Pulao recipe – stovetop & instant pot versions with step by step photos & video. Veg pulao or vegetable pulao is a basic Indian style rice pilaf that is aromatic, delicious, healthy & super quick to make for a meal. This detailed step by step recipe post will teach you how to make pulao recipe at home with basic pantry ingredients. You can use either a pot or a cooker.
If you are new to Indian cuisine, these faqs may help you
What is pulao?
Pulao is a one pot rice dish made by cooking fragrant basmati rice with aromatic spices, herbs & sometimes stock. There are many kinds of pulao recipes made in India like vegetable pulao, Matar pulao, tawa pulao, Coconut milk pulao, zarda pulao, kashmiri pulao & Chicken pulao.
This veg pulao recipe is one of the basic dish made often in many Indian homes. It is also the one most commonly found on the menu for parties, buffets & celebrations served along with a yogurt raita.
There are a few different methods of making vegetable pulao recipe. Each region has a different way of making it. I am sharing a simple generic veg pulao recipe that we make at home. It tastes super delicious & is very fragrant.
This not only goes well for a regular or a special meal but is also great to pack in office & school lunch boxes.
Since this is the simplest of the Indian rice dishes made with very little preparation, it is super quick & ridiculously easy to make even for a party when you have a crowd.
Preparation
Rinse 1½ cups basmati rice a few times until the water runs clear. Then soak it and set aside for at least 15 to 20 mins. Meanwhile prepare the veggies. If you want you can also make a fine paste of ginger, garlic, green chilies and mint leaves.
How to make veg pulao
1. Add 2 tablespoons oil or ghee to a cooker or pot. Add whole spices –
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 inch cinnamon
- 4 cloves
- 4 green cardamom
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon shahi jeera or jeera
- 1 star anise (optional, but recommended)
- 1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
- little dagad phool (stone flower) (optional)
- 1 small strand mace (optional)
2. When the spices begin to sizzle, add one thinly sliced onions. And then 1 to 2 slit green chilies. Saute them well.
3. When the onions turn golden, add 1½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste.
4. Saute well until the raw smell of ginger garlic disappears. Do not burn.
5. Add mixed veggies and chopped mint/ pudina. I use peas, beans and carrots most of the times. You can also use potatoes and a handful of split cashews or softened soya chunks if you like.
6. Next saute everything well until the mint smells good. Usually it takes about 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Pour 2½ cups water if making in cooker and then add ½ teaspoon salt as well.
If cooking in a pot, pour 3 cups water.
Making vegetable pulao recipe
8. Bring the water to a rolling boil, then add soaked & drained rice. Ensure there is no water in the rice, otherwise the veg pulao will turn mushy.
9. Stir gently and taste test the water. If needed add more salt.
If making in pressure cooker: Cover the lid and cook veg pulao in pressure cooker on a medium high flame for one whistle. For al dente rice, Immediately I release the pressure of the cooker manually with the help of a spatula.
If cooking in a pot, cover the pot with the lid. Cook on a low flame until the water is absorbed and rice is cooked completely. Perfectly done veg pulao in a pot should have no more moisture at the bottom and the rice should be fully done. Once done, turn off the stove and cover the pot. Let it rest for 10 mins so the rice grains turn fluffy.
10. Gently mix everything with a spatula or fluff up the rice with a fork.
Serve veg pulao hot or warm with shorba or raita.
Serving suggestions
This vegetable pulao can be served alone without any side dishes. However a basic Raita compliments the meal. This boondi raita is our favorite.
For special occasions or when we have guests home, we serve vegetable pulao with a Salan or Shorba – Sherva.
Non-vegetarians can serve veg pulao with Egg curry or with Chicken curry or any grilled dishes like Kababs. However if you are short of time, just enjoy it with some plain Curd & papads.
Tips to make good pulao recipe
- Spices: Always use good quality whole spices as it is the key to make a aromatic veg pulao. You can also crush the spices lightly & use to release the aroma.
- Herbs: Do not skip fresh mint or pudina leaves as it the next key ingredient that infuses aroma to the veg pulao.
- Rice: Normally basmati rice is used to make vegetable pulao. But if you do not have, just use any other kind of rice. You will need to adjust the water as needed depending on the rice.
- Pulao masala: For more aromatic veg pulao, you can make a paste of onions, ginger garlic, mint, cinnamon and cardamoms. This paste can be made ahead and refrigerated. If you have this paste & mixed veggies ready in the fridge, then making vegetable pulao just takes less than 15 mins.
How to cook the best pulao
Though the ingredients used are the key to make a fragrant and delicious veg pulao, the cooking procedure also matters the most.
A perfectly cooked vegetable pulao should have fluffy, separate rice grains that are not sticky & not mushy yet fully cooked.
The dish must have a unique aroma of mint and whole spices like cinnamon, cardamoms & cloves. Here are the key pointers to cook the best veg pulao.
- Rinsing: Always rinse the rice well for at least 3 times until the water runs clear. This reduces the starch from the rice grains which is the culprit to mushy & sticky veg pulao.
