Instant Pot Mutton Biryani | Easy mutton biryani recipe

Last updated on May 23rd, 2025 at 11:31 am

Instant Pot Mutton Biryani made in Instant Pot - This flavorful south Indian dish is simple, quick, and easy! Just get the ingredients ready and your biryani will be ready in 30 minutes!

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Did you know that there isn't a national dish for India? It's because every state has a number of favorites they just can't simply pick one. Personally, I think Biryani should be it.

I don't know anyone who doesn't love biryani and our family is no different. We could eat biryani every day seriously, lol. There isn't a particular season or a type of day that calls for biryani in our household.

I mean you can make dozens of varieties of Biryani, to suit your mood. Say like this Mushroom and Coconut Milk Biryani, Vegetable Biryani, and this Restaurant-style Mushroom Biryani. And now this Instant Pot Mutton Biryani!

Instant Pot Mutton Biryani:

What goes into this biryani:

The ingredients that go into this Instant Pot Mutton Biryani are simple and easily available pantry ingredients, except for the spices of course. Most of you might have Cinnamom, cloves, cardamom, and bay leaf at home; however black stone flower might be new to some of you (or many of you).

Black stone flower, also known as Kalpasi, is one of the hidden gems in the spice world. It adds a different flavor to biryanis and especially this instant pot mutton biryani. Read more about this spice here. Apart from these, other ingredients are pretty much pantry ingredients.

Anyway, the main ingredient, mutton meat can vary with time and place. So it is important to know what type of mutton meat you have; whether it is tender or tough meat. Based on that, the cooking type will vary.

Mutton biryani with seeraga samba rice:

The next important ingredient is rice - Seeragasamba Rice. This is native rice grown in South India. It is a very aromatic and flavorful rice variety that is best suitable for biryanis. You can easily find this online or in Indian stores.

I know, in fact everyone knows that Basmati Rice is the most famed biryani rice. But if you get a chance to buy it, go for it. Whenever I need a quick one-pot biryani I use this rice, it is very suitable for this pressure cooker mutton biryani.

How many people does this serve:

As a general thumb rule in Tamil Nadu, 2 pounds or 1 kilogram of meat with equal amounts of rice will serve 7-8 people. But I like to alter the ratio by reducing the amount of rice; and this particular mutton biryani in instant pot recipe serves 4-5 people.

Serving Suggestions:

Like other biryanis, you can serve regular raita of your choice with this mutton biryani in instant pot. Although you can serve brinjal chutney with this; this brinjal chutney is specially made just to go with south Indian biryanis. Otherwise, you can simply serve some greek yogurt with it accompanied by lemon wedges and sliced onions.

Calories in mutton biryani:

This recipe serves 5-6 people but I'm gonna round it off as 5 people. Each serving has 580 calories but with 30g of protein.

You can reduce the rice to 1.5 cups and adjust the water to 2 and ¼ cups to reduce the carbohydrates. Overall I would say this dish is a healthy choice compared to processed or fried foods don't you think?

How to store this biryani:

This biryani stays well in the refrigerator for up to a day. And you can freeze it for up to a month; ensure to store it in an airtight container. Thaw before you reheat it.

Variations and Substitutions:

You can use the same recipe and make this biryani with any other red meat; you just have to cook the meat for longer time before adding in the rice.

If you want to make this mutton biryani using Basmati Rice, use 2.5 cups of aged Basmati Rice along with 3 and ¾ cups of water.

Another interesting variation can be made by using half and half coconut milk and water. Although this gives a very heavy biryani in my opinion, but occasionally this would be a different dish.

