vegetable pulao recipe made in pressure cooker with video and step by step photos. veg pulav is a comfort one pot meal when we don’t have time to do elaborate cooking or you have to cook food on a short notice or in a quick time. this is an easy and quick vegetable pulav cooked in a pressure cooker.

here i am sharing the way i make vegetable pulao at home. i sometimes make pulao in a pressure cooker using this recipe or sometimes my mom’s veg pulao recipe made in a pot or pan. when i have time, i cook in a pot and when no time, i use the pressure cooker.

tips for making vegetable pulao in pressure cooker

1. pressure cooking rice can be tricky. different types of rice will cook at different timings. since i stick to the same brand of organic basmati rice, i now know how much time the grains take to cook. what i have learnt from experience is that its better to soak the rice first. the proportion i use for rice to water is 1: 2 or 1:1.5
2. while cooking, after adding the rice, stir the grains with the rest of the ingredients well, so that the oil coats each rice grain. i usually pressure cook on a high flame for 2-3 whistles. then let the pressure drop on its own, since the rice is cooking when the cooker is hot and the pressure is there inside it. then i gently fluff the rice before serving.
3. what i have also seen, is that the more oil the more the food tastes better. i don’t know why. the same is with pulaos too. the veg pulav will be oily, but will taste good too. here i have used 3 tbsp ghee to fry onions and cashews. however, 2 tbsp oil or ghee would also be fine to use.
4. i add the caramelized onions and cashews to the vegetable pulao as a garnish. the crisp onion slices and cashews add a lot of flavor and texture to the pulao. on occasions i also add some mint and coriander leaves while making the vegetable pulao. you can easily skip this frying part and make the pulao in just 2 tbsp oil or ghee.

the best part i like about veg pulav is that they are healthy as we add a lot of vegetables to this dish. in this veg pulav recipe, i have added green peas, mushrooms, carrots, french beans, capsicum (bell pepper), potatoes, tomatoes and onions. you can also add your choice of veggies to the pulao.

vegetable pulao can be served with plain yogurt or with any raita. i usually serve this vegetable pulao with boondi raita or onion-tomato raita.

if you are looking for more pulao recipes then do check:

1. kashmiri pulao
2. peas pulao
3. tawa pulao
4. paneer pulao.

4.56 from 29 votes

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vegetable pulao recipe

easy and quick vegetable pulao recipe made in pressure cooker.

course main course

cuisine indian

prep time 30 minutes

cook time 15 minutes

total time 45 minutes

servings 4

rough calories per serving 440 kcal

author dassana amit

ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)

main ingredients for vegetable pulao

• 1.5 cups basmati rice OR about 300 grams of basmati rice
• ¼ cup chopped french beans
• ¼ cup chopped tomatoes OR 1 medium sized tomato
• ⅓ cup peas (matar) - fresh or frozen
• ⅓ cup chopped carrots - chopped into cubes
• ⅓ cup chopped potatoes - chopped into cubes
• ⅓ cup chopped medium cauliflower (gobi florets)
• ⅓ cup chopped capsicum (bell pepper or shimla mirch) - chopped into cubes
• ¼ to ⅓ cup sliced or chopped mushrooms
• 1 medium sized onion thinly sliced OR about ⅓ cup thinly sliced onions
• 2.5 cups water
• 3 tablespoon oil or ghee * check notes

crushed or ground into paste in mortar-pestle

• ½ inch ginger (adrak) - roughly chopped
• 3 to 4 medium garlic cloves (lahsun)
• 1 green chili - roughly chopped

whole garam masala or spices for vegetable pulao

• 1 inch cinnamon stick (dalchini)
• 2 to 3 green cardamoms (choti elaichi)
• 1 black cardamom (badi elaichi)
• 2 to 3 cloves (lavang)
• 2 single strands of mace (javitri)
• 1 medium sized tej patta (indian bay leaf)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• a small piece of stone flower (pathar phool) - optional
• 3 to 4 whole black pepper (sabut kali mirch)

for garnishing vegetable pulao

• 1 small onion thinly sliced OR about ¼ cup thinly sliced onions
• 12 to 15 cashews (kaju)
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves (dhania patta) OR mint leaves (pudina patta)

how to make vegetable pulao recipe

soaking rice for making vegetable pulao

1. rinse the rice till the water runs clears of starch.

2. then soak the basmati rice in water for 30 minutes. 

