Instant Pot Pulao

I make rice-based dishes like Pulao or biryani often at home. After getting the instant pot, I make all the rice recipes in it.

About This Recipe

Spicy: This vegetable pulao is slightly spicy. here the four ingredients which contribute to the spice and heat are Ginger, garlic, green chillies and red chilli powder. apart from these four ingredients, the other whole spices also lend their warm flavors to the dish. This spiciness can be reduced by skipping green chillies and the spice powders. If making for small kids then I suggest to skip or reduce the spices.Herbs: the addition of fresh herbs like coriander and mint leaves also gives a fresh flavor & taste. So this pulav is not very spicy but slightly spicy and has a complex flavor and taste. Rice: use basmati rice, preferably aged basmati rice for the best results. I soak basmati rice for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking. Soaking makes the rice grains cook faster. I always recommend to use aged basmati rice when making pulao or biryani. You can also use non-sticky variety of long grained rice. Any non-sticky variety of medium to short grained rice also works well.The texture of cooked rice: The final pulao has well-cooked rice grains yet fluffy and separate.

Pulao is one dish which I make almost once or twice a week. Earlier I used to make veg pulao on the stovetop, but now I make it in the IP. If you want to make pulao in a pan or pot, then check this Vegetable Pulao Recipe. Serve spicy instant pot pulao with a side Veggie Salad, Kachumber or Raita or roasted papad. You can also serve it with plain curd (yogurt) or Spiced Buttermilk.

How to make Instant Pot Pulao

Prep

1. First rinse 1.5 cups basmati rice (260 grams) in fresh water till the water runs clear of starch. Then soak the rice in enough water in a bowl for 20 to 30 minutes. After 20 to 30 minutes drain the water and keep it aside. When the rice is soaking, prep all the veggies and keep them ready. Chop the vegetables in small to medium-sized pieces so that they cook well and are not undercooked.

Sauté in instant pot

2. Switch on the IP and press the sauté button for 15 minutes on less mode.
3. When the IP signals hot, then add 3 tablespoons of oil to the steel insert. Add all the whole spices:

2 small tejpatta or 1 medium to large tej patta (Indian bay leaf)2 to 3 cloves4 to 5 black peppers1 small piece of stone flower or kalpasi (optional)½ inch cinnamon2 green cardamoms1 black cardamom (optional)1 or 2 single thin strands of mace1 star anise (optional)1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional) ½ teaspoon cumin seeds.

Note the essential spices needed are cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, mace, cloves and Indian bay leaf. The remaining spices you can omit if you don’t have them. 4. Stirring often fry the spices till they become fragrant and splutter for some seconds. Do not burn them. 5. Now add ½ cup of thinly sliced onions. Set the mode to normal mode on sauté. Press the sauté button once to get this option. 6. Mix the onions with spices and oil. Begin to sauté them. 7. Stir and saute till the onions start to become golden. You have to stir often so that the onions cook evenly. First, the onions will soften and then become light golden. 8. Continue to stir and sauté till the onions become golden or are caramelizing. 9. After the onions have become golden, quickly add the following ingredients:

2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste1 to 2 green chilies (chopped)2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves (optional).

10. Sauté for some seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
11. Then add ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes – about 1 medium tomato chopped.
12. Sauté tomatoes for one to two minutes stirring often.
13. On the IP, press the cancel button and then add all the spice powders listed below:

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder½ teaspoon red chilli powder or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika1 teaspoon coriander powder1 pinch of asafoetida (optional)

For a gluten-free pulao skip asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida. 14. Mix the spice powders very well with the onions and tomatoes. The spices will get cooked with the residue heat of the steel insert.

