This Vegetable Biryani with Paneer is a complete meal with grains, veggies, and protein. It begins with a base of caramelized onions, then builds layers of flavors with aromatic long-grain basmati rice and a combination of vegetables cooked to tender perfection. Each bite is infused with delicately balanced whole spices and a bold finish with garam masala.
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The recipe was originally posted in May 2017 and has been updated with new photos and video
I have been trying to perfect my veg biryani in the Instant Pot for months now. After the success of my easy InstaPot Chicken Biryani recipe in just a few tries, I was surprised to see how different it was to cook vegetable Biryani in the pressure cooker. The key to making perfect Instant Pot Veggie Biryani is to choose the right kind of vegetables and to cut them right so they all cook within 5 to 6 mins of pressure cooking time without getting mushy. And since then, I have developed a few more Instant Pot Biryani recipes that I promise you will love!
Inspiration and Technique
This simple Biryani recipe is inspired by my mom's famous vegetable pulao recipe. She cuts her veggies in a certain size and shape, which I thought was to make the dish look gorgeous. But now I understand that it also helps them cook each time perfectly.
The same trick of cutting the veggies and choosing the right ones helped me with this easy vegetable biryani recipe. Then my talented cousin gave me the idea of adding Paneer to this dish, which really took the Biryani to a whole new level.
Ingredient Highlights
To make the best and most authentic tasting biryani, use homemade ghee, choose the right vegetables or organic frozen mixed vegetables, and long grain basmati rice. The whole spices and the homemade garam masala will do their magic to add beautiful aromas and bring this delectable recipe together.
Tips for perfect Biryani
- Use fresh garam masala.
- Deglaze the pot using the liquids from the vegetables 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. If you have an air fryer, you can use it to make perfect golden fried onions.
- Make sure all of the rice is under the liquids before closing the Instant Pot.
- Although Sauté (more) function on the Instant Pot works great for true one-pot cooking, you can also caramelize the onions using a stovetop in a non-stick pan. This will speed up the process and also prevent the stainless steel insert from getting scorched, which may lead to a "BURN" notice on the newer Instant Pots.
- Store-bought paneer can become chewy after pressure cooking. Here are a few options: 1. Adjust pressure cook time to 5 minutes on low-pressure mode. 2. Sauté the paneer in a non-stick pan and add it to the Biryani at the end 3. Use homemade Paneer.
- Using Quinoa? Follow the same recipe. No need to soak the quinoa. Just rinse thoroughly and drain all the water before adding it to the pot.
How to Make Instant Pot Veg Biryani
Step 1 - Rinse and soak the rice in 2 cups of water for 20 minutes. Drain water after 20 mins. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté (more) mode and heat 1 tablespoon of ghee. Add thinly sliced onions and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the onions are lightly caramelized. Take half of the onions out and reserve them for garnish (photos 1 - 2).
Step 2 - Add remaining ghee, cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, and bay leaves. Cook for 30 seconds. Add all the veggies (carrots, green beans, mushrooms, red pepper, corn, paneer). Press cancel and deglaze the pot, removing any browning. Use 1-2 tablespoons of water if needed. See the third picture below, which shows how the bottom of the pot looks after proper deglazing. There should not be any browned bits stuck to the bottom (photos 3 - 4)
Step 3 - Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, and half of the salt. Mix well. Add mint, rice, and remaining salt. Add water. Mix well, making sure most of the rice is underwater (photos 5 - 8)
Step 4 - Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook(LO) and adjust the cooking time to 5 minutes. Follow with a quick release to stop overcooking the rice. Open the Instant Pot. Garnish with caramelized onions and cilantro.
How to serve vegetable biryani
Enjoy hot with yogurt or raita and a squeeze of fresh lemon. This spicy vegetable biryani goes well with refreshing watermelon juice, homemade lemonade, or mango lassi.
Thank you to all who have tried this recipe. It has become so popular that when I published The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook, I was requested to also include this recipe in the cookbook. I hope you will enjoy 75+ modern recipes with authentic Indian flavors in my best-selling book.