3. drain and keep the basmati rice aside.

making vegetable pulao in pressure cooker

1. heat 3 tbsp ghee or oil in the pressure cooker. add sliced onions.
2. saute on a low flame, till the onions are golden and then remove them with a slotted spoon. keep the caramelized onions aside.
3. in the same oil, add cashews and brown them. keep the fried cashews also aside.
4. in the same oil or ghee, add the whole spices - cinnamon, tej patta, black cardamom, green cardamoms, cloves, black pepper, stone flower, cumin seeds and mace. saute for a few seconds till the spices become aromatic.
5. add sliced onions. stir and saute the onions on a low flame. saute till the onions become golden.
6. then add ginger+garlic+green chili paste. stir and saute till the raw aroma of the ginger and garlic goes away. about 15 to 20 seconds.
7. add the all the chopped veggies, including tomatoes and peas.
8. saute for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame.
9. add the drained basmati rice. saute gently for 1 to 2 minutes till the oil/ghee has coated the rice grains evenly. pour water.
10. add salt. stir the veg pulao gently.
11. check the taste of the stock. if it tastes bland, then add some more salt.
12. cover the pressure cooker tightly with its lid.

13. pressure cook vegetable pulao for 2 to 3 whistles on a medium to high flame. 2 whistles will give you a less softer texture. for more softer texture cook for 3 whistles.

14. when the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid and gently fluff the rice.

15. serve the vegetable pulao garnished with fried onions, cashews and mint or coriander leaves. 

16. you can also gently mix the garnishing ingredients with the vegetable pulao.

17. this pressure cooked vegetable pulao goes well with boondi raita, plain raita or onion-tomato raita. 

18. also accompany some onion slices with lemon or a vegetable salad or pickle and papad.

recipe video

recipe notes

* skip the fried garnish part of onions & cashews if you prefer. in this case, just make the pulao with 2 tbsp oil or ghee instead of 3 tbsp oil or ghee.

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preparation for vegetable pulao recipe

1. first rinse the rice very well and then soak the grains in water for 30 minutes.

2. meanwhile, you can chop all the veggies. then heat 3 tbsp ghee or oil in the pressure cooker. add ¼ cup sliced onions.

3. saute on a low flame till the onions are golden and then remove them with a slotted spoon.

4. keep the crisp & golden fried onions aside.

5. in the same oil, add cashews and brown them.

6. keep the fried cashews also aside.

making vegetable pulao recipe in pressure cooker

7. in the same oil, add the whole spices – cinnamon, tej patta, black cardamom, green cardamoms, cloves, black pepper, stone flower, cumin seeds and mace. saute for a few seconds till the spices become aromatic.

8. add now ⅓ cup sliced onions.

9. stir and saute the onions on a low flame.

10. saute till the onions become golden.

11. then add ginger+garlic+green chili paste. stir and saute till the raw aroma of the ginger and garlic goes away.

12. add the chopped veggies and saute for 2 to 3 minutes on a low flame.

13. drain water from soaked basmati rice after 30 minutes.

14. add the drained basmati rice in the pressure cooker.

15. saute gently for 1 to 2 minutes till the oil/ghee has coated the rice grains evenly.

16. pour water.

17. add salt.

18. stir gently.

19. cover and pressure cook the vegetable pulao for 2 to 3 whistles on a high flame. pressure cooking for 2 whistles will give you an al dente texture. for a softer texture pressure cook vegetable pulao for 3 whistles.

20. when the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid and gently fluff the rice.

serve the vegetable pulao garnished with the fried caramelized onions, cashews and mint or coriander leaves. vegetable pulav goes well with a raita like boondi raita, plain raita or onion-tomato raita and you have a comforting meal ready. a mango pickle or lemon pickle also goes well with veg pulao. even a side thin vegetable curry or kadhi or spiced buttermilk (chaas) goes well.

dassana amit

Founder, Designer, Recipe Developer, Food Photographer || MORE ABOUT US

i started vegrecipesofindia.com in feb 2009. it is a pure vegetarian blog and shares recipes with step by step photos that will help you to make delicious and tasty vegetarian food easily.

i am passionate about cooking from childhood and learnt cooking from my elders. having a home science degree greatly enhanced my cooking & baking skills and took it to a different level which i now share as foolproof recipes. i was trained both in mainstream indian as well as international cuisines.