This restaurant-style vegetable biryani is super aromatic, loaded with vegetables and crunchy cashews, and it’s incredibly easy to make. Ready in just 30 minutes!
Why This Recipe Works
I absolutely can’t get enough of this vegetable biryani! We’ve been making it so many times and it’s always a winner! For me, it’s the perfect comfort food. It’s just bursting with flavors, colors, and freshness!
Fragrant Indian spices like curry, turmeric, cardamom, and garam masala make this vegan rice dish super aromatic, exotic, and colorful. And they will also fill your kitchen with the most incredible aromas.
Traditionally, biryani is made with meat or fish. But it’s very easy to make a vegetarian version. I chose a combination of carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, and peas. However, this recipe is also great with tofu or beans for extra protein.
The recipe is super versatile and you can cook it for many occasions. I think this dish looks and tastes really fancy, so I love to make it when we have guests over. I can promise you it will impress everyone at your table!
But at the same time it’s incredibly easy to make. All in all, it comes together in just 30 minutes! So it’s also a great dish for busy weeknights. You could even prepare the vegetables ahead, so the recipe is even quicker.
Before serving the vegan biryani, I like to sprinkle it with roasted cashews and an easy yogurt dip with freshly chopped parsley, mint, and lime juice. It adds a lot of freshness and it goes perfectly with the Indian spices.
So grab your ingredients and give this amazing vegetable biryani a try. You will love it!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Coconut Oil
- Red Onion, Ginger & Garlic
- Basmati Rice – don’t replace it with any other kind of rice like brown rice. It has a longer cooking time and the recipe wouldn’t work.
- Spices – I used curry powder, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, and garam masala. For extra spiciness, you could add red pepper flakes.
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Potatoes
- Peas – I used frozen peas.
- Raisins
- Cashews – roast them in a pan without oil before adding them to the rice.
- Vegetable Broth – I recommend using organic vegetable broth or make my homemade paste for vegetable broth.
- Lemon Juice
- Plant-Based Yogurt – unsweetened soy or coconut yogurt.
- Fresh Parsley & Mint – to sprinkle. They add a lot of flavor to the biryani.
How To Make This Recipe
1. Step: Place the basmati rice in a colander and wash it under running water.
2. Step: Finely chop the red onion, garlic, and ginger.
3. Step: In a large pan (with a lid), heat 2 teaspoons of coconut oil and sauté the onion, the garlic, and the ginger for 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
4. Step: Add the spices and stir well. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
5. Step: Add the basmati rice and cook on medium to high heat for 2 minutes.
6. Step: Then add the vegetable broth and turn the heat down to low. Put on the lid and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Step: In the meantime, cut the carrots into half moons, the potatoes into small cubes, and the cauliflower into small florets.
8. Step: Add the vegetables together with the frozen peas and raisins to the rice. Stir well and make sure all vegetables are covered in vegetable broth.
9. Step: Cook covered for 8 minutes on low heat.
10. Step: After 8 minutes, check if the vegetables and the rice are tender. If not, add a bit more vegetable broth and cook it for another 2-3 minutes.
11. Step: Make the yogurt dip. Finely chop the parsley and mint. Put the soy or coconut yogurt in a small bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Stir in the parsley and mint.
12. Step: Roast the cashews in a pan without oil until lightly browned. Sprinkle them over the biryani and serve it with the yogurt dip. Enjoy!
Storing
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it will last 3 days.
Freezing
This dish freezes well. Make sure to let it cool down completely before freezing it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
To thaw, place it in the fridge overnight and let it thaw completely. Then reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Variations
Other Vegetables
I used a combination of carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, and peas. But you could also use other vegetables like green beans, broccoli, or mushrooms.
More Protein
Tofu cubes are a great addition to this dish. And tofu is also an amazing source of plant-based protein.
Extra Spiciness
For extra spiciness, you could add a finely chopped chili together with the onion, garlic, and ginger. Or add red pepper flakes together with the spices.
Brown Rice
I had some people asking me if they could make the vegetable biryani with brown rice. Generally you could.
However, I don’t recommend replacing the basmati rice in this recipe with brown rice as it has a longer cooking time.
Related Recipes
I Love To Hear From You!
I hope you like this vegetable biryani as much as we do around here.
If you give this recipe a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina
Vegetable Biryani
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 piece of ginger (about 1 inch), finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 cardamom
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 carrots, cut into half moons
- 2 small potatoes, cubed
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 7 oz cauliflower florets
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup cashews
- fresh mint
- fresh parsley
Instructions
- Place the basmati rice in a colander and wash it under running water.
- Finely chop the red onion, garlic, and ginger.
- In a large pan (with a lid), heat 2 teaspoons of coconut oil and sauté the onion, the garlic, and the ginger for 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
- Add the spices and stir well. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the basmati rice and cook on medium to high heat for 2 minutes.
- Then add the vegetable broth and turn the heat down to low. Put on the lid and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, cut the carrots into half moons, the potatoes into small cubes, and the cauliflower into small florets.
- Add the vegetables together with the frozen peas and raisins to the rice. Stir well and make sure all vegetables are covered in vegetable broth.
- Cook covered for 8 minutes on low heat.
- After 8 minutes, check if the vegetables and the rice are tender. If not, add a bit more vegetable broth and cook it for another 2-3 minutes.
- Make the yogurt dip. Finely chop the parsley and mint. Put the soy or coconut yogurt in a small bowl. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Stir in the parsley and mint.
- Roast the cashews in a pan without oil until lightly browned. Sprinkle them over the biryani and serve it with the yogurt dip. Enjoy!
Notes
- I have used a combination of carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, and peas. But you could also use other vegetables like green beans, broccoli, or mushrooms.
- You could also add tofu cubes, which is a great source of plant-based protein.
- For extra spiciness, you could addd a finely chopped chili together with the onion, garlic, and ginger. Or add red pepper flakes together with the spices.
Julie
Wow, this is phenomenal! So easy and the flavor pops! Well done!
Sharon Watkins
When is the lemon juice added in this recipe please
Sina
Hi Sharon,
It’s added right before serving :) Hope you like the recipe!