Instant Pot Veg Biryani

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Instant Pot Veg Biryani - Aromatic, Flavour full, One Pot Indian Rice dish made with aged Basmati rice, fresh Vegetables and indian spices.

Why make Instant Pot Veg Biryani?

If you follow the recipe exactly, you should be able to make a vegetable biryani where the basmati rice is fluffy and each grain is separate, the vegetables still have a bite to them and the spices are on point.

This Instant Pot Veg Biryani comes out perfect everytime. I have taken the guess work out of making biryani at home by perfecting this recipe in Instant Pot.

How to Make Veg Biryani in Instant Pot

Here is a step by step method of making this Pressure Cooked Vegetable Biryani

Step 1 : Cut the vegetables in 1 inch pieces. This will make sure that they don’t become a mush while cooking in the instant pot.

Step 2: Soak the Basmati Rice while you prepare the rest.

Step 3: Select the SAUTE mode.Add the Ghee and whole Spices. If you can’t get hold of the spices, you may skip this step. That said, spices add a beautiful aroma and taste to this dish.(1)

Step 4: Add the onions and Brown them for about 15-17 minutes.Reserve half the onions This step can be done in Instant Pot or stove top or even Air Fryer. Making brown onions in air fryer will not only reduce the total time it takes to make this biryani but also reduce the calories.(2,3)

Step 5:Add the Vegetables,ginger,garlic ,green chilli and dry spices- Turmeric, coriander powder, Biryani Masala.(4,5)

Step 6: Half the whisked yogurt.Make sure you scrape the bottom of the inner pot.This is crucial to avoid the BURN notice. Add rest of the Yogurt.(6 & 7)

Step 7: Dump in the Rice,Coriander and Mint Leaves,Water and gently mix it all together.(8)

Step 8: Cancel the SAUTE, Select PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL at LOW pressure for 6 minutes with the valve at SEALING position.If you like your biryani soft- add ¼ cup more water and cook at low pressure for 8 minutes instead.

Step 9:Let the Pressure escape on it's own. About 10-11 minutes.

Step 10:Open and garnish with the reserved brown onions and coriander leaves.

How to Serve Vegetable Biryani

I would serve a Biryani along with Raita and a simple cucumber salad.Frankly, this is a dish on it's own and doesn’t need anything else but you could serve this with a panner curry like Paneer Butter Masala or a milder Methi Malai Paneer

Vegetable Biryani is a great side for parties and picnics. I usually make double the biryani when I have guests over.

Tips & Tricks to make Instant Pot Veg Biryani

• Use good quality aged basmati rice- I usually use Daawat Basmati Rice.
• Slice the onions very thin.This will make sure they brown fast.You could also make the fried onions in the airfryer and save time and calories!
• Reduce the heat of the biryani by halving the biryani masala and skipping the green Chilli.

Dietary Details of Instant Pot Vegetable Biryani

This Vegetable biryani is

• Gluten Free
• Vegetarian
• To make it Vegan and Dairy Free- Use coconut milk instead of yogurt.

Here are some More Indian Instant Pot Rice Recipes

Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Instant Pot Jeera Rice
Instant Pot Ghee Rice
Instant Pot Kheer

Also, read about my experiment with making perfect Indian Sona Masoori rice in Instant Pot.

Read about how to make indian food in Instant Pot in detail here

Part 1: Instant Pot for Indian Cooking

Part 2: Which Instant Pot Model to buy

Part 3: Making Indian Food in Instant Pot

Part 4: Instant Pot Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs on Vegetable Biryani

Why is my biryani undercooked.

Not all rice are made equal.Based on the variety, age and husking , some need more water than others.If you are using Sona masoori rice to make the biryani- you will need at least 1.25 cups of water.
This recipe is specific to Indian basmati rice.

Can I use other kinds of rice to make Biryani

This recipe is made with Basmati rice.If you are new to instant pot and cooking in general, I suggest you stick to the recipe.But if you are an experienced cook, go ahead change the rice.You could use jeera Samba or Sona Masoori rice.These rice varieties need more water.

