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5 from 13 votes

Instant Pot Mushroom Biryani

Delicious vegan mushroom biryani in the Instant Pot. Mushroom biryani is an amazing vegan version of chicken biryani made with meaty mushrooms, fluffy basmati rice, and flavorful spices. Vegan Gluten-free soyfree recipe. Nutfree option. Stove top instructions included
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: vegan biryani, vegetarian biryani
Servings: 4
Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cup white basmati rice , wash really well and soak for at least 15 minutes

For the spices and onion:

  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cloves
  • 3 green cardamom pods, slightly opened
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 black cardamom. slightly opened, optional
  • 3 tablespoons cashews
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced or 1 ½ cup thinly sliced red onion

For the mushrooms:

  • 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or use paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala, use less or more to preference
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt divided
  • 8-10 ounces of sliced mushrooms, 1/4 inch thick slices or quartered, use white or cremini or a mix
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons chopped mint , optional
  • 1/4 cup non dairy yogurt or use coconut cream or cashew cream
  • For garnish: lemon juice and pepper flakes
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Wash and soak the rice if you haven’t already, then heat up the instant pot on sauté mode. Add the oil, once the oil is hot add the cumin seeds and cook for a minute or until fragrant. Then add the rest of the whole spices and mix in for a few seconds.
  • Add the cashews and cook stirring frequently, until the cashews are golden, this can take anywhere from 1-3 minutes. You want the cashews to get golden on most of the edges,
  • Remove most of the cashews and set aside for garnish.
  • Add the onion and a good pinch of salt and cook until golden. 4-6 minutes. Stir occasionally and deglaze with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water in between. The water helps in the conduction of heat as well and helps in quicker and even browning.
  • Once onion is golden remove half of the onion to use as garnish. Then add the ginger garlic paste, ground spices, that’s the Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, garam masala and add yogurt and mix really well.
  • Add the mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt and mix really well. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water depending on your instant pot. If using a large (8 qt or 10 qt) instant pot then use the 1/4 cup of water.
  • Close the lid and pressure cook for 9 minutes, once the pressure cooking is done let the pressure release for 5 minutes then quick release.
  • Open the lid and stir the mushrooms and even them out in the inner pot. Then drain the rice and sprinkle the rice all over the mushrooms, do not mix. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoons salt all over. (You can also add a cup of cooked chickpeas or beans here to make this into a meal, just put them over the rice and don’t mix)
  • Add in 1 1/2 cups of water, just drizzle over the rice and do not mix. Add half the cilantro and mint on the rice and close the lid and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Once the pressure cooking is done, let the instant pot sit for 7 minutes to naturally release then quick release using a spatula.
  • Open the lid, add lemon juice and fluff the rice. Remove the inner pot from the instant pot as the bottom plate stays hot and will continue to cook the rice. Once you remove the inner pot or transfer the rice to a serving dish, fluff really well then garnish with cashews, remaining reserved onions, cilantro and mint.
  • Add some pepper flakes and serve. Serve with raita, yogurt, chutneys, curries or crisped tofu or protein of choice.

Video

Notes

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For flavour variations add in 1/4 teaspoon of black peppercorns, add in a little bit of mace. You can also add in some saffron milk( soak 4 to 5 strands of saffron in 1 tablespoon of non-dairy milk) once soaked and the milk is yellow in colour drizzle all over the cooked biryani and fluff it and serve.
Stove top: follow instructions in a saucepan over medium heat. after adding the mushrooms, mix, cover and cook for 12-15 mins, stir once in between. Then add the drained rice, water, salt and lightly mix. Cover the pan with a lid, reduce heat to low and cook for 17-19 minutes. 
Nutfree: omit the nuts
No onion garlic: Use thin slices of zucchini instead of onion. Add 1/3 teaspoon fenugreek leaves instead of garlic 
Brown Rice: Sauté the mushrooms for 2-3 mins, don’t pressure cook. Then add the soaked(30 min soak) and drained 1 1/2 cups brown basmati rice, salt and the water. Don’t mix. Close the lid and pressure cook 17-19 mins depending on the brown rice type and brand. 
Oilfree: Dry Toast the cumin seeds on a skillet then add to the pot, all all spices, onion garlic and 2-3 tbsp broth and sauté until translucent. Then proceed with the recipe. Dry roast or bake the cashews for garnish, don’t add them to the pot. 

Nutrition

Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 466mg | Potassium: 397mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 406IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 2mg