especially prone to bursting in the high pressure environment of the Instant Pot.
See each of our zongzi recipes for more details and step-by-step photos on how to properly wrap them.
Note 2: Cook each type separately!
If you’re making multiple zongzi flavors or varieties, you shouldn’t cook more than one variety at a time. If you cook multiple flavors together, they will end up tasting the same.
This is especially important when it comes to making savory and sweet zongzi. Be sure to cook them separately!
How to Cook Zongzi in an Instant Pot: Instructions
Make sure your zongzi are not overstuffed, and that they’re wrapped securely. Neatly nest the zongzi in the Instant Pot, in a way that minimizes gaps between them (treat it like a puzzle!). Handle with care so as not to damage the bamboo leaves. Fill the pot until it’s no more than 2 inches below the max fill line.
Put the metal steamer rack that came with your pot on top of the zongzi, to keep them in place during cooking. Fill with water just until you reach the max fill line. (If you have fewer zongzi, simply cover the zongzi with at least 2 inches of water.)
Cover the Instant Pot and lock the lid in place. Set on manual high pressure for 1 hour, and allow the pressure to release naturally. Be sure all pressure is released before safely opening the lid.
Note that the cooking time will vary slightly depending on the size of your zongzi. You can adjust the cooking time up or down by about 10 minutes, but no more. Longer cooking times may cause the zongzi to burst, especially if they are wrapped or tied poorly. Depending on the number of zongzi you have and the size of your Instant Pot, you may have to cook them in several batches.
That’s it! Now you know how to cook zongzi in an Instant Pot this Dragon Boat Festival. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday!
How to Cook Zongzi in an Instant Pot
Ingredients
- wrapped zongzi
- water
Instructions
- Make sure your zongzi are not overstuffed, and that they’re wrapped securely. Neatly nest the zongzi in the Instant Pot, in a way that minimizes gaps. Handle with care so as not to damage the bamboo leaves. Fill the pot until it’s no more than 2 inches below the max fill line.
- Put the metal steamer rack that came with your pot on top of the zongzi, to keep them in place during cooking. Fill with water just until you reach the max fill line. (If you have fewer zongzi, simply cover them with at least 2 inches of water.)
- Cover the Instant Pot and lock the lid in place. Set on manual high pressure for 1 hour, and allow the pressure to release naturally. Be sure all pressure is released before safely opening the lid.
I really like to try your Alkaline Zongzi but we dont have instant pot , can I cook it in a rice cooker or big pot with the lid on it?
Hi Maria, here is my Alkaline zongzi recipe cooked in a regular pot:.
Ohhh. This reminds me of tamales.
I just tried using my 8 qt instant pot to cook zongzi. It can fit 10 zongzi. I only found this web site today. I estimated 45 minutes for my first batch. Turns out pretty good. Then I cut down to 43 minutes for subsequent batches. It is good too. I also pour boiling water to fill the pot to cut down the heat up time.
It takes about 20 minutes for it to fully pressurize and the cook time starts. Then about one hour 15 minutes for the steam to dissipate. Then I remove the zongzi to drain.
Also I recommend changing out to fresh water for the subsequent batch.
For many years, I cooked about 30 pieces in a turkey fryer with propane on the patio. The cook time was 6 hours, with constant watching and refilling hot water. With the instant pot, I am home free.
Thank you for your input, Grace, much appreciated :-) You are right, the InstantPot is great for cooking zongzi.
Was that 45 mins with presoaking the rice overnight first before frying?
First time commenter so I just need to say you’re my fave food blog and every friend I’ve introduced to you adores you 💗 Second of all I have a sort of embarrassing question but essentially: what differentiates zongzi from lo Mai gai and how can I identify then? Also, any advice on purchasing these premade? If I buy them from the fridge in a grocery, are they precooked? What about from the vendors who sell them streetside?
Hi Elisabeth, thank you so much for introducing us to your friends.
1) The difference between zongzi and Lo Mai Gai is that zongzi has pork and Lo Mai Gai has chicken. But the biggest difference in my opinion is the texture of the sticky rice. Zongzi is gooey and lo mai gai is chewy. They are both very good.
2) If you are buying them from the refrigerator section in a grocery, they are pre-cooked. All you have to do is to heat it up by boiling them for 15-20 minutes before serving.
3) The vendors who sell them at the street side are definitely pre-cooking them.
Another difference is that zongzi is made with bamboo leaves (long and skinny) and lo mai gai uses lotus leaves (big and round), each giving the rice a different flavor.
True!
In my personal experience the easiest visual distinction is that wrapped zongzi tend to be tied with string, and are shaped like elongated tetrahedra or vaguely like cylinders; lo mai gai (at least as presented at dimsum) are seldom if ever tied, and are shaped like flat packages.
Also, I believe zongzi are always wrapped in bamboo leaves and lo mai gai are always wrapped in lotus leaves (and the latter traditionally chicken, hence the “gai”). Bamboo leaves are shaped very differently from lotus leaves, the former being long and tapered, while the latter are round and broad.
Hope that helps!
*the latter traditionally _has_ chicken
I’m interested in trying out the lazy version of zongzi in the Instant Pot… Is there any way to do that? Would you just layer the bamboo leaves with zongzi filling in layers?
I get stuck thinking about how do to this when I get to the water part…
Yes, Yvonne, it requires some testing. Let me work on it before getting back to you.
I make the Cantonese style every year. Before my Mom (who taught me the skills needed) passed, we used to make about 250, to share with our families and select friends.
I still use the old enamel pot handed down to me, and boil the joong for 2.5 hours outside on an old turkey deep-fryer burner. I can boil 2 doz at a time. I don’t understand the 7 – 9 hours you mentioned tho’. One variety I make is 1/2 Jasmine and 1/2 nor mai. The other is all nor mai; both with the same filling.
Instant Pot would certainly be handier, and I wouldn’t have to keep running out to top us the water! I’d just have to reduce the number of “gifts” I guess. LOL!
Thanks for this, AND for the “lazy version”!
Hi Sue, I love how the instant pot can cook zongzi so easily and effortlessly. Hope you will give it try, so you can still make enough to give out to friends and family :-)
Would the cook time for Lo Mai Gai in the instant pot be similar?
Hi Ryan, lo mai gai is usually steamed, not boiled. It’s hard to say because I have not tried that yet.
Thanks! I have fond memories of helping to make these as a kid. It’s one of those activities where the entire family, young children included, can have fun learning and being involved in the assembly. Of course, an adult will have to spend most of the day regularly minding the big pot and adding more boiling water as needed.
Yes, it is definitely a big and fun family event :-)