My vegan Instant Pot biryani is loaded with flavor from an assortment of vegetables, fresh herbs, biryani spices and aromatic basmati rice. I often make it on weekends when we have company - it takes minutes to put together and always gets tons of compliments.
Table of Contents
In my house we need no excuse to make a vegetable biryani with layers of aromatic basmati rice and vegetables in a richly spiced curry sauce. This Instant Pot biryani uses an unconventional cooking method but it's more convenient and just as delicious and authentic-tasting.
If you are familiar with my other biryani recipes, including mushroom biryani and eggplant biryani, you will find that this recipe is slightly different. That's because there are some unique challenges to overcome when you make biryani in an Instant Pot:
- An Instant Pot biryani has to be seasoned more generously because the rice, vegetables and curry sauce cook together (unlike a traditional biryani where they are cooked and seasoned separately), and the rice absorbs a lot of the flavor you add to the sauce.
- You need to perfect the ratio of rice to water to avoid mushy rice. Biryani rice needs to remain long and separate and not clump together. But once you've clicked the lid on the Instant Pot shut, you don't really get to see what's happening so your calculations need to be spot-on.
Don't worry, though, because I have made this recipe foolproof and if you follow it as written, you will get a biryani you will love. One more tip I have for you is to cut the veggies into fairly large pieces, at least an inch square. That way they won't turn into mush and will add lovely texture to this vegan biryani. Also always be sure to use basmati when you make biryani because biryani should never, ever be made with any other variety other than this long-grained, aromatic rice.
Recipe card
Vegan Instant Pot Biryani
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds (shahi jeera, or cumin seeds)
- 1 large onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 heaping tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste (for umami)
- 1 cup vegan yogurt
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves (roughly chopped)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro (roughly chopped)
- 2 medium potatoes (cut into 1-inch cubes. Use waxy potatoes)
- 2 medium carrots (cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 2 medium zucchini (cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 2 medium bell peppers (any color, cut into chunks)
- 8 oz mushrooms (cut into quarters if large, halved if small)1
- ¼ cup biryani masala (this might seem like a lot but you need it)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne (skip if biryani masala is already spicy)
- 2½ cups mushroom stock (or vegetable stock or water)
- Salt to taste
Optional ingredients (for topping)
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint
- ¼ cup fried onions (use any store-bought fried onions like French's)
Instructions
- Rinse and soak basmati rice in water for 20 minutes. Strain before using.
- Set Instant Pot to sauté on high. Add the carom seeds or cumin seeds, then add the onions. Stir in a pinch of salt.
- Sauté onions until they are soft and caramelized. This will take a few minutes. Do get this right because the browned onions add lots of flavor. Add ginger garlic paste and mix it in.
- Stir in the tomato paste and mix. At this point, if you have stuck bits of onions or tomato at the bottom of the pot, add ¼ cup of the mushroom stock or water and deglaze the pot. This will help avoid a "burn" message. Stir in the vegan yogurt followed by the mint and cilantro. Add the potatoes and carrots and sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Add in the remaining vegetables - zucchini, bell peppers and mushrooms. Add biryani masala and cayenne and mix them in.
- Add the strained rice to the pot, mix it with the veggies, then add the mushroom stock or water. Add enough salt so the stock tastes a little saltier than you'd like the dish to be.
- Layer on the optional ingredients at this point -- the fried onions and the mint - if using.
- Turn off the sauté function and place the lid in place on the Instant Pot. Pressure cook on high for seven minutes. Let the Instant Pot stand 10 minutes after cooking has ended, then do a force-release.
- Use a fork to lightly mix the biryani and fluff up the grains of rice.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Frequently asked questions about Instant Pot biryani
Yes. Use brown basmati rice and soak it for an hour. Pressure cook the biryani for 18 minutes instead of seven.
You can use green beans, sweet potatoes, summer squash like zucchini or winter squash, eggplant and cauliflower.
Layer 14 oz of baked tofu or air fryer tofu over the rice just before you cover the Instant Pot to begin pressure cooking. Mix the tofu cubes gently into the rice after opening the Instant Pot. For a more conventional biryani that's high in protein, try my vegan chicken biryani.
Yes, no need to thaw the vegetables first, but sauté them in the Instant Pot until they are medium-tender.
You can easily halve this recipe - just halve all the ingredients. You can double the recipe too but you will need a larger sized Instant Pot than the 6-quart Instant Pot I used.
Serve the vegan Instant Pot biryani with vegan cucumber raita or kachumber on the side.
Store the biryani in the fridge for up to five days. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw completely and warm in the microwave or on the stovetop before serving.
Kelly says
Amazing recipe. I’ve made it 4 times already. I have to cut the spices to about a third the amount, but it is just so delicious!