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Indian Rice Recipes

30 recipes using rice — Curries, biryanis, dals and the world's most complex spice cuisine.

These 30 indian rice recipes are ready in about 114 minutes on average, with 220–680 kcal per serving, and 33% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.

30
recipes
114 min
average time
433 kcal
avg per serving
33%
easy recipes

How Indian cuisine cooks with rice

Indian cooking is a science of spice — layering and blooming aromatics to build curries and dals of remarkable depth and regional variety. When Indian cooks work with rice, they reach for cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, garlic, chilli and garam masala, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are boiling, simmering, frying and steaming.

The everyday grain for half the planet — a neutral base that soaks up the flavours around it, from pilafs to fried rice. In this collection it's most often cooked with turmeric, cloves, ghee, green cardamom pods, fine sea salt and garlic. The dishes here span indian classics ready in as little as 20 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.

30 Indian Rice Recipes

▶ VideoDinner

Hyderabadi Vegetable Biryani

Fragrant basmati rice layered with spiced vegetables and caramelised onions — India's most celebratory rice dish.

⏱ 105 min🔥 480 kcalHard
🔥 TrendingDinner

Authentic Chicken Biryani Recipe

Fragrant, saffron-infused chicken biryani with tender marinated chicken layered with basmati rice and whole spices. This authentic chicken biryani recipe from scratch is perfect for special occasions — deeply aromatic and utterly impressive.

⏱ 100 min🔥 620 kcalHard
✨ NewDinner

Lamb Biryani

Fragrant layered rice and spiced lamb.

⏱ 90 min🔥 520 kcalHard
Breakfast

Dosa (South Indian Fermented Rice Crepe)

Crispy fermented rice and lentil crepe, served with coconut chutney and spiced potato filling.

⏱ 510 min🔥 280 kcalHard
Breakfast

Uttapam (South Indian Savory Rice Pancake)

Thick, spongy rice and lentil pancake topped with vegetables and served with sambar and chutney.

⏱ 500 min🔥 240 kcalMedium
Dinner

Hyderabadi Biryani

Royal layered rice with marinated chicken, saffron, and aromatic spices — fragrant, festive, complex.

⏱ 120 min🔥 680 kcalHard
✨ NewDinner

Goan Pork Vindaloo (Portuguese-Indian Vinegar Curry)

Goa's iconic fiery-tangy pork curry — slow-cooked with Kashmiri chilies, palm vinegar, garlic and warm spices in a thick mahogany sauce.

⏱ 120 min🔥 580 kcalHard
✨ NewDinner

Hyderabadi Kacchi Chicken Biryani (Dum-Cooked Rice with Spiced Chicken)

Hyderabad's royal layered biryani — marinated chicken and parboiled basmati sealed in a pot and slow-cooked over low heat with saffron, mint and fried onions.

⏱ 135 min🔥 620 kcalHard
✨ NewDinner

Rogan Josh (Kashmiri Slow-Braised Lamb Curry)

A signature Kashmiri lamb curry — tender braised lamb in a deeply red, fragrant gravy of yogurt, Kashmiri chillies, fennel, ginger and dried ginger powder.

⏱ 170 min🔥 620 kcalMedium
✨ NewBreakfast

Masala Dosa (South Indian Crispy Rice Crepe with Potato)

South India's iconic breakfast — a paper-thin, golden, crisp fermented rice and lentil crepe folded around a spiced potato filling, served with coconut chutney and sambar.

⏱ 70 min🔥 480 kcalHard
✨ NewDinner

Punjabi Rajma Masala (Slow-Cooked Red Kidney Beans)

North India's most beloved comfort dish — red kidney beans slow-simmered in a tomato, onion, and warming-spice gravy, served over basmati rice.

⏱ 90 min🔥 380 kcalEasy
✨ NewBreakfast

Keralan Appam with Vegetable Stew

Lacy fermented rice-and-coconut pancakes from Kerala — crisp at the edges, spongy in the middle — paired with a delicate coconut-milk vegetable stew flavored with curry leaves.

⏱ 520 min🔥 520 kcalMedium
✨ NewLunch

Delhi Masala Chickpea Rice Bowl

Delhi Masala Chickpea Rice Bowl brings indian flavor into a practical home recipe with chicken thighs, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander and turmeric, and a finish of cilantro.

⏱ 59 min🔥 412 kcalHard
✨ NewSoup

Kerala Coconut Fish Soup

Kerala Coconut Fish Soup brings indian flavor into a practical home recipe with white fish, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander and turmeric, and a finish of cilantro.

⏱ 89 min🔥 434 kcalMedium
✨ NewDinner

Punjabi Spinach Paneer Skillet Dinner

Punjabi Spinach Paneer Skillet Dinner brings indian flavor into a practical home recipe with lamb mince, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander and turmeric, and a finish of cilantro.

⏱ 37 min🔥 456 kcalEasy
✨ NewSalads

Goan Tamarind Shrimp Salad

Goan Tamarind Shrimp Salad brings indian flavor into a practical home recipe with roasted carrots, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander and turmeric, and a finish of cilantro.

