Restaurant style Vegetable Biryani
Oct 01, 2019, Updated Oct 30, 2019
Aromatic and flavorful restaurant style Vegetable Biryani! This fragrant biryani is packed with veggies, spices, herbs and nuts and is an explosion of flavors in every bite!
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Nothing 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!
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So, I know that more often that not, vegetable biryani is looked down upon.
I have often heard people call it “pulao” and claiming that an actual biryani should have meat in it.
While I don’t know how accurate that claim is, I still think that a very good Vegetable Biryani is very much possible which is very different from a pulao.
For me pulao is a short cut one-pot meal (like this beetroot pulao) which I make when I am in mood for easy dinner.
On the other hand, I make biryani for special occasions. It’s a multi-step process, takes time and is not something I would make for a weekday dinner.
I can 100% guarantee you that even if you don’t think much of veg biryani, this one will change your mind!
It’s super flavorful, packed with so many flavors and will entice your taste buds in every bite!
I won’t say this is an easy or super quick recipe because it’s not.
The recipe takes time, there are multiple steps. So reserve this dish for special occasions.
It is well worth the effort though, that much I can guarantee!
What is Biryani
Biryani is a rice dish made with layers of rice, spices and traditionally meat (but it our case veggies!).
Here are the key components of biryani:
Rice: of course rice is the base and key ingredient of this dish. Long grain basmati rice is what is traditionally used.
I highly recommend using extra-long grain aged basmati rice for biryani. I use the Zebra Sella Basmati Rice and it works so well.
Veggies: so traditionally meat is used in biryani but since we are making veg biryani, we are using assorted vegetables here.
I have used potato, cauliflower, beans and carrots.
You can use green peas, mushrooms or even paneer would be a good addition.
Spices: aromatic and exotic spices (both whole and ground) are a must for a good biryani. Most commonly used are cardamom, peppercorns, cumin, saffron, garam masala.
Also rose water or kewra water is often used to flavor the biryani.
Fresh herbs & nuts: herbs like mint, cilantro and nuts like cashews are often added as garnishing and to add more texture and flavors to the biryani.
Caramelized onions also make a great addition.
The veggies 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.
Tips to Make Restaurant Style Veg Biryani
So, now that we know the key components for biryani, let’s see how to make restaurant style vegetable biryani!
Choose the right rice: long grain basmati rice is what you should be using to make biryani.
My recommendation is Zebra Sella Basmati rice. It has extra long grains and it works perfectly well in biryani.
Using fresh ingredients: like mince your own fresh ginger, garlic and chilies.
I often use store bought ginger-garlic paste when I am short on time but for biryani, I always crush them fresh using my mortar and pestle.
It makes a difference and you would have to trust me on that.
Pan-frying the veggies before cooking them: so before cooking the veggies, I like to pan fry them a little. This gives the veggies a nice texture.
We don’t want over-cooked vegetable in a veg biryani so this extra-step helps.
Using fresh herbs & spices: I really like to flavor my biryani with all the herbs and spices.
So, I use saffron milk (which is made by mixing saffron with warm milk) and also use rose water for the final flavor.
Of course, I also use plenty of cilantro and mint.
Drizzle ghee on top: I like to drizzle some ghee as I layer the biryani. It really elevates the flavor.
Don’t forget to drizzle some extra ghee on top before cooking the biryani at the last step.
Don’t cut down on the fat: this is not health food you guys, so don’t cut down on steps like frying the onions in ghee.
It’s something you make once in a while so no harm in indulging. Right?
Can you Make this Vegetable Biryani Vegan?
Absolutely, super simple!
- skip the ghee
- replace plain yogurt with non-dairy yogurt (like almond milk yogurt) or with coconut milk
- use non-dairy milk to make the saffron milk
Follow rest of the steps as it is.
So let’s see how make this vegetable biryani!
Method
Cook the rice
Soak the rice in 3 cups (24 oz) water for 30 minutes.
After the rice has soaked, drain the water using a colander.
1- 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.
2- Add rice, stir with a spoon.
3- Let it cook uncovered (don’t lower the heat) until it’s almost cooked (around 70-75% cooked but not fully cooked). There should be a bite to it. This takes around 6 to 7 minutes.
4- Remove pan from heat and drain rice in a colander. You may add a teaspoon of ghee to the rice. Set aside.
Caramelize onion & cashews and pan fry the veggies
5- Heat 1.5 tablespoons ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add 1 sliced onion to it and cook until they turn golden brown and caramelize.
This takes around 8 to 9 minutes. Remove on a plate.
6- To the same pan, now add cashews and cook until golden brown, around 1 to 2 minutes. Remove on plate and set aside.
7- To same pan add potato, cook for 2 minutes until light brown. Remove on a plate.
8- To the same pan, now add cauliflower, beans and carrots. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes until veggies appear light brown. Remove on a plate.
PS: This pan-frying veggies is an additional step and you can skip it and directly cook the veggies later on. I like doing the extra step as it gives the veggies a nice texture.
Make the saffron-milk and cook the vegetables
9- Heat 2 tablespoons milk in a pan. Once warm, add saffron strands (crush it before adding).
Let it sit for 10 minutes for that beautiful yellow color. Saffron milk is ready, set it aside.
10- Crush ginger, garlic and chili using a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
11- Heat 1.5 tablespoons oil in a pan/pot on medium heat. Add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, peppercorns, remaining 3 cardamom and remaining 2 cloves.
