An aromatic vegetable biryani that's ready from scratch in 30 minutes!
A delicious, aromatic vegetable biryani is the ultimate Indian comfort food. But if you're intimidated by the thought of spending a long time making it, I have the perfect recipe for you: an easy, tasty, restaurant-style Vegetable Biryani that, with some clever multitasking, is ready in under 30 minutes. My family loves this dish and over the years I came up with a few smart shortcuts to keep all of the flavors intact while cutting down on the time needed to make it. The finished biryani is spectacular: aromatic grains of rice are layered over a spicy masala curry, chunky vegetables and tofu cubes, It is hearty and tasty and, given that it takes less time to make than it would to order takeout, it is an absolute winner. But that's not all: at 194 calories a serving, you can afford to indulge. This is also a vegan recipe, it's gluten-free, and I've got tips for making it soy-free and nut-free, so read on.
Over the years I've shared with you countless recipes for vegetable biryani, that delicious rice dish so beloved by Indians and lovers of Indian food. While making a biryani may seem daunting to anyone who hasn't made a biryani before, I am here today to tell you that it's really not that hard. In fact, you can make this authentic and delicious, one-pot, restaurant-style Vegetable Biryani recipe I am about to share with you in just over 30 minutes.
And it tastes so good, you will wish you had made more.
This is a true and traditional layered vegetable biryani, and once you've made it and eaten it, I know you'll be back to tell me it's the best veg biryani you've ever eaten. Just because it doesn't take half a day to make, or because you get some help from the microwave, does not make it any less authentic. The flavors are exactly the same, you have all the fun, and nobody's the wiser. Now who's the smart one?
I came up with this easy recipe because at our home biryani's a favorite with both Jay and Desi. Jay, in fact, can eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and in between. So over the years I've tweaked this procedure and that to ensure that I can get this vegetable biryani ready for the dinner table or for the lunchbox in no time flat.
How to make the best vegetable biryani
- Let's first get rid of some misconceptions about biryani -- and some ingredients. A true biryani doesn't contain the usual Indian staples like tomatoes and turmeric. While some Indian cooks will use turmeric to marinate non-veg ingredients like chicken for chicken biryani, you don't need to do that here. If you want to add color to your biryani, use saffron. Just a few strands soaked in nondairy milk and sprinkled over the rice before you put on the lid are enough. And tomatoes...they just don't taste right in a biryani, so stay away from them.
- Coconut milk is also a no-no in biryanis. Although Hyderabad, famous for its biryanis, is in the south, and south Indian recipes often include coconut, it is never used in a biryani and it'll just mess up the flavors.
- Similarly, don't use coconut oil or olive oil in the biryani. Most Indian cooks would use ghee in biryani, but we are vegan here and there is so much flavor in this biryani, you don't need the ghee. I use avocado oil and that, or any flavorless vegetable oil, works very well.
- For an amazing tasting biryani, make sure you use the correct ingredients. They are all easily available online or at an Indian grocery store, including the biryani masala.
- Use vegetables that cook fast. I used carrots and potatoes. Cauliflower, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, green beans and most kinds of squashes are great and will work just as well. But try to veer away from veggies that would not cook as fast or just be weird in here, like broccoli or Brussels sprouts or cabbage or eggplant. I love them just as much as you do, but they won't work here.
- I use baked tofu or super firm tofu in my biryani for more protein and as a substitute for paneer, an Indian cheese that's often added to vegetable biryani. I want to say you can use chickpeas, if you'd prefer a bean instead, but honestly, I'd rather not. Beans in a biryani are just...strange.
- The vegan yogurt is really important for the moisture and flavor in this recipe, so don't substitute it. I use my own homemadecultured cashew yogurt, and I can guarantee that it makes a fabulous biryani, but a storebought one would work as well.
- The saffron milk -- saffron strands soaked in nondairy milk -- adds a really nice finish to the biryani, so try and use it. If you can't, use a pinch of turmeric in milk instead. You can also sprinkle on a couple of teaspoons of rose water on the biryani rice instead of, or in addition to, the saffron milk.
- Use a heavy pot with a tightfitting lid to make this biryani. The Indian pot of choice for cooking a biryani is a "handi", a wide, deep pot with a narrow neck. The shape of the pot allows the flavors and aromas to meld nicely over a low flame. You don't need a handi: any big pot you own with a heavy or tight lid, like a dutch oven, will work perfectly.