- Soaking: Soak rice for at least 15 to 20 mins. When soaked rice grains absorb water and swell up to the maximum when cooked making them fluffy & perfectly cooked.
- Frying rice: If you are making plain pulao without veggies then you can roast the drained rice in ghee & spices. For vegetable pulao, I do not fry the rice as most times I have experienced the soaked rice grains break when fried with veggies.
- Ratio: Rice to water ratio is the key to get fully cooked grainy pulao. Adjust the amount of water depending on the rice. Add water according to the cooking method opted by you. More details below in the recipe card.
Methods to cook pulao recipe
There are different methods I follow to make vegetable pulao. It can be made in a
- Pressure cooker – I have included the instructions in the recipe card
- Pot or pan – Instructions mentioned in the recipe card
- Electric cooker – Saute the spices, then the onions, ginger garlic, mint & vegetables in a small pan. Then transfer this to a electric cooker along with rice, salt and water. Cook as you would prepare normal rice with the same amount of water you use for regular cooking.
- Instant pot – Instructions below
Variations
There are so many different variations of making veg pulao. The basic one is made with mixed vegetables. I make vegetable pulao with most veggies & even with greens.
If you are a health nut like me you may like to explore these options for fussy folks Carrot rice, Beetroot rice, Palak rice, Methi rice. There are also some vegetable pulao recipes made with precooked rice.
Pulao recipe | Veg pulao recipe | Vegetable pulao | pulav recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- 1½ cups basmati rice (aged rice)
- 2 tablespoons oil or ghee
- salt as needed
- 2 ½ cups water for pressure cooker ( 2¾ cups for pot, 1¾ cups for Instant pot)
- 1½ teaspoons ginger garlic paste
Vegetables & herbs
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 2 green chilies slit or as needed
- 1 medium carrot (¾ cup chopped)
- 4 medium french beans (½ cup chopped to 1 inch)
- ½ cup green peas
- 1 small potato cubed (optional)
- 3 tablespoons mint (pudina, finely chopped) (or coriander leaves)
Whole spices for veg pulao
- 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
- ¾ teaspoon shahi jeera (caraway seeds) (substitute cumin seeds)
- 4 green cardamoms (elaichi)
- 4 cloves (laung)
- 2 inch cinnamon (dalchini)
- 1 star anise (chakri phool) (optional, but recommended)
- 1 strand mace (javithri, optional)
- 1 pinch nut meg (jaiphal) (optional)
- 2 pinches stone flower (dagad phool – optional)
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds powder (saunf powder – optional)
Instructions
Preparation
- Add basmati rice to a bowl and rinse it a few times until water runs clear.
- Soak it for at least 20 minutes. After 20 mins, drain off the water completely and set aside.
- While the rice soaks, rinse carrots, beans, peas, potatoes, onions, chilies & mint leaves.
- Peel the carrots and potatoes. Nip off both the ends of beans and chop all of them to bite sized pieces.
- Slice onions and slit green chill. Fine chop the mint leaves. (If you want you can also make a fine paste of ginger garlic, green chilies and mint.) Set all of these aside.
How to make veg pulao recipe
- Heat 2 tablespoons ghee or oil in a hot pot or pressure cooker.
- Add all the whole spices & saute for 30 to 60 seconds or until they begin to sizzle.
- Fry onions & chilies until onions turn golden.
- Next saute ginger garlic paste until the raw smell goes off.
- Add all the veggies and mint. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour water and add salt too. Taste the water, it has to be slightly salty.
- Bring the water to a rolling boil. Next add drained rice and stir.
- If cooking in pot, cover and cook on a low heat until all the water is absorbed and the rice grains are cooked. When the rice is done, turn off the stove. Cover and let the veg pulao rest in the pot for 10 to 15 mins. This helps the rice grains to become fluffy.
- If making in pressure cooker, cover the cooker with the lid. Then cook on a medium high flame for 1 whistle.
- Switch off the stove. When the pressure releases, remove the lid and fluff up the veg pulao rice with a fork.
- Serve veg pulao hot or warm with a simple raita or gravy.
Instant pot pulao
- Press SAUTE button on the instant pot. Pour ghee or oil to the inner pot. Saute the spices in the hot oil for 30 seconds.
- Fry onions & green chilies until transparent for 2 mins. Then fry ginger garlic paste just for 30 seconds.
- Next add in all the chopped veggies and mint. Saute for 2 mins. Add the drained rice (1 ½ cups) and salt. Press CANCEL button.
- Pour 1¾ cups water and mix. Taste the salt level and add more if needed.
- Scrape the bottom gently with the spatula to release any bits of food stuck. This prevents a burn notice. Secure the instant pot with the lid.
- Press PRESSURE COOK button (high pressure) & set the timer for 5 mins. Position the steam release handle to sealing.
- Instant pot beeps when it is done. Let the pressure release naturally for 5 mins.
- Release the rest manually by moving the steam release handle from sealing to venting with a spoon.
- Fluff up the vegetable pulao with a fork & serve with yogurt raita.
Notes
- Always use aged rice which gives fluffy and grainy pulao.
- If using frozen mix veggies, use 1.5 cups.
