Shrimp Biryani is a spicy and delicate, full-flavored meal, made with fragrant basmati rice, tender-cooked shrimp, and caramelized onions. The warm flavors of fresh spices, turmeric, red chili powder, and the sweetness from onions cooked in ghee make this an ultimate dish for lunch or dinner!
Note: This post from June 2017 was updated in May 2019 with new photos, step-by-step recipe photos, and a new video.
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Easy weeknight dinner
I love cooking meals that my boys love but do not take up a ton of time and energy. This easy Shrimp Biryani recipe, which my whole family loves, does not require any marination. Using fewer ingredients than the traditional Biryani, this Instant Pot recipe makes a healthy one-pot meal for busy weeknights that is ready in less than an hour.
Spices used to make Shrimp Biryani
Although traditional Biryani recipes can have many spices, I love to make this dish with just a few spices. This allows the star ingredients, Shrimp and Basmati rice to shine while completing with a perfect balance of warm and earthy flavors
- Kashmiri Red Chili - Although there are many kinds of dry red chilies used in Indian cuisine, I prefer mild Kashmiri red chili powder which has a brilliant red hue that adds natural food coloring and smoky flavor. When substituting other chiles for Kashmiri red chiles be mindful of the heat level.
- Ground Turmeric - Ground turmeric is a bright, healing spice that adds a peppery-woody taste and a deep golden color to Indian food. It is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and goes into everything from drinks to curries to stir-fried vegetables, and is even used for face masks!
- Cumin Seeds - Cumin adds nutty, warm flavors and earthy tone to this Biryani.
- Bay Leaves - Also known as Tej Patta on hindi, the Indian bay leaves originate on the southern slopes of the Himalayas. They are an integral ingredient in many North Indian dishes including Birayni.
- Black Pepper - Black peppercorns impart intense aroma, depth, and heat to foods.
- Garam Masala - Quintessential Indian Spice Blend, that gives warmth and depth to dishes and pairs perfectly with red chili for a hearty, aromatic flavor. Here is my EASY Homemade garam masala recipe.
Shrimp
Low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals, shrimp is a good source of protein, and omega-6, omega-3 fatty acids. I like to keep a bag of frozen shrimp handy that I can use to prepare quick meals on busy weeknights or to make fun appetizers for parties and get-togethers.
How to buy shrimp
It is important to buy good-quality fresh shrimp. Wild-caught seafood usually is the best but can be expensive and hard to find. Most times, it is hard to tell how fresh shrimp that we buy at grocery stores are. For this reason, I prefer buying sustainably raised frozen shrimp as they taste good, are easy to cook, and are available easily. I recommend using extra-large shrimp for this biryani recipe.
Tips to make perfect Shrimp Biryani
- Pat dry the shrimp to avoid access liquids
- Use fresh garam masala. Homemade garam masala works the best!
- Deglaze the Instant Pot insert using a tablespoon of water to remove any browned bits from the sautéing of the onions. This will help the Instant Pot come to pressure and also prevent the "BURN" signal.
- Make sure all of the rice is under the liquids before closing the Instant Pot.
- It is normal for the top layer of the rice to look a bit undercooked. Simply fluff the top layer and then gently mix the biryani with a silicone spatula.
- This recipe makes medium spicy Biryani. For extra spicy add jalapeno or use spicer red chili powder
Steps
Here are the easy steps for delicious Instant pot Shrimp Biryani:
- Rinse and soak the rice for 20 minutes. Drain after 20 minutes and set aside (photos 1 - 2).
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and heat ghee. Add whole spices in hot ghee and toast them gently as they release the aromas. Next, add thinly sliced onions and cook them until they turn golden brown (photos 3 - 6).
- Add ginger, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, and salt. Mix well. Add shrimp, rice, and water. Mix gently, pushing all the rice under the liquids (photos 7 - 10).
- Close the Instant Pot and select the manual/pressure cook(LO) for 4 minutes followed by 3 minutes of natural pressure release. Release the remaining pressure and open the Instant Pot. Gently fluff the rice.
Serving
Enjoy hot with a lemon wedge and raita.
