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.
I need to make this for a large group of students. Is it possible to do the last steps in a big catering type pan and finish cooking in the oven ?
yes try at 350 F for 30 to 35 mins
Hello, a friend and I went to an Indian restaurant and had this and I was hoping I could make it at home. This recipe is much better than the restaurant!! It has so much flavor and all of the spices just work together!! thank you for a great recipe!
welcome Lisa, thanks for taking out the time to leave a review!
I have tried this recipe a few times and every one loved it! Thank you Manali!
Welcome Roma!
I have never made this before, I made it yesterday for around 12 people and it was delicious. I followed most of the steps exactly and seemed simple enough. I used oat milk instead of normal milk/yoghurt and it tasted great. I can highly recommend this recipe.
Thanks for the lovely feedback!
I tried this yesterday without the last step of slow heating because I was in a rush. It was delicious and today I’d like to try it using this last step. Can you say more about how to do this step with regular pots and pans? I layered the Biryani in a 6 quart saucepan. Should I warm a 12 inch fry pan and place the saucepan in the fry pan? Thanks!
Hi Priti, any flat pan will do which can hold your 6 quart saucepan. Refer to picture no.24 in step by step pictures. that’s exactly what you need to do.
Manali
This post explains everything. It tastes fabulous, I have tried.
Thanks for trying, glad you liked it!
Why does Biryani should have some portion of white rice still left? I really didn’t grasp this logic.
I like biryani that is completely covered by spices. In that case, it will always be yellow due to turmeric present in spices.
just for presentation purpose, the color contrast makes it look pretty. If you stir everything together after adding saffron it will be all yellow. hope this helps. and you can definitely present it the way you like.
This came out really well, thank you Manali. I was surprised at how easy it all came together and didn’t really take too much time.
I am glad to know Lakshmi!
I want to try this biryani for about 9 people. Would it work if I just triple the amount? Anything else that I should keep in mind?
I have never tripled this recipe but I hope it works!
Easy to follow receipe and the Biryani is very flavourful. Like someone else mentioned, I needed to add a little bit extra salt. Also I substituted, the curd for coconut milk.
of course salt is always to taste, Thanks for trying!
Haven’t tried this yetbut I really like the way you roll out the recipe. I appreciate the thoroughness and little commentary. Look forward to tasting it and we’re having Indian food tonight — but I’m not cooking this time.
Thank you Joan!
Made this tonight and it turned out perfect. My whole family loved it. I did cook all the vegetables separately which helped in not getting a boiled textured.
Definitely will be saving this recipe!
Do you have any suggestions on how to prepare ahead of time and then reneging to serve?
Re-heat in oven safe dish (cover with foil), 350 F for 15 minutes and serve warm
My 12 year daughter tried this recipe, it was her first lesson in cooking, came out really well (although the sink was full at the end of cooking 😊), so pleased that her first experience went so well! Thanks.
so glad to know!
I found the overall dish extremely bland and all those lovely spices did not come through, disappointing.
I am sorry you didn’t care for it. Not sure how it turned out bland because this recipe is anything but that. Thanks for trying!
Heat a pot full of water, add 3 green cardamom, 2 cloves and 3/4 teaspoon salt to it. Let it come to a boil.
How much water? How big of a pot?
Afraid the rice will be mushy if we add a lot of water.
Hi Gabriel, it won’t turn mushy. You can use any size pot like 4 qt, 5 qt. Fill it with water until it’s 3/4 full. We are not completely cooking the rice at this stage so the amount of water doesn’t really matter here. The rice eventually cooks after it’s layered with the veggies.
Enough water so the rice can move around. Like when you cook pasta. Ok ?
Usha here,I made the biryani for my guests it was awesome in taste and aroma every one liked it and I got so many compliments. Thank you Manali for the wonderful recipes. I always follow your recipes I got confidence.
glad to know Usha!
I made this delicious biryani Friday evening. It was very tasty and aromatic. Really easy to follow step by step recipe. You will need to add a bit more salt.
This recipe is very good and worth the attention to detail. I was trying to finish it up and missed the detail of the pan underneath at the end. I had an enamel pot and it cooked fine without it but I did overcook the rice earlier; despite your instructions! It was a learning experience and next time I hope to have all the requisite spices but it was delicious despite my fumbles. As a vegan I liked the saffron with soy milk in my case. I may pick up a vegan yogurt next time. We had with Samosas. So good!
Good recipe
To serve 4, we need but more salt in veggies and more biryani masala in my case
I plan to make this tomorrow. Not sure about the bottom pan though – do you sit the top pan on the bottom of the bottom pan, or rest it on the edges?
Also, would it be possible to bake in the oven, with a fitted lid on the dish?
yes it sits on the bottom pan. Bake at 350 F for 30 to 40 minutes
Love this recipe! Such a hit with my family! Thank you so much for sharing.
glad to hear!
You missed salt in the vegetables. You also need little more salt in water when boiling the rice because it will drain away.
there is salt in the vegetables, please see the directions again. And there’s 3/4 teaspoon salt when boiling the rice which I think is enough. You can always adjust salt to taste since it’s a personal preference.
Yes you did. I missed it.
