Baked Jackfruit Biryani (one pan!)

Fragrant jackfruit biryani uses spiced jackfruit instead of meat to veganize this favorite dish! Baked means less active time of standing and sautéing. Everything baked in just 1 Pan, and needs just 2 steps.

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Biryani is a deep flavored fragrant rice dish flavored with whole spices and sometimes a sauce, paired usually with meats. To make traditional biryani, you need to cook the rice, toast whole spices, and just generally do a lot of mixing and stirring on the stovetop. This jackfruit biryani recipe skips all of that! You make the entire dish in the oven, stirring only a few times to ensure even cooking. It’s just 2 Steps, add aromatics, spices and jackfruit and bake, then add the rice and broth and bake. Done!

While the biryani baked in the oven, you have plenty of time to prepare a quick curry dish (you can even do a baked curry!) and some simple raita to serve with it.

This vegan biryani may cut down on time and work, but it doesn’t sacrifice any of the amazing flavors you associate with a biryani! It’s scented with cumin, cloves, cardamom, ginger, garlic, and more to give it just an amazing flavor with a fraction of the work.

Why You’ll Love Jackfruit Biryani

fragrant, plant-forward rice dish with flavors of ginger, garlic, cardamom, and garam masala
bakes in one pan in the oven. No standing over the stove!
naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

close-up of jackfruit biryani in the pan

More Vegan Biryani

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Baked Jackfruit Biryani

Fragrant jackfruit biryani uses jackfruit instead of meat to veganize this favorite dish! Baked means less active time of standing and sautéing. Everything baked in just 1 Pan, and needs just 2 steps.

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time1 hour 5 minutes

Total Time1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 335kcal

Author: Vegan Richa

Ingredients

For the jackfruit:

20- ounce (566.99 g) can young green jackfruit drained
1 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the onion:

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
3 cloves
3 whole green cardamom pods slightly open
1 black cardamom pod optional
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika or Kashmiri chili powder
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (160 g) thinly sliced red onion
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste or minced ginger and garlic

For the rice:

1 cup (185 g) Indian white basmati rice washed really well and soaked for 5 minutes
2 cups (473.18 ml) of water
1/4 cup (4 g) cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped mint optional

For garnish:

roasted cashews omit for nut-free
garam masala, cilantro, lemon juice, yogurt or raita , pepper flakes

Instructions

Prepare your jackfruit.

Preheat the oven to 400º F (205º C).
Drain the canned jackfruit and place it in a paper towel, then in a kitchen towel, and fold it over. Wring the towel to remove all the excess moisture. Open it up and break up any large pieces, if any, into halves.
Add the jackfruit to a greased baking dish on one side. Add the garam masala, ginger-garlic paste, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and toss well to coat. the other side of the baking dish, 2 teaspoons of oil, and whole spices and mix ( the heat from the baking dish will warm the oil and help the whole spices bloom). Mix for a few seconds then add all of the spices. Then add the onions, ginger garlic. Mix really well, initially mixing just the onion and then mixing in the jackfruit as well. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the onion and jackfruit are golden. You can stir them both up after the 20-minute mark and continue to cook. If the onions are drying up too much at that point add a splash of water or oil and mix it up.

Make the biryani.

Remove the baking dish from the oven, (remove half of the jackfruit to ands on top later, optional) Add the drained rice, water, cilantro, mint, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and mix well. Cover with parchment and continue to bake for 28 to 35 minutes. Check at the 28-minute mark, and if the rice is cooked remove it from the oven. If the rice is not yet cooked continue to cook for 5 more minutes or until the rice is cooked.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes then open the parchment paper and fluff the rice really well.
Garnish with more cilantro, lemon juice, some roasted cashews, and pepper flakes, and serve with raita or a yogurt drizzle, or curries of choice.

