Aloo Biryani | Potato Biryani

Aloo biryani recipe with step by step photos. This is a layered and dum cooked biryani made from baby potatoes. Hence the name dum aloo biryani or potato dum biryani. It makes for a filling, satisfying and healthy meal when served with a side of raita or yogurt, pickle and papad.

Sharing a potato biryani which is a family recipe and loved at home. This is my mom’s method of preparing biryani. It was time I shared her recipe. Here I have used baby potatoes, but you can make it with regular potatoes or even mixed veggies.

Whenever I want to have a special rice-based dish then biryani is always in my mind. I have shared many veg biryani varieties on the blog. A few of the popular biryani recipes you can try are:

• Paneer biryani
• Mushroom biryani
• Veg biryani
• Awadhi biryani
• Pressure Cooker Biryani

When I make this biryani with baby potatoes, I just shallow fry to save time. If you want you can even boil or steam them.

If making with veggies, then no need to fry. Just cook the veggies in the biryani gravy. In the recipe I have shown the main steps together. However, while cooking, you can cook the rice and veg gravy simultaneously.

You can serve this dum aloo biryani hot or warm with raita or biryani shorba or plain yogurt or salan.

How to make Aloo Biryani

Cooking rice:
1. Rinse 1.5 cups of basmati rice (300 grams) very well in water till the water runs clear of starch. Soak rice grains in enough water for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes drain all the water and keep the soaked rice aside.

I recommend using aged basmati rice to get the best texture, aroma and flavor when preparing any biryani variety.

2. On medium to high heat, take 5 cups water. Add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 small to medium bay leaf (tej patta), 2 cloves, 2 green cardamoms, 1 inch cinnamon, 3 to 4 strands of mace, and bring to a boil.

Taste the water, it should feel slightly salty. If the water is not slightly salty, then add a bit more salt.

3. When the water comes to a boil, add the soaked rice. Do not reduce the heat and cook the rice.

4. Cook rice till its ¾th done or 75% cooked. Check the doneness by biting a few grains of rice. You should get a slight bite in the rice.

5. Then drain the water from the rice in a colander. If you want you can even rinse the cooked rice with fresh water. Keep aside.

6. In a chutney grinder jar or small grinder, take the following ingredients:

• 2 green chillies
• ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
• ½ inch ginger (roughly chopped)
• 5 small to medium garlic (roughly chopped).

7. Add ⅓ cup fresh curd (yogurt).

8. Grind or blend to smooth or a semi-fine paste. Keep aside.

9. Heat 3 tablespoons of ghee (clarified butter) in a pan.

10. When the ghee becomes hot, add peeled baby potatoes (250 grams or 12 to 15 baby potatoes). If the potatoes are large, then halve or quarter them and then add.

11. Fry the potatoes on medium heat.

12. Fry till the potatoes till they are 90% cooked or almost cooked. They just need to become crisp and golden from the edges. Remove with a slotted spoon and place the potatoes on kitchen paper towels.

13. Next add 15 cashews to the pan and fry till the cashews become golden. Remove and keep aside.

14. Next add ½ tablespoon of raisins.

15. Fry till they become plump.

16. Remove the fried raisins and keep them aside.

17. In the same pan now add the following spices:

• 1 inch cinnamon
• 3 green cardamom
• 2 cloves
• 1 black cardamom
• 1 small to medium tej patta (Indian bay leaf).

The oil will be hot, so the spices will crackle as soon as you add them.

18. Quickly add 1 cup of tightly packed thinly sliced onions.

19. Begin to saute the onions on low to medium heat stirring often.

20. First the onions will become light golden. So continue to saute them.

21. Saute onions till they turn golden in color and caramelize.

22. Quickly remove half of the fried onions from the pan.

23. Keep the fried onions aside along with the remaining fried ingredients.

Preparing gravy for biryani 

24. Now add 1 medium tomato (chopped) or ½ cup chopped tomatoes.

25. Sauté the tomatoes till they turn mushy.

26. Keep the heat to a low and add the following spice powders and mix very well.

• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon biryani masala powder or garam masala powder

27. Then add the prepared ground paste.

28. Mix very well and saute the masala.

29. Saute till you see oil releasing from the sides of the masala.

30. Now add ½ cup water.

31. Season with salt as per taste. Stir and mix very well.

32. Add half of the fried potatoes.

33. Simmer the gravy on a medium heat.

34. Simmer for 8 to 9 minutes till the gravy thickens. You will also see some specks of ghee on top of the gravy. Keep aside.

Assembling and Layering Potato Biryani

35. When the gravy is cooking, soak 1 pinch of saffron in 3 tablespoons of warm water. Keep aside.

36. Now take half of the gravy and layer it in a thick bottomed pan.

37. Layer half of the rice.

38. Next add some of the half of the fried potatoes, cashews and raisins.

39. Layer with half of the fried onions.

40. Add half of the saffron dissolved water.

41. Repeat the gravy, rice, fried potatoes, onions, cashews and raisins layer. Add the remaining saffron soaked water. Also add 2 teaspoons rose water or kewra water

Dum Cooking Aloo Biryani

42. Seal the pan with aluminum foil.

43. Cover the pan with its lid and place it on a preheated tava or griddle. Preheat the tawa on a low to medium heat for 5 minutes before you place the pan.

44. Dum cook potato biryani on low heat or sim for 30 minutes.

If baking – preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius and then bake the biryani in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Please remember to use an ovenproof glass utensil like the pyrex bowl for baking in the oven.

You will have to assemble biryani as mentioned above in the ovenproof utensil. Cover with aluminum foil or the pyrex bowl lid and then bake.

Give a resting time of 5 to 7 minutes and check the biryani. If you see a lot of gravy in the biryani, then cover and continue to dum cook the biryani. There should be no liquid or gravy at the bottom of the pan. If there is some gravy, then seal again and continue to dum cook for some more minutes.

46. You can garnish with some mint or coriander leaves if you want. Serve aloo biryani hot or warm with your favorite raita or Mirchi ka Salan or Shorba or plain yogurt.

If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it in the recipe card or leave a comment below – I’d love to hear your feedback. For more vegetarian inspiration, sign up for my email updates or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or X.

This Aloo Biryani Post from the blog archives, first published in January 2017 has been republished and updated on December 2022.