- 5Shares
Instant Pot Shnrimp and Vegetable Biryani is a one pot meal. It has rice , shrimp vegetables and spices for a quick and satisfying weeknight meal or a lazy weekend indulgence. What is more , it is gluten free and dairy free . Serve with a side of few chips, pickles or raita (yogurt).
No, I am not an instant pot fanatic. But I have been using a pressure cooker from the time I started cooking. In fact it was one of the first things I and friends bought when we moved into our first apartment.
So I do use my pressure cooker often, a few examples are
Instant pot is the traditional l pressure cooker in steroids 😊. You don’t have to manually turn it on and off – set it and you can walk away , where as you may have to set a timer/reminder to come back and turn off your stove top one.
Having said that these have one distinct advantage – they don’t heat up the kitchen. The residual heat loss is very minimal, which is good in summer. So yes , I have been using it often now. And recipes like these are my favorite. In about 30 minutes you have a one pot meal to serve. Nothing else to make ,nothing else to cleanup.
Of late DH has been pretty regular in taking cake of the dishes , I am sure he appreciates this as well 😊 .
So what goes into this Easy One Pot Shrimp And Vegetables Biriyani ?
Basmati Rice – Look for long grain aged versions
Shrimp – look for large / jumbo varieties
Whole spices , Garam Masala & Ginger
Vegetables – Frozen bag of peas and carrots , onions
Herbs – Cilantro / mint
Cashew nuts and raisins (optional)
The traditional biriyani will require the rice to be soaked and drained. It is then parcooked and layered with the meat / vegetables and baked.
Here wash and soak the rice for a few minutes – while you get the other things ready. Drain it when you turn the Instant Pot on. A note of caution though if you have to step away and the rice is soaked for 30 minutes or longer (if it looks a little softened or swollen) drain it for 20 to 30 minutes before proceeding or change the ratio of rice to water to 1: 1.
Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add oil to the pot. To the hot oil, add the whole dry spices and saute for 30 seconds or until the spices become fragrant.
To this add the thinly sliced and cashews. Cook for 3-4 minutes until onion turn light brown. Add the grated ginger and garlic and cook for another minute, add garam masala and salt and mix . If you like it spicy , this is the time to add chili powder (cayenne).
Add the drained rice to the pot and gently toss it all together. Add the shrimp on top and pour the water. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro and mint.
Close the pot with its lid and then press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position.
Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually. Open the pot and fluff the rice with a fork.

This is an easy one pot meal made in the Instant Pot. Basmati rice is cooked with spices, shrimp and vegetables in the pressure cooker (Instant Pot) to make this one pot meal with a good mix of carbs, protein and vitamins.
- 2 C Basmati Rice Note 1
- 2.5 C Water
- 3 Tbsp Oil
- 2 - 3 Bay leaves
- 4 – 6 Green Cardamoms
- 6 Whole Cloves
- 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 Tsp Fennel Seeds
- 1 Onion - medium
- 2- 3 Green Chili Optional, To Taste
- 2 - 3 Tbsp Cashew Nuts Raw, Broken
- 2 Tbsp Raisins
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Inch Fresh Ginger Root
- 1 Tsp Garam Masala
- 1/2 Tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder / paprika
- 1 1/2 Tsp Salt or to taste
- 2 lb Shrimp Peeled and Deveined
- 2 C Frozen green peas and carrots Note 2
- 1/4 C Cilantro Chopped
- ¼ C Mint Chopped
- 6 – 8 Inch Cucumber
- 2 C Plain yogurt - Whole/ Skim/ Non Dairy
- 1/4 Tsp Roasted Cumin Powder (optional)
- 1/4 Tsp Cayenne Or any Mild Chili powder (Optional)
- Salt To Taste (black salt if available)
- 2- 3 Sprigs Cilantro , Chopped
- Wash and rinse the basmati rice in water until water turns clear. Soak in plenty of water for a few more minutes.(Note 3).
- Slice the onions thin , use a microplane to grate the ginger and garlic fine. Chop the cilantro fine. If using fresh veggies chop them into bite sized pieces. While the rice is soaking, chop all the veggies.
- Rinse, pat dry and pick any stray shells from the shrimp.
- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once hot, add the oil to the pot. To the hot oil, add all the dry whole spices. Saute for 30 seconds or until the spices are fragrant.
- Add the sliced onions, along with green chili (if using) and cashews. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion turns light brown (Note 4). Add raisins stir for 30 seconds. Add the grated ginger and garlic cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the powdered spices (garam masala and paprika). Wait for 30 seconds for the spices to release its aroma. Add vegetables and half the chopped cilantro and mint.
- Drain the rice and add the wet rice to the instant pot. Use a spatula to level the rice. Layer the shrimp on top. Pour the water evenly on top.
- Close the pot with its lid and then press the manual or pressure cook button. Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes with the pressure valve in the sealing position.
Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes (Note 5) and then release the remaining pressure manually. Open the pot and fluff the rice with a fork. Sprinkle the remaining green herbs on top.
Serve the biryani with a side of raita (recipe below), chips or papad and pickle!
If the cucumber is waxed peel it . Cut it lengthwise in half and scoop out the seeds. Coarsely grate the cucumber. Use a kitchen towel to blot the excess juices from the cucumber. Whisk yogurt, and salt together. Add cucumbers and cumin powder. Mix well and adjust salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes , up to a day.
Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle the cayenne pepper and chopped cilantro leaves on top and serve.
- Use premium quality aged long grain basmati Rinse well to get rid of any extra starch.
- Lima beans , French beans are other vegetables to add to the biriyani .
- If soaking the rice for 30 minutes or longer or if the soaked rice is looking swollen , reduce the water to 1: 1.
- If the onions are sliced thin they caramelize faster. Optionally reserve a portion of the browned onions and cashew nuts to garnish.
- You could wait up to 10 minutes before releasing the pressure.
- For stove top version use 1.5 C water for each 1 C rice .