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    Home » Indian

    Instant Pot Kheema Pulao

    Published: May 15, 2022 by Archana · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 96 Comments

    1138 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Kheema Pulao is a flavor-packed gluten-free meal with fragrant long grain basmati rice cooked with ground chicken and aromatic-warm whole spices like black pepper, cumin seeds, and cinnamon. A perfect one pot meal for a weeknight supper paired with a cooling raita or yogurt that is ready in just 40 minutes. Feel free to substitute ground chicken, beef, or turkey to suit your family’s taste buds.

    keema pulao served in two white bowls with raita

    Note: Original post published in Aug 2018 has been updated with new photos and a video.

    Jump to:
    • What is Kheema?
    • Difference between Biryani and Pulao
    • Ingredients for Kheema Pulao
    • How to make Kheema Pulao
    • Serving
    • Storing Kheema Pulao
    • More Rice Recipes
    • Recipe

    What is Kheema?

    Kheema / Keema / Queema is an Urdu word for minced meat such as chicken, lamb, beef, etc. As ground meat cooks fairly quickly, different meats can be easily substituted in this Kheema Pulao or in other recipes that call for Kheema.

    Difference between Biryani and Pulao

    Here are 2 basic differences between Biryani and Pulao (Pilaf)

    1. Biryani is made with marinated chicken that is layered with basmati rice. While Pulao does not require any marination and is cooked by mixing rice and veggies/meat together.
    2. Biryani uses whole as well as ground spices and is a lot more spicer than pulao. Pulao is a lighter variation using only a few whole spices.
    keema pulao served in white bowls with cucumber raita

    Ingredients for Kheema Pulao

    • White Rice - Iong-grain Basmati rice works best
    • Whole Spices - cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cinnamon & bay leaves
    • Ground Spices - Kashmiri red chili powder & turmeric
    • Fresh ginger & garlic paste
    • Yellow onion
    • Ripe tomato
    • Mint & Cilantro
    ingredients for kheema pulao

    How to make Kheema Pulao

    • Heat ghee or oil in the Instant Pot and sauté the spices and onions. Add chicken and mix well (photos 1 - 4).
    photos one through four showing sauteeing spices, onions and minced chicken
    • Addmint, turmeric, red chili powder, salt, and tomatoes. Add rice, and water and mix well making sure that all the rice is under the liquids (photos 5 - 8).
    photos five through eight showing how to make kheema pulav in the Instant Pot
    • Close the Instant Pot lid and pressure cook for 5 minutes followed by 5 minutes natural pressure release. Garnish with cilantro and more freshly ground pepper. Note: if the rice looks uncooked on the top, just mix it with the rice under and close the Instant Pot for 5 minutes.
    photos nine and ten showing cooked kheem pulao
    • Gently fluff the rice with a silicone spatula
    kheema pulao in the Instant Pot pressure cooker

    Serving

    Enjoy hot with a squeeze of fresh lime. I also like to serve it with cucumber salad or creamy beet and cucumber raita.

    Kheema Pulao served in two white bowls

    Storing Kheema Pulao

    Any leftovers can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days or frozen for longer shelf life. To reheat simply microve until heated through. Kheema Pulao is a great make ahead dish.

    More Rice Recipes

    Did you enjoy this one-pot meal? Check out all the Biryani Recipes and some more weeknight favorites:

    • Kimchi Fried Rice
    • Thai Basil Fried Rice
    • Masale Bhath
    • Curd Rice

    Recipe

    Tried this recipe? We love your feedback.Please click on the stars in the recipe card below
    Kheema Pulao
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    4.62 from 55 votes

    Kheema Pulao

    A flavor-packed one pot meal with fragrant long grain basmati rice cooked in ground chicken and aromatic-warm whole spices like black pepper, cumin seeds and cinnamon.
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time30 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: Indian
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 429kcal
    Author: Archana Mundhe

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons ghee
    • 1 teaspoon shah jeera or cumin seeds
    • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
    • 2 inch cinnamon stick
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
    • 1 teaspoon ginger paste
    • 1 teaspoon garlic paste
    • 1 pound ground chicken
    • 1 tomato diced
    • 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
    • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
    • handful of mint leaves chopped
    • 2 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 cups long grain basmati rice rinsed and drained
    • 1½ cups water

    Garnish

    • 1 lime
    • ½ cup cilantro chopped
    • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper freshly ground