⏱ 48 min🔥 478 kcalMedium
✨ NewLunch

Indian Chili-Garlic Chickpea Rice Bowl

Cumin rice topped with garlicky, chili-spiked chickpeas simmered in a tomato-onion masala.

⏱ 45 min🔥 420 kcalEasy
✨ NewDinner

Indian Saffron Rice Traybake with Caramelized Onions

Basmati rice baked with whole spices and saffron, topped with deeply caramelized onions for a fragrant one-pan meal.

⏱ 70 min🔥 390 kcalMedium
✨ NewSnacks

Indian Onion and Scallion Pakora

Crisp chickpea-flour fritters loaded with sliced onion, scallion, and fresh ginger, fried until deeply golden.

⏱ 35 min🔥 240 kcalEasy
✨ NewSalads

South Indian Herbed Coriander Rice Salad

Turmeric rice tossed with a coriander-mint paste, roasted peanuts, and tempered mustard seeds.

⏱ 35 min🔥 320 kcalEasy
✨ NewSnacks

Indian Puffed Rice Street Snack (Bhel Puri)

Crunchy puffed rice tossed with sev, tomato, onion, and tangy tamarind and mint chutneys for a classic Mumbai street snack.

⏱ 20 min🔥 220 kcalEasy
✨ NewDinner

South Indian Ginger-Lemon Rice

Fluffy rice tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and fresh ginger, finished with a generous squeeze of lemon.

⏱ 30 min🔥 340 kcalEasy
✨ NewDinner

Indian Garlic Ghee Pilaf (Lehsuni Pulao)

Fragrant basmati rice pilaf built on deeply browned garlic and whole spices bloomed in ghee.

⏱ 50 min🔥 370 kcalEasy
✨ NewDinner

Indian Roasted Garlic Khichdi

A comforting one-pot rice and lentil porridge enriched with deeply browned garlic ghee -- India's ultimate comfort food.

⏱ 40 min🔥 340 kcalEasy
✨ NewDinner

Prawn Biryani with Coconut and Green Chile

Layered basmati rice and spiced coconut-chile prawns, steamed together until the whole pot smells like a wedding kitchen.

⏱ 42 min🔥 520 kcalHard
✨ NewLunch

Curd Rice Bowl with Tempered Herbs

Cooling South Indian curd rice topped with a sizzling mustard-seed tempering and fresh curry leaves.

⏱ 54 min🔥 340 kcalMedium
✨ NewDinner

Goan Prawn Pulao

Fragrant basmati rice cooked with garlicky prawns, coconut, and warm whole spices in the coastal Goan style.

⏱ 74 min🔥 500 kcalEasy
✨ NewDinner

Garlic and Cumin Khichdi Casserole

One-pot rice and lentil khichdi loaded with roasted garlic, baked until the top turns golden and crisp.

⏱ 50 min🔥 380 kcalHard
✨ NewDessert

Saffron Rice Pudding (Kheer)

Slow-simmered rice pudding scented with saffron, cardamom, and toasted nuts, the classic Indian festive dessert.

⏱ 82 min🔥 310 kcalMedium
✨ NewDinner

Tandoori-Style Smoky Tomato Thali Plate

A festive Indian plate built around smoky tandoori-spiced paneer, tomato-based dal, and saffron rice, served together.

⏱ 44 min🔥 490 kcalHard

Choosing & preparing rice

How to choose

Choose by use: long-grain (basmati, jasmine) for fluffy, separate grains; short-grain for risotto and sushi where stickiness is wanted. Aged basmati cooks longer and fluffier.

Prep & storage

Rinse until the water runs clear to wash off surface starch and prevent clumping. The absorption method — a fixed water ratio, lid on, then a 10-minute steam off the heat — gives reliable results.

Nutrition

A gluten-free carbohydrate staple; brown and wild varieties keep the bran for extra fibre, B vitamins and minerals.

Classic flavour partners: onion, garlic, saffron, peas, soy sauce, cumin

Indian Rice Recipes — FAQ

How long do Indian rice recipes take to make?

Most of these 30 Indian rice recipes are ready in around 114 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Indian Puffed Rice Street Snack (Bhel Puri), takes about 20 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 520 minutes.

How many calories are in Indian rice dishes?

Across this collection they range from about 220 to 680 kcal per serving, averaging 433 kcal — Indian Puffed Rice Street Snack (Bhel Puri) is the lightest option at 220 kcal.

What is the easiest Indian rice recipe for beginners?

Punjabi Rajma Masala (Slow-Cooked Red Kidney Beans) is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 90 minutes. 33% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.

What goes well with rice in Indian cooking?

In these recipes, rice is most often paired with turmeric, cloves, ghee, green cardamom pods, fine sea salt and garlic. Indian kitchens also lean on cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, garlic, chilli and garam masala.

More Indian Recipes by Ingredient

Rice Recipes from Other Cuisines