Making your own Instant Pot Mint Rice, or Pudina Pulao recipe as it is popularly known in India, is a great way to enjoy the freshness of mint.

The best part about this dish is that you can easily customize it with whatever spices and vegetables you like. All you need are fresh mint leaves, tomatoes, and other ingredients.

Add some freshly grown organic mint leaves from your garden for an extra flavor.

A bowl of pudina pulao is on the plate with a fork.

The aroma that comes off your Instant Pot as the Pudina Pulao cooks is sure to make everyone's mouth water!

Enjoy a bowl of this deliciousness and serve with vegan raita for an even more flavorful experience.

Once you try this dish, it will be hard to resist making it repeatedly.

If you like this recipe, try my Instant Pot mushroom rice, Vegetable rice, and Vegetable pulao.

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Why you will like this recipe:
Ingredients
Method
Variations
Tips
Storage
Pairing
Related recipes
📖 Recipe
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Why you will like this recipe:

It's an easy and quick one-pot meal that can be cooked in the Instant Pot.
The freshness of mint leaves gives it a unique flavor.
Customizable with your favorite spices and vegetables like other pulao recipes.
Aromatic, delicious, nutritious, and flavorful rice!
Perfect for busy weekdays yet also fancy enough to serve for dinner parties.
It's a great way to use homegrown organic pudina leaves.
Suitable for vegans and vegetarians alike!

Ingredients

Pudina or mint leaves: This recipe requires many mint leaves.
Tomatoes
Basmati rice: Use good quality basmati rice for this recipe. Do not use regular long-grain rice as it will not taste the same.
Spices: I have used a combination of spices like cumin seeds, cinnamon, turmeric powder, and red chili powder
Green peas (optional): I have used frozen peas for this recipe, but you can use fresh peas too. If you use fresh peas, cook them before adding them to the rice.
Roasted cashews: I have used roasted cashews. You can use any variety of nuts like almonds, pistachios, or even peanuts.

See the recipe card for a list of ingredients and quantities plus recipe instructions. You can find the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Method

First press saute mode in Instant Pot and add a few teaspoons of oil. As the oil heats up, add cumin seeds and saute until they sizzle.

A box filled with diffrent types of food, with mint and onions

Add chopped onions, and saute until it's translucent. Add chopped tomatoes. Saute it for another 20-30 sec. Now, add all the spices and continue to stir well.

Add frozen peas or any choice of vegetables. Add freshly chopped mint leaves. Mix well. Add the rinsed Basmati Rice, one and a half cups of water, and salt, and stir well.

Different food placed inside the instant pot, with mint rice

Press ‘Cancel’ to stop sauteing and close the instant pot lid. Press the ‘pressure cook’ setting and set the timer for 4 mins high pressure.

Finally, let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid. Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and lime juice and enjoy the deliciousness!

Flavorful pudina pulao is ready! Serve it hot with a pairing like a curry or plain yogurt!

Variations

When you saute the onion and tomatoes, you could add vegetables like potatoes, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, and bell peppers.
I have used basmati rice for this pudina rice recipe, which can also be prepared with sona masuri rice.
You can skip the cashew nuts if you do not prefer that flavor. Instead, you could add roasted peanuts.
If you prefer to use brown rice instead of basmati or sona masuri rice, be sure to follow the stovetop method.
Add a bay leaf and a few star anise while cooking to add flavor.
Make a mint paste by grinding the leaves with a little water and two tablespoons of fresh coconut into a smooth paste. This will help spread the mint flavor in your rice evenly.

Tips

Always use fresh mint leaves for the best flavor.
Ensure all the ingredients are well combined before setting your Instant Pot to cook.
For extra spice, add some green chilies or red chili powder.
Add some freshly squeezed lemon juice if you like your pulao to have a bit more flavor.

Storage

Store the leftover rice in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop before serving.

An instant pot is with mint rice and topped with nuts and cilantro.

Pairing

Serve the mint rice recipe hot with a pairing such as vegan cucumber raita. You can also pair it with lobia masala or aloo matar if you prefer your rice to be hot and spicy.

South Indians prefer to eat pudina rice or cooked rice with onion raita.