Paneer Biryani Instant Pot recipe is very delicious, flavorful and easy one pot rice recipe prepared from paneer, whole spices, biryani masala and the long grain basmati rice.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 10 minutes
  • Total time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 1 - 1.25 cups paneer (Indian cottage cheese) (cubed and air-fried)
  • 2 tablespoons ghee ((or oil))
  • 1 large onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic (minced)
  • 2 green chilies (slit lengthwise)
  • 1/4 cup mint leaves (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup coriander leaves (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup curd (yogurt) ((vegans can use dairy free))
  • 1.5 cups water

Whole Spices

  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 inch cinnamon stick
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 2 cardamoms
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Dry Spices

  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 2-3 teaspoons biryani masala powder
  • salt (to taste)

Garnish

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons coriander leaves

Method

Instant Pot Method

  1. Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Heat homemade ghee (or oil), add 1 bay leaf, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 2 cardamom, 3 cloves, and ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds. *Vegans can use oil instead of ghee.
  2. Add 1 large sliced onion, and 1 tablespoon minced ginger-garlic, and 2 green chilies (slit lengthwise). Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions soften and turn light golden brown.
  3. Add ¼ cup mint leaves, and ¼ cup coriander leaves, and sauté for a few seconds.
  4. Then stir ¼ cup yogurt (curd), spices like ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder, 2-3 teaspoons biryani masala powder, and salt. Mix well until the spices are evenly combined with the yogurt.
  5. Add 1 cup of rinsed basmati rice, 1.5 cups of water. Give a quick stir. Close the Instant Pot with the pressure valve set to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
  6. Once the pot beeps, Wait for NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE(NPR).
  7. Add 1 cup of air-fried paneer, squeeze in some fresh lime juice, and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Gently mix everything together. Note: I marinated paneer cubes with a little turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt and air-fried it. You can also shallow fry it in a pan.
  8. Your Pressure cooker Paneer Biryani is now ready to serve. Enjoy it hot with raita, plain yogurt.

Stovetop Pressure Cooker

  1. Follow the same steps as Instant Pot pressure cooker. Cover the cooker with a lid and cook for one whistle, followed by natural pressure release.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.