This quick-to-make instant pot pulao takes under 30 minutes to prepare. As a matter of fact, it’s probably the easiest and best veg pulao I’ve ever made!
This instant pot veg pulao is packed with mixed vegetables, has every rice grain separated and a combination of aromatics and spices makes a flavorful pulao.
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❤️About This Recipe
Quick & Easy: When I said 30 minutes, I literally mean it (from perp to ready pulao in your plate). Isn’t it super quick?
Let’s break up these 30 minutes to make a delicious meal.
- Prep works take around 10 minutes.
- Sauteeing onion, and tomato takes around 5 minutes.
- Pressure building time takes around 5 minutes (may vary depending on the size of your instant pot and amount of pulao you’re making)
- Cook time is 4 minutes
- The natural pressure release time is 5 minutes.
- The last 15 minutes are passive, so during this time quickly whip up your raita, roast some papad and in 30 minutes your meal (instant pot pulao, raita, papad) is ready to serve.
You'll Love This Veg Pulao
- Customizable: Add or skip the veggies as per your liking.
- Scalable: You can double or triple the amount (only for 6qt and 8qt instant pot). Perfect to feed the crowd.
- Perfect for lunchbox: Leftovers make a good lunch for kids or adults. Don’t forget to pack plain yogurt or raita in a separate container to go with instant pot pulao.
- Dietary info: This instant pot veg pulao is vegan and gluten-free.
🧾Ingredient Notes
Here is the pic of the ingredients you’ll need to make instant pot pulao. All of them are basic and easily available.
- Basmati rice: It is perfect for pulao or biryani. You can use other rice verities like sona masoori, jeerasar, ambemor, etc but the cooking time and water amount may vary depending on what type of rice you are using.
- Whole spices: When these spices are added to the hot oil they release their flavor and aroma. Always add spices into hot oil (not in warm or cold oil) for the best result.
- Ginger, garlic, green chili: Most of the time, I crush all three together in my wet jar of the spice grinder. Alternatively, you can use ready ginger, garlic paste and finely chop the green chili.
- Tomato: A small to medium-sized tomato is pureed in the grinder and added to the pulao. It adds a nice flavor vs adding chopped tomato.
- Veggies: Use your choice of veggies. But chop the veggies into small to medium size pieces so they can get cooked in 4 minutes. If your chop them bigger then they may stay raw or uncooked.
- Tip: To avoid chopping veggies, use the frozen mix veggies (that contains carrot, corn, green beans, and green peas).
- Garam masala: Alternately, you can use ready pack of pulao masala or biryani masala.
🎥Watch The Recipe Video
👩🍳Step By Step Photo Instructions
Prep:
1) Take ginger, garlic and green chili in a grinder jar. (in the pic, I have used a preethi mixer jar. But many times I use my small spice grinder.)
2) Blitz it until they are crushed. Remove it and keep it aside.
3) In the same jar, take chopped tomatoes.
4) Make a smooth puree out of it. (Yes, you can make a puree in the wet jar of the spice grinder.)
5) Chop the veggies and keep them ready.
6) Take basmati rice in a colander and rinse under running cold water until water runs clear. Massage the rice using fingers gently while rinsing.
Making Instant Pot Pulao:
1) Turn on the instant pot with saute mode and add oil. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them sizzle a bit.
2) Add whole spices and saute for a minute or until you get a nice aroma of the spices.
3) Add onion and ginger, garlic, and chili.
4) Mix and cook for 2 minutes or until onion starts to soften or becomes light pink or translucent in color.
5) Add tomato puree, turmeric powder and salt.
6) Mix and cook for a minute.
7) Add veggies, garam masala and kasoori methi.
8) Mix well.
9) Add rice, water and lemon juice.
10) Stir everything. Cover the instant pot with a lid and keep the valve on sealing.
11) Pressure cook on manual (high pressure) for 4 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes then do QPR (quick pressure release) by positioning the valve to venting. Once the pin drops open the lid.
12) Gently fluff up the rice. If you have time, let the veg pulao rest for 5 minutes before fluffing it up (during this resting time rice grains will firm up and don’t break or get mushy while fluffing up).
