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Vegetable Biryani served in a black bowl with Boondi Raita on the side.
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Easy Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani | Veg Biryani Instant Pot Recipe

Easy Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani - Fragrant basmati rice cooked with whole spices, vegetables & herbs. This easy biryani is packed with so much flavour & so quick to make in an instant pot.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dinner/ Rice Dish, Main Course / Rice Dish |One Pot Meal
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani, Vegetable Biryani, Biryani, One Pot Meal, Rice Dish,
Calories: 450kcal
Author: Padma Veeranki

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.