The secret to making this traditional dish truly shine lies in how you cook basmati rice for biryani. The grains should be long, fluffy, and separate — never mushy or broken. In this guide, I’ll share step-by-step tips to cook rice that’s aromatic, tender, and ready to layer with your favorite biryani masala. Whether you’re making chicken, beef, or vegetarian biryani, mastering this rice technique will take your recipe to the next level.
I wanted to make this post as easy as possible so even beginners who search how to cook basmati rice for biryani can cook with confidence. Honestly, the rice is the soul of biryani — if it’s fluffy and perfectly cooked, your dish will taste just like the one you enjoy at weddings or restaurants.
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Perfect rice is just the beginning! Explore my full guide to Biryani Recipes — with step-by-step tips, regional variations, and the best side dishes to serve.
Along the way, I’ll share common mistakes, little tips, and step-by-step methods to help you get those long, separate grains every time. So, let’s start with the most important question: which rice is best for biryani?
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Why Basmati Rice is Best for Biryani
Basmati rice is the gold standard for making biryani because of its long, slender grains, natural fragrance, and fluffy texture. Unlike regular rice, basmati stays separate after cooking, giving each bite the perfect balance of rice, meat, and spices. Its subtle nutty aroma enhances the flavors without overpowering the dish.
👉 For authentic results, use aged long-grain basmati —it expands beautifully during cooking and absorbs spices better than short-grain or sticky rice. While some people use Sela (parboiled) basmati, which is firmer and less likely to break, traditional biryani shines best with regular aged basmati.
Basmati vs. Sela rice
| Feature | Basmati Rice | Sela (Parboiled) Basmati Rice |
|---|---|---|
| Texture | Soft, fluffy, and aromatic | Firmer, slightly chewy |
| Grain Length | Long and slender | Extra-long, doesn’t break easily |
| Soaking Time | 20–30 minutes | 45–60 minutes |
| Cooking Time | Cooks faster | Takes longer to cook |
| Best For | Traditional biryani with delicate layers | Large-batch cooking, restaurant-style biryani |
| Flavor | Nutty, fragrant, absorbs spices well | Less fragrant, more neutral taste |
Tip 👉 Use aged basmati rice for home-style, authentic biryani.
Use Sela rice when cooking for crowds—it stays firm and doesn’t turn mushy even if slightly overcooked.
Choosing the right quality of rice
The secret to perfect biryani starts with the quality of rice. Always go for aged, long-grain basmati rice (Wikipedia), as it has less moisture and cooks into long, fluffy grains that don’t stick together. Fresh rice often breaks or turns mushy, while aged basmati expands beautifully and absorbs spices better.
👉 Tip: Check the packaging for “Aged Basmati” or buy trusted brands known for consistent results. If cooking for gatherings, Sela basmati is also a good option since it holds shape well even after long cooking.
How to Cook Basmati Rice for Biryani
Getting the rice right is the foundation of a delicious biryani. Perfectly cooked grains should be long, fluffy, and separate—not sticky or mushy. Follow these steps for the best results:
🥣 Washing & soaking
- Rinse basmati rice 3–4 times until the water runs clear to remove excess starch.
- Soak the rice in fresh water for 20–30 minutes (for regular basmati).
- If using Sela (parboiled) basmati, soak for at least 45–60 minutes.
- Soaking allows the grains to expand and cook evenly.
💧 Water-to-rice ratio
- For drain & cook method: Use plenty of water (at least 6–7 cups for 2 cups of rice). This ensures the rice has enough space to cook without sticking.
- For absorption method: Use a ratio of 1 cup rice : 1.5 cups water for biryani (but absorption method is less common for traditional biryani).
🍲 Boiling method (drain & cook)
- Bring water to a rolling boil with salt and optional whole spices (bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon).
- Drain soaked rice and add it to the boiling water.
- Cook on high heat until the rice is about 70% cooked for layering in dum biryani (soft on the outside, slightly firm in the center).
- Drain immediately in a colander to stop further cooking.
🌿 Layering & Steaming for perfect texture
- In a large pot, start by adding ghee at the bottom to prevent the rice from sticking to the pan surface. Next, place the first layer of cooked rice and top it with curry. Sprinkle fresh coriander and mint leaves according to your taste, then repeat the layering of rice and curry, adding more fresh mint and coriander. Finally, add the remaining rice on top and spread it evenly across the pan. Pour in saffron milk, squeeze fresh lemon juice, and finish with brown onions (birista). Add a few drops of kewra or biryani essence.
- Cover the pot tightly for dum cooking (steam cooking) as it's the best cooking method of authentic and traditional biryani.
- Use a heavy lid or seal it with foil or dough to trap the steam.
- Steam on low heat for 20–25 minutes until the rice is fully cooked and infused with flavors.
- After 25 minutes, the biryani is ready, but allow it to settle to avoid breaking the rice. Use a spoon from the sides of the pan to serve fluffy, non-sticky biryani alongside raita, salad or kabab.
Pro Cooking Tips
- Avoid over soaking to avoid mushy or non fluffy rice.