- You can take an hour to make this veg biryani recipe but if you want to make it in 30 minutes, you will have to follow my exact directions. If you're a new cook, you probably will need more time, unless you can chop and prep real fast.
- If you want to make this recipe nut-free, don't add the cashews. If you want to make it soy-free, leave out the tofu -- you can double up on the nuts instead.
Vegetable Biryani Ingredients
- Basmati rice: You should always, always use basmati rice for biryani. This is a royal dish, and it deserves no less than the long, separate, aromatic strands of basmati.
- Bay leaves: You would use dry bay leaves in most Indian dishes, as you would here. They add an unparalleled aroma to the rice.
- Whole spices: Cloves, green cardamom pod, black cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks
- Caraway seeds (shah jeera). Also called black cumin, shah jeera, easily found at Indian stores or online like the other ingredients here, adds a special flavor and aroma to biryanis.
- Vegetable oil. Any flavorless vegetable oil would work. I use avocado. Please don't use coconut or olive oil.
- Vegetables: carrots and potatoes. You can add other veggies, including sweet potatoes, cauliflower and squash.
- Ginger garlic paste. For aroma and flavor and healthfulness.
- Herbs: Cilantro, mint and dill (optional). These add lots of fresh flavor to the biryani. Use fresh cilantro but if you can't find fresh mint or dill it's okay to use dry. Cut down to a teaspoon of each.
- Vegan yogurt. I use my homemade cashew yogurt but any nondairy yogurt is fine. Make sure it is unflavored and unsweetened.
- Biryani Masala. You can buy this online or at Indians stores. Or make your own using my biryani masala recipe.
- Raw cashews. These add nice crunch and nuttiness. Leave out if nut-free.
- Super firm or extra firm tofu. Super firm tofu holds its shape nicely in the biryani sauce, but you can use extra firm tofu with water pressed out.
- Fried onions. You don't need to use homemade fried onions for this, especially as we are trying to do things speedily here. Just use storebought fried onions. I use French's or a similar product available at Aldi.
Substituting garam masala for biryani masala
Use biryani masala for the best biryani, although garam masala will do at a pinch.
A biryani masala is much more complex, with different flavors added to it and even some dry fruit. I recommend buying it at an Indian grocery store or online. You can get the one labeled "chicken biryani masala" or "mutton biryani masala." It doesn't really matter, because the masala itself is vegan.
Vegetable biryani: step by step video
What do I serve with the biryani?
- This biryani can be eaten by itself, but serve it with some cucumber raita for one of the best meals you ever ate.
More tasty Indian restaurant style recipes
- Vegan Malai Kofta
- Vegan Dal Makhani
- Navratan Pulao
- Jeera Rice
- Vegan Naan
- Learn how to marinate and bake tofu to add even more flavor to your Indian rice dishes.
Vegetable Biryani
A delicious, aromatic vegetable biryani is the ultimate Indian comfort food. But if you're intimidated by the thought of spending a long time making it, I have the perfect recipe for you: an easy, tasty, restaurant-style Vegetable Biryani that, with some clever multitasking, is ready in under 30 minutes. Best of all, at 194 calories a serving, you can afford to indulge.
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Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 194kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups basmati rice (washed in running water)
- 2 dry bay leaves
- 6 cloves
- 6 green cardamom pods
- 1-inch piece cinnamon
- 2 black cardamom pods
- 2 teaspoon caraway seeds (shahjeera). You can sub this with cumin seeds but try to use it if possible. It adds great flavor to biryanis.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 medium carrots (finely diced -- you want the pieces to be fairly small, about ½-inch square, to cook fast)
- 2 medium potatoes (finely diced)
- 2 heaping tsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro or coriander leaves
- 2 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill leaves (optional, but nice)
- 1 ½ cups vegan yogurt
- 2 heaping tbsp biryani masala
- ½ cup raw cashew pieces (optional)
- 12-14 oz baked tofu or super firm tofu (cut into small cubes)
- 1 cup fried onions (use storebought kind like French's, or the kind you get at the Indian store, or make yourself. Use this, no matter how "healthy" you're feeling. It is important for a true biryani)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
For serving
Instructions
- Place 2 cups of water in a microwave safe bowl along with three green cardamom pods, three cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and half the caraway seeds. Add salt to your taste. Add the rice to the bowl and microwave for eight minutes. Let the rice stand in the microwave until ready to use.
