There’s nothing quite like a good plate of aromatic biryani. This Vegetable Biryani hits all the right spots with its wonderful aroma and exotic flavors! Loaded with veggies, crunchy cashews, warm spices like saffron, herbs like cilantro and mint, this biryani is a delight to the taste buds in every bite! For this restaurant-style veg biryani, the rice, vegetables, and herbs are layered in a large heavy bottomed pan and then slowly cooked (what we call “dum”) over low heat to infuse all the flavors together.
I love to eat mine with mirchi ka salan or cucumber raita.
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My Go To Biryani Recipe That I Swear By!
A lot of people would argue that there’s no such thing as veg biryani. I would respectfully disagree! Let’s not confuse biryani with pulao. When I think of pulao, I think of it as a one-pot dish where I toss with rice with spices, vegetables and cook until done – mostly using a pressure cooker.
Whereas when I make biryani, it’s a multi-step process, involving multiple pots and pans and then bringing all the ingredients together into a big pot for the final process of dum. This is not a recipe that I make on a busy weekday (for those days, I end up making my one-pot instant pot biryani) rather I reserve it for special occasions, it takes time to put everything together but it’s totally worth the extra effort.
The vegetables and rice are layered, and the biryani is then cooked on low heat with some heavy object placed on top of the pot of biryani. This process is called “dum” and hence it’s also known as Vegetable Dum Biryani.
To make sure your vegetable biryani stands out, I swear by these tips:
- Choose the right rice: long-grain aged basmati rice is what gives the best results when it comes to biryani. I use Sella Basmati Rice, extra-long grain and it works great for this recipe.
- Pan-frying the veggies before cooking them: I like to pan fry them a little before cooking them completely and tossing them with biryani masala. This extra step gives the veggies a nice texture and makes sure that vegetables don’t get over-cooked or mushy.
- Using fresh ingredients: freshly minced ginger-garlic paste, fresh cilantro and mint, they all make a difference to the final aroma and taste of the biryani.
- Not cutting down on fat: the flavor of the biryani enhances when you use a good amount of fat in this recipe. So, don’t cut down on steps like frying the onions in ghee.
And when you scoop out the biryani, make sure to scoop it from the bottom so that you get all the layers in your plate. Then sit back, and enjoy your biryani!
Use a Steel Pot to Cook This Biryani!
I like to make this biryani in a 6 qt stockpot, even if you triple this recipe, it will still easily fit into this big of a pan. You probably don’t need a 6qt to make this recipe, but whatever pot you choose make sure it’s a deep one. Biryani involves layering of rice, vegetables and other ingredients and so it’s important to use a deep pan.
It’s also important to use a thick bottom pan, because we slow cook it on low heat towards the end by placing it over another flat pan. If you use a light bottom pan, the biryani might get burnt from the bottom during the process of “dum”. I would recommend using a steel thick and deep bottom pot to make biryani.
Let’s Make Vegetable Biryani
- Cook the rice only about 70-75%
Boil the rice with whole spices in a large pot of water, the key thing here is to not cook the rice completely. Cook them until they are around 70-80% cooked, there should be a bite to the rice grain at this point of time.
- Caramelized onions and fried cashew add crunch & extra flavor
Fried onions are essential in a biryani. I like adding cashews for the crunch, you can also use raisins, or almonds.
- Make it colorful with veggies
Pan fry the potatoes, cauliflower, beans and carrots first. You can also use mushrooms or even add tofu or paneer for extra protein.
Crush the saffron between your palms before adding it to milk, this helps in developing that beautiful color & aroma
- Use fresh ginger-garlic paste for best results
Whenever I crush fresh ginger, garlic using mortar and pestle, the dish instantly tastes 5 times better, the aroma is unmatchable.
- Yogurt and biryani masala are the flavor enhancers
Yogurt does not only bring the veggies together but also gives them flavor. The last step in cooking vegetables involves adding biryani masala, you can use your favorite brand.
- Let’s layer the biryani!
I always like to spread a layer of ghee at the bottom first and then add a layer of rice. Remember to use a thick bottom pan for this recipe.
- Build layers for maximum flavor
After the rice comes the layer of fried cashews, onion, fresh herbs and followed by a layer of aromatic vegetables.
