Best Instant Pot Biryani with Lamb

Instant Pot Biryani with Lamb is an aromatic one-pot dish made with basmati rice and lamb and flavored with complex spices and caramelized onions, raisins, and nuts.  This recipe is the pressure cooker version of a family recipe for biryani.  Serve Instant Pot biryani with raita (Indian yogurt relish).

Many cultures around the world have a version of a rice and meat dish.  Biryani (pronounced ‘bir-yah-nee’) is the Indian version of paella, jambalaya, or arroz con pollo i.e. meat, seafood, or vegetables cooked with rice.    In my opinion, biryani is one of the most delicious dishes to come from the Indian subcontinent!  And it’s one of my favorite dishes; it’s an aromatic one-pot meal that delivers a feast in every bite.

My mother-in-law Grace makes the most delicious biryani.  I recently shared her delicious and authentic vindaloo recipe.  Her biryani is something that’s made for special occasions because it requires hands-on time, and it cooks slowly on low heat in the oven or on the stovetop.  I’ve streamlined the recipe to adapt it to the Instant Pot, and made it much easier, quicker, and simpler.  In the process, my husband and kids have had to eat a LOT of biryani, waiting for me to perfect the recipe!

How biryani originated in India is up for debate.  It may have come from Persia via the Mughal conquerors of India, or its origin could be South India (specifically Kerala, the state my family is from), where Arab traders introduced it.   Whatever the origins, I think one thing that we can agree on is that biryani is delicious!

Different regions of India have different recipes for biryani.  Some recipes have potatoes.  Some biryanis are topped with boiled eggs.  Rice and meat can be cooked separately.  There are vegetarian biryani and fish biryani recipes.  Some are spicier than others.

You can add green chilies.  Or grated coconut.  Some biryanis are made without yogurt.  Some biryanis are covered with a dough and baked to seal in the flavors.  But essentially, biryani is meat, fish or vegetables layered alternately with rice, and cooked slowly to make a delicious one-pot meal.

So technically this Instant Pot biryani may not be a true biryani because there is no layering of the basmati rice and meat and it’s not slow cooked.  But that’s not why you’re here.  You want a simplified version of biryani that’s tasty.  So who cares if it’s layered or not, right?

Now, I know you have to get out your blender, but please don’t let that stop you from trying out this dish.  Just blend, marinate, pressure cook.  Pretty straight-forward and easy.  But, if you don’t want to blend the ingredients, you could just mix the ingredients together.  Be sure to finely chop the ginger, garlic, cilantro, and mint, since they won’t be blended.

If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot  DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make Instant Pot Biryani.

Read on for ingredients and step by step instructions for how to make Instant Pot Lamb Biryani.

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Instant Pot Biryani with Lamb Ingredients

Instant Pot Biryani with Lamb Step-by-Step Instructions

• Blend half the milk, all the yogurt, turmeric, biryani spice, garam masala, chili powder, salt, lemon juice, dried apricots, ginger, and garlic.  Optional: WHITE poppy seeds (not black).

• Add cilantro, mint, remaining milk and blend some more, until smooth.
• Transfer sauce and lamb to a medium bowl.
• Refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours.

• Instant Pot DUO:  Select the ‘Saute’ function.
• Instant Pot ULTRA:  Select the ‘Saute’ function and press ‘Start’.

• Once the Instant Pot heats up, add ghee or oil to the Instant Pot inner pot.
• Add sliced onions to the ghee.
• Cook the onions until they are caramelized, but not burnt!  This can take 20 to 30 minutes.

* Note: if you increase the Saute temperature to High or More, make sure you’re keeping a close eye on the onions.  If the onions begin sticking to the bottom, deglaze occasionally with a tablespoon or two of water or broth.

• It will take a long time to get the onions to be crisp and completely caramelized as shown above.
• Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

* Note: You can probably fry the onions faster on the stovetop, if that’s an option for you.

• Add more ghee or oil to the Instant Pot if necessary.
• Add raisins and fry until they puff up.  Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
• Add cashews and fry until they’re golden brown.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Press Cancel to turn off the Instant Pot.

• Deglaze the inner pot with a couple of tablespoons of water so there’s nothing stuck on the bottom of the inner pot.
• Add back in half the fried onions.
• Add in the lamb and marinade.
• Add in water and stir.

• Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
• Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
• The display will count down from 12 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’  or ’00 00′ and begin to count up.

Instant Pot DUO Quick Release:

• Move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. I like to place a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it to the venting position.
• When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
• Open the Instant Pot.

Instant Pot ULTRA Quick Release:

• Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
• When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
• Open the Instant Pot.

• Add rinsed basmati rice to the Instant Pot. *
• Press down with a spatula so the liquid covers the rice, but don’t stir.

