Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani

A simple, easy, and flavorful vegetable biryani recipe made in the Instant pot pressure cooker with layers of spiced vegetables, warm spices, herbs like mint and cilantro, fried onions, and basmati rice. This delicious Veg Biryani recipe can be made in less than 45 minutes and is perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Oh My God! You can’t get over the taste of that delightful Veg Biryani from your favorite Restaurant? You are dying to make it at your home but found the numerous online recipes overwhelmingly complicated & decided to give up?

If this sounds like You, then here is your easy guide to making a mouth-watering One-pot Veg Biryani recipe in the comfort of your home. All you need is your magical Instant Pot & 30 minutes to win over your family 🙂

In addition, See the Veg Biryani Video here to get a better idea of how to cook vegetable dum biryani on Instant Pot.

Today I have prepared this dish in my electric pressure cooker, Instant Pot DUO60 6 QT. You can use any equivalent electric pressure cooker like Mealthy Multipot.

What is Biryani?

Biryani, also known as beriani, biriani is a mixed rice dish with its origins among the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent. It is made with Indian spices, rice, meat, and/or vegetables in certain regional varieties. - Source Wiki

A lot of people get confused about the difference between Biryani and Pulao. In the traditional Biryani recipe, rice and meat or vegetables are cooked separately, assembled in layers, and then cooked on low flame (dum style) so that all the flavors are infused during the slow cooking. As a result, it is much richer due to ghee, fried onions, and more spices. Whereas Pulao is a medley of rice with either vegetables or meat, and both these things are cooked together with a mixture of spices.

Ingredients

• Vegetables: Add vegetables of your choice, a few other options are potatoes, mushrooms, bell pepper, and zucchini. However, some vegetables, like cauliflower, cook faster, so cut them into large florets. Cut other vegetables like beans, and carrots into 1 inch each. In addition, I have added paneer for protein.
• Rice: Traditionally, extra-long grain Basmati Rice is used for making biryani, and I have used white basmati rice for this recipe.
• Fried Onions: I have used store-bought fried onions since it saves time. If you don't have them handy, then take 1 large onion, thinly slice it, and saute with 2 tablespoons of oil till it caramelizes, or you can deep fry them too.
• Water: I have used 1.25 cups of water for every cup of Basmati rice to make this biryani in Instant Pot. Adjust water based on the type and quality of rice.
• Biryani Masala Powder: You can get biryani masala powder from any Indian grocery store or Amazon, or you can make it at home. You can use any brand, I have used Shan Biryani Masala for today’s recipe. I highly recommend using Shan Biryani Masala because it gives a Restaurant Style Veg Biryani taste. However, if you don't have biryani powder, replace it with the same quantity of garam masala powder.
• Spices & Herbs: You can increase or decrease spices according to your preference.

How to Make Vegetable Biryani in Instant Pot

Pre Preparation

• Rinse the basmati rice and soak for 15-20 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
• Add warmed milk to a bowl and soak the saffron strands in it. Keep aside.

Marinating the Veggies

• Take yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, red chili powder, biryani masala powder, lemon juice, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
• Now add the chopped vegetables, mix very well, and marinate for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
• However, if you don't have time, skip this step and add the veggies, and yogurt into the instant pot directly and saute.

Method

• Press SAUTE on Instant Pot. Add ghee or oil into the pot along with the whole spices and saute for 30 seconds.

• Secondly, Add sliced onions and saute for about 4-5 minutes or till onions caramelize.

• Furthermore, add the marinated vegetables to the pot. Mix everything well and saute for 1 minute.
• Also, Deglaze the bottom of the pot using liquids from the vegetables to remove any stuck bits to avoid BURN alert.

• Top with half of the coriander leaves, mint leaves, and fried onions. Do not mix.
• Spread the soaked basmati rice evenly over the veggies.

• Now again, top with leftover coriander leaves, mint leaves, and fried onions. Sprinkle saffron milk on top of the rice, and do not mix.
• Add water gently all around along the sides of the pot. Don’t add water in the center. Make sure rice is just immersed under water.
• Do not mix the ingredients. After that, add 1 tablespoon of ghee over the rice, this is optional.

• Select "MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK" (LOW Pressure) and adjust the time to 6 minutes.
• After the pot beeps, Quick Pressure Release to stop overcooking the rice and vegetables.
• Open the pot and fluff up the rice. Garnish with some more fried onions and coriander leaves.
• Most importantly, Remove the steel insert, as it prevents the rice at the bottom from overcooking.
• Lastly, Serve this Instant pot Vegetable Biryani with your favorite raita, salad, or kurma.

Stovetop Pressure Cooker Method

• Follow the same steps as that of Instant Pot. Close the pressure cooker lid and cook on the lowest flame for about 20-25 minutes. Even if the pressure cooker whistles, it's fine.
• Serve this easy pressure cooker biryani with your favorite raita, salad, or kurma.

Serving Suggestions for Veg Biryani

Serve Vegetable Dum Biryani recipe with any kurma, or serve it with a side of raita and Mango Lassi.

Tips to make the best Vegetable Biryani

• Rice: Use top-quality long-grain basmati rice to make fluffy and fragrant vegetable biryani. However, you can also use short-grain rice like seeraga samba rice or sona masoori rice if that's what you have in hand.
• Paneer: If your paneer becomes chewy after pressure cooking, saute paneer separately & add in the end or use homemade paneer.
• Marinating the Veggies: Marinating the vegetables is an optional step, but I highly recommend it because it enhances the biryani flavors.
• Biryani masala powder: Use Shan Biryani Masala to get restaurant-style veg biryani flavor. I highly recommend this brand. You can easily find biryani masala in any Indian grocery store or on Amazon. If you don't get biryani powder, replace it with the same quality of garam masala powder.
• Spices: Increase or decrease spices according to your preference.
• Deglaze: Make sure to Deglaze the pot using liquids from vegetables to remove any stuck bits to avoid a BURN alert.
• Quick Release: After the pressure cooking, Quick Pressure Release to stop overcooking of rice and vegetables.

Storage Suggestions

• Storage: Leftover veg biryani will last in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days when stored in an airtight container.
• Freezer: You can freeze in a freezer-safe container or ziplock for up to 2 months in the freezer. Make sure to cool down the biryani to room temperature before storing it in the freezer.
• Reheat: Add a few tablespoons of water and reheat in a microwave or stovetop until warm through.

Recipe FAQs

More Veg Style Biryani Recipes

• Paneer Biryani
• Spinach Biryani
• Mushroom Biryani
• Chickpeas Biryani
• Soya Chunks Biryani
• Quinoa Veg Biryani
• More Instant Pot Indian Rice Recipes

If you’ve tried this easy veg biryani recipe or any other recipe on Indianveggiedelight, then don’t forget to rate the recipe. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see the latest recipes!