- After putting the rice in the microwave, chop your veggies, and simultaneously heat the oil in a large saucepan with an airtight lid. When the oil is hot, add the remaining green cardamom pods and cloves, brown cardamom pods and the remaining caraway seeds.
- Let the spices cook in the oil for a minute, then add the chopped carrots and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and then cover and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until the veggies are almost tender. If the veggies are sticking to the pan at this time, add ¼ cup of water or vegetable stock and scrape up any bits.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste, cilantro, mint and dill and stir to mix. Add the biryani masala, cashews if using, half the fried onions, tofu cubes and yogurt and stir well. Check if there's enough salt and add more if needed. Bring the masala to a boil.
- Lower the heat and bring the rice out of the microwave. Run a fork through it to loosen the grains. The rice should be almost done when you take it out, but not quite. Spread it evenly on top of the veggies and masala in the pot.
- Sprinkle the remaining fried onions on top of the rice. Cover with the airtight lid and let the biryani cook over low heat for 10 minutes, undisturbed. Let the biryani stand 10 minutes after cooking is done before opening to serve.
Video
Recipe notes
- If you don't have a microwave, or would rather not use it, you can make the rice on the stove top. Bring the water to a boil with the spices and salt, add the washed rice, cover and cook for eight minutes or until about 80 percent done.
- A true biryani doesn't contain the usual Indian staples like tomatoes and turmeric. While some Indian cooks will use turmeric to marinate non-veg ingredients like chicken for chicken biryani, you don't need to do that here. If you want to add color to your biryani, use saffron. Just a few strands soaked in nondairy milk and sprinkled over the rice before you put on the lid are enough. And tomatoes...they just don't taste right in a biryani, so stay away from them.
- Coconut milk is also a no-no in biryanis. Although Hyderabad, famous for its biryanis, is in the south, and south Indian recipes often include coconut, it is never used in a biryani and it'll just mess up the flavors.
- Use vegetables that cook fast. I used carrots and potatoes. Cauliflower, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, green beans and most kinds of squashes are great and will work just as well. But try to veer away from veggies that would not cook as fast or just be weird in here, like broccoli or Brussels sprouts or cabbage or eggplant.
- The vegan yogurt is really important for the moisture and flavor in this recipe, so be sure to use it.
- You can take an hour to make this biryani, but if you want to make it in 30 minutes, you will have to follow my exact directions. If you're a novice cook, you probably will need more time, unless you can chop and prep real fast.
- If you want to make this recipe nut-free, do not add the cashews. And make sure you use a nut-free yogurt. For a soy-free biryani, leave out the tofu.
Nutrition
Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.4g | Protein: 7.9g | Fat: 4.3g | Potassium: 260mg | Fiber: 3.4g | Sugar: 2.5g | Vitamin A: 750IU | Vitamin C: 7.4mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 2.3mg
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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Maria
My favorite biryani recipe ever! Can't say enough about it.
Ida
I believe that I’ve left a comment on the phenomenal dish in the past and I decided to leave yet another one because I’d forgotten just how spot-on the flavors are. I used vegetables I had on hand (eggplant, fresh peas, and sweet potato). I love this dish so much and every time I think of comfort Indian food, this dish comes to mind. So incredibly yummy!
Vaishali
Hi Ida, I really love that you find this to be your Indian comfort food! It is mine too. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment--I really appreciate it. ❤️
Marianne
Biryani is one of my favourites and I really want to try this but I have a bunch of questions. I have ground cumin, cardamon, coriander, cinnamon and garam masala. Can I use these or should I order the seeds, pods, leaves and stick?
The other spices I have. Would subing be okay and if yes how much? Than you so much!
Vaishali
Hi Marianne, you can make do with the powdered spices. Use a teaspoon of cumin, half a teaspoon of cardamom, 2 tsp of ground coriander and a fourth of a teaspoon of cinnamon. If subbing the biryani masala with garam masala, just use the same quantity.
