Egg Biryani is a must-try recipe for all egg lovers as it promises to take your love for eggs to another level altogether. The zesty marinade for egg biryani is made from freshly ground spices, grated ginger, minced garlic, chopped mint, and cilantro. This fresh and pungent marinade lends an unmistakable character to the otherwise humble boiled eggs and makes this dish one of the most tasteful meals.
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Egg Biryani is a wholesome one-pot meal that will satisfy both your hunger and your taste buds. Also known as Anda Biryani in India, this dish is made by cooking together fragrant long grain basmati rice, spiced hard-boiled eggs, perfectly caramelized onions, and select aromatic spices, delighting your senses in every bite.
The Instant Pot Egg Biryani tastes just as good as the traditional stovetop version, and the flavors and textures are beautifully retained too. Not only will you have your dinner ready in 45 minutes, but you will also have your family practically eating out of your hands.
Trivia
Here’s a little trivia about Biryani
Originally from Persia, the dish Biryani gets its name from the Persian words “Biryan” and “Birinj” meaning “fried before cooking” and “rice” respectively.
Over time, biryani has greatly evolved in terms of the methods of cooking as well as the use of different meats or flavors across the length and breadth of India. On your India travels, be sure to sample the different biryani preparations as each one is unique and equally delish!
Thank you for your overwhelming love and all the positive responses to my Instant Pot Biryani recipes. From my most popular Chicken Biryani to the low-carb riced cauliflower chicken biryani, I am humbled to see all the positive feedback. Many of you have requested an Egg Biryani recipe. So here is my simple and easy take on one of the most delicious pressure cooker meals - The Instant Pot Egg Biryani.
Today, I am going to share with you my version of the quick and easy Egg Biryani recipe that makes no compromises on taste whatsoever! Go ahead, and mark this as one of your favorite weeknight dinners.
Tips for the best egg biryani
- I like to use the extra-long grain basmati rice in Biryani recipes
- If you do not have time to soak the rice, follow the same recipe, the rice may not be as fluffy but will still be delicious
- Use homemade garam masala and homemade ghee for an authentic taste
- If you are looking to buy spices online, check out my favorite essential Indian spices.
- Air fry the onions instead of caramelizing in saute mode, a perfect meal-prep step, and will prevent the browning on the Instant Pot insert.
As you all probably know, the Instant Pot is great for cooking perfect hard-boiled eggs. There are several tried and tested methods, but I like the 5-5 method.
Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
Before I get into the Egg Biryani, here is my Instant Pot recipe for perfect hard-boiled eggs that are easy to peel:
- Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot.
- Place the Instant Pot trivet and place eggs on top of it. I like to use 6 eggs for this recipe.
- Close the Instant Pot lid and turn the pressure release valve to sealing.
- Pressure cook for 5 minutes followed by 5 minutes of natural pressure release
- Release the remaining pressure by turning the pressure release valve from sealing to venting.
- Using heat-resistant mitts take out the inner pot and place it under running cold water for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Peel the eggs and make 3 shallow slits on each egg to use in egg biryani.
Once you have the eggs peeled and ready, making Egg Biryani is super easy.
Step-by-step egg biryani recipe
Step 1: Rinse the rice and soak in 4 cups of water for 20 minutes. Drain all the water after 20 minutes.
Step 2 : Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and add ghee. Add onions and saute until they turn light golden brown, about 10 minutes.
Step 3: Take half of the onions out and reserve. Deglaze the bottom of the pot to remove any browning from sauteeing the onions. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to help remove any stuck browned bits as this will help the Instant Pot come to pressure properly. Add cumin seeds, black peppercorns, and bay leaves, and saute for a minute. Turn the Instant Pot off and add red chili powder, turmeric, salt, garam masala, ginger, garlic, mint, cilantro, tomatoes, and yogurt. Mix well.
Step 4: Add eggs and mix, coating the eggs with spices. Add rice over and spread it evenly. Add 2 cups of water and stir gently making sure most of the rice is under liquids.
Step 5: Close the Instant Pot with pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook (Low) for 5 minutes followed by 5 minutes of natural pressure release. Release the remaining pressure and open the Instant Pot. Layer the reserved caramelized onions and saffron milk evenly on top. Garnish with remaining cilantro.
Serving
Serve the Egg Biryani hot with a lemon wedge, pickled onions, and cooling raita.
Raita
To make a simple and delicious Tomato and Onion Raita, whisk the yogurt in a medium bowl. Add onions, tomatoes, salt, and sugar and mix well. Garnish with cilantro.
Love this naturally gluten-free one-pot meal of Biryani? Here are my other Biryani recipes that are finger-licking good:
- Veg Biryani
- Shrimp Biryani
- Chickpea Biryani
- Brown Rice Biryani
- Riced Cauliflower Chicken Biryani
- Fish Biryani
★ Tried this recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out! Leave a comment and let me know, or snap a quick pic and upload it—I love seeing your creations. If you’re on Instagram, tag @ministry_of_curry so I can check it out. Your feedback means so much to me and makes all the time I spend perfecting each recipe totally worth it. Thank you!
