Instant Pot Bulgur Wheat Quick Easy

Did you know the Instant Pot is perfect for cooking whole grains of all kinds? Alex and I have been on a quest to discover all the basics you can cook in an Instant Pot. Rice, chickpeas, black beans, even hard boiled eggs and sweet potatoes cook up perfectly in a pressure cooker. So why not use it to cook bulgur wheat? This quick-cooking whole grain works well in the Instant Pot, where it’s totally hands off. This recipe is lightly seasoned and works as either a healthy side dish or a component to go in a salad or grain bowl. Ready to get started?

Where to buy bulgur

Bulgur wheat is a whole grain made of cracked wheat. It originates in Middle Eastern cuisine. Ever had tabbouleh at a Greek or Israeli restaurant? Yep, that’s bulgur wheat! Where to buy bulgur? Many mainstream groceries stock bulgur these days, especially in bulk bins. You can also buy it online. One note on sizes: bulgur wheat comes in different grind sizes, which changes the cooking time significantly. We recommend fine-grind and medium-grind bulgur wheat, which is the fastest to cook. Coarse-ground or extra-coarse bulgur take much longer to cook, so we generally buy the fine and medium grind varieties. What if your package of bulgur is not marked? It’s likely medium grind. You’ll have to experiment with the cook time and cook longer if it’s still not tender after the allotted time.

Buy it: Bulgur wheat

Is bulgur gluten free?

Bulgur is made from wheat, so it is not gluten free. Make sure to stay away from bulgur if you have a strict gluten free diet. If you’re looking for a gluten free substitute, you can use one of the following:

Brown riceMilletQuinoa

How to cook Instant Pot bulgur (basic steps)

Is bulgur wheat faster in an Instant Pot than on the stovetop? Not really. So why make it in an Instant Pot? Well, a pressure cooker is a totally hands off method: there’s no need to even boil water. Throw in the ingredients and you’re good to go: then finish dinner while the Instant Pot does its magic! This Instant Pot bulgur recipe uses the low pressure setting of the pressure cooker. While that might not sound interesting in itself, out of all of our healthy Instant Pot recipes, this is the first one to use low pressure. So make sure to select the Low setting when you cook! Here are the basic steps on how to make Instant Pot bulgur:

How to serve Instant Pot bulgur

Now that you’ve cooked it up, how to serve this Instant Pot bulgur? Our favorite way to serve it is as a healthy side dish! Because this one is already seasoned with garlic powder and oregano, it’s perfect for serving alongside baked fish, cedar plank salmon or shrimp. A vegetarian main dish idea is to serve it alongside beans and greens with a fried egg: try our Bulgur Wheat with Fried Eggs. The most popular use for bulgur is Tabbouleh, the famous Middle Eastern grain salad with lots of fresh parsley, tomatoes, and garlic. Here’s our version of that recipe: Mediterranean Bulgur Salad. It’s also fantastic in a grain bowl: try it in our Roasted Vegetable Bowl instead of freekah.