*  It’s important that you don’t stir the rice or you could have issues with the Instant Pot not coming to pressure.

Instant Pot DUO Pressure Cook:

• Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
• Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘5′ (5 minutes).

Instant Pot ULTRA Pressure Cook:

• Close the lid.
• Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust time to 5 minutes (00:5).
• Press ‘Start’.

• Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
• Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
• The display will count down from 5 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’  or ’00 00′ and begin to count up.

• Wait till the count-up timer reads 00:10 or L0:10 (10 minutes) and release any remaining pressure manually as described in the quick release section above.
• Open the Instant Pot.

• Stir the Instant Pot lamb biryani carefully
• Let the biryani rest for about 10 minutes and sprinkle remaining fried onions, raisins, cashews, cilantro and mint.

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Instant Pot Biryani with Lamb

Prep 10 mins

Cook 1 hour, 35 mins

Inactive 2 hours

Total 3 hours, 45 mins

Author Paint the Kitchen Red

Yield 6 servings

Instant Pot Lamb Biryani is an aromatic one-pot dish made with basmati rice and lamb.  Flavored with complex spices, it is topped with caramelized onions, raisins, and nuts.  One of my favorite recipes, it's the pressure cooker version of a family recipe for biryani.  A feast in every bite!

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/2 tsp turmeric 
• 1 1/2 Tbsp prepared biryani masala (spice mix)
• 1 tsp garam masala (preferably home-made)
• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (optional)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 10 dried apricots
• 1 Tbsp ginger, chopped coarsely
• 2 Tbsp garlic, chopped  coarsely
• 1 tsp white poppy seeds (optional) - don't use black poppy seeds
• 1/4 cup cilantro, packed
• 7 mint leaves
• 2 lbs lamb, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
• 3 cups onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup cashews, preferably raw 
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups Basmati rice
• additional chopped cilantro (about 1/4 cup) and mint (about 1 tsp) for garnish

Instructions

1. Blend half the milk, all the yogurt, turmeric, biryani spice, garam masala, chili powder, salt, lemon juice, dried apricots, ginger, garlic and white poppy seeds.
2. Add cilantro, mint, remaining milk and blend some more, until marinade is smooth.
3. Stir together lamb and marinade in a medium bowl, and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours.
4. Heat the Instant Pot in 'Saute' mode, and add oil or ghee to the Instant Pot inner pot when it’s hot.
5. Add sliced onions and fry the onions until they are caramelized and brown, but not burnt! This can take 20 to 30 minutes.
6. Remove onions with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
7. Add raisins and fry until plump (add more ghee or oil if needed). Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
8. Add cashews and fry until they’re golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
9. Press Cancel to turn off the Instant Pot and deglaze the inner pot with a couple of tablespoons of water so there’s nothing stuck on the bottom of the inner pot.
10. Add back half the fried onions to the inner pot.
11. Add in the lamb with marinade.
12. Pour water into bowl that lamb was marinated in, and swirl around to pick up any remnant marinade.
13. Pour water into inner pot and stir to combine.
14. Close the Instant Pot and pressure cook for 12 minutes.
15. Do a Quick Release (QR) and open the lid.
16. Rinse the rice and add to the Instant Pot.  DON'T stir, but press down into the gravy.
17. Close the lid and pressure cook for 5 minutes.
18. Do a 10 minute Natural Pressure Release (NPR) i.e. wait for 10 minutes and release any remaining pressure.
19. Open the Instant Pot and stir up the biryani carefully.
20. Let the biryani rest for about 10 minutes and sprinkle remaining fried onions, raisins, cashews, cilantro and mint.

Notes

• If the onions begin sticking to the bottom, deglaze occasionally with a tablespoon or two of water.
• Onions may also be cooked on the stovetop, in a frying pan.
• It’s important that you don’t stir the rice when you add it to the Instant Pot, or you could have issues with the Instant Pot not coming to pressure.  Just press down to cover with liquid.
• If you don't have access to biryani masala (spice mix), substitute the following: 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder.
• See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips, including homemade garam masala.

Courses Main Dish

Cuisine Indian

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving
Calories 858
% Daily Value
Total Fat 39 g		60%
	Saturated Fat 14 g	70%
	Unsaturated Fat 22 g
Cholesterol 2 mg		1%
Sodium 1058 mg		44%
Total Carbohydrates 80 g		27%
	Dietary Fiber 3 g	12%
	Sugars 20 g
Protein 42 g		84%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

I am not a certified nutritionist.  I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers.  If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons,  I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.

If you loved this recipe, please give it a 5 Star rating in the comment section below and please share it on social media using the social media share buttons at the top and bottom of this post. Thank you so much!

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