- You will need to adjust the quantity of water depending on the rice. If using normal rice, use more water.
- Stone flower or dagad phool makes the pulao very flavorful.
- adding too much mace or nutmeg can make your pulao bitter.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Bharathi says
Hi,
Very accurate recipe:
I noticed my pulav gets bitter, what all could be the reason? I mean which spice?
swasthi says
Hi Bharthi,
If the spices are too old they will release bitter taste after cooking. The other reasons can be frying the ginger garlic for too long or using lot of mace.
Tina K says
This is the first time I make pulao. My hard to please parents were impressed. My sister said it looked very professional. The water measurement and cooking time were so accurate ! Thank you so much for this recipe !!
swasthi says
Welcome Tina
Glad to know!
Prema says
Hey Swathi,
I am 76,& as per my two grown up children, an aexcellent cook
I came across your blogs on goggles & started preparing side dishes, rice item etc etc. & they come out so well.
Thank you
Keep up your good work
Prema from bangalore
swasthi says
Hello Ma’am
Glad to know! Thanks for leaving a comment.
Stay Safe!!
Ruchi Bhargava Mehra says
Made the Veg Pulao today for dinner. Turned out very well. Super recipe.
The ingredients were easy to assemble as well didnt take too long….dinner ready in an hour. 🙂
swasthi says
Glad to know!
Thanks for leaving a comment
Sasank says
I just made today for dinner and it was delicious! I didn’t have any of the optional ingredients, but that didn’t seem to matter. I also used frozen mixed vegetables, which made this a pretty fast meal. I just had to chop one onion. I actually did everything up to the last couple of steps during my lunch break (working from home now like a lot of people), and turned on the instant pot in time for dinner.
swasthi says
Glad the recipe helped!
Thank you!
mahira says
hi nice
Juanita says
Tried it out and found it to be very tasty. Thank you for the recipe. 🙂👍
shirly vijayan says
I made rawa kesari according to your recipe. It came out really well and was very soft and tasty but after 2 hours it became really hard. I don’t know what went wrong. Please guide.
swasthi says
Hi Shirly
Using less ghee can make the halwa hard.
SMathew says
I made this last night for my very picky parents and they LOVED it. Thank you!!!
My rice came out a different color. i would like to know why. also seemed a bit mushy. nonetheless it was very tasty!
swasthi says
Hi Mathew
You are welcome! If the rice is still white in color it means, onions were not sauteed enough. The longer you saute the better is the color. I don’t know if you cooked it in a cooker or pot. Soaking the rice for longer can make it mushy. If you happen to soak it longer then reduce the quantity of water a bit. Hope this helps
R.latha says
I’m big fan of ur receipes swathi…thanks for sharing..God bless
swasthi says
You are welcome Latha
Thank you so much
Cerin says
Hi Swasthi, can I cook without mint leaves? Will it make big difference in flavor?
swasthi says
Hi Cerin,
You can make it without mint. It will still be good.
Raji says
May I know the difference between pulao masala powder and biriyani masala powder please. Thanks
swasthi says
Hi Raji,
Pulao masala powder is milder in flavor than the biryani masala. I don’t use pulao masala instead I use biryani masala or garam masala.
Ivan says
Now during our Lenten season, I abstain from meat. I am a big follower of your vage recipes. This is the second time I am cooking the pulao. This time, I added tomato after frying the onions. The family loved both methods. Thank you for sharing and God bless.
swasthi says
Hi Ivan,
You are welcome. So glad to know! Thank you so much
Sujata says
Can you give your measurements in grams please? You say one cup =240 ml. How does one measure rice or vegetables in ml? Should be grams. Also are these American cups or Indian cups — american cups to gram measurements say one cup of rice equals 175 grams rice. I like your recipes but find the measurements too confusing and sometimes quite far out./ thanks
swasthi says
Hi Sujata,
Just measure the rice and chopped veggies in a 240 or 250 ml measuring cup. This gives you accurate results. It is not possible to weigh every veggie like – 1 carrot, 1 onion, few beans, few green peas etc. Use the same cup for measuring liquid and solids too. Hope this helps
Flavia says
Hi Swasthi,
Will be trying this recipe.
You’ve mentioned about adding 1 small piece of nutmeg.
I’ve never used this spice before hence asking.
It is a whole spice, so will I need to break it & use a small piece of it.
Is it easily breakable..can it be broken in a lime stone or any other way.
Could you please confirm.
swasthi says
Hi Flavia,
It is not very hard. I just use my Indian cooking tong (pakkad) to crack it. It is not very hard to use a nutcracker either. You can simply cover it in a cloth and break it with a stain less steel glass as well. Hope this helps
Flavia says
Thank you so much Swasthi🤗..
HK says
Sure shot way of making pulav. I think I messed up the javithri proportion. I read one strand as one flower and the entire pulav turned out bitter. Otherwise, simple recipe with great flavours!
swasthi says
Thank you! Yes even little more of javithri can alter the flavor.
Surajit Sarkar says
Good very nice foods
Padma Sri says
Hi madam
Really nice receipe it is easy to make and understand
swasthi says
Hi Padma
Thank you!
🙂