Notes

Rinsing and soaking the rice yields a more tender, fluffy texture.
You can also add some saffron milk to this biryani by soaking 4 strands of saffron in a tablespoon of non-dairy milk. Once the saffron has colored the milk, drizzle that all over the biryani.
For a hotter biryani, add also 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne to the spices.
For quicker recipe, add jackfruit and all ingredients directly into the onion mixture .
To make this recipe with other ingredients instead of jackfruit , you can use up to 16 ounces of mushrooms or 6 to 7 ounces of rehydrated soy curls or 15 oz can of chickpeas or other vegan chicken of choice. You can also use 7 to 8 ounces of cubed and marinated tofu that has been baked along with the onion. Or add these along for added protein and double up on the spices
This recipe is naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free as long as you use a soy- and nut-free non-dairy yogurt. Omit the cashews for nut-free.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Baked Jackfruit Biryani

Amount Per Serving

Calories 335
Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 0.2g1%

Sodium 321mg14%

Potassium 299mg9%

Carbohydrates 78g26%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 380IU8%

Vitamin C 6mg7%

Calcium 120mg12%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

basmati rice, jackfruit, and other vegan biryani ingredients in bowls on the kitchen counter

Ingredients and Substitutions

young green jackfruit – Make sure that you get this specific type of jackfruit. You don’t want the type canned in syrup as that is sweet. You’re going to use paper towel and a kitchen towel to get as much moisture out as possible.
non-dairy yogurt – For creaminess . This is optional. For nut-free and soy-free, either omit or choose one that is nut- and/or soy-free.
garam masala – You use this to season both the jackfruit itself and the whole rice dish.
onion- Roasted red onion brings so much great umami to this jackfruit biryani!
whole spices – Bay leaves, cloves, green and black cardamom pods, and cinnamon are your whole spices. You can omit the black cardamom, if needed.
ground spices – You’ll also be using turmeric and either paprika or Kashmiri chili powder to season the rice.
ginger-garlic paste – Adds spice and umami.
basmati rice – Make sure that you rinse your rice well and soak it for the best texture!
fresh herbs – Cilantro and mint add amazing freshness to the rice! You can omit the mint, if you want.
garnishes – Top the baked biryani with roasted cashews, more garam masala, cilantro, lime juice, and crushed pepper flakes for even more amazing flavor. Omit the cashews for nut-free.

Tips

Do not skip wringing out the jackfruit! If it’s too wet, it won’t pick up spices and flavors. Drying it out is the secret to getting a good texture.
Rinsing and soaking the rice yields a more tender, fluffy texture, so don’t skip that step!
To make this recipe with other ingredients instead of jackfruit, you can use up to 16 ounces of mushrooms or 6 to 7 ounces of rehydrated soy curls or a can of chickpeas or other vegan chicken of choice. You can also use 7 to 8 ounces of cubed and marinated tofu that has been baked along with the onion.

How to Make Baked Jackfruit Biryani

Preheat the oven to 400º F (205º C) and prepare your jackfruit. Keep the baking dish in the oven to heat up.

Drain the canned jackfruit and place it in a paper towel, then in a kitchen towel, and roll it over. Wring it out to remove all the excess moisture. Open it up and break up any large pieces, if any, into halves.

jackfruit after wringing it out with towels

Add the jackfruit to a greased baking dish on one side. Add the garam masala, ginger-garlic paste, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and toss well to coat. the other side of the baking dish, 2 teaspoons of oil, and whole spices and mix ( the heat from the baking dish will warm the oil and help the whole spices bloom). Mix for a few seconds then add all of the spices. Then add the ginger garlic paste and onions. Mix really well, initially mixing just the onion and then mixing in the jackfruit as well. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the onion and jackfruit are golden. You can stir them both up after the 20-minute mark and continue to cook. If the onions are drying up too much at that point add a splash of water or oil and mix it up.

adding dried spices to the pan of jackfruit

onions after mixing in jackfruit and spices

Now, you’re ready to make the rest of the biryani.

Remove the baking dish from the oven (remove half of the jackfruit to ands on top later, optional) Add the drained rice, water, cilantro, mint, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and mix well. Cover with parchment and continue to bake for 28 to 35 minutes. Check at the 28-minute mark, and if the rice is cooked remove it from the oven. If the rice is not yet cooked continue to cook for 5 more minutes or until the rice is cooked.