Raita - To make simple and delicious Tomato and Onion Raita, whisk the yogurt in a medium bowl. Add onions, tomatoes, salt, sugar and mix well. Garnish with cilantro.
Storing
Leftover Shrimp Biryani can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days. You can also freeze it in individual portions for longer shelf life. To reheat simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then microwave. Shrimp Biryani is also a great make-ahead dish - you can make it a day before, allow it to fully cool down, and then refrigerate it. Serve it the next day.
Variations
- When short of time, you can skip pre-soaking rice. The cooked biryani may not have long, fluffy and separate grains but the taste will be the same
- You can replace ghee with any neutral cooking cooking oil
- In lieu of long grain basmati rice you can also use Jasmine rice or other short grain Indian rice varieties like surati kolam or Ambe mor. The rice texture will be different but with the same authentic biryani taste. I would not recommend making Shrimp Biryani with brown rice as brown rice required much longer time to pressure cook which will overcook the shrimp.
- I love adding a potato to Shrimp Biryani, but you may skip it altogther or replace with your favorite veggies.
Love this one-pot Biryani Recipe? Here are a few more Biryani recipes to try:
- Veg Biryani - Loaded with vegetables and soft paneer
- Chickpea Biryani - Delicious with protein-packed chickpea and can be made vegan
- Healthy Brown Rice Biryani - Healthier twist with nutty, chewy brown rice
- Riced Cauliflower Chicken Biryani - Low carb, keto biryani
- Chicken Biryani - EASY Instant Pot chicken Biryani with authentic taste
- Fish Biryani - Delicious way to get the heart-healthy omega 3 fatty acids in your diet
Recipe
Instant Pot Shrimp Biryani
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain basmati rice
- 2 cups water for soaking
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 10 black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
- ½ tablespoon ginger grated
- ½ tablespoon garlic grated
- 1 tomato diced
- 1 russet potato cubed
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 pound extra large Shrimp 20 (frozen, no need to thaw)
- 2 cups water for cooking
- ½ cup cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Rinse and soak the rice in water for 20 minutes. Drain the rice after 20 minutes.
- Turn the Instant Pot to Sauté mode and heat ghee. Add cumin seeds, peppercorns and bay leaves. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add onions and mix well. Cook covered with a glass lid on for 3-4 mins, until the onions are translucent and light golden in color.
- Add ginger, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well.
- Add shrimp, rice and water. Mix well, making sure all the rice is under the liquids.
- Close Instant Pot lid with the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on Pressure cook(low pressure mode) for 4 mins followed by 3 minute natural pressure release.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve hot with raita and lime wedges.
Video
Notes
- Frozen shrimp works best for this recipe. Make sure to dry any excess water with paper towels.
- No low-pressure option on your Instant Pot? Cook the Biryani on High-Pressure mode for 4 minutes followed by a 5-minute Natural Pressure release.
- Deglaze the Instant Pot insert using a tablespoon of water to remove any browned bits from the sautéing of the onions. This will help the Instant Pot come to pressure and also prevent the "BURN" signal.
- Make sure all of the rice is under the liquids before closing the Instant Pot.
- It is normal for the top layer of the rice to look a bit undercooked. Simply fluff the top layer and then gently mix the biryani with a silicone spatula.
- Soaking Rice - Although soaking rice yields the best textures, you may skip the pre-soaking step.
- Spice Level - This recipe makes medium spicy Biryani. For extra spicy add jalapeno or use spicer red chili powder.
Nutrition
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CAROLINE MENARD says
Can I use unfrozen shrimp and marinated them before cooking, and still cook for 4 minutes? Or it really need to be frozen and unmarinated shrimp?
Archana says
Yes you can marinate and add them chilled from the fridge. Use the low pressure cooking method
Sara says
Hi! Can Jasmine rice be used for this recipe, and if so, do the soaking and cooking times still apply? Also— I want to double the recipe. I see that by setting the servings to 10 the ingredients are doubled, but I wasn’t sure if the cooking times change at all. What would time cooking times be for 10 servings? Thanks!