★ Tried this recipe? I'd love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment and let me know, or snap a quick pic and upload it-I love seeing your creations. If you're on Instagram, tag @ministry_of_curry so I can check it out. Your feedback means so much to me and makes all the time I spend perfecting each recipe totally worth it. Thank you!
Recipe
Instant Pot Vegetable and Paneer Biryani
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups Extra long grain Basmati rice
- 2 cups water for soaking
- 3 tablespoons ghee divided
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 4 whole green cardamoms
- 4 cloves
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup carrots chopped lengthwise into 1-inch x ¼ inch strips
- 1 cup green beans chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup white mushrooms halved
- ½ cup red pepper chopped into 1-inch x ½ inch strips
- ½ cup corn
- 1 cup paneer cubed into ½ inch cubes
- ½ tablespoon ginger grated
- ½ tablespoon garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 2 cups water for cooking
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint chopped
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Rinse and soak the rice in water for 20 minutes. Drain water after 20 minutes.
- Set the Instant Pot to Saute(More) mode and heat half of the ghee. Add sliced onions and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the onions are lightly caramelized. Take half of the onions out and reserve for garnish.
- Add remaining ghee, cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, black peppers, and bay leaves. Cook for 30 seconds. Add all the veggies (carrots, green beans, mushrooms, red pepper, corn, paneer). Press cancel and deglaze the pot removing any browning. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if needed.
- Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, and half of the salt. mix well. Add mint, rice, and remaining salt. Add water. Mix well, making sure most of the rice is underwater.
- Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook(low-pressure) for 5 minutes followed by Quick release. Open the Instant Pot. Garnish with caramelized onions and cilantro. Serve hot with Raita or yogurt.
Notes
- Have an air fryer? Use it or perfect golden fried onions instead of caramelizing the onions in the Instant Pot.
- Deglaze the pot using the liquids from the vegetables 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.
- You can make this recipe Vegan by using coconut oil instead of ghee and extra firm tofu instead of paneer
- I have modified the cooking time for this recipe to 5 minutes LO pressure cook as sometimes store-bought paneer can get chewy when cooked under high pressure. If your Instant Pot does not have HI/LO pressure cook options, you can cook for 6 minutes under high pressure and then stir in the paneer at the end.
Nutrition
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Nikita K says
Just tried the recipe and it was excellent! I added some yoghurt with the veggies as well. Also, added some potatoes as I didnt have mushrooms and wanted to keep it tad authentic like we get in India. So good! Thanks for sharing!
Saniya says
How much water should I be adding for 2 cups of rice, assuming there is some water content from the fresh tomatoes?
Archana says
1:1 rice to water ratio for this recipe.
Kathy says
Hi I made it today. It’s nice when I immediately open the lid but after putting it in plate for sometime the rice becomes hard.
Archana says
Depending on the age and variety of rice, it may need more liquids to cook. Next time you can keep the Instant Pot lid closed for additional five minutes.
Archana says
Depending on the age and variety of rice, the cook times and water ratio may change. If you make Biryani with the same rice again, keep the Instant Pot Closed for additional 5 minutes which will make sure teh rice is fully cooked.
Anu says
Just made this for lunch and it’s awesome! Just added biryani masala and reduced chilli powder. This will be my go-to veg biryani recipe forever!
Ganesh says
I have cooked this recipe many times and my family loves it !! Thanks so much 🙂
Quick question - I always used the 6 qt for this dish, Will this quantity fit in a 3 Qt (2 cups rice + 4 cups veggies) ??
TIA
Archana says
Yes! It should fit.
Ganesh says
Thanks !!
Ganesh says
I tried it today and it miraculously fit 🙂 Thanks !!
Aparna says
A simple mild flavorful briyani/pulav quickly done in 30 mins. Perfect for week lunches. Thanks archana for this recipe
Neha says
Have made this 3 times now, and always delicious (and so nice and fast for a weeknight meal!).
Sheenam says
Tried this today, turned out so perfect. Thank you!
Abha says
Can I substitute a can of chickpeas for the paneer?
Archana says
Yes! Canned chickpeas will be great in this recipe
Kajel says
Made this once and was amazing!