    Instructions

    • Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode and heat ghee. Add cumin seeds, black peppercorn, cinnamon and bay leaves. Saute for 30 seconds.
    • Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions start to brown. Cover with a non-locking glass lid to speed up the process.
    • Add ginger, garlic and chicken. Sauté, breaking the chicken and browning it for a minute. Add tomatoes, red chili powder, turmeric, mint leaves and salt. Mix well.
    • Add rice and water. Gently mix making sure all the rice is under the liquids. Close the Instant Pot lid with pressure valve to sealing. Pressure cook (Hi) for 5 minutes with a 5 minute natural pressure release.
    • Open the Instant Pot and gently fluff the top rice (Note, if the rice looks uncooked on the top, just mix it with the rice under and close the Instant Pot for 5 minutes) 
    • Add lime juice, cilantro and black pepper. Turn the Instant Pot off and take the insert out so the rice does not overcook or get mushy. Enjoy hot.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 1252mg | Potassium: 829mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 565IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Share your photo and tag @ministry_of_curry or tag #ministryofcurry

    ♥ We LOVE to hear from you! Did you try this recipe? Please share your food photo with hashtag #ministryofcurry on Facebook or Instagram, so we can see it and our followers can enjoy it too! Thank you and Happy Cooking ♥ Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for tasty and easy video recipes. Looking for more Instant Pot recipes? Check out our delicious Instant Pot Recipe board on Pinterest.

    Author: Archana

    Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live in New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
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    1. Martha Sandidge says

      November 25, 2019 at 11:35 pm

      So tasty and easy. I tend to use a can of organic chopped tomatoes from Costco, and only use 1 cup of water. I did a QPR when cook time was up, and it was still delish! Thanks, Archana, for this user friendly recipe.5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        November 26, 2019 at 9:52 am

        Thank you for your lovely feedback. I often make this for weeknight meals.

        Reply
        • Martha says

          November 17, 2022 at 2:31 pm

          Just adding to previous review: I vary this recipe all over the place, recently adding carrot and curry leaves, and cod fillet that is cooked separately and then steamed along with the rice once pressure cooking is complete. Lots of lemon squeezed on top and a dollop of yogurt on the side. Thanks again for this easy peasy recipe!5 stars

          Reply
          • Archana says

            November 17, 2022 at 4:26 pm

            YUM! Loving all the variations. Thank you for sharing.

            Reply
    2. Karina says

      November 28, 2019 at 9:12 am

      Made this recipe but left out the tomato. Overall flavor was great but tasted like it was missing something. Will make again and experiment, maybe adding some Garam masala.4 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        November 28, 2019 at 9:20 am

        Thank you for the feedback! Did you make it with fresh ginger and garlic?

        Reply
    3. Ayesha says

      January 05, 2020 at 7:51 pm

      Hi Archana, recipe looks delicious!

      Must I double the cook time if I double the quantity ?
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Archana says

        January 05, 2020 at 8:27 pm

        Same cook time, it will just take longer for the Instant Pot to come to pressure

        Reply
        • Noor says

          May 13, 2022 at 11:36 am

          Hi Archana,

          Did you soak your rice beforehand with this recipe? Or simply rinse?

          Reply
          • Archana says

            May 14, 2022 at 9:17 pm

            Just rinse, no need to soak.

            Reply
    4. Jessica says

      February 24, 2020 at 7:56 pm

      Made this for dinner tonight, it’s delicious and using Kashmiri chilli powder gave it just the right kick!5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        February 26, 2020 at 2:08 pm

        Thank you Jessica! I have a few other ground chicken recipes like the Kheema Pav, Masala Chicken Burgers, etc , I hope you try them.

        Reply
    5. Naz says

      March 19, 2020 at 11:03 pm

      Made this tonight. It was the ultimate comfort food with some raita during these strange times. I did soak the rice on autopilot so it came out slightly mushy. Next time I will read the recipe more carefully! Thanks for this recipe!

      Reply
      • Archana says

        March 20, 2020 at 6:39 pm

        You are most welcome!

        Reply
    6. Amit C. Govindji says

      April 05, 2020 at 6:06 pm

      Awesome recipes! Wondering if I substitute ground lamb will it alter the cook time or anything you would recommend to do different?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        April 06, 2020 at 6:04 pm

        Same cook time! Just sauté the lamb for extra couple of minutes in the begining.

        Reply
    7. Sharon says

      May 10, 2020 at 2:24 pm

      Making this a second time right now but doubling the recipe because it was so good the first time.5 stars

      Reply
    8. Charmaine says

      June 16, 2020 at 4:36 pm

      Can I make this with ground beef and would the cooking time be different?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        June 17, 2020 at 7:11 pm

        yes! Same exact cook time.

        Reply
    9. Z says

      August 19, 2020 at 7:24 pm

      Hi Archana,

      Is it ok to substitute white rice with brown basmati rice? If so will I need to soak is before hand?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        August 19, 2020 at 10:24 pm

        No need to soak. If you do soak for a couple of hours, you can reduce the cook time to 10 min and then NPR

        Reply
        • Z says

          August 23, 2020 at 12:24 pm

          Thank you, that worked great! Just one last question if I were to double the ground chicken keeping the rice the same then will need to also double everything else? i.e spices, ghee, etc.

