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    Home » Entrees

    Vegan Biryani

    Published: Sep 9, 2022 Updated: Sep 9, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Biryani

    This vegan biryani is flavorful and fragrant and made in one pot with vegetables, rice and Indian spices. Easy to make and utterly delicious!

    Bowl of vegan biryani topped with fresh mint leaves, chopped cilantro and charred lemon slices.

    This vegan biryani is a simplified version of a traditional biryani. It’s much quicker and easier to make but the flavor is nonetheless outstanding.

    It can be ready in less than an hour and makes a fantastic vegan dinner option that’s better than takeout!

    You’ll also love our vegan dal makhani, vegan korma and vegan chana masala.

    Ingredients You’ll Need:

    Ingredients for vegan biryani.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Spices – you’ll notice that some of the spices are in their whole form, like the cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin seeds and star anise. This helps to really make this biryani extremely aromatic and fragrant. It also gives it a much more authentic taste even though we are still doing a simplified version. I highly recommend using all the spices and using them in their whole forms where specified.
    • Raisins – are an optional but delicious addition.
    • Vegetable stock – or vegetable broth are both fine to use.
    • Coconut milk – should be canned, full fat, unsweetened coconut milk.
    • Potato – can be any variety of white potato. Yukon gold or Russet potatoes would both work great.
    Bowl of vegan biryani topped with fresh mint leaves, chopped cilantro and charred lemon slices.

    How To Make Vegan Biryani

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Heat a large pot or deep skillet on medium heat.
    • Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and chopped onions and cook until the onions are soft and golden.
    Olive oil and chopped onions added to a deep skillet and sautéed.
    • Add sliced chili, minced ginger, crushed garlic, turmeric, garam masala, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, cumin seeds, star anise, red pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté until the spices are fragrant.
    Chili, ginger, garlic and spices added to skillet and sautéed.
    • Add tomato, potato, carrot, cauliflower and raisins and cook for 2 minutes to mix with the spices.
    Tomato, potato, carrot, cauliflower and raisins added to skillet and sautéed.
    • Add vegetable stock, coconut milk, salt and pepper and stir to mix in.
    Vegetable stock, coconut milk, salt and pepper added to skillet and mixed in.
    • Add rice and gently stir it in.
    Rice added to skillet and mixed in.
    • Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer (covered) until the rice is cooked. About 15 minutes.
    Skillet covered with a lid and simmered until the rice is cooked.
    • When the rice is cooked, switch off the heat, add frozen peas, chopped cashews, mint and cilantro and then cover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes.
    Frozen peas, cashews, mint and cilantro added to skillet and then covered.
    • Then remove the lid and mix everything together.
    Peas, cashews, mint and cilantro on top of the biryani and then mixed in.
    • Your vegan biryani is ready to serve.
    Vegan biryani in a skillet.

    Serving Suggestions

    Serve it topped with fresh mint leaves, fresh chopped cilantro and charred lemon slices. To char the lemon slices, heat up a non stick pan and char the slices of lemon until charred on each side. This is entirely optional but does look great served with biryani.

    This vegan biryani is a meal on its own so doesn’t need anything on the side, but if you would like to serve it with something then vegan naan is always a winner.

    Bowl of vegan biryani topped with fresh mint leaves, chopped cilantro and charred lemon slices.

    Storing and Freezing

    Keep leftovers stored in a covered container in the fridge for 4-5 days. It can be reheated in the microwave.

    It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

    Spoonful of vegan biryani.

    More Vegan Indian Inspired Recipes

    • Lentil dal in a black bowl.
      Red Lentil Dal
    • Tikka masala with rice and fresh cilantro
      Vegan Tikka Masala
    • Vegan naan in a basket with the top naan folded in half.
      Easy Vegan Naan
    • Vegan butter chicken with rice in a black bowl.
      Vegan Butter Chicken

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan biryani in a bowl.

    Vegan Biryani

    This vegan biryani is flavorful and fragrant and made in one pot with vegetables, rice and Indian spices. Easy to make and utterly delicious!
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian-Inspired
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 55 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 644kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil Divided
    • 1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Chopped
    • 1 Green Chili Sliced and Deseeded
    • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger Minced
    • 4 Cloves Garlic Crushed
    • ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
    • 2 teaspoons Garam Masala
    • 1 Bay Leaf
    • 1 Cinnamon Stick
    • 3 Cloves
    • 3 Green Cardamom
    • ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
    • 1 Star Anise
    • ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
    • 1 Medium Tomato Chopped
    • 1 Large Potato Peeled and Diced
    • 1 Large Carrot Sliced
    • 1 cup Cauliflower Florets (80g)
    • ⅓ cup Raisins (48g) Optional
    • 1 cup Vegetable Stock (240ml) or Broth
    • ¾ cup Coconut Milk (180ml) Canned, Full Fat, Unsweetened
    • ¼ teaspoon Salt
    • ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
    • 1 cup Basmati Rice (200g) Uncooked
    • 1 cup Frozen Green Peas (134g)
    • ¾ cup Roasted Salted Cashews (100g) Roughly chopped
    • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Mint Leaves Chopped
    • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro Chopped
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Heat a large pot or deep skillet on medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and chopped onions and cook until the onions are soft and golden.
    • Add sliced chili, minced ginger, crushed garlic, turmeric, garam masala, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, cumin seeds, star anise, red pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté until the spices are fragrant.
    • Add tomato, potato, carrot, cauliflower and raisins and cook for 2 minutes to mix with the spices.
    • Add vegetable stock, coconut milk, salt and pepper and stir to mix in.
    • Add rice and gently stir it in.
    • Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer (covered) until the rice is cooked. About 15 minutes.
    • When the rice is cooked, switch off the heat, add frozen peas, chopped cashews, mint and cilantro and then cover the pot and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid and mix everything together.
    • Serve it topped with fresh mint leaves, fresh chopped cilantro and charred lemon slices.