Do you think it would Cook ok without salt? I want my little one to eat it too next time.
Kajel says
Made this the other day and loved it!
Would it Cook ok without any salt? I would like my little one to eat it but do not want to give her any salt.
Archana says
It will cook without salt.
Lakshmi P says
Thank you. Followed it to the T and rice came out perfect! Family was surprised that rice wasn’t mushy like usual !
Ravi says
I tried this. awesome recipe. Love it. Thanks for sharing. One questions
I was really unable to get all the rice to the bottom. So I ended up with some rice not cooked well enough. Maybe there is a better trick to getting all the rice to the bottom?
Archana says
I am so glad you enjoyed it. You actually do not want the rice to get all the way to the bottom as that can result in burn. Could it be the brand or age of the rice? I use Kohinoor or Laxmifoods extra long grain basmati rice and it works really well for Biryani. Also next time you can simply keep the Instant Pot closed for an additional 5 to 10 minutes as the rice will continue to cook.
Ravi says
Are you suggesting cooking on low pressure for 5 minutes and instead of quick release, leave the instant pot closed for 5-10 minutes? or do a quick release and leave the IP closed for 5-10 minutes.
Archana says
Do a quick release. After opening if the rice is be fully cooked, simply keep the lid closed for 5 -10 mins.
Vijju says
Hi I tried this recipe. I m new to using instant pot n this was my first recipe tried in instant pot. The rice was cooked ok when I opened the lid but after I put it in plate after sometime rice became hard like half boiled. The other question is after the onions cooked I turned off the instant pot deglaze it n added vegetables n turned it on exactly followed ur instruct.when I turned it on I set pressure cook low at 5mins time but it started again from preheating n that 5mins indication came even before it started showing cooking on the monitor. Did I make any mistake pls let me know.
Archana says
Hi Vijju, Thank you for your detailed feedback. Depending on the age and variety of rice, the cook times and water ratio may change. If you make Biryani with the same rice again, keep the Instant Pot Closed for additional 5 minutes which will make sure teh rice is fully cooked. Once you add rice and water, it will take some time for the pressure cooker to build pressure and start the cooking cycle. Usually about 10 minutes.
Jo says
Perfect blend. First time and it was a hit with the whole family!
Archana says
Thank you for your feedback!
Sunaina says
Hi Archana
Loved this recipe. However, the pot didn't come up to pressure when I selected the Less pressure button and hence the biryani got burnt at the bottom. Can I just use the same info and use high pressure instead? Also, for your biryani recipes, when adding water before cooking, should it be the remaining water after soaking or a total measure of 2 cups apart from the water used to soak?
Archana says
Yes, you can always cook under high pressure. Some brands of paneer get chewy after high-pressure cooking. In the ingredients list, I have 2 cups of water for soaking which should be drained out completely. Then add the 2 cups of water for cooking that you will see towards the end of the list.
Lakshmi says
I love this and have made it successfully once. Question for you: If I double the quantity, will the cooking time remain the same? Will double the quantity fit in a 6 quart IP?
Archana says
4 cups of basmati rice is a bit too much for a 6 QT. Although you can make it the bottom layer often gets mushy.
franta says
I used chickpeas instead of paneer and it worked out pretty well.
Archana says
Love the idea of adding chickpeas.
Francis says
I seldom cook from recipes but wanted to add a vegetable biryani to our meal options. This is a superb recipe. Thank you.
Archana says
Thank you Francis for the review.
Tam Lee says
Is it possible to make this with brown rice? Thank you
Archana says
You can make it with brown rice but veggies will get very soft and mushy as brown rice needs 20 minutes of pressure cooking time
Maya Kherani says
Perfect texture for rice and veggies, not mushy at all (which was initially my fear). I made it exactly as instructed, and next time around I think I may double most of the spices, I found it a bit lacking in heat and spice. Could this recipe be doubled in a 6qt instant pot?
Archana says
Hi Maya, I am so glad you followed the exact recipe instructions which is always a key in making the dish perfect. I would not recommend cooking more than 3 cups of rice at a time in 6 QT Instant Pot as the bottom layer of the rice may get mushy.