Recipe
Instant Pot Egg Biryani (Stovetop Instructions in notes)
Equipment
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 2 yellow onions medium, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1.5 teaspoons garam masala
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1.5 teaspoons ginger grated
- 1.5 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup cilantro leaves chopped
- ¼ cup mint leaves chopped (optional)
- 1 tomato diced
- 1 pinch saffron mixed in 1 tablespoon warm milk optional
To Serve
- 4 Lemon wedges optional
Raita
- 1 medium red onion finely diced
- 1 tomato finely diced
- ¾ cup plain yogurt
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped finely
Instructions
- Rinse the rice and soak in 4 cups of water for 20 minutes. Drain all the water after 20 minutes.
- While the rice is soaking hard boil the eggs. Add 1 cup of water to the Instant Pot. Place the trivet and place eggs on top of it. Close the Instant Pot lid with the pressure valve to sealing. Set the Instant Pot to pressure cook (hi) for 5 minutes. Allow 5 minutes of natural pressure release and then release the remaining pressure and open the Instant pot. Using a pair of heat-resistant mitts, carefully pick up the Instant Pot insert and place it in the sink. Run cold water for 2 minutes over the eggs or place them in an ice bath. Once the eggs are cool to handle, peel them. Make 3 shallow slits to the hard-boiled eggs and keep them aside.
- Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and add ghee. Add onions and saute until they turn light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Take half of the onions out and reserve. Note: If you have an air fryer you can use it or perfect golden fried onions.
- Deglaze the bottom of the pot to remove any browning from sauteeing the onions. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to help remove any stuck browned bits as this will help the Instant Pot come to pressure properly and not show the dreaded "BURN"
- Add cumin seeds, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and saute for a minute. Turn the Instant Pot off and add red chili powder, turmeric, salt, garam masala, ginger, garlic, mint, cilantro, tomatoes, and yogurt. Mix well once again deglazing the pot.
- Add eggs and mix coating the eggs with the spices. Add rice over and spread it evenly. Add water and stir gently making sure most of the rice is under liquids. Close the Instant Pot and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Pressure Cook (Low) for 5 minutes followed by 5 minutes natural pressure release. Release the remaining pressure and open the Instant Pot. Layer the reserved caramelized onions and saffron milk evenly on top. Garnish with remaining cilantro. Enjoy hot with a lemon wedge and raita.
- To make the raita, whisk the yogurt in a medium bowl. Add onions, tomatoes, salt, sugar and mix well. Garnish with cilantro.
Notes
- Rinse the rice thoroughly and soak it in 4 cups of water for 20 minutes. After soaking, drain all the water and set the rice aside.
- While the rice is soaking, hard-boil the eggs. In a saucepan, bring enough water to a boil to cover the eggs. Gently add the eggs and boil for about 10–12 minutes. Once done, transfer them to an ice bath or run them under cold water for 2 minutes. Once cool, peel the eggs and make 3 shallow slits in each. Set aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat ghee over medium heat. Add sliced onions and sauté until they turn light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove half the onions and set them aside for garnishing.
- Add cumin seeds, black peppercorns, and bay leaves. Sauté for a minute. Then add red chili powder, turmeric, salt, garam masala, ginger, garlic, chopped mint, cilantro, tomatoes, and yogurt. Mix well.
- Add the prepared eggs and coat them gently with the masala. Then layer the soaked rice evenly over the mixture. Add 1.5 cups of water and stir gently, ensuring most of the rice is submerged in the liquid.
- Bring to a full boil. Then cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
- Once done, turn off the heat and let the biryani rest for 10 minutes before opening. Then layer the reserved caramelized onions and drizzle the saffron milk over the top. Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Nutrition
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Thom says
Made this today for lunch on a cold day. It was absolutely delicious. I made some substitutions, used coconut milk instead of yogurt and used canned diced tomatoes. It came out perfect. Leftovers for work lunch tomorrow. Thank you for this great recipe!
Archana says
Thank you for the lovely review!
Ken says
Great every time, i use a traditional pressure cooker.
Ankita Pendse says
This egg biryani is an absolute crowd pleaser. Thank you so much for the detailed steps and guide for us to try out this delicious recipe. The recipe is so perfect in terms of the IP pressure/time that it comes out perfect every single time. You are my go to for all the IP recipes.
Archana says
Thank you for the lovely feedback!
Stephanie says
When you call for bay leaves in a recipe - do you mean the very large bay leaves from the Indian grocery, or the smaller type from McCormick/Badia/etc. ?
Archana says
Usually, the Indian Bay leaves but you can also use the McCormick.
Melinda says
Delicious! So easy, I love that you have instant pot recipes. Now I need to try chicken.
Archana says
Thank you!
Manjiri Khare says
I made this today and it turned out awesome!! My whole family loved it. Thank you for the recipe!
Archana says
You are most welcome!
Valerie Beattie-Dolan says
I gave away my instant pot as I didn't like it. Do you have instructions for stove-top? I'd like to make this for my elderly friend.
Archana says
I do not have a detailed stovetop version available to share. But you basically need to change the rice-to-water ratio to 1:2 and then you can add a bit more spices if you like! Hope this helps.
Leena says
Made this today with leftover hardboiled eggs from Easter and threw in a bunch of roasted veggies from Easter too. Whole family loved it. My kids devoured it! My son is already making a list of friends to invite over when we make it next! This recipe will definitely become part of our regular rotation.
Archana says
This recipe is on repeat in my home too!
Akhila says
A hit everytime I make it! Thanks for the quick recipe
asma says
Delicious, going to.try it
Archana Mundhe says
Thank you! I can't wait for your feedback.