Easy Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani | Spicy Veg Biryani Recipe – Fragrant basmati rice cooked with aromatic whole spices, vegetables and herbs. It is so easy to make and packed with so much flavour. Though it tastes great on its own, a side of raita (yogurt dip) doesn’t hurt right?
Who doesn’t love biryani? I’m a die hard fan and it’s my most favourite dish !! Usually People think making biryani is an elaborate process and can be time consuming….but, trust me today I will share with you one of the quickest, easiest and yummiest biryani ever. You will totally love all the flavours!!
Vegetable Biryani is a complete meal with grains and loaded with vegetables. Each bite is infused with delicately balanced whole spices and a bold finish with garam masala. Once you get the technique right to cook in an instant pot, making biryani will be a breeze. The key is to choose right kind of vegetables and also more importantly cut them right so they all cook within 5 to 6 mins of pressure cooking time and to get the ratio of rice to water right!!
Why you will love this Easy Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani?
- Easy one-pot recipe.
- Authentic taste of biryani packed with flavours!!
- Can be enjoyed as a complete meal as such or with raita.
- Vegetarian, with an option to make it vegan and gluten-free.
- Takes less than 40 minutes and just 20 minutes of hands on time.
Commonly asked questions:
What all goes into this Easy Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani?
Whole Spices: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Bay Leaf, Kapok Buds, Kalpasi and Mace.
Ground Spices: Garam Masala Powder and Ginger Garlic Paste
Vegetables: Onion, Green Chillies, Potato, Carrots, Green peas & French Beans
Herbs: Fresh Mint and Coriander
….Finally Basmati Rice & Ghee
You may use any vegetable of your choice. I have used potato, carrots, green peas and french beans here. I just won’t recommend using cauliflower in this recipe because it will turn out super mushy. But, if you do want to use it, make sure to cut it into large pieces and then use. You may also add boiled eggs, tofu or paneer to this recipe. 
Can the recipe be doubled?
Yes, can be doubled in 6-QT or 8 QT Instant Pots. Instant Pots should not be filled more than 2/3 of its full capacity at any time. So we have to take the expanded rice into consideration.
Why do I get BURN on my 8-QT?
Press cancel before adding all the veggies. This will stop the pot from further overheating as you remove the browning from the bottom of the pot. Then add the veggies and deglaze the pot using the water contents from the veggies so that all the browning from sautéing the onions is removed. You can also use 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to remove the browning.
Can I make the Vegetable Biryani Vegan?
Yes. Substitute ghee with oil.
Can I use Quinoa instead of rice?
Yes. Follow same recipe. No need to soak the quinoa. Just rinse thoroughly and drain all the water before adding it to the pot.
Can I use Millets instead of rice?
I’m yet to try…will update the post once I try it!!
Steps to Follow For
Easy Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani
- Wash and rinse the basmati rice until water turns clear. Then soak it in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes.
- While the rice is soaking, chop all the vegetables. Cut potatoes in large chunk so they don’t overcook. You can always vary the choice of vegetables based on what you have on hand. If using any frozen vegetables, remove them and add to warm water. Once 20 minutes are up, drain away the water from the rice and frozen vegetables and set them aside.
- Turn on the Instant Pot and press the SAUTÉ button. Wait until it displays HOT.
- Once it displays hot, add oil or ghee to the pot.
- To the hot oil, add whole spices- Cardamon, Cinnamon, Cloves, Bay Leaf, Kalpasi, Kapok buds and Mace. Sauté for about 30 seconds until the spices are fragrant.
- Then add the sliced onions along with green chillies and sauté for 2 minutes till they are translucent. Don’t allow them to brown. Adjust Spice levels with green chillies to suit your taste as this is the only source of spice to the biryani.
- Now, add ginger garlic paste and cook for 1 more minute. I’m using my homemade ginger garlic paste, you can get the recipe HERE.
- Add 1 tablespoon water at this point and deglaze the pot. Scrape and remove all the burnt bits that may have been there due to sautéing the onions and ginger garlic paste. . Don’t skip this step else the pot might not come to pressure and will also prevent BURN signal
- Then add in all the vegetables – I’m using today potatoes, carrots, green peas and French beans.
- Cook for 2 more minutes and add required salt, a little garam masala powder and a handful of mint leaves. Reduce quantity of mint if you don’t like its strong smell. Give it all a nice mix.
