Best Vegetable Biryani - It's light, easy to cook and so yummy. Fragrant basmati rice cooked with choice of mixed vegetables, basic Indian spices and herbs is just irresistible. The biryani recipe that gives you fluffy, fragrant and flavourful meal that is ready under 30 minutes. Here is how to make vegetable biryani recipe step by step in the instant pot pressure cooker.
Traditional authentic vegetable biryani recipe involves layering and dum (slow cooking). It is quite a time consuming and longer process as compared to this. Whereas, this recipe is an easy one pot biryani that needs no marination or special ingredients.
Great news is, you can also cook this vegetable biryani easily in a regular pressure cooker on stove top. Wouldn't it be a great addition to your weeknight dinners or weekend meals? I am sure it would be. Because, this veg biryani has all the reasons to be in your fav list.
This Vegetable Biryani Is
Easy and super good
Ready under 30 minutes
One pot dish
Gluten free
Easily customisable to make vegan version (skip ghee and curd)
Easy on spices and spiciness (can go on ahead as per liking)
Why An Instant Pot to make this Biryani Recipe?
Let me confess, I bought the IP in September 2018 and it was simply lying in the shelf packed for 4 months. I don't know why, but I had a fear that will I be able to use it properly or not, or how long would it take me to get use to it? With 100's of stupid thoughts in my mind, I was reluctant to get my hands on it.
Well, keeping all thoughts aside, I decided to give it a try, "it might take few trials and errors, but am sure I will adapt to it easily". Trust me, that day and today, Instant Pot hadn't failed me.
The best part of the IP is I never have to baby sit while cooking anything. Heat, Sauté, Close the pot, Set the timer and leave. Never ever in my life I have cooked curries or biryanis or pulaos in just few minutes. Plus, the taste of the food is simply amazing.
In coming days, I shall share my best international and Indian Instant pot recipes here. This One pot Vegetable biryani recipe is one of them. It took me flat 20 minutes to make this recipe in an instant pot.
Ingredients
Rice - Good quality long grain Rice , either Basmati or Sela Rice.
Vegetables - I have used a mix of potatoes, peas, carrots, capsicum and cauliflower here. You are free to use the vegetable of your choice. Addition of mushroom, tofu, paneer is always welcome.
Yogurt, Ghee and Oil - You may skip yogurt and ghee, if you are making vegan veg biryani recipe
Whole Spices - Bay leaves, cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, green cardamom, star anise, cloves and black peppercorns.
Spice powders - Garam Masala powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder. You can go on ahead with cayenne pepper or smoked paprika as well.
Fresh ingredients - Ginger and Garlic paste, slit green chilies, chopped coriander and mint leaves, lemon juice
Other ingredients - pinch of saffron soaked in either 2 tbsp milk or water, fried or caramelised onions, salt, water. You can also use store bought fried onions or birista
Expert Tips
Always, cut veggies like potato and cauliflower in large chunks to avoid getting mushy
Soak the rice for 15 minutes for best fluffy veg biryani.
A mix of both ghee and oil gives aromatic and super flavourful biryani. But, you can use either ghee or oil, but skip ghee if you plan to make vegan veg biryani.
Use long grain rice to make biryani appealing as well as delicious. Do not compromise on quality of rice to make biryani.
You can surely add fried cashew nuts and raisins to make biryani more rich, nutty and flavourful
How to make vegetable biryani in pressure cooker on stove top?
- To make veg biryani in pressure cooker, heat mix of oil and ghee or either of them.
- Add whole spices and fry for few seconds. Add sliced onions and fry until it starts picking up golden tint.
- Now, add cut vegetables, ginger paste, garlic paste, capsicum, green chilies slit and sauté on high for a minute.
- Add whisked yogurt, red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala powder, salt and mix. Cook for a minute.
- Then, top the vegetables with chopped mint leaves, coriander leaves, fried onions.
- Without mixing, layer the soaked and strained rice and saffron milk.
- Add 3.75 cups of water and lemon juice, check for salt and add some more.
- Pressure cook for 2 whistles on medium flame and then switch off the heat. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Serve with raita of your choice.
How to make Vegetable Biryani in Instant Pot
Switch on the IP and press Sauté mode. Once the IP displays 'Hot', heat oil and ghee together in the inner pot of the IP. Add, whole spices and fry for 30 seconds.
Then, add sliced onions and sauté until it just starts picking up golden colour.
Add, cauliflower, peas, carrot, potato, ginger garlic paste and green chilies and sauté for 30 seconds.
Then, add whisked yogurt, spice powders, little salt and mix. Add 1 cup of water from the sides of the inner pot.
Top the vegetable layer with chopped mint and coriander leaves, fried or caramelised onions.
Layer the soaked and strained rice evenly, sprinkle saffron water, salt and lemon juice on the top.
Pour 2 more cups of water from the side of the pot such that rice is just immersed under water. Do not stir at this point.
Immediately cover the IP lid with the vent in sealing position and cancel the 'Sauté' mode. Switch on the 'Manual/Pressure Cooker Mode'. Pressure cook the veg biryani on low pressure for 6 minutes.
Once the IP beeps, manually release the pressure carefully and open the pot, allow it to rest for 5 minutes.
Top the biryani with some more caramelised or fried onions and fluff up the rice using fork. Serve Veg biryani with raita of your choice.