Stir and let the spices sizzle for few seconds. Add the sliced onions also add 1/4 teaspoon salt.
12- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until onions turn light brown. Then add the crushed ginger-garlic and green chilies paste.
Cook for 2 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
13- Remove pan from heat and whisk in the yogurt, whisking continuously until it’s all absorbed.
Put the pan back on heat. Add all the veggies and toss to combine.
14- Add the biryani masala and kashmiri red chili powder.
15- Add 1/4 cup water. Let it 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 thick mixture.
Remove from heat.
Layer the biryani
17- Now take a heavy bottom pan. I first grease the bottom of the pan with ghee.
18- Then add a layer of rice (half of the rice).
19- Top with half of fried onion, half of fried cashews and half of cilantro and mint. Add 1/2 teaspoon of rose water.
20- Now place the veggies on top (all of it).
21- Then add the remaining rice on top of the veggies. Then top it with remaining with fried onion, cashews, cilantro and mint.
Add the prepared saffron milk on top.
22- Add the remaining 1 teaspoon rose water on top.
23- And finally drizzle 1 teaspoon ghee on top. Sprinkle some biryani masala.
24- I did 2 layers of rice and 1 layer of veggies. If your pan in small you may do more layers, but the end layer should always be of rice.
Cover the pan tightly with aluminium 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.
If you’ve tried this Restaurant Style Vegetable Biryani Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Restaurant Style Vegetable 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
- 1.5 tablespoon +1 teaspoon ghee divided
- 2 medium red onion thinly sliced, divided
- 2 tablespoons broken cashews
- 1 small potato cubed
- 1/2 cup cauliflower florets medium sized florets
- 1 medium carrot cut diagonally
- 5-6 green beans cut diagonally
- 2 tablespoons milk 30 ml
- saffron strands generous pinch
- 1 inch ginger crushed
- 4-5 large garlic cloves crushed
- 2 green chilies crushed
- 1.5 tablespoons oil 22 ml
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds I used shahi jeera
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 whole black peppercorns
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt whisked and at room temperature, can add 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch and whisk to prevent curdling
- 1.5 teaspoon biryani masala or use 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder or use regular chili powder for heat
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chopped mint
- 1.5 teaspoon rose water or kewra water
Instructions
Cook the rice
- Soak the rice in 3 cups (24 oz) water for 30 minutes. After the rice has soaked, drain the water using a colander.
- 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.Add rice, stir with a spoon.
- Let it cook uncovered (don't lower the heat) until it's almost cooked (around 70-75% cooked but not fully cooked). There should be a bite to it. This takes around 6 to 7 minutes.Remove pan from heat and drain rice in a colander. You may add a teaspoon of ghee to the rice. Set aside.
Caramelize onion & cashews and pan fry the veggies
- Heat 1.5 tablespoons ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add 1 sliced onion to it and cook until they turn golden brown and caramelize.This takes around 8 to 9 minutes. Remove on a plate.
- To the same pan, now add cashews and cook until golden brown, around 1 to 2 minutes. Remove on plate and set aside.
- To same pan add potato, cook for 2 minutes until light brown. Remove on a plate.
- To the same pan, now add cauliflower, beans and carrots. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes until veggies appear light brown. Remove on a plate.PS: This pan-frying veggies is an additional step and you can skip it and directly cook the veggies later on. I like doing the extra step as it gives the veggies a nice texture.
Make the saffron-milk and cook the vegetables
- Heat 2 tablespoons milk in a pan. Once warm, add saffron strands (crush it before adding).Let it sit for 10 minutes for that beautiful yellow color. Saffron milk is ready, set it aside.
- Crush ginger, garlic and chili using a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
- Heat 1.5 tablespoons oil in a pan/pot on medium heat. Add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, peppercorns, remaining 3 cardamom and remaining 2 cloves.Stir and let the spices sizzle for few seconds. Add the sliced onions also add 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until onions turn light brown. Then add the crushed ginger-garlic and green chilies paste.Cook for 2 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
- Remove pan from heat and whisk in the yogurt, whisking continuously until it's all absorbed.Put the pan back on heat. Add all the veggies and toss to combine.
- Add the biryani masala and kashmiri red chili powder.
- Add 1/4 cup water. Let it 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 thick mixture.Remove from heat.
Layer the biryani
- Now take a heavy bottom pan. I first grease the bottom of the pan with ghee.Then add a layer of rice (half of the rice). Top with half of fried onion, half of fried cashews and half of cilantro and mint. Add 1/2 teaspoon of rose water. Now place the veggies on top (all of it).
- Then add another rice layer (remaining rice) on top of the veggies. Then top it with remaining with fried onion, cashews, cilantro and mint.Add the prepared saffron milk and the remaining 1 teaspoon rose water on top.
- And finally drizzle 1 teaspoon ghee on top. Sprinkle some biryani masala.I did 2 layers of rice and 1 layer of veggies. If your pan in small you may do more layers, but the end layer should always be of rice.
- Cover the pan tightly with aluminium 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 haven't added lot of vegetables here since I wanted the rice to shine through. You can add more veggies if you like more veggies in your biryani.
- To make the biryani vegan, use vegan yogurt or coconut milk in place of plain yogurt. Skip the ghee and use non-dairy milk to make the saffron milk.
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