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Our favorite Vegetable Biryani now made even more quicker and full if flavours easily with the help of Instant Pot. This easy to cook, one pot veg biryani is made with fragrant basmati rice, vegetables, paneer, aromatic whole spices and herbs.
This delicious biryani, bursting with authentic flavors gets done in just 40 mins including the prep time making it the perfect show stopping centre dish on your dining table for any special occasion.
Jump to:
- Why make Veg Biryani in Instant Pot?
- Ingredients
- Watch Video
- Best rice variety to use
- Soaking time for rice
- Best Instant Pot Setting
- Vegan Substitute
- More Instant Pot Recipes
- More Biryani Recipes
- Recipe
- Comments
You can also make it as an easy week night dinner, no matter how tired you may be after a long & busy day at work as it is really "EASY" and also you guessed right, 'One Pot' freeing you from a multitude of pots and pans to wash after cooking.
Unlike pressure cooker vegetable pulao which is very easy, cooking an authentic biryani is bit more tedious.
From marinating ingredients, soaking & cooking, but it is truly worth the effort making this pressure cooking Biryani in Instant Pot a breeze with literally no demand on our time.
The ingredient list may look long but everything is already there in your pantry and you do not have to go hunting for anything.
Though the ingredients look the same as in the 'veg dum biryani', you cannot simply follow the same procedure while cooking in Instant Pot.
The addition of ingredients in stages varies as it helps to prevent them from sticking to the inner pot bottom giving you the dreaded "burn" message. So follow the steps exactly for a great biryani cooking experience.
Why make Veg Biryani in Instant Pot?
- Easy one-pot recipe.
- Aromatic and authentic biryani bursting with flavours.
- Vegetarian & Gluten Free with options to make it 100% vegan.
- Wholesome and completely well balanced meal on its own.
- Suitable both for a special occasion or for a busy weeknight dinner.
- Takes less than 40 minutes with just 10-15 mins being hands on.
Ingredients
Yogurt/Curd: Make sure to use fresh and thick curd. Beat it well with a spoon or fork before adding. Do not skip adding curd as it helps to keep the rice from drying out giving the much-needed moisture. It also balances all the tastes in the biryani.
Vegetables: Always use the freshest of veggies. Chop them thick or chunky so that they don't turn mushy while cooking and still retain good texture after cooking.
Saffron: It not only gives good color but also gives a sweet and floral aroma to the biryani making the biryani look rich and royal. Do skip adding it, if you do not have these on hand.
Ghee & oil: I have added a combination of both ghee & oil. If you want the biryani to be richer, use only ghee.
Watch Video
Best rice variety to use
Using basmati rice makes the biryani more fragrant and gives the best results. It also looks more presentable when serving it at a party or get-together.
I have used un-branded basmati rice here. I have also tried this same recipe with India Gate Dubar and got perfect results.
You can also use seeraga samba rice but is short-grained as I have done in this stovetop veg dum biryani.
Soaking time for rice
When cooking biryani in the instant pot, I would strongly suggest not to let the rice soak any longer than 15 mins.
Any time more than that can make the rice go mushy depending on the brand of rice you are using. So, no matter what brand of rice you are using, 10-15 mins seem to be the magic time.
If you are going to cook on the stovetop and do a 'dum' process, you can soak it up to 30 mins but not when you are going to cook in Instant Pot.
Replacements & Substitutes
You can skip adding paneer, but I love the chewy texture of it in this biryani.
You can also use soya wadi or chunks in its place. But make sure to soak them in hot water for 10-15 mins and squeezing out the excess water before adding it to the pot.
You can skip adding whole spices if you do not like biting into them and instead crush them coarsely in a spice grinder and follow the recipe.
Instead of using ghee roasted cashews to top the biryani before serving, you can also use fried onions also called 'Birista'. To make it, refer to this 'Burmese Veg Atho' recipe.
You can also use ghee fried or toasted bread cubes which happens to be my most favorite.
Best Instant Pot Setting
To make this Instant Pot vegetable biryani, the heat is kept at 'Less' throughout the entire cooking process.
It helps to prevent the veggies from overcooking during sautéing, spices powders from getting burnt, and the rice from overcooking during pressure cooking.
Canceling the 'Keep Warm', doing a 'Quick Release' as soon as the display flashes "END" and immediately lifting the pan out prevents the rice and veggies at the bottom of the pan from overcooking.