- Dum the biryani
Once all the layers are organized, pour the saffron milk, ghee and seal the pot. Some people use atta dough for this, but I just cover it with aluminum foil and then place a tight lid on top. Remember to place the pot over a pan and then dum on low heat.
Can you make this biryani vegan?
It’s actually very easy to do so! Only make these three changes, the rest of the recipe remains the same.
- skip the ghee
- replace plain yogurt with non-dairy yogurt (like almond milk yogurt) or with coconut milk
- use non-dairy milk to make saffron milk
Storage & Re-heating
Store any leftover biryani in an airtight container. To reheat, transfer the biryani to an oven safe bowl and reheat at 350 F degrees F for around 20 minutes. You can also reheat in the microwave until heated through.
Make Ahead Option
If you wish to make this biryani for a party, here are few steps that you can do in advance which will save you time on the day when you wish to serve it:
- Cook the vegetables and keep them ready.
- Fry the cashews and onions and get them ready.
- Cook your rice on the day you want to serve the biryani, then layer and dum the biryani. Keep it warm in the oven at 250 F degrees until it’s time to serve.
Restaurant Style Vegetable Biryani (Veg Biryani)
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice, 200 grams , soaked in 3 cups (24 oz) water for 30 minutes
- 6 whole green cardamom, divided
- 4 cloves, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons ghee, divided
- 2 medium red onion, thinly sliced, divided
- 2 tablespoons broken cashews
- 1 small potato, cubed
- ½ cup cauliflower florets, medium sized florets
- 1 medium carrot, cut diagonally
- 5-6 green beans, cut diagonally
- 2 tablespoons milk, I used whole milk
- saffron strands, generous pinch
- 1 inch ginger, crushed
- 4-5 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 green chilies, crushed
- 1 & ½ tablespoons oil, I used avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, I used shahi jeera
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 whole black peppercorns
- ⅓ cup plain yogurt, I used whole milk plain yogurt, whisked and at room temperature, can add ¼ teaspoon cornstarch and whisk to prevent curdling
- 1 & ½ teaspoon biryani masala, or use 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder, or use regular chili powder for heat
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint
- 1 & ½ teaspoon rose water or kewra water
Instructions
Cook the rice
- Soak 1 cup basmati rice in 3 cups water for 30 minutes. After the rice has soaked, drain the water using a colander.Heat a pot full of water (I use a 6 qt stockpot and fill it until it’s ¾th full), add 3 green cardamom, 2 cloves and ¾ teaspoon salt to it. Let it come to a boil on medium high heat). Now, add rice and stir with a spoon.
- Let the rice cook uncovered (don't lower the heat) until it's almost cooked, the rice needs to be around 70-75% cooked but not fully cooked. When you bite the rice grain, it should not be completely soft at this stage, there should be a nice bite to it. This takes around 6 to 7 minutes.
- Once done, remove pan from heat and drain rice using a colander. Add 1 teaspoon ghee to the rice at this point and toss it with the rice. Set this aside.
Caramelize onion & cashews and pan fry the veggies
- Heat 1 & ½ tablespoons ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add 1 medium onion (sliced) to it and cook until it turns golden brown in color and caramelizes. This takes around 8 to 9 minutes. Remove it on a plate.
- To the same pan, now add 2 tablespoons cashews (broken) and cook until golden brown, around 1 to 2 minutes. Remove on plate and set aside.
- To same pan add ½ tablespoon ghee more and then add 1 small potato (cubed), cook for 2 minutes until light brown. Remove it on a plate.Now, add ½ cup cauliflower florets, 1 medium carrot (cut diagonally), and 5-6 green beans (cut diagonally). Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until veggies appear light brown in color. Remove them on the same plate with potatoes.
Make saffron-milk and flavor the vegetables
- Heat 2 tablespoons milk in a small pan on medium heat. Once warm, add generous pinch saffron strands (crush it before adding) to it. Let it sit for 10 minutes for that beautiful yellow color to develop. Saffron milk is ready, set it aside.