Mary Ann Fusco
Have you done this cooking the tofu first? Say in the air fryer?
Vaishali
You can air fry the tofu first for a chewier texture.
Mary Ann
Thank you!
Another question I had is that you mention both caraway seeds and black cumin seeds in the dish, which is the one to use? Just making my shopping list!
Vaishali
Hi, black cumin is sold at Indian stores and online as caraway (although some dispute they are the same, but that's another story :)). You should find it online or at grocery stores under the Indian name of "Shahi jeera". If you can't find it, use regular cumin.
Mary Ann
Great this helps! Thanks!
Suzanne
Hi Vaishali; I'm making the vegetable biryani now but the recipe does not say when to add the ginger/garlic paste. I am going to assume it is when you add the yogurt. Thank you and can't wait to try it!
Susan
This recipe is the BOMB! I mixed some brown basmati with the white however, and it wasn't quite done. I had to use mortar & Pestle to grind cardamon and the cumin seeds so worth it. I didn't want to deal with TOfu and so I added leftover lentils....very yummy!! Thank you so much for this very authentically flavored Biryani! Waiting on spouse to come home with the french fried onions to top it off...and If he doesn't find yogurt, we may add some coconut milk and lemon as you advised. But i already sampled and this tastes great!
Vaishali
Hi Susan, so happy you tried it--and loved it. The ginger garlic paste is in step 4.
Anonymous
Hi Vaishali,
Can I substitute the yogurt with fresh coconut milk?
Thank you.
Kal
Vaishali
Yes, add some lemon for tang.
Britne Andrews
Is there a way to do this in the instant pot? 🙂
Anonymous
I would like a microwave free version of this 🙂
Vaishali
You can cook the rice on the stovetop. Take 3 cups of water, add the spices to it, and the rice and salt. Bring to a boil, cover and cook eight minutes. The rice will be about 3/4ths of the way there. If any water remains strain it out and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Mar
Can I replace fried onions with sautéed onions? I
Vaishali
Hi Mar, you could, but you'd lose the amazing flavor that fried onions add to this.
Nick Parkes
So quick and spicy.
Vaishali
So happy you liked it!
Pauline Ridel
Hi Vaishali. Would you mind sharing your recipe for home-made biryani spice mix?
Thanks for all the lovely recipes!
Pauline
Vaishali
Hi Pauline, just posted this today. Here you go. 🙂 https://holycowvegan.net/homemade-biryani-masala-spice-mix/
Pauline Ridel
Many thanks, Vaishli. I'm making this tonight!
Ida Moser
Phenomena (much like any other dish of yours I’ve prepared in the past). Easy to put together and flavors so incredible. I was not familiar with black cardamom pods but after a trip to the local Indian grocery store, I realize that they’re much different than the green. I am blown away with this pot of goodness! Thank you, Vaishali, for creating!
Vaishali
Hi Ida, so happy to hear you loved the biryani. Thanks for letting me know!
Shan
Im an avid follower of your blog, I must say all the ones that ive tried turn out perfectly. Thank you so much! This recipe certainly looks simple and easy to follow. The recipe says "Place 2 bowls of water in a microwave safe bowl" whats the amount of water? Is that 2 cups of water?
Vaishali
Hi Shan, sorry about that -- it is 2 cups indeed. Corrected!
Camille
This looks delicious, but how much water is "two bowls of water," and would the quantity of water be the same on the stove top? Thanks.
Vaishali
Hi Camille, it's two cups! Corrected now, and yes, same for stovetop.
Hemi
You are a life saver!!! Just signed up for making 2 big trays of veg biryani for a homeless shelter dinner for this weekend and was going to look for a quick recipe . Now I have it and just in time!!
Thanks a lot!!
Vaishali
Hemi, how lovely of you to volunteer your time to such a good cause. Hope you try -- and like -- the biryani!
Hemi
Vaishali,
I made the 2 full trays using your recipe and it was delicious!!!!
In fact, it got over sooner than the chicken biryani at the shelter. Thank you sooo much!!!
Vaishali
So happy you liked it, Hemi! Thanks for the feedback.
Jennifer Bliss
Well this looks great! And that rice is done to perfection! The 30 minute mark sure catches my eye, too!
Vaishali
Thanks, Jennifer! 🙂