Let the biryani sit for 5 mins undisturbed. It will not only help release any excess moisture but also the heat to even out normally keeping the rice fluffy, separate, and not sticking to each other.
Vegan Substitute
Yes, of course. This instant pot vegetable biryani is gluten-free & vegetarian but you can easily make this into vegan by replacing it,
- Paneer with tofu or soya chunks
- Ghee with oil
- Milk with any plant based milk of your choice though cashew milk will work well than any thing else.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Plain Salna in Pressure Cooker - Empty Salna Recipe
- Chana Masala - Instant Pot Punjabi Chole Masala
- Chilli Guava Juice Recipe - Peru Pyala Recipe
- Easy Paneer Makhani Recipe in 10 Mins
More Biryani Recipes
- Kuska Biryani | Kuska Rice using Dum Method
- Chana Biryani Recipe
- Paneer Biryani Recipe - Kesar Paneer Biryani
- Mushroom Biryani Recipe + Video
See more Rice Recipes
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Recipe
INSTANT POT VEGETABLE BIRYANI
Easy to cook, one pot veg biryani, bursting with authentic flavours is made with fragrant basmati rice, vegetables, paneer, aromatic whole spices and herbs that gets done in under 40 mins.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time : 20 minutes mins
Cook Time : 15 minutes mins
Servings : 3
Course : Main
Cuisine : Indian
Author : Radhika
Ingredients
- Basmati Rice - 1 cup
- Onion - 1 thinly sliced
- Green chillies - 2 sliced
- Carrots - ¼ cup
- French beans - ¼ cup
- Fresh or frozen peas - ¼ cup
- Potatoes - ¼ cup
- Paneer - ¼ cup cubed
- Ginger garlic paste - ½ tbsp
- Mint leaves - ¼ cup
- Coriander leaves - ¼ cup
- Yogurt or curd - ¼ cup
- Milk - 2 tbsp
- Saffron strands - 1 pinch
- Ghee - 2 tbsp
- Oil - 1 tbsp
- Ghee roasted cashews - for garnish
Spice Powders:
- Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
- Coriander powder - ½ tsp
- Biryani Masala or garam masala powder - 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Whole Spices:
- Bay leaf - 1
- Cardamom - 2
- Cloves - 4
- Black Stone Flower - 1 pinch
- Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Instructions
Wash basmati rice under running water once and soak it for 15 minutes making sure that the rice is fully immersed in water. After 15 mins, drain the water completely and set the rice aside.
Soak saffron strands in 2 tablespoon milk and set aside.
Turn on 'saute' mode and adjust the heat to 'Less'. After the display reads 'hot', add ghee and oil.
Add the whole spices - bay leaf, cardamom. black stone flower, cinnamon & cloves. Saute for few seconds till they become fragrant.
Add onions, green chillies and saute for 2 to 3 mins till the onions turn translucent.
Add veggies - carrots, french beans, peas, potatoes, 2 tablespoon each of mint and coriander leaves. Saute for 2 to 3 mins till the vegetables soften and the leaves shrink well. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 1 min.
Add spice powders - red chilli, coriander, biryani masala or garam masala, turmeric. Add fresh and well beaten curd. Stir everything well to combine. Using the curd as a deglaze, scrape off any bits or pieces of veggies sticking to the bottom of the inner pot.
Add drained basmati rice, paneer cubes, salt, 1-¼ cup water, saffron soaked milk and mix gently to combine.
Add remaining mint and coriander leaves on top. If there are any ingredients sticking to the sides of the pan, gently press them into the water using the spatula.
Cancel the saute function and press the 'Pressure Cook' button. Adjust the heat to 'Less' and the pressure cook level to 'High'. Set the cooking time for 6 mins. Cancel the 'Keep Warm' function. Make sure that the steam release handle is in 'Sealing' position.
After the cooking finishes, the display panel will flash 'End' with a beeping sound. Carefully release the pressure (quick release) by flipping the steam release handle to 'venting' position. After all the pressure realeases and the pin drops, open the lid.
With the help of mitts, lift the inner pot and place it on any heat resistant surface and let it sit uncovered and undisturbed for 5 mins. This will prevent the biryani from over cooking and helps to release excess moisture keeping the rice fluffy and separate.
After 5 mins, gently fluff the rice with a fork. Serve this vegetable biryani with raita or any gravy.
Video
Notes
The timing and settings are based on Instant Pot Duo model.
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