Mushroom Biriyani (Gluten Free & Vegan)

I love a one-pot meal and this Mushroom Biriyani is gluten free, vegan and super tasty.

It’s a really easy meal to make on those nights you just can’t be bothered to cook.

Serve it up with some vegetable curry on the side (such as my chickpea curry) or on it’s own topped with yoghurt for a mildly spiced meal.

It’s the kind of meal the whole family will love and the mushrooms give it a lovely meaty texture.

So if you’re trying to cut back on how much meat you eat but you’re finding it difficult, give this easy mushroom biriyani a go!

I’m all about making life easy so this is a bit of a ‘cheat’ biriyani using a curry paste.

The good news is it means dinner will be ready with minimal time or effort and it’ll still taste absolutely amazing.

Ingredients

There’s a full printable recipe card below but here are the main ingredients for this mushroom biriyani and ideas for substitutions.

This recipe is already 100% gluten free and vegan/dairy free so it’s a really easy one to cater for all crowds.

• Oil – I love to use coconut oil in cooking but any unflavoured oil will work well. I don’t tend to use olive oil in Indian cooking but you can if it’s all you have available.
• Large Onion – For this mushroom biriyani I slice the onion rather than chop it to add texture to the meal. You can use a red onion if you prefer but I use a white onion.
• Sliced Mushrooms – If you’re feeling lazy (guilty) you can actually buy pre-sliced mushrooms in the supermarket or you can buy your favourite kind and slice them. I tend to use a closed cup or chestnut mushroom for this recipe. You can even buy sliced frozen mushrooms and these work well too!
• Korma Curry Paste – Most curry pastes are gluten free but always make sure you double check when buying, especially for ‘may contain’ warnings. I used the Sainsbury’s own brand one but at the time of writing Patak’s is also gluten free.
• Basmati Rice – You need uncooked basmati rice for this – long grain rice would work too but the texture will be SO much better with basmati. I always buy a big 5kg bag of rice in Lidl and just decant it into a smaller tub in the kitchen, refilling as needed. It saves so much money – definitely worth doing if you eat rice regularly!
• Vegetable Stock – Always double check the stock you’re using as some stock cubes and ready made stocks are NOT gluten free. I always use Knorr stock cubes as my go-to but there’s a big list of lots of gluten free stock cubes here. If you prefer (and don’t need a vegan recipe) you could use a chicken stock sube if you prefer.

All you really need for this recipe is a few ingredients – just make sure to always double check the stock and curry pastes are gluten free.

How to make Mushroom Biriyani

Making this biriyani is so simple – there’s a short video above showing you a quick outline of just how easy it is!

First you want to fry off the onions – be patient and give them a few minutes until they start to really soften.

Then add the mushrooms and fry them for a few minutes before adding the curry paste.

Once this is all mixed, you can add the rice and stir to coat it – then pour in the gluten free vegetable stock and mix again.

You want a pan with a tight lid because the next step involves placing the lid on tightly and resisting the urge to peek!

I know it’s tempting but once you’ve cooked the rice you then need to turn the heat off and leave it to steam for a little longer.

If you lift the lid, the steam will escape and it won’t cook properly – so trust the process and leave that lid on!

Once cooked, you can lift the lid to reveal a beautifully cooked mushroom biriyani – simply fluff it up and it’s ready to eat.

What goes well with mushroom biriyani?

I’ve always loved eating biriyani on its own – I really enjoy the spicy, dry dish, but I know some people prefer some sauce.

I top my biriyani with dollops of yoghurt (use coconut yoghurt for a vegan version) and a sprinkling of coriander to keep it simple.

Adding flaked almonds and pomegranate seeds is a tasty variation too, and you can never go wrong with some mango chutney on the side.

If you like you could whip up a vegetable curry to go on the side or even have this as a replacement for plain rice with a curry.

This mushroom biriyani is honestly so versatile and any leftovers can be kept in the fridge for a few days or frozen.

Plus making meals in bulk keeps the cost down – so this is a great budget meal!

Mushroom Biriyani recipe

This easy mushroom biriyani recipe serves two people and is 100% gluten free, dairy free and vegan.

It’s really easy to scale the quantities up and down depending on how many people you want to cater for!

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your creations!

And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me.

Need more gluten free recipe inspiration?

Here are some more gluten free dinner recipes you can try out once you’ve made this Mushroom Biriyani recipe.

• Tandoori chicken recipe
• Easy chicken and coconut curry
• Chickpea curry (vegan)
• Leftover turkey or chicken curry

If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram. 

If you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!

Like this Mushroom Biriyani recipe?

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