My homemade Vegetable Pilau Rice recipe is an Indian takeaway classic, made with rice, veggies, and whole spices in just 30 minutes. It's fragrant, delicate, and incredibly easy to make! If you love yellow pilau rice, you will love this recipe too!
I’ve been cooking white Basmati rice on the stove top for over 20 years, and over time, I’ve perfected this quick and easy Vegetable Pulao recipe. Many people think Pilau rice is complicated, but it isn’t. It’s one of the simplest and tastiest easy Indian rice recipes you can make in under 30 minutes. 100% better than takeaway!
Growing up in India, mixed veg pulao rice was a weekend staple. My mum used to make it in the pressure cooker, and I still almost follow the same recipe but cook it on the stove top. It’s a family favourite, and my kids always ask for seconds, especially with a chilled glass of restaurant style mango lassi.
This Veg Pulao recipe has been part of Sandhya’s Kitchen since June 2010. It still remains a go-to for a comforting meal in 30 minutes.
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💛Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ready in under 30 minutes
- Super quick and easy with just basmati rice, whole spices, ghee, and mixed vegetables
- Make a large batch and freeze for later
- One pot, minimal fuss
- Perfect with curries or for lunchboxes
👩🏻🍳Sandhya’s Top Tips
- I always use Tilda extra long-grain basmati rice for the best vegetable pilau. It gives that beautiful, fluffy, separate-grain texture.
- Don’t skip rinsing the rice — wash it 5–6 times until the water runs clear. This removes excess starch and prevents sticky rice.
- Soak the rice for 30 minutes. It truly makes all the difference to the final texture. Try it once and you’ll never skip it again!
- For authentic flavour, I highly recommend cooking pulao in ghee (clarified butter).
For a vegan option, use vegan butter or a plant-based spread like Flora. - Making pulao without onion? Absolutely fine. We often make it that way at home, and it’s still just as delicious.
📋Ingredients
- White Basmati Rice – It gives long, perfectly separate grains for pulao every time.
- Whole Spices – No ground spices in this recipe. Just bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, and black peppercorns for that classic aroma.
- Ghee – This gives authentic pulao flavour. You can also make it at home using unsalted butter (see recipe card notes).
- Mixed Vegetables – I prefer quick-cooking vegetables like carrots, peas, and sweetcorn. Frozen mixed veg works perfectly and saves time. Potatoes, mushrooms, and beans are great additions, too.
🔪How to Make Vegetable Pilau?
Step 1: Rinse the rice thoroughly and then soak in enough water for 30 minutes, then drain.
Step 2: Heat the ghee and add the whole spices. Sauté until aromatic.
Step 3: Add sliced onions and green chilli (optional). Cook on low heat until soft and translucent, not browned
Step 4: Add the drained rice and sauté for 2 minutes until the grains look slightly glossy and coated in the spices.
Step 5: Add vegetables, salt and water. Bring everything to a boil.
Step 6: When the water reaches the level of the rice, cover and cook for 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest (covered) for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.
🍽 How to Serve?
I love serving vegetable pilau on its own with a side of boondi raita, lemon pickle, crispy papad, and a simple kachumber salad.
It also fits beautifully into a larger Indian meal spread alongside easy vegetarian curries and warm Indian flatbreads.
❄️Storing Leftovers
Store leftover vegetable pilau in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
It also freezes well. Simply cool completely, transfer to freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat with a splash of water for the perfect texture.
Recipe FAQ's
Pilau and pulao are essentially the same spiced rice dish referring to aromatic rice cooked with whole spices and vegetables. “Pulao” is the Indian term, while “pilau” is commonly used in British and East African cuisine.
Basmati rice is very easy to find in the UK. You’ll get it in all major supermarkets and in most Asian grocery stores.
I usually buy Tilda basmati rice, as I find it consistently good quality. Supermarket own brands work well too and are a great budget-friendly option. Just choose extra-long-grain basmati for the best results.
For basmati rice, use a 1:2 rice-to-water ratio if the rice has been soaked for at least 30 minutes. For slightly softer rice, increase the ratio to 1:2.5. Always drain the soaked rice well before cooking.
To add more heat, include 1 chopped green chilli and ½ teaspoon red chilli powder per cup of rice. Adjust according to your spice preference.
Add ½ cup of hot water, cover, and cook for a few more minutes on low heat. Make sure to use quick-cooking vegetables and cut them into evenly sized pieces for consistent cooking.
Yes. Cook soaked basmati rice on High Pressure for 3 minutes, then allow a 10-minute natural pressure release before venting. Use slightly less water than stovetop (about 1:1.5 ratio) for fluffy pilau rice.
More Easy Vegetarian Rice Side Recipes
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Ingredients
- 1 ¼ Cup Basmati Rice - 300g
- 2 ½ Cup Water - 600ml
- 100 g mixed vegetables - carrots, peas & sweetcorn
- 1 medium white Onion sliced optional
- 1 Green Chilli , slit optional
- 2 tablespoon Butter or Ghee
- Salt to taste
Whole Spices
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 Bayleaf
- 3 Cardamom gently crushed
- 1 Star Anise
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 3 Cloves
- 1 Black Cardamom
- 5 Black Peppercorn
Instructions
- Wash the rice at least 5 - 6 times until water runs clear. Soak them in enough water for 30 minutes. Drain the rice.
- Heat Unsalted Butter or Ghee in a medium sized pot. Add Bayleaf, cinnamon, cumin seeds, cardamoms, cloves and saute for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add sliced white onions, green chilli (optional ) and cook them in low flame until soft and not brown.
- Add the drained rice and saute them for 2 minutes until rice is toasty and has coated with onions and spices.
- Add the vegetables and salt. Stir together for 1 minute.
- Add Water and bring it to boil. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to the low setting. Cook for 8- 10 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.
- Turn the heat off completely and leave the lid on the pot for another 5 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the rice with fork and serve.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Use white basmati rice. It gives that beautiful fluffy, separate grain texture.
- Wash rice at-least 5–6 times until the water runs clear. This removes excess starch and prevents sticky rice.
- Soak the rice for 30 minutes. It truly makes all the difference to the final texture.
- Use quick-cooking vegetables like carrots, peas, potatoes, and green beans. Always cut them into even-sized pieces so they cook uniformly.
- For authentic flavour, I highly recommend cooking pulao in ghee (clarified butter). No ghee? Simply melt unsalted butter and cook it for 3–4 minutes until it turns aromatic and slightly golden.
For a vegan option, use vegan butter or a plant-based spread like Flora. - Store leftover vegetable pulao in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Reheat thoroughly and serve hot.
Sri says
I am reading this post with great hunger! Nice post . But do not publish blog at lunch times !
Priti says
Looks simply delicious and lovely pics
Madhura Manoj says
simple & delicious dish.
Kairali sisters says
Delicious and colorful pulav, love the orange, green combo.Looks too good Sandhya..
Ushnish Ghosh says
Dear sandhya, Thank you for sharing a wonderful recipe... We all loved it!
Deepa says
delicious pulao and great clicks.
Mythreyi Dilip says
Looks too good:)
munchcrunchandsuch says
Such a wonderful recipe! It came out really well - Thank you for sharing!