Add 1.25 cups of water instead of ½ cup and cook the rice for 10 minutes on low.

Why is my biryani mushy and overcooked?

The only reason biryani is mushy and overcooked can be because the measurement of liquids was not right.
Other reason could be the type of vegetable used.Vegetables like pumpkin, zuchinni and tomato become mushy and release a lot of water.

Can I freeze vegetable Biryani

The texture of the vegetables will change when frozen but if you don't mind that, go ahead and freeze the biryani upto 2-3 months.

Can I make the vegetable Biryani Vegan

Absolutely.Use any oil instead of ghee.Substitute the yogurt with equal amount of coconut milk.

Here are a few quick pointers on the instant pot.

I use the 6 qts DUO Instant Pot and all my recipes are tested on the same.
Here are a few quick need to knows while using an Instant Pot.

Saute & Pressure Cook Setting – These are the most used settings on the instant pot. Pressure Cook setting can also be called Manual on your multicooker.
Minimum liquid- There is a minimum liquid requirement for most instant pots. For a 6 qts IP - 1 cup is the minimum liquid required as per the manufacturer.
Burn Message- If the food starts burning this notice pops up on the instant pot and cuts off any further cooking. This message can also come if you have used the SAUTE setting before and not deglazed the pan.or if you use a bigger 8 qts pot.The minimum requirement of the liquid changes and hence you could potentially get it while using it. To solve this, add about ¼ cup of more water than the recipe calls for.
While using certain sauces like tomato sauce or cheese sauces, you may get burn message because they are more viscous than water and burn easily.To solve this, again add ¼ cup of water to the bottom of the pot first, then add the sauce and proceed with the rest of the recipe. You could also use pot in pot method for these recipes.
Pressure Build Up
Most recipes only mention the time setting you need to use while cooking in the instant pot.In actual, the total time taken to cook is time taken for the pressure build up+ time taken for actual cooking + time taken for the steam to release.
Quick Release(QR) ,Natural Pressure Release(NPR) & 10 minute Natural Pressure Release(10NPR)
Quick release(QR)- when you release the pressure valve, as soon as the cooking time is up.This release hot steam, so make sure you are careful while doing this.
Natural Pressure Release(NPR)- You open the pot only after the pressure in the IP is released on its own. This could vary depending on the Pressure setting, amount of food, size of the pot.
10 Natural Pressure Release(10NPR)
Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes after which you Quick Release the pressure.
What not to do in Instant Pot
-Use Instant Pot without any liquid in the pot.
-Open the lid without the releasing the pressure first.
-Keep the Instant pot on the stove- there have been a lot of instances where the instant pot has gotten burnt from the bottom on accident.
-Dump food in the instant pot without the inner pot.
-Fill the pressure cooker up till the brim.

About Indian Spices and Herbs

Spices
Indian food relies heavily on spices. While Spices are an important part of the recipe, you can skip them if you are new to Indian cuisine or just do not have them at hand.

Curry Powder 
Coriander powder, Turmeric Powder ,Cumin and Chili Powder are 4 pillars of Indian cooking. Usually, store bought Curry Powder is a pre of these 4 spice powders. You can make Simple recipes like – Dal, Basic Chicken Curry, khichadi, with just curry powder.

Garam Masala & other Spice Mixes
Garam Masala is usually a mix of other spices like black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, Cumin etc. You could buy a ready made garam masala and use instead of making a mix for every recipe.

Whole Spices
In addition to the 3 pillars and Garam Masala, we also use whole spices in elaborate Indian recipes like Chicken Korma,Laal Maas and Chicken Biryani.These add an unmistakable aroma and flavor to these dishes.They are easily available online or on big retail stores. Buy small quanities of these and keep refrigerated if not using often.

Herbs 
Main Indian herb which is used across almost all recipes is coriander or cilantro. It is used as a garnish on almost all Indian recipes. It adds a much-needed freshness to otherwise spice heavy stewed food. The other Herb that is used while cooking is Curry Leaves.