- Crush 1-inch ginger, 4-5 large garlic cloves and 2 green chilies using a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
- Now, it's time to cook the pan-fried vegetables with yogurt and spices. Heat 1 & ½ tablespoons oil in a pan/pot on medium heat. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf, 3 whole black peppercorns, remaining 3 green cardamom and remaining 2 cloves.
- Stir and let the spices sizzle for few seconds. Add 1 medium onion (sliced) and add ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until onions turn light brown. Then add the crushed ginger-garlic and green chili paste that we had prepared earlier.
- Cook for 2 minutes until the raw smell goes away. Remove pan from heat and whisk in ⅓ cup plain yogurt, whisking continuously until it's all absorbed. Put the pan back on heat. Add all pan-fried veggies to the pot now and toss to combine.
- Add 1 & ½ teaspoon biryani masala and ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder and mix. Then add around ¼ cup water. Cook for around 6 to 7 minutes until veggies are almost cooked but not overcooked. They should be firm to bite.You may also cover the pan; I usually cook uncovered. There shouldn't be much water left, it should be kind of a thick mixture. Remove from heat.
Layer the biryani
- Now take a heavy bottom deep pan (I use a 6qt stockpot). I first grease the bottom of the pan with a little ghee. Then add a layer of rice (half of the rice). Top with half of fried onions, half of fried cashew, 1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped) and 1 tablespoon mint (chopped). Add ½ teaspoon rose water. Now layer the veggies on top of this (all of it).Then add another rice layer (remaining rice) on top of the veggies. Then top it with remaining fried onion and cashews, remaining 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro and remaining 1 tablespoon chopped mint.
- Add the prepared saffron milk and the remaining 1 teaspoon rose water on top. And finally drizzle the last remaining 1 teaspoon ghee on top. Sprinkle some biryani masala (optional). I did 2 layers of rice and 1 layer of veggies. If your pan is small, you may do more layers, but the end layer should always be of rice.
Dum the biryani
- Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Then cover with a fitted lid. Heat a flat pan on medium heat. Once hot, reduce the flame to lowest. Place your biryani pot on top of the pan and let it cook for 25 to 30 minutes on lowest heat (dum).
- Scoop out the biryani from the bottom of the pan so that each serving has both the veggies and the rice. Serve vegetable biryani with a side of raita.
Notes
- I have used potato, beans, carrots and cauliflower in this recipe, you can use mushrooms, peas as well.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried your recipe for the first time. Turned out great. Everyone loved it. Thanks
glad to know!
Great!
I tried this recipe today for lunch and it came out awesome!! I used air fryer for pan frying the vegetables steps. Thank you very much Manali. ?
glad to know!
Really good! Well worth the time ? ( I missed out rose water and saffron – next time!)
Try it!!
well written and detailed recipe. i followed to the T and it smelled and tasted amazing!
Awesome!
Nice
Excited to to make this vegan! We bought vegan ghee recently and this is the perfect way to to try it out.
Thank you for this lovely recipe. I was looking for a breyani recipe, bursting with flavour & with caramelised onions. This recipe sure hit the spot. I love your carrot cake recipe & have been using it for years. Now this will be my go-to veg breyani recipe. Thank you so much!!!
welcome! 🙂
Can the Biryani be prepared and layered the day before and then cooked close to serving time. I have vegetarians and meat eaters and thought I would do the vegetable Biryani and a chicken Biryani but won’t have time to prepare them on the day.
maybe? Since I haven’t tried it myself I can’t say exactly how it will turn out. But try preparing a night before and see if that works.
I wanted to love this, but it turned out so bland for me! I’m a relatively new cook and this was my first attempt at Biryani so I’m 99.99% sure it’s my fault. The only thing I can think of is I must have cooked the rice in too much water– I soaked it in the amount you specified, but then didn’t measure however much I put in the pot (it was a lot). Could it have diluted it that much? I also took forever with recipe prep so it probably soaked for 1.5 hours.
The water in which you cook the rice will not dilute anything. We use that water for only boiling the rice. Ultimately you drain all the water so it can’t have an effect on the final flavor. This recipe is very flavorful so it’s hard to say where you went wrong. Please re-read the recipe again and try.
hey .. planning to cook this for dinner tonight had a little doubt that do i need to use desi ghee or normal oil will do ?
Ghee adds to flavor definitely ?