How to make mutton biryani in Instant Pot:

Now that you've read all the reasons that you wanna be making this Instant Pot Mutton Biryani, let's get to actually making them. To make this biryani you'll need the following ingredients:

• 600 g Mutton / Lamb Meat , bone-in or boneless
• 3 tsp Yogurt , regular
• 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste

• 1-2 tbsp Peanut Oil*, or sunflower oil
• 2 Cloves, (whole spice)
• 2-inch Cinnamon Stick  (whole spice)
• 4 Cardamom Pods
• 2 dried Bay Leaves
• 2 tbsp Black Stone Flower*, skip if unavailable
• ½ cup Cilantro / Coriander Leaves, loosely packed, stems removed, chopped
• 1 cup Mint Leaves, loosely packed, stems removed, chopped
• 2 medium Onions, chopped, (300 g)
• 4 medium Green Chilli Peppers, slit
• 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
• 2 large Tomatoes, chopped, (200g, heirloom variety preferable)
• 1 tbsp Sea Salt
• ⅛ tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Chilli Powder, Or Paprika
• ½ tsp Garam Masala powder
• 3 cups Water
• 2 cups Seeragasamba Rice*, (400g)
• 1 tsp Ghee, optional

Method:

• Wash the meat and place it in a colander and let it drain for 15 minutes. Transfer it to a mixing bowl and add the yogurt and ginger garlic paste. Mix it thoroughly, cover with a lid and set it aside.

• Place the inner pot in the Instant Pot. Add the oil to the Instant Pot and set it to SAUTE mode for 20 minutes.
• Once the oil begins to heat up, add the whole spices in. Wait until the cloves swell up*. (Be careful though; sometimes the spices splutter and fly towards you)
• Add half of the chopped mint and cilantro leaves to the Instant Pot. Stir once. Next add the chopped onions. Sauté until it turns translucent.
• After the onions are nicely sauteed, add the ginger garlic paste and green chilli peppers. Sauté for a few minutes.
• Add the diced tomatoes to the instant pot followed by sea salt. Sauté until the tomatoes it breaks down to soft and mushy stage.
• Now add the spice powders: turmeric powder, chilli powder and garam masala powders. Stir to mix. Then add the remaining chopped mint and cilantro leaves. Sauté for a minute.

• Then add the marinated mutton to the Instant Pot. Mix it thoroughly and then pour in the water.
• Cover and SEAL the Instant Pot with its lid. Set it to PRESSURE COOKmode for 15 minutes-20 minutes (depending on the type of the meat)*.

• Quick-release after the cooking time and open the Instant Pot. Finally add the Seeragasamba rice followed by ghee.
• Stir it once, cover and SEAL the Instant Pot. Set it to PRESSURE COOKmode for 10 minutes.
• After the cooking time, Quick Release and open the Instant Pot. Leave it open* for 5-10 minutes. Then gently mix with a fork.
• Serve it hot with Raita or Brinjal Chutney!

Notes:

• Having storebought or homemade ginger garlic paste in your refrigerator really cuts down the time in making this biryani. If you don't have it, you will need about 20 garlic cloves and a 2-inch root ginger piece for this recipe. Mash it down in a mortar and pestle to a paste and add it as called for in the recipe.
• Marinade: You don't have to marinate mutton meat if it is tender/young. Regular meat will tenderize with just yogurt. If you have tough meat, you can use raw papaya paste in the marinade to tenderize it. 
• Cooking Time (Meat): Similar to marinade, cooking time also differs based on the type of meat. 10 minutes for tender meat, 15 minutes for regular meat, and 25 minutes for tough/mature meat will soften and cook the mutton.
• Spices: Black Stone Flower is an amazing and overlooked spice. It might take a bit of getting used to it but it adds great flavor to Biryanis. This will be available in Indian Stores.
• Green Chilli Pepper: These are hot and pungent Indian peppers that are available in Indian Stores. You can substitute this with Thai bird's eye chillies or jalapenos or poblano peppers. You might have to adjust the quantity based on the hotness.
• Seeragasamba Rice: This rice is native to South India and is extensively used to make Biryanis in Tamil Nadu. It is very flavorful rice variety with a nice and sweet aroma. 
• Once the biryani is done and once you've opened it, do not mix it immediately; let the steam escape and then stir it before you serve it. This is because the rice will easily get mashed with the steam intact.
• It is normal for spices and herbs to rise to the top, mix it before you serve it.

More recipes you might like:

• Instant Pot Tomato Rice recipe
• Instant Pot Chicken Biryani Recipe

Made this? Got doubts? Let me know what you think in the comments below!