Add Mixed Veggies

15. Now add 3 cups chopped mixed veggies (I used a mix of cauliflower, french beans, potatoes and carrots) and ¼ to ⅓ cup peas. As far as the mixed veggies are concerned, you could add your choice of veggies. The usual veggies that can go in a mixed vegetable pulao are potato, carrots, fresh or frozen shelled grean peas, cauliflower, capsicum, sweet corn, beetroot, broccoli etc. It is an excellent way to use leftover veggies also.
16. Press the sauté button again and set the time to 3 to 4 minutes on medium mode. Mix the veggies with the spice mixture. Deglaze and stir so well so that the bits and pieces of onions, tomatoes stuck to the pan are removed. The moisture from the vegetables will help in deglazing.

Add Rice

17. Now add the soaked rice.
18. Stir and mix very well yet gently. Sauté the rice for a minute. The oil should coat the rice grains. Deglaze if required while sauteing the rice.
19. Add 2 cups of water. I do not prefer al dente texture in rice, so I add a bit more water while cooking. If you prefer an al dente texture, then add 1.5 to 1.75 cups water.
20. Season with salt as needed. Stir and mix again. Check the taste and the water should feel a bit salty.

Make Instant Pot Pulao

22. Cover the instant pot with its lid and position the valve to sealing position. Press the pressure cook button on high pressure for 5 minutes.
23. Once you hear the beep sound after 5 minutes of pressure cooking, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes give a QPR (quick pressure release). Keep a check of the 10 minutes. If kept even for 2 to 3 minutes longer after the 10 minutes time is over, the rice at the bottom starts getting overcooked.
24. Fluff the rice gently with a fork or spoon.
25. Serve spicy instant pot pulao with onion raita or boondi raita or onion tomato raita or cucumber raita or with a side vegetable salad. You can also accompany sliced onion rings, lemon wedges, roasted papad and a mango pickle by the side. More Instant Pot recipes

Instant Pot Aloo GobiInstant Pot Chana MasalaInstant Pot Kadai MushroomInstant Pot Dal Makhani

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. This post contains amazon affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This Instant Pot Pulao post from the archives first published in June 2010 has been recently updated on 19 January 2022.

title: “Instant Pot Pulao " ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-10” author: “Barbara Daily”

I make rice-based dishes like Pulao or biryani often at home. After getting the instant pot, I make all the rice recipes in it.

About This Recipe

Spicy: This vegetable pulao is slightly spicy. here the four ingredients which contribute to the spice and heat are Ginger, garlic, green chillies and red chilli powder. apart from these four ingredients, the other whole spices also lend their warm flavors to the dish. This spiciness can be reduced by skipping green chillies and the spice powders. If making for small kids then I suggest to skip or reduce the spices.Herbs: the addition of fresh herbs like coriander and mint leaves also gives a fresh flavor & taste. So this pulav is not very spicy but slightly spicy and has a complex flavor and taste. Rice: use basmati rice, preferably aged basmati rice for the best results. I soak basmati rice for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking. Soaking makes the rice grains cook faster. I always recommend to use aged basmati rice when making pulao or biryani. You can also use non-sticky variety of long grained rice. Any non-sticky variety of medium to short grained rice also works well.The texture of cooked rice: The final pulao has well-cooked rice grains yet fluffy and separate.

Pulao is one dish which I make almost once or twice a week. Earlier I used to make veg pulao on the stovetop, but now I make it in the IP. If you want to make pulao in a pan or pot, then check this Vegetable Pulao Recipe. Serve spicy instant pot pulao with a side Veggie Salad, Kachumber or Raita or roasted papad. You can also serve it with plain curd (yogurt) or Spiced Buttermilk.

How to make Instant Pot Pulao

Prep

1. First rinse 1.5 cups basmati rice (260 grams) in fresh water till the water runs clear of starch. Then soak the rice in enough water in a bowl for 20 to 30 minutes. After 20 to 30 minutes drain the water and keep it aside. When the rice is soaking, prep all the veggies and keep them ready. Chop the vegetables in small to medium-sized pieces so that they cook well and are not undercooked.

