Lal Paneer Biryani – My Food Story

This Lal Paneer Biryani is one of the BEST vegetarian biryanis out there! It’s spicy, garlick-y, rich, and creamy, and just absolutely delicious ❤️‍🔥

Lal paneer biryani might not be the most common veg biryani recipe out there, but I really think it needs to be! It’s got a spicy, rich masala, the softest, perfectly flavorful pieces of paneer, and fluffy rice. Basically, it’s a true flavor bomb.

I recenetly made this for a party and my friends couldn’t stop eating it! I keep things pretty simple and just serve this with some vegetable raita. But believe me, this laal paneer biryani is so tasty that you won’t need anything else with it.

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Laal Paneer Biryani Ingredients

Rice: Basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes

Paneer: The main form for protein. I have used my homemade paneer as it yields really soft and spongy results. You can use store-bought paneer instead, but if you have 15 extra minutes I highly recommend homemade paneer in this veg biryani recipe for the best results

Aromatics: This recipe calls for lots of ginger and garlic, both for the chilli paste as well as in the gravy. Along with this, you will also need onions and tomatoes in the gravy

Spices: Kashmiri red chillies, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon, and stone flower (patthar ke phool) are used at various stages of the cooking process

Curds: Thoroughly whisked to get rid of any lumps. It helps make the gravy really creamy and rich

Biryani Masala: The heart of this dish and responsible for delivering that authentic biryani flavor. I use Shaan biryani masala that’s easily available both in India and outside

Lemon juice and wedge: Used while cooking the biryani rice to keep each grain white, separate, and fluffy

Birista: Aka fried onions. These are used in the gravy as well as garnish and is an important ingredient in biryani. I have used homemade birista for this, and you can find the recipe for it here

Saffron: Soaked in warm milk and used when layering the biryani for color and aroma

Oil: I have used sunflower oil for its neutral flavor and high smoke point. But any neutral-flavored oil such as vegetable, canola, peanut, etc. will work here

Ghee: Used as a finishing touch over biryani to add richness, flavor, aroma to the overall dish

Herbs: Finely chopped coriander and mint leaves add freshness

Salt: for seasoning

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my paneer chewy?

This can happen if the paneer is overcooked. Make sure to cook the paneer in the gravy for just 2-3 minutes until it’s fully coated. This will ensure that your paneer stays soft.

How do I make this recipe vegan?

To make this veg paneer biryani recipe vegan, replace paneer with tofu and skip the ghee at the end. The taste will be slightly different, but it will still be delicious.

Richa’s Top Tips

Soaking rice: It’s important to soak the rice before cooking. This helps to reduce starch, make fluffy rice, cook faster, as well as more evenly
Resting biryani: Before serving, let the laal paneer biryani rest for about 30 minutes. Gently fluff the rice using a fork or a silicone spatula. This will help the delicate rice grains to firm up a bit and prevent them from breaking
Make ahead: You can make this laal paneer biryani gravy up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the fridge in an air thigh container. Simply reheat with a splash of water before layering for the right consistency

Storage Tips

In the fridge: Store leftover laal paneer biryani in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Freezing: You can freeze this biryani for up to a month. The dish my dry out a bit and the paneer may feel crumbly instead of soft. However, it will still taste delicious. Simply add a splash of water when reheating to get some of the original texture back.
Reheating tip: Reheat gently on the stove with the lid on and a splash of water to loosen the rice. Avoid the microwave if you can; stovetop reheating keeps the layers intact and the paneer from turning rubbery.

This laal paneer biryani is honestly one of the best veg biryani recipes out there. Simple, flavorful, and sooo addictive. And if you still think that there is no such thing as a veg biryani, then you need to follow this series. I have already shared my soya keema and gobi 65 biryani recipes, and I have so many more to come!

Watch Lal Paneer Biryani Recipe Video

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Chilli paste

wash chillies and soak in hot water for 30 minutes till they soften. Add to a mixer along with water it was soaked in, ginger, garlic and grind to a smooth paste.

Biryani gravy

Heat oil in a pan or kadai, add whole spices – bayleaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms and saute for a few seconds till they sizzle and get fragrant. Add onions and saute on low for 5-6 minutes till they turn light golden.
Add tomatoes, ground chilli paste, salt, biryani masala,½ cup of water & cook on low for 5-6 minutes till they turn mushy and oil separates from the sides of the masala. Add curds, ¼ cup of water and cook on low for 2-3 minutes till oil separates from the masala.
Add paneer cubes & cook for 2-3 minutes on low till they get coated with the masala.

Layering biryani

Add 3 tablespoons of birista, 2 teaspoons of chopped mint & coriander leaves to the biryani gravy.
Heat water in a pot, add salt, spices, lemon and bring to a boil on high heat. Drain the soaked rice and add to the pot and bring to a boil. Cook on high heat for 5 minutes just until the rice is cooked 70%. Using a slotted spoon, take out cooked rice and spread evenly on top of the gravy.
Add 1 tablespoon of birista, 2 teaspoons each of mint & coriander leaves. Rub the saffron in the milk to extract the flavour and the color and sprinkle evenly on top of rice. Drizzle ghee on top.
Heat a tawa and place the biryani pot on top and steam for 15 minutes on low and rest for half an hour before serving.

It is essential to soak red chillies before grinding so they turn deep red & grind to a smooth paste.
Use aged extra long-grain basmati rice for the most authentic flavor and texture.
Lemon juice/wedge is added while cooking biryani rice to ensure that rice stays white.
Before serving, allow the biryani to rest for half an hour. Gently fluff the rice using a fork or a silicone spatula. This will help the delicate rice grains to firm up a bit, preventing them from breaking.

Calories: 499kcal, Carbohydrates: 51g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Sodium: 2200mg, Potassium: 294mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 450IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 370mg, Iron: 1mg

This article was researched and written by Urvi Dalal.