💭Expert Tips
- If making for guests, roast some cashews before adding the onion. Cashew nuts add a nice crunch to the pulao.
- Use ghee instead of oil if making for guests or on special occasions.
- Rice:Water ratio: You’ll need 1:1 ratio for the perfect texture of rice (soft, fluffy, separated from each other). Meaning you’ll need 1 cup of water for every 1 cup of rice. Plus, veggies will leave their own water, so 1 cup of water is enough.
- Veggie options:
- I have used green beans, green peas, carrot, sweet corn, potato and bell pepper.
- A few other options are cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, snow peas, sweet potato (yam), etc.
- Make sure to cut the veggies into small to medium size pieces. So they get cooked and don’t stay raw.
- Storage: This veg pulao stays good for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Check Out Other Instant Pot Rice Dishes
Did you try this instant pot pulao recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.
📋 Recipe Card
Instant Pot Pulao (Veg)
Ingredients
For Instant Pot Veg Pulao Recipe:
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- ½ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 2 Cloves
- 4 Black peppercorns
- 2 Green cardamoms
- 1 Black cardamom
- 1 Bay leaf
- ½ cup Red onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ginger paste or freshly grated or crushed
- 1 teaspoon Garlic paste or freshly grated
- 1 Green chili finely chopped or crushed
- 1 medium Tomato , Pureed
- Salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 ½ cups Mixed vegetables (I have used potato, green peas, green beans ,carrot, corn, bell pepper)
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Kasoori methi (Dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1 cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
Instructions
- Take ginger, garlic and green chili in a (spice) grinder jar. Blitz it until they are crushed. Remove it and keep it aside.
- In the same jar, take chopped tomatoes. Make a smooth puree out of it. (Yes, you can make a puree in the wet jar of the spice grinder.)
- Chop the veggies and keep them ready.
- Take basmati rice in a colander and rinse under running cold water until water runs clear. Massage the rice using fingers gently while rinsing.
- To make instant pot veg pulao, turn on the instant pot with saute mode and add oil.
- Once oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them sizzle a bit.
- Add whole spices (peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, black cardamom and bay leaf) and saute for a minute or until you get a nice aroma of the spices.
- Add onion and ginger, garlic, and chili. Mix and cook for 2 minutes or until the onion starts to soften or becomes light pink or translucent in color.
- Add tomato puree, turmeric powder and salt. Mix and cook for a minute.
- Add veggies, garam masala and kasoori methi. Mix well.
- Add rice, water and lemon juice. Stir everything. Cover the instant pot with a lid and keep the valve on sealing.
- Pressure cook on manual (high pressure) for 4 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes then do QPR (quick pressure release) by positioning the valve to venting. Once the pin drops open the lid.
- Gently fluff up the rice. If you have time, let the veg pulao rest for 5 minutes before fluffing it up (during this resting time rice grains will firm up and don’t break or get mushy while fluffing up).
Notes
- If making for guests, roast some cashews before adding the onion. Cashew nuts add a nice crunch to the pulao.
- Use ghee instead of oil if making for guests or on special occasions.
- Rice:Water ratio: You’ll need 1:1 ratio for the perfect texture of rice (soft, fluffy, separated from each other).
- I have used green beans, green peas, carrot, sweet corn, potato and bell pepper.
- A few other options are cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, snow peas, sweet potato (yam), etc.
- Chop the veggies into small to medium size pieces so they can get cooked in 4 minutes. If your chop them bigger then they may stay raw or uncooked.
- To avoid chopping veggies, use the frozen mix veggies (that contains carrot, corn, green beans, green peas).
niru
Hi Kanan,
what is NPR for 5 minutes and do QPR ?
Kanan Patel
Natural pressure release (NPR) meaning let the pressure release on its own, do nothing.
Quick pressure release (QPR), release the pressure manually by positioning valve to venting from sealing.
I'll update the post soon with these details.
Yamini
Hi, if I need to make 3 cups of rice would it still be the same time for pressure cooking in the instant pot ? Or should I increase the time a bit. Thanks
Kanan Patel
Pressure cooking time will be same (no changes).