Vegan Mutton Biryani (in a Rice Cooker)

This home-style rice cooker aromatic Vegan Mutton Biryani is loaded with warm spices, herbs and fragrant basmati
rice, all paired with a refreshing raita.

This is the one dish that I grew up eating and loved: Biryani. I remember the times my family and I would hunt high and low for the restaurant serving the best biryani (though I used to eat meat then). I was able to recreate the flavours of a dum biryani with simple steps like flavouring the mushrooms with a generous amount of spice so the rice is moist and aromatic.

This is a slightly more simple version of my Oyster Mushroom Biryani recipe as it’s mostly made in one pot – the humble rice cooker. It makes you several portions, perfect for a family or friends’ gathering. You can also meal prep this and pack it with veggies and is versatile enough if you want to switch up ingredients to add more vegetables or protein to the dish.

Biryani is a rice dish made with layers of spiced sautéed vegetables, rice, and lots of herbs. In this case, the flavours infuse in the marination and pressure cooking process. It’s also a naturally gluten free dish but most you find at restaurants are probably not
vegan due to the heavy usage of ghee.

What You Need

• Rice – I usually use long grain basmati rice when making briyani and that’s how it is traditionally prepared.
• Protein – I use vegan mutton in this recipe to recreate ‘mutton’ biryani. You can also use tofu or chickpeas paired with other vegetables.
• Spices – Both whole and ground spices are important for this recipe. You can find the whole list of spices on my recipe card below.
• Herbs – Fresh herbs like mint and coriander are essential.
• Dairy Free Yogurt – a lot of times, yogurt is a popular addition when mixing the vegetables, you can easily substitute that with coconut cream!

You can pair this biryani with my easy 5-minute Vegan Carrot & Cucumber Raita!