I made Biryani, following your recipe! It came out superb. So flavorful and aromatic. Could not have imagined that vegetable Biryani pups be so yummy.
awesome!
Hi Manali
Really disappointed with the result after so much care and attention following the recipe. Has really put me off ever expending so much effort again on a rice based dish.
Really struggled to get the veg to cook-ended up waiting for 70mins, after giving up and baking it in the oven. By then everything had got super dry, and the flavours just weren’t there anymore. Usually pretty good nailing various Indian dishes, especially Gujarati.
Hi Alain, I am not sure what happened. This recipe has glowing reviews and everyone seem to love it. I can guarantee it’s a full proof recipe and I gave taken a lot of effort to explain everything in detail. Can you please tell me why would the veggies not cook in 70 minutes? That doesn’t make any sense.
this biryani is a delight to the taste buds in every bite!
I’ve been making it since 2 years now.. Everyone in my family loves it… And they call my biryani as world’s best biryani… Thank u!!!
so glad!
Love this!
Hello Manali,
I’m helping my son prepare a socially distanced Indian dinner for tonight. We have a number of dishes planned, and I’m wondering if it will work to do the last step- heating the layered biryani in the oven, instread of in a pan?
you can try. maybe Try 20 minutes at 375 to 400 F degrees?
Hi Manali
That’s an excellent tutorial. I just did it and it came out awesome. I followed to T your steps and with bated heart waited on the table with it. My hubby opened and said wow feel like being in Paradise Hyd, and needless to say it was dhumilicious. Thanks so much.. My 90 mts tiredness just flew away with the compliment. Thanks.
I tried it and it came out very well. Everybody at home enjoyed the biryani. Thank you for such a delicious recipe.
welcome!
Manali I loved your recipe. I want to try it out . Can I use diluted rose essence in place of rose water since I don’t have rose water?
yes should be okay!
Thank you so much Manali
Tried your recipe every step. Turned out great. Proudly shared with two families. They loved it. Got the compliment” tastes exactly like restaurant style
Biryani”…..?
Perfect recipe. Tried it and the result was outstanding. Thank you.
glad to know Molly!
Hey recipe was just superb,very well explained and presented which really helped it to turn out to be scrumptious meal….Thanks a lot…
awesome!
Loved the recipe, so easily demonstrated and laid down. Followed it completely minus the rose water as we dint have it and it turned out heavenly ! Also been following a few of your other recipes. Yum !
glad to know 🙂
I followed the recipe step by step, took me a bit over 2 hours but it was delicious. Finally, vegetable biryani felt different from vegetable pulao. The fragrance of this dish was also amazing!
Hey manali ,tried the biryani and it turned out awesome,even better than any best biryani outlets.Everyone absolutely loved it?.Was craving to eat biryani for long time.Have shared the recipe with all my near n dear ones.
Hi Manali
Can I use the same measurement to do in the insta pot
Thanks
Anusuya
haven’t tested this recipe in IP, hard to say
Awesome… followed it to the T and it turned out perfect!! Everyone loved it home. I have been sharing your recipe so often with all my friends and family.
Thank you Manali for your fantastic recipes! I was forced to start cooking , and I was not really experienced with making Indian dishes. From the first time I came across your website, I completely fell in love with the way you explain each and every step of the cooking process and the on spot quantities. And every dish comes out so delicious! Even my Indian husband is amazed by the taste of the meals 😉
Hi Manali
Can you tell me, is the pan you heat up, under the rice pan, empty or does it have water in? Also, I make my own garam masala, do you have a recipe for your homemade biryani masala please? We Can’t get it at the moment
Thanks for all your yummy recipes, from Panda here in the UK x
you mean at the last step? No it’s just a flat griddle, no water. Use garam masala if you don’t have biryani masala. I don’t have a biryani masala recipe on the blog yet, sorry.
Best recipe .. I made biryani for the first time and oh la la … it turned amazing .. thank u for such a nice recipe .. wish I could share the picture .
glad to know 🙂 you can always tag me on instagram or mail me the pics 🙂
We are a family of 4 taking turns in trying new recipes during , awarding the cook of the evening points for flavour and presentation. I made this Biryani tonight with mango raita and rhubarb icecream with strawberries as dessert. Everyone was just blown away. I received top notes. Absolutely delicious!
