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.
Note: Original post published in Aug 2018 has been updated with new photos and a video.
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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)
- 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.
- 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.
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
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).
- 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).
- 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.
- Gently fluff the rice with a silicone spatula
Serving
Enjoy hot with a squeeze of fresh lime. I also like to serve it with cucumber salad or creamy beet and cucumber raita.
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:
Recipe
Kheema Pulao
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
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Louise Samson says
Very simple and tasty.
Thank you, Archana!
Archana says
Thank you Louise for your feedback. I am so glad you enjoyed this.
Laila says
If I used a smaller grain rice (I love fragrant kalijira rice), will the rice to water ratio remain the same? And what about the time?
Archana says
Hi Laila, I love kalijira rice too and use it as my everyday rice. Same water ratio works well. You do not have to soak the rice so the recipe is even more quicker.
Archana says
same cook time and water ratio for Kalijira rice.
mele says
Hi, I was wondering what else would you serve with this, thanks
Archana says
I would serve this with plain yogurt, raita or a simple curry.
Ayesha says
Delicious and so easy to make!
Fatema says
This turned out absolutely delicious! Thank you ❤️
Archana says
Thank you Fatima! Do update the ratings on the recipe card.
fatema says
Done!
SRIVIDYA CHAVA says
Hi I always love your recipes.. can you tell me how much water you added for making Kheema pulao
Archana says
Hi! I added 1.5 cups of water.
Archana says
1.5 cups for this recipe. Follow this recipe exactly!
Lea Sheridan says
My instapot did not have a saute, so I had to DIY, for over 20 min because the hottest temp was 248. Any other option required the lid closed. Once at the point to close the lid, I put for 10 min, opened after a natural release and still had lots of water. Turned onto the Rice cook option and it did much better. Great flavors, would do again, but saute on the stove then add to the instapot using the rice option.
Archana says
Hi Lea, please tell me the model number or name of your pressure cooker so I can help you better. When you say you closed the lid and put for 10 minutes what mode was that on? It is an easy recipe and I really would like to help you with the settings for your appliance.
Deborah M Lowe says
I have made this dish twice now, so flavorful and easy. I followed the recipe to the letter, my only glitch is the rice is not mushy when it is done but still pretty wet. As it sits it eventually seems to absorb the excess moisture and then is fine. Leftovers the next day are perfect! What should I do so it has less moisture when it is finished? Just seems to wet when right after opening the instant pot.
Thanks!
Archana says
All Instant Pot dishes will look a bit moist when you first open. You can simply take out teh inner pot and keep it on a hot plate. The excess liquids will quickly evaporate and the rice will look more dry.
Vicki says
I made this recipe on the stovetop using one of my le creuset pots and it came out beautiful! My husband loved it and I did too except it was a bit too spicy for me so next time I’ll add less hot chili pepper. The spices are amazing and the ground chicken works really well. I added a few golden raisins to my bowl to lessen and counter the heat. Sooo good! Thanks!
Archana says
Thank you for the feedback Vicki! I agree
Lakshmy says
What if I want to use plan sona masuri rice or regular brown rice? How much water should i add in that case?
Archana says
Same water and time for sona masoori. For brown rice increase cook time to 20
Mins followed by natural pressure release
Dana says
If you increase the time for brown rice, won’t that overcook the chicken?
Archana says
Ground Chicken does not get overcooked, so its ok for this recipe.
Z says
Any pre-soaking needed for brown basmati rice? or just cooking on HI for 20 mins followed by NPR is enough?
I had the same concern about ground chicken overcooking especially since I’m planning to use 98% lean.
Archana says
Lean ground chicken works good. You just need to cook brown rice for 20 mins.
Neha Gattani says
I plan to make it tonight. Can I skip the mint leaves without losing the flavor?
Archana says
Yes you can skip mint leaves.
Anu says
Hi Archana, I want to add 5 cups of rice with 1 lb goat keema. Can you please suggest the water quantity and cooking time? Thanks!
Archana says
Add 5 cups of water and same cook time. Just sauté Kheema for 4 to 5 mins
Z says
how should the quantities of spices be adjusted if we increase the meat to 2lb while keeping rice at 1cup?
Archana says
Increase spices by additional half. So If its 1 teaspoon of cumin use 1.5 teaspoon instead
Arti says
When you say a ‘cup’ is that the metric measurement cup, or the cup that comes with the instant pot?
Archana says
Regular measuring cup and not the one that comes with the Instant Pot.
Angie says
Do you think you could substitute soy veggie crumbles for the meat? I'm thinking about the store bought frozen kind of crumbles.
Archana says
Oh yes!! Those work great in this recipe.
diya sakhrani says
Hi! I want to increase rice to 1.5 or 2 cups. How much water should i add?
Thanks!
Archana says
Add the same amount extra
Izabela says
I made it in the Instant Pot, followed the recipe pretty much to a T and it came out beautifully. Delicious meal with geat flavors
Next time, I will try making it with ground lamb and some raisins. I will also grind (coarsely) the peppercorns as it was a bit unpleasant to bite those whole ones. Thank you for another great recipe!
Archana says
Thank you for the feedback
Abiha says
Hello, thank you for sharing this recipe. I had a quick question about the IP instructions. You wrote to cook on Manual Hi pressure for 5 minutes followed by 5 minutes NPR. If the “pin” doesn’t go down after 5 minutes of NPR, am I to Quick Release?
Archana says
Yes Abha, quick release after 5 minutes!
Priya Patel says
Hi, how do I modify the receipe to make 2 cups of rice and using beef keema?
Archana says
Add 3 cups of water and same process otherwise for beef kheema too.
Umme abdullah says
Would the rice need to be presoaked for this recipe or not?
Archana says
No presoak needed
Swarna says
Hi Archana! I wanted to double this recipe using 2 pounds of ground chicken and 2 cups of rice. Would I still cook for 5 min on high pressure or increase it?
Thanks!
Archana says
Hi Swarna, same cook time will work. It will just take longer for instant Pot to come to pick
Ishita Ghosh says
Hi Archana,
I wanted to amp up some of the veggies in this recipe. If I add in some frozen peas, the procedure should remain the same right?
Archana says
yes!