Love Biryani? This Instant Pot Beef Biryani is so fragrant, fluffy and flavourful!
Get a taste of India and enjoy the most popular Indian rice dish with this easy one pot pressure cooker recipe in 40 minutes.

Beef Biryani
If you love Indian cuisine, then you’ll probably have heard of biryani, which is one of the most popular Indian food and undoubtedly the most popular Indian rice dish.
You can find regional variations of biryani all across India where you can have them in restaurants or as street food.
Biryani is made with four main ingredients: Indian spices and marinade, long-grained rice (usually basmati), and meat.
And other ingredients used differ based on regional varieties such as eggs, vegetables including potatoes.
The result is a fragrant, flavourful and fluffy rice dish that you cannot get enough of!
I was honestly sad that I wasn’t able to try biryani during my trip to India, but that just means I have to go back. Other than jeera rice, I couldn’t stop eating bread (naan, roti, parotta, etc).

In India, the choice of meat for biryani is typically chicken, lamb/mutton, goat, fish, prawns or none (vegetable biryani).
Not to say you can’t find beef biryani in India, but it is less common since cow meat is typically prohibited. When you see beef in India, it usually refers to buffalo meat.
Outside India though, you will see beef biryani (with cow meat) as a common dish.
Since I prefer beef over chicken and lamb is quite expensive, I decided to make beef biryani first.
I try my best to make delicious food with the least effort needed, and this is why I decided to make the beef biryani in the Instant Pot.
Travel to India at home with this easy one pot recipe that comes out perfect all the time!
If you’re looking for another beef rice bowl recipe, you’ll love the Ninja Speedi Thai Beef Bowl.

Also Read: Instant Pot Albondigas Soup – One Pot Mexican Meatball Stew Recipe
What You Need To Make Instant Pot Beef Biryani
Equipment
- Multi-function Pressure Cooker: I used the Instant Pot here.
Biryani Ingredients
- Beef: I used ground beef, but you can use your choice of protein (chicken, lamb, mutton, prawn, fish or goat) or even skip it for a vegetable biryani.
- Marinade: I used a store-bought Indian curry paste, but you can also make your own homemade marinade.
- Spice Mix: I used a variety of spices for the mix (listed in the recipe card), but you can also buy a store-bought blend like a biryani masala powder.
- Rice: I used Basmati Rice, but you can use your choice of long grain rice. If you use other rice, be sure to check the best way to cook the rice in the Instant Pot. Basmati is the most ideal because it’s thin and fine grained so the biryani comes out fluffy.
- Vegetables: I used carrots, shallots, green beans and cilantro, which are quite commonly used. Not everyone likes cilantro so you can definitely skip it.
- Garnish: I used cilantro and crispy shallots. Other common garnishes are cashews, raisin, caramelized onions, mint leaves and others.
- Water: To cook the rice.
- Oil: To saute. You can also use ghee or butter.

How To Make Beef Biryani in an Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Wash and dry all the produce. Wash and rinse the rice.

Chop the green beans and add to a bowl.

Chop the carrots and add to the same bowl.

Chop the shallots and add to the same bowl.

Chop the cilantro and add half of it to the same bowl.

Using the Instant Pot, set to Saute for 7 minutes. Once ready, add oil and cook all the vegetables in the bowl for 7 minutes. After 3 minutes, add the beef and half the spice mix.
Once the beef is fully cooked, add the water and deglaze the Instant Pot.
Add the Indian curry paste and remaining spice mix then mix everything well to combine. Add the Basmati Rice.
Using the Instant Pot, Pressure Cook for 4 minutes. Natural Release for 10 minutes then do a Quick Release.

Fluff the Beef Biryani.

Plate the Beef Biryani.

Garnish with crispy shallots and remaining cilantro. Serve and enjoy!

Watch the Full Instant Pot Biryani with Beef Video
Tips for a Better Instant Pot Beef Biryani
- You can season the beef with the mix overnight before cooking so the flavours and spices get into the meat.
- Break apart the ground beef while cooking so they don’t lump together.
- Make sure the rice are all fully submerged under the water. Otherwise, they may end up undercooked.
- Be sure to deglaze the Instant Pot well before making the rice to avoid the BURN indicator.
- Chop the carrots and shallots in 1/4-inch thickness so they cook better.

What Makes Biryani Tasty?
It’s the combination of all the ingredients in one rice dish: the fresh produce, the herbs and spices, the taste of meat, and the fact that you combined them all together to make the one dish.
Other Quick and Easy Recipes You’ll Love
- Prosciutto Arugula Pizza
- Salmon Pasta with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce
- Air Fryer BBQ Pork Tenderloin
- More best Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Beef Biryani Recipe
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Instant Pot Beef Biryani
Get a taste of India with this Beef Biryani! Comforting. delicious and so easy to make with this Instant Pot recipe!
Ingredients
- 200 grams Basmati Rice
- 200 grams Carrot
- 10 grams Fresh Cilantro
- 200 grams Green Beans
- 300 grams Ground Beef
- 20 grams Indian Curry Paste
- 2 tablespoons Oil (or Ghee/Butter)
- 100 grams Shallot
- 1 1/4 cups Water
Spice Mix
- 1.5 grams Ground Ginger
- 3 grams Garlic Salt
- 1.5 grams Garam Masala
- 1.5 grams Turmeric
- 1.5 grams Ground Coriander
- 4.5 grams Indian Curry Powder
Garnish
- 15 grams Crispy Shallots
Instructions
Saute Vegetables, Beef and Spices
- Wash and dry the produce.
- Wash and rinse the basmati rice.
- For the Spice Mix, combine all the dry spices in a small bowl.
- Trim and cut the green beans in half.
- Peel and cut the carrot, shallot and cilantro.
- Turn ON Instant Pot and set Saute mode on Hi for 7 minutes.
- When ready, add oil then saute shallots, carrots, green beans and half the cilantro.
- After 3 minutes, add in the ground beef and half the dry spice mix and continue sauteing until beef is fully cooked. Break the ground beef as you cook.
Deglaze Instant Pot and Add Spices & Paste
- Turn OFF Instant Pot, add water then deglaze the Instant Pot.
- Add the Indian curry paste and remaining Spice Mix into the pot.
- Mix everything until combined well.
Pressure Cook Beef Biryani
- Add the rice into the pot and make sure they are all submerged under water.
- Turn ON Instant Pot and set Pressure Cook on HIGH for 4 minutes.
- Natural Release for 10 minutes then Quick Release after.
Fluff, Garnish and Serve
- Fluff the Beef Biryani on the pot.
- Plate on a bowl and garnish with crispy shallots and remaining cilantro.
- Serve and enjoy!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 536Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 573mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 7gSugar: 8gProtein: 32g
Please note that nutrition information you see is provided and automatically calculated by Nutritionix. This may vary depending on the specific ingredients that you use. To ensure the most accurate information, I suggest entering your specific ingredients into a nutrition calculator.
Hope this Instant Pot Biriyani with Beef recipe gives you an idea on what rice dish to have for lunch or dinner! It’s such a great Indian food to make if you’re looking for ground beef and rice recipes or Instant Pot rice recipes.