Instant Pot Rice Pilaf (Indian Vegetarian)
Instant Pot Pilaf with step by step photos. This is a quick and one-pot method to make an Indian mix vegetable pilaf or pulao in the instant pot. The recipe is vegan and gluten-free. Serve this delicious rice pilaf with a side of yogurt or raita or salad for a hearty meal.
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 Instant Pot Rice Pilaf
This vegetable pilaf 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.
The addition of fresh herbs like coriander and mint leaves also gives a fresh flavor & taste. So this pilaf is not very spicy but slightly spicy and has a complex flavor and taste.
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 a pilaf 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 final pilaf has well-cooked rice grains yet fluffy and separate.
Pulao or pilaf is one dish which I make almost once or twice a week. Earlier I used to make veg pilaf on the stovetop, but now I make it in the IP. If you want to make pulao the traditional and conventional way in a pan or pot, then check this Veg Pulao Recipe.
Serve spicy Instant Pot Rice Pilaf 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 Rice Pilaf
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 a 6 quart Instant Pot 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 cloves
- 4 to 5 black peppers
- 1 small piece of stone flower or kalpasi (optional)
- ½ inch cinnamon
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 black cardamom (optional)
- 1 or 2 single thin strands of mace
- 1 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 paste
- 1 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 powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder or ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 pinch of asafoetida (optional)
For a gluten-free pilaf 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 pilaf 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 Basmati Rice
17. Now add the soaked basmati rice.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. Season with salt as needed. Stir and mix again. Check the taste and the water should feel a bit salty.
Make Instant Pot Rice Pilaf
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 and flavorful Instant Pot Rice Pilaf 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
Step by Step Photo Guide Above
Instant Pot Rice Pilaf (Indian Vegetarian)
Ingredients
For rice
- 1.5 cups basmati rice – 260 grams
- enough water for soaking rice
Vegetables & other ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil – use sunflower oil or any neutral tasting oil. ghee can be substituted with oil.
- ½ cup thinly sliced onions or 1 medium to large onion, finely sliced
- ⅓ cup chopped tomato or 1 medium sized chopped tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon coriander leaves , chopped
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves , chopped – optional
- 2 teaspoons ginger+garlic paste or 1 inch ginger and 4 to 5 medium garlic cloves, crushed in mortar-pestle
- 1 to 2 green chillies , chopped or 1 to 2 serrano peppers
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Chilli Powder or sweet paprika or add ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or regular paprika
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder (ground coriander)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing) – optional
- 3 cups chopped mixed veggies (i used a mix of cauliflower, french beans, potatoes and carrots)
- ¼ to ⅓ cup green peas – fresh or frozen
- 2 cups water or add as required
- salt as required
whole spices
- 2 small tejpatta (indian bay leaf) or 1 medium to large tej patta
- 2 to 3 cloves
- 4 to 5 black pepper
- 1 piece small of stone flower (pathar ke phool or kalpasi or dagad phool) – optional
- ½ inch cinnamon
- 2 green cardamoms
- 1 black cardamom – optional
- 1 or 2 single strands of mace
- 1 star anise – optional
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds – optional
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
Instructions
Preparation
- Rinse basmati rice in water till the water runs clear of starch. Then soak the rice in water for 20 to 30 minutes.
- After 20 to 30 minutes drain the water and keep aside. When the rice is soaking, chop all the vegetables, herbs and keep them ready.
Making instant pot rice pilaf
- Switch on the ip and press the sauté button for 12 to 15 minutes on less mode. when the ip signals hot, then add 3 tablespoons oil in the steel insert.
- Then add all the whole spices mentioned in the above list. Fry the spices till they become fragrant and splutter. Do not burn them.
- Note that you do not need all the spices. The essential spices needed are cumin seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and indian bay leaf. The other spices you can skip if you don't have them.
- Then add thinly sliced onions. Set the mode to normal mode on sauté. press the sauté button once to get this option.
- Stir and sauté till the onions start to become golden. You have to stir often, so that the onions cook evenly.
- Now add ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chilies and chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves (optional).
- Saute for some seconds till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
- Then add the chopped tomatoes and sauté them for 1 to 2 minutes stirring often.
- Later on the ip, press the cancel button and then add all the spice powders – turmeric powder, kashmiri red chili powder or cayenne pepper, coriander powder and a pinch of asafoetida (optional).
- Mix the spices very well with the onions and tomatoes.
- Now add the chopped mixed veggies and green peas.
- Press the sauté button again and set the time to 2 to 3 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.
- Now add the soaked rice. Mix very well yet gently. sauté the rice for a minute. The oil or ghee should coat the rice grains. If possible deglaze also while sautéing rice.
- Add 2 cups 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.
- Season with salt and stir again. Check the taste and the water should feel a bit salty.
- 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.
- 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 or make a note 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 over cooked.
- Fluff the rice gently with a fork or spoon.
- Serve this flavorful and tasty Instant Pot Rice Pilaf with onion raita or cucumber raita or boondi 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.
Notes
- Chop the vegetables in small to medium-sized pieces so that they cook well and are not undercooked.
- You can use ghee instead of oil.
- Skip green chillies (or add less) and skip all the spice powders for a non-spicy pilaf or pulao.
- While sautéing, you can use both the low and normal mode of the sauté option in the ip.