I love the sound of that ice cream! yum, what a delicious meal. glad you enjoyed! 🙂
I am planning to try making this on my birthday. I cant source biryani masala, can I use homemade garam masala instead?
yes you can, just make sure it’s not very hot else it will become the prominent flavor of the dish
Sound good !!!
I will try soon as never prepared good briyani
I’m planning to make this for a neighbor today who is going through a rough patch. Ideally, I’d like to make it in a disposable baking pan so that she can heat it all up in her oven, so that she doesn’t have to worry about virus on the pan. How would you recommend making this in the oven instead? Also, can it be frozen if I use vegetables that freeze well like peas, carrots, etc?
Thank you!
you can use those veggies and I haven’t made this in the oven. But to make one, follow all the steps as it is- boil the rice, make the veggies and once you layer everything- do that in an ove-proof container. Try 20 minutes at 375 to 400 F degrees?
Wow! This looks amazing. I must try. Saved your recipe to make it soon.
Thanks for sharing.
This recipe was delicious! Just made it last night! Thanks so much!
The taste was wonderful. Thank you!
But the amount of vegetables gravy to rice was very less.
Yes I like more rice in my biryani hence don’t add a lot of veggies. You can double the veggies if you want. Glad you liked it!
Very good recipe. First time I could make a decent biryani. After many failed attempts, I had decided never again to try making a biryani in my life. But once after many years when feeling lazy to cook traditional full time meal, was thinking if only I could cook a biryani. Then searched the Internet for recipes and came across this one. It turned out delicious. Thank you
I tried it for dinner yesterday. Great recipe. The veg biriyani was just perfect, both the texture n taste was yum.
good to know 🙂
I tried this recipe today ..
And it was delicious..
My family loved it alot .
My mother-in-law praised me .
Thanks a lot for this recipe❤️
you are welcome 🙂
I tried this today and came out awesome!!! It was a super hit and there was not a grain of rice left. My kids also loved it so much. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
FYI – I made one change to the recipe – Instead of biriyani masala, I used home made Kitchen king masala..
It turned out to be satisfying. m so in love with it. thanks a lot?
welcome 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
Good recipe…ur recipe proved that not only chicken biriyani but veg biriyani can also b tasty…thankyou
haha glad to know 🙂
Followed the steps . Turned out scrumptious ??????. Will make again . ??
awesome 🙂
Yogurt curdled. I did t use cornstarch-not a fan. Next time I’ll use the coconut milk in place. Otherwise fabulous!
I follow the same recipe while making it veg or non veg and every time it comes out soooo delicious and flavourful
For a large family event I quadrupled the recipe. Everyone loved it. There was not a grain of rice left! I was forced to make two adjustments. I had no ghee and used half butter/half vegetable oil, and I was confused about the rose water at the end. I did not see it on the shopping list. I just left it out. Next time I will plan ahead and make it exactly as the recipe says. Thank you for this lovely addition to our list of family favorites.
Welcome! So glad you all enjoyed it! 🙂 Butter is good but ghee definitely adds to the flavor!
Awesome recipe. I am going to try this. Very well explained. Thanks for sharing.
Is it ok to make it the day before?
yes should be okay
Amazing recipe. Worked perfectly. Thankyou 🙂
I’m going to India next month and definitely try this dish. Thank you
Firstly, I came here because you are my go-to person for any new recipes 🙂 so naturally when I had to make biryani for the first time in my life, I had to search your site for it! Took me nearly 2 hours to put it all together and the family loved it. Thank you Manali 🙂
so glad to hear that Soumya 🙂
Looks great! Will definitely try it out in couple days. Which Biryani masala would you recommend? Thanks a lot!
Try Shaan!
Tried this recipe today. Excellent !!! My husband and daughter loved it. Thanks dear Manali. Will try out your other recipes too.
It just looks superb n mouth watering. It so orderly placed. And east to follow. Great! Thanks ? a lot. All the best.
Welcome! glad it was helpful
Very good job
I tried it and it came out very tasty . Not very laborious. Thankyou.
welcome 🙂
I try this biryani recipe and it was awesome. Thank you so much.