    Notes

    1. Spices – some of the spices are in their whole form, like the cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, cumin seeds and star anise. This helps to really make this biryani extremely aromatic and fragrant. It also gives it a much more authentic taste. I highly recommend using all the spices in the recipe and using them in their whole forms where specified.
    2. Potato – can be any variety of white potato. Yukon gold or Russet potatoes would both work great.
    3. Charred lemon slices – if you want to serve it with charred lemon slices then heat up a non stick pan and char the slices of lemon until charred on each side. This is entirely optional but does look great served with biryani.
    4. Storing: Keep leftovers stored in a covered container in the fridge for 4-5 days. It can be reheated in the microwave.
    5. Freezing: It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 644kcal | Carbohydrates: 92g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Sodium: 769mg | Potassium: 1072mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 4542IU | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 5mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Catherine says

      September 29, 2024 at 12:15 am

      OMG!! So perfect and easy. Lots of ingredients but so worth it! Made exactly as the recipe, all the family loves it. Thank you very much!5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        October 01, 2024 at 10:39 am

        Good to hear you enjoyed the recipe Catherine! Thanks so much for your awesome review!

        Reply
    2. Melissa says

      July 16, 2024 at 7:14 pm

      I really enjoyed the biryani. Lovely flavours, and easy to make. I will definitely be making it again5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        July 30, 2024 at 10:54 am

        Thanks for your great review Melissa!

        Reply
    3. Wass says

      July 08, 2024 at 12:49 pm

      I really enjoyed this. Being a vegetarian I was always sad when people make meat biriyani. I made this just for me but all the meat lovers enjoyed it.5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        July 30, 2024 at 11:47 am

        Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Wass!

        Reply
    4. Catherine says

      January 09, 2024 at 7:02 pm

      At first I was intimidated by the kong ingredients list but once I pulled out my spices, it was very straightforward. The instructions are clear and easy to follow and the result is AMAZING. The charred lemon slices are easy to do and really add to the dish. So wonderful to find another recipe for my vegan friends. This on is a keeper.5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        January 10, 2024 at 8:43 am

        Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Catherine! Thanks for your great review!

        Reply
    5. Pat Price says

      January 05, 2024 at 1:41 am

      Excellent!5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        January 08, 2024 at 1:36 pm

        Awesome!

        Reply
    6. Nares says

      September 23, 2022 at 6:42 am

      OMG WOW!!! I cooked this incredible dish for dinner a couple of night’s ago, I was a little anxious at first as to how it would turn out however
      it turned out amazing! The flavours and aromas were out of this world! I would have gone back for thirds but it was all gone lol. Next time I’ll need to double up on the ingredients. This will be forever in my weekly/fortnightly dinner menu and something amazing to bring along to family get togethers. Thank you sooo much for sharing this recipe! It’s definitely a keeper. 💜5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 23, 2022 at 11:12 am

        Thank you so much for the amazing comment and review!

        Reply
    7. Kathy says

      September 21, 2022 at 7:52 pm

      I made this as written, using the whole spices and it tasted good. However, did not enjoy having the cloves, star anise, and cardamom seeds to remove before serving. The bay leaf and cinammon stick were not hard to pick out though. Especially hard to pick things out with the black raisins in there. What do people do if the chef leaves those in there? Not really an easy recipe, but a good new taste to try.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 22, 2022 at 10:37 am

        Hi Kathy, they’re not really supposed to be removed, it all stays in. Those spices become all the more aromatic even the next day. It’s common to just move the whole spices to the side of the plate as you eat. You may accidentally bite into something, but that’s not actually an issue. While this is not a strictly ‘traditional’ biryani, leaving the whole spices in is a very usual/normal thing for biryani.

        Reply

    Comment Policy: Your feedback is really appreciated! Please do us a favor and rate the recipe as well as this really helps us! The most helpful comments are the ones that give useful feedback for others who might make the recipe, tell about substitutions you made or adjustments you made and how it turned out, or assisting other commenters. Rude or insulting comments will not be accepted.

    5 from 9 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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