- Always deglaze after adding vegetables, rice and water.
- You can add your choice of vegetables like carrots, green peas, cauliflower, sweet corn, potato, beets, bell pepper etc.
- For an al dente texture in the rice grains, add 1.5 to 1.75 cups water.
- For best taste and texture use aged basmati rice. You can also use any non-sticky variety of long-grained or medium-grained rice.
- Mint leaves can be skipped.
- Remove the steel insert from the IP after the pilaf is cooked, so that the rice grains do not continue to cook further.
- Do keep a check of the 10 minutes npr (natural pressure release). If kept even for 2 to 3 minutes longer after the 10 minutes time is over, the rice at the bottom starts getting over cooked.
- For a gluten-free pilaf skip asafoetida or use gluten-free asafoetida.
- Whole spices which can be skipped are fennel seeds, star anise, black cardamom, stone flower.
- Instead of fennel seeds you can also use 1 teaspoon ground fennel powder.
- Mint leaves can be skipped. 1 teaspoon of dried mint leaves or ground mint can be added.
- Follow all the steps and then add 2.75 to 3 cups water if cooking in a pan or pot. You may add water as required.
- Cover and cook till all the water has been absorbed and the rice grains have become fluffy and tender.
- Use a thick bottomed deep pan or pot.
Nutrition
Instant Pot Rice Pilaf recipe from the archives first published in June 2010.
Thank you for all your lovely recipes, I have been following you for a year! If you were to make this recipe with brown basmati rice, how would you change the cook time and water to rice ratio?
welcome emily and thank you. with brown rice, soak brown rice for 2 hours (or for more hours or overnight) as this helps in cooking them faster. moreover, when brown rice is soaked it cooks at about the same time as cooking vegetables, so you do not get overcooked or mushy vegetables. if you use unsoaked rice, then by the time the brown rice grains are cooked, the vegetables will get mushy and pasty.
cook this spicy pulao recipe in a pan or pot and not in a pressure cooker as it would become difficult to check the rice if made in a cooker. the amount of water to be added depends on the quality of rice and the cooking method used. so an approx of 3 to 3.5 cups water will work in this recipe. first, add 3 cups water and begin to cook. later when the water looks less and the rice grains are not cooked, then add ¼ to ½ cup of water depending on how much the rice grains have cooked or need cooking. hope this helps.
Will be a staple in my house! One pot and delicious! Family loves it. I made this, your south Indian potato korma, and a whole moong dal recipe today all in pressure cooker and was so pleased with the time and easiness. You rock!
thanks again cheyenne. special thanks for the time and effort you took to post the feedback and review one each recipe. glad to read all the reviews you posted. yes, pressure cooking does save time.
Made this a few days ago. Very nice.thanks for sharing.
Regards and take care
thank you marina for this feedback. glad to know.
I made this.came out well.nice recipe.thank you
welcome and thankyou anjali 🙂
These recipes are very helpful for me to cook new variety of food
Hey Dassana,
You’re blog is my go to site for vegetarian recipes. In this recipe I put only one beetroot like it was written but my rice colour came out red. But the taste was still good.
thanks ansira. the color will change ansira. beetroot when added to any dish will change its color. but when we made, the color was overall red but in some parts.
Hi,
Thank u so much for helping me with your recipes. I am a newly married girl. And whenever I am asked to cook something, I search for your recipes and prepare them. Before wedding i’ve never ever made anything. Thanks for helping me big time. You’ve saved me many a times.
welcome tulika. glad to know that the recipes are helping you in cooking. feel free to ask any query about recipes posted.
Hai dassana
I am dhivya from coimbatore tamilnadu i got married 7 months before and i am new to cooking i have tried many of ur recipes i came out very well my hubby likes it very much and i am so happy thanks for all ur recipes
welcome dhivya. glad to know that blog is helping you in cooking.
Hello Didi,
I came to USA for my masters in fall 2012,and being a vegetarian,I had no idea how difficult it would be for me(being a desi boy who doesn’t like pizza burger on a daily basis).My mom always told me,”beta kuch banana seekh le”, but like always I never listened.I relied on ready to eat stuff, soon I realized that was really bad.Since then I have been on the hunt for good recipes,and first recipe I tried from your website was my favorite Bhindi with Alu.Since then, I never looked back.Chole recipe was too good.Rajma,alu gobhi,veg pulav,parathas,lassi,and what not…..all of them were really awesome.Especially the rajma chawal and chole chwaal reminded me of home and this famous shop in CP,Delhi,where I go every time I go home.This pulao by bhiah reminds me of pulao which my mom makes,which is awesome.
All I can say to you is….”Didi Thanks a lot,sach me…life would have been really difficult here with out these awesome recipes and your hard work”.
welcome vivek and big thanks for this positive feedback. good to know that the recipes are helping you in cooking delicious food at home. home cooked food is much better than outside food. once in a while we all like to eat outside food. but for every day purpose, its better to cook food at home. you made the right decision to try learning cooking.
Excellent recipe. .was fascintaed by the pic..n gave a try..came out really well n my husband too loved it thank you so much for this recipe. .your recipes are really good n excellent pics too.. I am a regular visitor of your site…thank u n best wishes 🙂
thanks anusha. i am glad to know that you and your husband liked the mix veg pulao recipe.