- Now, add the drained rice to the pot and gently toss it all together with a spatula.
- Add water (1:1.25 ratio Rice to water) to the pot. Try not stir anything at this point or maximum give it a very gentle stir. This ratio is what worked for me but it will also depend on the quality of the basmati rice you are using. Squeeze in some lemon juice, this prevents the rice grains from sticking to each other and becoming mushy.
- Close the pot with its lid and then press the MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK button.
- Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 6 minutes with the pressure valve in the SEALING position.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually.
- Open the pot and fluff the rice with a fork. Do not let the biryani sit in the instant pot after its done as the rice can get overcooked due to the residual heat. You can also just take the liner out of the pot and cover with a glass lid. Serve the biryani with a side of raita…Today I’m serving with Boondi Raita!
Tips for perfect Vegetable Biryani in the Instant Pot:
- Use good quality long grain basmati rice for better results and soak rice for 20 minutes.
- Use homemade ginger garlic paste and fresh garam masala powder.
- Deglaze the pot using a little water to remove any browned bits from sautéing the onions. This will help the Instant Pot come to pressure and also prevent BURN signal
- Make sure all of the rice is under the liquids before closing the Instant Pot.
- Do not let the biryani sit in the instant pot after its done as the rice can get overcooked due to the residual heat. You can also just take the liner out of the pot and cover with a glass lid.
Easy Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani | Veg Biryani Instant Pot Recipe
Equipment
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
For seasoning:
- 1 tbsp Oil or Ghee
- 1 Cardamom Pod
- 2 inch Cinnamon stick
- 6 Cloves
- 2 Bay leaves
- Few Kalpasi
- 2 Kapok Buds
- 1 Mace
Other Ingredients:
- 1 Onion Sliced
- 6 Green Chilies Slit
- 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 2 Cups Mixed Vegetables Evenly diced
- Few Mint Leaves
- A little Coriander finely chopped
- 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 Cups Rice
- 2½ Cups Water
Instructions
- Wash and rinse the basmati rice until water turns clear. Then soak it in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes.
- While the rice is soaking, chop all the vegetables. If using any frozen vegetables, remove them and add to warm water. Once 20 minutes are up, drain away the water from the rice and frozen vegetables and set them aside.
- Turn on the Instant Pot and press the SAUTÉ button. Wait until it displays HOT.
- Once it displays hot, add oil or ghee to the pot.
- To the hot oil, add whole spices- Cardamon, Cinnamon, Cloves, Bay Leaf, Kalpasi, Kapok buds and Mace. Sauté for about 30 seconds until the spices are fragrant.
- Then add the sliced onions along with green chillies and sauté for 2 minutes till they are translucent. Don’t allow them to brown.
- Now, add ginger garlic paste and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add 1 tablespoon water at this point and deglaze the pot. Scrape and remove all the burnt bits that may have been there due to sautéing the onions. Don't skip this step else the pot might not come to pressure.
- Then add in all the vegetables and mix.
- Cook for 2 more minutes and add required salt, a little garam masala powder and a handful of mint leaves. Reduce quantity of mint if you don’t like its strong smell. Give it all a nice mix.
- Now, add the drained rice to the pot and gently toss it all together with a spatula.
- Add water (1:1.25 ratio Rice to water) to the pot. Try not stir anything at this point. Squeeze in some lemon juice to prevent the rice grains from sticking to each other and becoming mushy.
- Close the pot with its lid and then press the MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK button.
- Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 6 minutes with the pressure valve in the SEALING position.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually.
- Open the pot and fluff the rice with a fork.
- Serve the biryani with a side of raita!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Use good quality long grain basmati rice and soak rice for 20 minutes.
- Use homemade ginger garlic paste and fresh garam masala powder.
- Do not skip to deglaze the pot using a little water to remove any browned bits from sautéing the onions and ginger garlic paste. This will help the Instant Pot come to pressure and also prevent BURN signal
- Make sure all of the rice is under the liquids before closing the Instant Pot.
- Do not let the biryani sit in the instant pot after its done as the rice can get overcooked due to the residual heat. Just remove the liner out of the pot and cover with a glass lid.
I am sure you will love this flavourful and aromatic Vegetable Biryani made in the instant pot. Let me know how it turned out!
You may want to check out other ONE POT MEALS –
Here are a few!!
And many more to come!!…..Stay Tuned!!
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Happy Cooking 
Cheers!!
Padma.