          Reply
          • Archana says

            August 26, 2020 at 1:10 pm

            Add extra half quantities of spices as pulao is not overly spicy.

            Reply
            • Z says

              August 28, 2020 at 7:51 pm

              Thank you very much! Your recipes are so easy to cook, yet so delicious. I have already cooked the brown rice biryani (twice) and pulao (twice) but will now try chicken karahi.5 stars

    10. Gauri says

      November 06, 2020 at 11:31 pm

      Easy and tasty dish, perfect for a week night! Thank you for this recipe, Archana, your tips were bang on!5 stars

      Reply
    11. Ash Samji says

      December 08, 2020 at 12:31 pm

      If I doubled the recipe & used 2 cups of rice, how much water is needed ..3 cups ?
      Thx .. super excited to try this one out ☺️

      Reply
      • Archana says

        December 08, 2020 at 4:55 pm

        You can add 1 cup of water for the extra 1 cup of rice.

        Reply
    12. Melissa says

      December 14, 2020 at 9:21 pm

      Made this today, it's our first recipe from your site and we loved it! Thinking about trying it with paneer instead of chicken next time just for fun. Thanks for posting such a great recipe, we look forward to trying more from the site!5 stars

      Reply
    13. Anju says

      December 18, 2020 at 1:57 am

      What vegetable dish would pair well with this?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        December 18, 2020 at 10:57 am

        This pulao is great with raita or try my cabbage salad, its crunchy with a touch tangy flavor.

        Reply
        • Anju says

          December 21, 2020 at 1:15 am

          Thanks, Archana! This was delicious! Tastes like I ordered it from a restaurant:)4 stars

          Reply
          • Archana says

            December 21, 2020 at 5:39 pm

            Thanks! I would love a 5 star rating 🙂

            Reply
    14. Meenal Jethi says

      January 04, 2021 at 6:12 am

      Hi Archana,
      Can I use ground chicken breast for this recipe or does it have to be ground chicken thighs?
      Thanks.

      Reply
      • Archana says

        January 04, 2021 at 10:42 pm

        yes ground chicken breast will work

        Reply
    15. Maryam says

      May 24, 2022 at 2:07 pm

      How would I adjust this recipe if I wanted to add potatoes? I have tried before and I get the burn signal .

      Reply
      • Archana says

        May 25, 2022 at 10:52 am

        Add an extra 1/4 cup of water.

        Reply
    16. ColleenG says

      May 26, 2022 at 2:56 pm

      This is soooo good! I love the your vegetable biryani recipe, and the chicken one, but this is totally different and delicious! I liked the addition of ground meat (I used pork). It was very satisfying and easy to make. It will go into my rotation!

      Reply
      • Archana says

        May 26, 2022 at 8:45 pm

        Thank you for your lovely feedback

        Reply
    17. Danita Day says

      May 27, 2022 at 10:56 am

      Made this last night and we really liked it. Subtle spiciness but flavorful. I subbed quick cooking brown basmati rice (Trader joes) with white and used same cook time as recipe. It turned out perfect. Served with Trader Joes Garlic Naan. Quick and easy weeknight meal. With only two of us it made plenty for lunch leftovers for the next day.5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        May 29, 2022 at 8:32 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    18. Shivani Patel says

      May 29, 2022 at 5:03 pm

      The recipe looks delicious. I want to make this with ground turkey. Will the cooking time change?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        May 29, 2022 at 8:34 pm

        Same cook time for ground turkey

        Reply
    19. ColleenG says

      June 04, 2022 at 7:23 pm

      This is a great recipe! We ate every bite. It was warmly spiced and so easy to make. We will be eating it again soon!
      PS Love your Vegetable Biryani recipe!5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        June 05, 2022 at 1:37 pm

        Thank you so much for your feedback. I can't wait to see how you like the vegetable biryani recipe.

        Reply
    20. Asma H. says

      June 05, 2022 at 2:11 pm

      Made this for my kids today and just like your other recipes, this one was easy, delicious and soooo flavorful.

      A few changes I made to accommodate the kiddos: half a tsp of red chili powder instead of one whole. Was perfect with a kick. I didn't have tomatoes so I used 2 heaping tablespoons of diced tomatoes from a can.

      Thank you for sharing this easy recipe!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        June 06, 2022 at 6:07 pm

        You are most welcome!

        Reply
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    Hi, I'm Archana: a former software engineer, now a full-time blogger. I am a mother of two boys who share my love for food and cooking. Words I love to hear are, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” The same words I say to my mom every time we speak. I live in the greater New York City Area with my husband and sons.

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