Some of the best Biryani Recipes you may want to try
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📖 Recipe
Vegetable Biryani Recipe
Ingredients
To make vegetable biryani recipe
- 2.5 cups Long grain Basmati Rice ((soaked for 15 minutes))
- 1 Onion (large sized, finely sliced)
- 3 Potatoes (medium sized, cut in large chunks)
- 1 cup Green Peas (fresh or frozen)
- 1¼ cup Cauliflower (cut in large florets)
- 1 Capsicum (sliced thickly)
- 3 Carrots (sliced)
- ¼ cup Yogurt (whisked well)
- ½ cup Coriander leaves (finely chopped)
- 3 tbsp Mint leaves (finely chopped)
- ⅓ cup Fried Onions or Caramelised onions
- 1.5 tsp Garlic paste
- 1.5 tsp Ginger paste
- 2-3 Green chilies (slit)
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 3 cups Water
Whole Spices for veg biryani
- 4-5 Cardamom
- 4-5 Cloves
- 7-8 Black peppercorns
- 2 sticks of cinnamon ((1 inch sized))
- 2-3 Bay leaves
- 1 Star Anise
- 1.5 tsp Cumin seeds
Spice powders for biryani
- 1 tsp Red chilli powder
- 1.5 tsp Coriander powder
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
Other ingredients
- Few strands of saffron soaked in milk or water
Instructions
- Switch on the IP and press Sauté mode and place the inner pot
- Once it displays 'Hot', heat oil and ghee together in the inner pot of the IP
- Add, whole spices and fry for 30 seconds
- Then, add sliced onions and sauté until it just starts picking up golden colour
- Add, cauliflower, peas, carrot, potato, ginger garlic paste and green chilies and sauté for 30 seconds
- Then, add whisked yogurt, spice powders, little salt and mix. Add 1 cup from the sides of the inner pot.
- Top vegetable layer with chopped mint and coriander leaves, fried or caramelised onions.
- Layer the soaked and strained rice evenly, sprinkle saffron water, salt and lemon juice on the top.
- Pour 2 more cups of water from the side of the pot such that rice is just immersed under water. Do not stir at this point.
- Immediately cover the IP lid with the vent in sealing position and cancel the 'Sauté' mode. Switch on the 'Manual/Pressure Cooker Mode'
- Pressure cook the veg biryani of low pressure for 6 minutes.
- Once the IP beeps, manually release the pressure carefully and open the pot, allow it to rest for few minutes.
- Top the biryani with some more caramelised or fried onions and fluff up the rice using fork.
- Serve Veg biryani with raita of your choice.
Notes
How to make vegetable biryani in Pressure Cooker on Stove top
- To make veg biryani in pressure cooker, heat mix of oil and ghee or either of them.
- Add whole spices and fry for few seconds. Add sliced onions and fry until it starts picking up golden tint.
- Now, add cut vegetables, ginger paste, garlic paste, capsicum, green chilies slit and sauté on high for a minute
- Add whisked yogurt, red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala powder, salt and mix. Cook for a minute.
- Then, top the vegetables with chopped mint leaves, coriander leaves, fried onions.
- Without mixing, layer the soaked and strained rice and saffron milk.
- Add 3.5 cups of water and lemon juice, check for salt and add some more.
- Pressure for 2 whistle on medium flame and then switch off the heat. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Serve with raita of your choice.
Important notes
- Cut cauliflower and potatoes in large chunk to avoid getting mushy
- You can add any vegetables of your choice along with paneer, tofu and even mushrooms.
- Adjust the spiciness as per your liking.
- To make vegan vegetable biryani, skip using yogurt and ghee.
- To make no onion no garlic veg biryani, skip onions and garlic and proceed with the rest.
Rosalind E Hayden says
Turned out great! Thanks for the simple biryani recipe!
Shoba Singh says
I tried the veg breyani using instant pot & the end results was perfect & delicious. Thank you for the step by step guide, the right amount of water used, precision to point 👌 in every ingredients in making the veg breyani. Just like you I was reluctant to use the instant pot but you made so easy that on my first attempt I perfected it. My family relished & enjoyed very much. Also tried the mutton breyani, that too turned out great. Sorry was unable to share pic. Will definitely try other recipes.. Thanks a million, appreciate your guidance & showing how to use the instant pot for Indian cuisine🤗💖🙏😘
Farrukh Aziz says
Hello Shoba,
Happy to hear this! Thank you very much for the appreciation, I am glad to know that you loved the my Indian recipes made in Instant pot. 🙂
Shoba Singh says
Thank you Farrukh Aziz 🙏for responding to my post much appreciated 🤗love your recipes...take care😌
Sarah says
My insta pot was almost too full at the end and I had to take a lot of stuff our and I never added the capicsum as it was left out of the recipe instructions. Fingers crossed. I'll update on on how it turns out.
Food Lifes says
Very nice recipe . it's looking very testy.
Whitney says
In step 6. What does this mean? "Add 1 cup from the sides of the inner pot."
Farrukh Aziz says
Hello Whitney,
This means that when you add water to the inner pot over the rice, make sure to add from around inside the walls of the inner pot and not to pour in the centre over the rice. Also I hope this explanation helps 🙂
Alka says
Hi,
Tried it in my instant pot. AMAZING recipe! The best veg biryani I've ever had! Thank you!
mayuri says
Hi ..Thank you for information.It's amazing.
Susan S says
Fabulously explained Farrukh, and I agree to instant pot love. Bookmarked the recipe! Thanks