Excellent recepie. It’s little lengthy but it’s worth the time and effort.
Thank you for putting it together.
I’m making this for 16 people, any tips
it depends if it is the main dish or there are other things along with in. If it’s just a part of the menu and there are other curries, dal, naan etc. , I would triple this recipe and it should be good enough.
Hi Manali – thanks for an incredible recipe. This was my first time making biryani at home and it turned out great. One question – how can I avoid biting into cardamom pods and other spices in the finished product? Is there a time to remove them or is it just luck of the draw?
You can remove it before serving. Else you can tie the whole spices in a muslin cloth and add to the pot, this way the aroma of spices will be there. You can remove the muslin cloth later. Usually we serve it just like this.
Added raisins to the recipe to offset the heat from the pepper. Thank you! We will make this again.
I will have to try raisins next time, this sounds good
tried it twice, and i loved it.
This recipe is a keeper! It was well explained and a fabulous recipe.
Thank you,
Sudha
Hi Manali! What would be ingredient portions for 4 servings?
Also I am looking for a less spicy version since my guests can’t take heat! What would you recommend doing?
Try with 1.5 cups basmati rice and multiple everything 1.5 times in the recipe for 4 servings. Also skip green chilies to tone down the spice.
Fab recipe!🤤🤤🤤 my family loved it…..Thanks for ur amazing recipe 😘😘…
awesome!
I always use tomatoes/ tomato puree/ grated tomatoes instead of yogurt. It comes out really yummy. Thanks a lot..
Amazing recipe. I am just an youtuber cook. And Though I did not understand the recipe which looked hard, I decided to take the challenge to establish diffrence between pulao and biryani and proving my superiority in kitchen.(just kidding). I followed all the steps(no shortcuts) and finally when my wife and daughter tested this, they were mesmerized to say the least. I was also awestruck and as I was just following steps without knowing for sure what the final result will be. Just trust Manali steps which are very elaborate even for novice cook and happy cooking.
I am so happy to hear this Andy, thanks for sharing your feedback! 🙂
Can you add brown lentils to this dish?
lentils are never ever used in biryani. lentils n rice is khichdi not biryani but if you want to, sure
Tried this today and turned out v delicious.. thanks for sharing a wonderful recipe. Plz do keep sharing new dishes.
I have been looking for good vegetarian biryani recipe, and this looks fantastic! I can’t wait to try it. Thank you for sharing; you went to so much trouble and I really appreciate it.
I have made this recipe twice and it is fantastic. I think the potatoes need to be in smaller cubes than those pictured so that they cook through, but this is the best biryani I’ve ever made.
I’m excited to try this! What’s the purpose of nesting the pans (in step 4 of layering the Biryani)? Trying to figure out a work around if I don’t have a flat bottom pan that the pot will fit in. Thanks.
the process is called “dum” , you can read more about it here: https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/the-art-of-dum-cooking-1781434
This was my first attempt to make it for my hubby’s birthday. He cook biriyani in different style. This one little different, I tried and Liked it. Yes it’s almost how we get outside but more tastier.
Thanks for the recipe. Just that I felt vegetable needs to cook 80% before adding to the rice. As I didn’t fried it more and it remained raw!!
Otherwise it came really tasty.
thanks for the feedback, glad you enjoyed it!
Wanting to make this for my boxing day buffet. How long in advance ..can I make it??
easily a a day in advance
This was my first attempt at making biryani at home. I’m a big fan of biryanis and over the past two years have turned vegetarian for good. This biryani recipe is better than what we get at restaurants and I couldn’t believe that I was able to make it at home. Thank you so much.
awesome!
This is how I make my veg and non-veg biryani.
Excellent recipe!
Thank you!
Wow, writing this just after my family devoured
On your recipe. You know, it was a hit when your kids tell you to PLEASE save more for dinner. It is time consuming task, yes. It involves multi process still I wanted to make our Sunday special so I just dived deep into cooking. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe
Glad to hear!
I tried this recipe with my daughter this weekend, and while it was time consuming, it was worth every minute of effort. I love this dish and will definitely be making again. Thank you for sharing!
you are welcome!
I tried making biryani “dum” style for the first time and very pleased with the outcome. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
Add this for Diwali dinner and it went down a treat. Absolutely flavoursome. I added some pomegranate seeds after I’d opened the biryani and it was such a wow pop of sweetness with all the other flavours. Great recipe
I am a vegetarian and I really did not know how I could make a vegetable biryani but then thank you so much for sharing this post now I can try making this biryani myself.
Delicious
I am quite familiar with Indian recipes but this was my first time making biryani. Definitely not a Monday night casual dish (although that’s what I made it to be…) as it takes quite a long time to make, but it is absolutely delicious. Each bite tastes a little bit different: cardamom, rose water, cinnamon, cloves, saffron, … Wow !
Only comment is I would cook the potatoes almost completely before beginning the vegetables and spices process. It took a little too long to cook for my taste together with all the rest. Otherwise, this recipe is PER-FECT!!
glad to know!
I prepared this on my marriage anniversary and it came out very nice. The biriyani was aromatic and delicious to eat. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Actually if you have a nut allergy can you remove the cashew ??
Yes skip!
I want to try thank you so much will let you know