A method of producing instant rice, includes bringing raw rice to absorb water to obtain water-absorbed rice, including holding a mixture of the raw rice and cooking water at a temperature of 75° C. to 80° C. for 20 to 60 min, and prior thereto, optionally preliminarily immersing the raw rice in water at a temperature of not more than 70° C., wherein a total amount of the cooking water and water absorbed by the raw rice in the preliminary immersion falls within a range of 150 to 190 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the raw rice before the preliminary immersion, cooking the water-absorbed rice to obtain alpharized cooked rice, and drying the cooked rice.