Archana says
Yes you can use jasmine rice. No need to soak and same pressure cook time for 10 servings.
tahaye says
This is my favorite recipe to make in the Instant Pot! It’s easy and flavorful without too much heat. The extra-long grain Basmati rice and the shrimp make the dish special for me. (I grew up with sticky Japanese rice.) There are always plenty for leftovers and this reheats well in the microwave.
Jyothsna says
This turned out excellent. I followed the recipe exactly. I love your biryani recipes!!
Alexa says
This was my first time making biryani and it came out amazing! The only change I made was using ground cumin instead of whole cumin seeds. It was so flavorful and easy to throw together and everything was cooked perfectly!
Swati says
Hi Archana, what’s the cooking time and water measurement I doubled the quantities? 4 cups rice. I am also planning to use coconut milk.
Archana says
You can change the servings on the recipe card and it will adjust all the ingredients for you! I would not recommend making more than 3 cups of rice at a time in a 6 QT with shrimp! The bottom layer may get mushy.
Keerthana says
Smells so good but I keep getting a burn message. I’ve followed the recipe exactly. Any ideas on what I’m doing wrong?
Archana says
Did the bottom of the pot brown from sautéing onions? Did you double the recipe? So many reasons. Just keep it closed even if you get burn for 10 mins and it will cook.
Princy Gobran says
I always get so nervous when my parent’s come over for dinner...to a point where my parents bring their own food to my house. I made your shrimp biryani today and my dad had 3 servings! Thanks for the recipe and just all the hard work you put into it.
Archana says
Aww! This makes me so happy 🙂
Keith S says
I got the “burn” message. I am using the Instant Pot Plus Mini and the contents may have been over the fill line. The pot never pressurized for some reason. It was hot at the bottom and cold at the top. This was my 2nd Instant Pot meal and so far I’m not impressed. (Your recipe is great, I finished it on the stove). The Instant Pot is not very intuitive enough for my liking though.
Archana says
I agree the recipe is but too much for a 3 QT. I would half the ingredients.
Vanessa Walker says
I do not see a low pressure on my instant pot - so I cooked my biryani for 5 minutes and 5 minutes NPR - it came out perfect. Every time I make one of your recipes, I am still in shock that I am cooking restaurant quality food in my house, more specifically in my Instant Pot!!! The spice level was perfect for my family - and the flavors were spot on. I will be adding this to my recipe box.
Archana says
Thank you so much!
Tina says
Such a hit! I also got a burn message but removed the shrimp, added a bit more water to loosen the rice and continued cooking it on low pressure. Then added in the shrimp to finish it off. It was delicious! And the crispy rice on tge bottom was a nice bonus. Love your recipes!
Neiha Arora says
Do you think this could work with quinoa? I have used that in place of rice in your vegetable biryani, with good results. I presume no soaking and 1:1 quinoa: water ratio?
Archana says
yes! Will work with quinoa.
S.Thomas says
Hi, is it okay to leave the Biryani in the pot on warm mode after the cooking time is complete? Or will that overcook the shrimp and rice?
Archana says
Yes it is ok to keep on warm mode.
Farjana says
Wow! What an amazing recipe! I tried it and my whole family thinks I’m an awesome cook now. It was the first thing I ever made on my instant pot that’s just been sitting around collecting dust since I’ve purchased it. Thank you so much! This recipe will now become a staple in the house from someone who barely cooks!
Gerald Avery says
What adjustments would be made for shrimp that is thawed? I just brought some at the store. Do I have to freeze them. I hope not…. Thanks!
Archana says
You can use thawed shrimp, simply cook on low-pressure mode.
Megan says
Rice and potato was completely uncooked while shrimp was hard… not sure what happened going to try to cooked the rice again 🙁
Archana says
Hi Meg, I am so sorry. I wonder if the pressure was not built at all? Was the sealing ring secured properly, I have done it at times where I have missed putting the ring altogether.
Priya Mason says
I want to try this recipe soon. I noticed you did not add mint and coriander leaves during cooking process. Can I add these for my own take on it?
Archana says
Yes! I add it sometimes along with shrimp