Sauté in instant pot

2. Switch on the IP and press the sauté button for 15 minutes on less mode.
3. When the IP signals hot, then add 3 tablespoons of oil to the steel insert. Add all the whole spices:

2 small tejpatta or 1 medium to large tej patta (Indian bay leaf)2 to 3 cloves4 to 5 black peppers1 small piece of stone flower or kalpasi (optional)½ inch cinnamon2 green cardamoms1 black cardamom (optional)1 or 2 single thin strands of mace1 star anise (optional)1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional) ½ teaspoon cumin seeds.

Note the essential spices needed are cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, mace, cloves and Indian bay leaf. The remaining spices you can omit if you don’t have them. 4. Stirring often fry the spices till they become fragrant and splutter for some seconds. Do not burn them. 5. Now add ½ cup of thinly sliced onions. Set the mode to normal mode on sauté. Press the sauté button once to get this option. 6. Mix the onions with spices and oil. Begin to sauté them. 7. Stir and saute till the onions start to become golden. You have to stir often so that the onions cook evenly. First, the onions will soften and then become light golden. 8. Continue to stir and sauté till the onions become golden or are caramelizing. 9. After the onions have become golden, quickly add the following ingredients:

2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste1 to 2 green chilies (chopped)2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves (optional).

10. Sauté for some seconds or till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
11. Then add ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes – about 1 medium tomato chopped.
12. Sauté tomatoes for one to two minutes stirring often.
13. On the IP, press the cancel button and then add all the spice powders listed below:

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder½ teaspoon red chilli powder or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika1 teaspoon coriander powder1 pinch of asafoetida (optional)

For a gluten-free pulao skip asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida. 14. Mix the spice powders very well with the onions and tomatoes. The spices will get cooked with the residue heat of the steel insert.

Add Mixed Veggies

15. Now add 3 cups chopped mixed veggies (I used a mix of cauliflower, french beans, potatoes and carrots) and ¼ to ⅓ cup peas. As far as the mixed veggies are concerned, you could add your choice of veggies. The usual veggies that can go in a mixed vegetable pulao are potato, carrots, fresh or frozen shelled grean peas, cauliflower, capsicum, sweet corn, beetroot, broccoli etc. It is an excellent way to use leftover veggies also.
16. Press the sauté button again and set the time to 3 to 4 minutes on medium mode. Mix the veggies with the spice mixture. Deglaze and stir so well so that the bits and pieces of onions, tomatoes stuck to the pan are removed. The moisture from the vegetables will help in deglazing.

Add Rice

17. Now add the soaked rice.
18. Stir and mix very well yet gently. Sauté the rice for a minute. The oil should coat the rice grains. Deglaze if required while sauteing the rice.
19. Add 2 cups of water. I do not prefer al dente texture in rice, so I add a bit more water while cooking. If you prefer an al dente texture, then add 1.5 to 1.75 cups water.
20. Season with salt as needed. Stir and mix again. Check the taste and the water should feel a bit salty.

Make Instant Pot Pulao

22. Cover the instant pot with its lid and position the valve to sealing position. Press the pressure cook button on high pressure for 5 minutes.
23. Once you hear the beep sound after 5 minutes of pressure cooking, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes give a QPR (quick pressure release). Keep a check of the 10 minutes. If kept even for 2 to 3 minutes longer after the 10 minutes time is over, the rice at the bottom starts getting overcooked.
24. Fluff the rice gently with a fork or spoon.
25. Serve spicy instant pot pulao with onion raita or boondi raita or onion tomato raita or cucumber raita or with a side vegetable salad. You can also accompany sliced onion rings, lemon wedges, roasted papad and a mango pickle by the side. More Instant Pot recipes

Instant Pot Aloo GobiInstant Pot Chana MasalaInstant Pot Kadai MushroomInstant Pot Dal Makhani

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. This post contains amazon affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This Instant Pot Pulao post from the archives first published in June 2010 has been recently updated on 19 January 2022.