- 80% Al dente rice – Wash until the water runs clear to remove excess starch.
- Boil rice in a large or deep pan, half filled with water so the rice get the space to rise in size.
- While layering, make sure the curry should not be watery otherwise the rice will get mushy in texture. Here is the guide, how to thicken the curry to avoid this issue.
- Make sure the curry is cooked with proportional biryani masala to get the best texture and color of biryani rice.
- Always use hand crushed crispy biryani onion to use in curry, and to use in layer or garnishing.
- Always prefer to layer the biryani with cook rice. One pot is only pulao so avoid steaming in a single pot.
- These tips will apply on all types of biryani recipes.
FAQs
Basmati rice needs to be soaked for 20 to 30 minutes prior to cooking.
This soaking process helps the long grains take in water, become a bit softer, and expand nicely without breaking apart. If you are using Sela (parboiled) basmati, it requires a longer soaking time of around 45 minutes because the grains are tougher. Be careful not to soak for over an hour, as this can make the rice too soft and prone to breaking while boiling.
To prepare rice for biryani, it should be boiled for 6 to 8 minutes over medium-high heat until it is approximately 70% cooked, a stage often referred to as "parboiled" or "¾th done." The grains ought to be tender on the outside while still maintaining a firm texture in the center. If the rice is boiled for too long, it can become mushy, compromising the distinct layered texture that biryani is known for.
👉 When using Sela (parboiled) basmati rice, the boiling duration is a bit longer — typically around 8 to 10 minutes — due to its sturdier structure.
To ensure that basmati rice remains fluffy and distinct, rinse it multiple times until the water is clear to eliminate extra starch, then let it soak for 20–30 minutes. Always prepare it in a generous amount of water (similar to cooking pasta) and drain it when the grains are approximately 70% cooked for biryani. Complete the cooking process by steaming (dum), which results in perfectly elongated, non-sticky grains.
If your biryani rice ends up being hard or not fully cooked, here’s how to fix it:
Sprinkle water or milk (2–3 tbsp) over the rice, cover tightly, and steam on very low heat for 10–15 minutes.
If already layered in biryani, place a damp cloth or foil under the lid and let it dum (steam) — the moisture will soften the rice.
Be careful not to add too much water directly, as this can cause the grains to break and turn mushy.
Rice often turns mushy when:
Too much water is used while boiling or steaming.
Over-soaking the rice makes it absorb excess moisture.
Overcooking breaks the grains and makes them sticky.
Using poor-quality or broken basmati instead of aged, long-grain rice.
Stirring too much during cooking, which damages delicate grains.
If your biryani rice turns out overcooked and mushy, here’s how to fix it:
Spread the rice on a tray and let it cool — this helps stop further cooking and reduces stickiness.
Layer carefully: place the firmer rice at the bottom and the softer rice on top to balance textures.
If it’s very mushy, turn it into a new dish like fried rice, biryani pulao, or use it for stuffed peppers.
Next time, reduce soaking time or use a little less water to avoid overcooking.
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How to Cook Basmati Rice for Biryani (Video)
Ingredients
- Rice – 2 Cups
- Water For Soaking & Boiling
- Bay Leaves – 2
- Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
- Cloves – 5
- Black Pepper – 10
- Cinnamon – 3″ 1 stick
- Aniseed – 1
- Cardamom – 5
- Oil – 2 Tsp
- Salt – 1.5 Tsp
Instructions
- Rice Soaking: Take 2 Cups of Biryani rice.
- Wash properly using tap water.
- Soak the rice: Deep filled the rice bowl with water for 10 minutes. (don’t soak for long time).
- Boil the Rice: Now fill a pan with water and boil the water to 100%.
- Add bay leaves, cumin, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, aniseed, and cardamom in water.
- Drizzle little oil.
- Cover the pan and boil water for 10 minutes so the taste of the whole garam masala enriches the taste in water.
- Now drain water of soaked rice and add rice in hot boiling water.
- Add salt and gently stir with a spoon.
- Now cover the pan and cook rice for 3 minutes so it gets fluffy. We need to cook rice 80% rest will be cooked on steam.
- After 3 minutes, check the rice with a hand. It needs to be 20% hard.
- Carefully drain water.
- Layering: Now rice is ready to make a biryani layer.
- Follow the video tutorial to make layers in biryani.
- Steaming: After layering, properly cover the lid and cook biryani on high heat for 2 minutes then turn the heat to low for 20 minutes so it gets perfect steam (dum).
- After that, the biryani will be ready to serve.
Video
Notes
You can check rice grain by hand so it needs to be a little hard before draining water.
The rest of the 20% will be done on steaming.
When layering then make sure the curry should not be watery. If it is then evaporate the water. Never steam for a long time.
Hinz
Quick & Easy Biryani rice recipe that will help to make perfect biryani at home...
Zig
what curry paste are you using to layer and how much?
Hinz
This is a korma-style curry paste that can be prepared with or without meat. For a traditional biryani recipe use, approximately 300g (around 1.5 cups) of basmati rice and paired with 3 to 4 tablespoons of korma curry paste.