Pulao Recipe | Vegetable Pulao

Pulao Recipe with stovetop & instant pot instructions. Veg Pulao also known as 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 perfect pulao at home with basic pantry ingredients. You can use either a regular pot or a cooker.

If you are new to Indian cuisine, read on to know more.

About Pulao

Pulao is a one pot rice dish made by cooking fragrant basmati rice with aromatic whole spices, herbs & sometimes stock. There are many kinds of pulao made in India like vegetable pulao, Matar pulao, Tawa pulao, Coconut milk pulav, Zarda pulao, Kashmiri pulao, Yakhni Pulao & Chicken pulao.

This veg pulao is the most basic dish & is made often in many Indian homes. You will also find it always on the party, buffet & celebration menus, served along with a yogurt raita & sometimes a Kurma/korma/shorba.

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.

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. My recipe will yield you the same results.

I have a brief Ingredients and substitutes section to help you decide on them.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Spices: Always use good quality whole spices as they are the key to make a aromatic veg pulao. You can also crush the spices lightly & use to release the aroma. There is no substitute to bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms & star anise. While you may skip the rest your pulao won’t really have those aromatic flavors.

Ginger garlic paste can be substituted with grated ginger and garlic but not with chopped or with ground dried ginger and garlic. You won’t get the same flavors.

Herbs: Do not skip fresh mint or pudina leaves as it the next key ingredient that infuses aroma to the veg pulao. If you want you may add a mix of coriander leaves (cilantro) and mint. If fresh is not available you may use a teaspoon of mint paste.

Rice: Normally aged basmati rice is used to make vegetable pulao. But if you do not have, just use any other kind of rice that is non-sticky. Sona masuri, Jeerakasala, samba rice, ponni rice, all these go well. You will need to adjust the water as needed depending on the rice.

Mixed Vegetables: I normally use carrots, green beans, potatoes, sweet corn, baby corn & peas depending on the availability. Opt for frozen veggies to save time. Frozen veggies don’t require sautéing so you may pour water immediately after adding them to the pot.

Photo Guide

How to Make Veg Pulao (Stepwise photos)

You will find the instructions here for stovetop cooker, instant pot and regular pot.

Preparation for pulao

You need to prepare the ingredients first. 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.

• 1 medium onion thinly sliced & 1 green chilli slit
• 1 medium carrot (chopped)
• half cup green peas
• 4 French beans (chopped)
• Handful of mint leaves
• 1½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste (¾ inch piece ginger and 3 garlic cloves)

If you want you can also make a fine paste of ginger, garlic, green chilies and mint leaves.

Tempering

1. On a medium flame, gently heat 2 tablespoons oil or ghee in a cooker or pot. To make in Instant pot, use saute mode. When the oil is slightly hot, add the following 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 onion. And then 1 to 2 slit green chilies.

3. When the onions turn golden, add 1½ teaspoon ginger garlic paste.

4. Saute well for 30 to 40 seconds, 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 stovetop cooker (or 1¾ cups for Instant pot) and then add ½ teaspoon salt as well.

If cooking in a pot, pour 3 cups water.

Make Vegetable Pulao

8. Bring the water to a rolling boil, then add soaked & drained rice. Ensure there is no water in the rice, else 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.

To cook in Instant Pot: Press cancel and press pressure cook button, set the timer to 5 mins. Position the steam release handle/valve 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. Let cool down a bit before serving.

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 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.

Pro Tips

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. 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

There are different methods I follow to make vegetable pulao. It can be made in a

1. Pressure cooker – I have included the instructions in the recipe card
2. Pot or pan – Instructions mentioned in the recipe card
3. 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.
4. 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.

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

This Pulao Recipe was first published in September 2015. Updated & Republished in November 2022.