Instant Pot Beetroot Pulao
Feb 24, 2018, Updated Oct 04, 2018
Beetroot Pulao made in the Instant Pot! Easy, vegan & gluten-free meal which is perfect for those busy days. It's also a great way to sneak in some beets into your diet!
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Beetroot Pulao (Pilaf) made in the Instant Pot – easy weeknight meal with the goodness of beets, flavored with cumin, curry leaves & coconut! Vegan & gluten-free.
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Most people in my family don’t like beets. I don’t know if its a common thing but I have noticed that in India generally people are not very fond of beets. I think the reason behind this is that we don’t really cook enough with beets. Growing up, I hardly remember any dish with beets added to it. Maybe occasional raita and salads and that was pretty much about it.
However here in the US, people use beetroot in several ways and even bake with it! I started cooking with beets a lot after I moved here and since then I have added it to buttermilk, raita and even made a kofta curry out of it!
I think it’s a wonderful vegetable, which is also very nutritious and I am always looking for ways to incorporate it into my diet. If you are also like me, then you must try these beetroot recipes including the one I am sharing today – Beetroot Pulao! This beetroot pulao is such a great way to add beets into your diet and it’s also super easy to make in the Instant Pot.
Look at that gorgeous color!
Whenever I cook with beets, I can never get past the beautiful color. In this recipe, the entire pulao got such a nice red tinge and it was just so pretty to look at. We really eat with our eyes first isn’t it? And when it looks this pretty, you want to grab the plate right away and dig in.
This beetroot pulao is a great way to sneak in the beets for those picky eaters. Sarvesh isn’t huge on beets otherwise but he really liked this pulao!
This Instant Pot Beetroot Pulao
✓ is a great way to eat beets
✓ is flavored with cumin, curry leaves and a touch of coconut
✓ one pot meal made in the Instant Pot
✓ vegan & gluten-free!
I often use the rice button for cooking pulao and rice in general on my Instant Pot but for this one, I used the manual or pressure cook button. You may use either, it will work anyway. I love the addition of peanuts and coconut in this pulao, definitely elevated the flavors and I highly recommend not skipping them.
This beetroot pulao come together rather quickly and is the perfect weeknight meal when you don’t have enough time to cook an elaborate meal. It’s also great for the lunch-box! Serve the pulao with any raita of choice, even plain yogurt works well.
Method
*Wash and rinse the rice 4 to 5 times until the water turns clear. Set aside.
Press the saute button. Once it displays hot, add oil to the pot and then add the cumin seeds.
Add bay leaf, cloves and cardamom and saute for few seconds until fragrant.
Add the peanuts and cook for a minute until the peanuts start changing color.
Add curry leaves and then add the chopped onion and green chili. Cook the onion for 2 minutes until softened. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for a minute.
Add the diced beetroot and green peas. Toss them together for few seconds.
Then add the rinsed rice to the pot and mix. Also add the chopped cilantro.
Add water, salt and close the pot with its lid.
Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, with the pressure valve in the sealing position.
Let the pressure release naturally for 2 minutes and then do a quick release. Open the pot, fluff the pulao with a fork. Add desiccated coconut powder and mix. Sprinkle garam masala on top. 
Serve this Instant Pot Beetroot Pulao with a side of raita.
Instant Pot Beetroot Pulao
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil 15 ml, use oil of choice
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cloves
- 2 green cardamom
- 1 tablespoon raw peanuts
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 1 small onion 60 grams, chopped
- 1 green chili chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- 2 medium beetroot 265 grams, diced, around 1.25 cups diced beetroot
- 1/4 cup green peas I used frozen
- 1 cup basmati rice 200 grams
- 1.5 cups water 12 oz
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut powder
- garam masala to sprinkle
Instructions
- Wash and rinse the rice 4 to 5 times until the water turns clear. Set aside.
- Press the saute button. Once it displays hot, add oil to the pot and then add the cumin seeds.
- Add bay leaf, cloves and cardamom and saute for few seconds until fragrant. Add the peanuts and cook for a minute until the peanuts start changing color.
- Add curry leaves and then add the chopped onion and green chili. Cook the onion for 2 minutes until softened. Then add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for a minute.
- Add the diced beetroot and green peas. Toss them together for few seconds.
- Then add the rinsed rice to the pot and mix. Also add the chopped cilantro.
- Add water, salt and close the pot with its lid. Press the manual or pressure cook button and cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, with the pressure valve in the sealing position.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 2 minutes and then do a quick release. Open the pot, fluff the pulao with a fork. Add desiccated coconut powder and mix. Sprinkle garam masala on top.
- Serve this Instant Pot Beetroot Pulao with a side of raita.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Instant Pot Beetroot Pulao
What would you change in this for a stovetop pressure cooker?
probably nothing
Do we need to soak the rice?
No!
I got inspired by your recipe and tried a simpler version of it.
Heated oil, added cumin seeds, added chopped beetroot, carrot, beans and onions, added water, out in soaked rice along with water, added salt and garam masala and only one star anise…. And pressure cooked for one whistle. Let it stay out for 5-10 minutes… Came out yummy.
We had it with raita… tempered with little ghee, mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilli.
Absolutely yum ..esp for summer afternoons…thanks
Can I grind unsweetened coconut to get the powder or is this something I need to find in a store? Thanks!
you can do that or you can even skip the coconut. And yes you can find coconut powder at stores.
Have you ever tried this with a different grain than rice? Maybe barley or farro? I feel like I make rice too often. Also, what about using precooked beets from Costco—will they turn to mush? Thanks! P.s. I made this per the recipe (except for curry leaves because I didn’t havc any) and it came out great.
I have not tried this recipe with farro, might work..and precooked beets will turn very mushy..if you don’t mind them being super soft then yes use in the recipe..glad you liked it!
There’s no mention of what to do with garlic ginger and green chilli that’s listed in the ingredients.
fixed it.
I just made your beetroot pulao. I am not a fan of beets, but a neighbor gave me some and your recipe was intriguing. It is very tasty! There are a few ingredients in the recipe that aren’t addressed in the instructions and I wasn’t clear when to add them.
Glad you liked it Kathy. I will go have a look at the recipe and fix the missing instructions. Thanks!
What a fun recipe! I hear ya about not growing up eating beets, though. We definitely didn’t eat beets growing up, and I honestly can’t remember the first time I tried ’em. But Laura on the other hand LOVES beets. I should totally make this recipe for her sometime. It looks awesome, Manali!
Such a pretty instant pot dish! I love the color the beets give. Sounds so flavorful and hearty!
So beautiful and delicious! Love the natural bright red colour of beets.