How to Make Biryani: Simple Steps, Best Rice, and Pro Tips

When you ask how to make biryani, a layered rice dish from India with meat, spices, and saffron. Also known as biryani rice, it’s not just a meal—it’s a ritual. The magic isn’t in fancy ingredients, but in timing, layering, and letting the spices breathe. Many people think biryani needs hours of prep, but the real secret is in the details: soaking the rice just right, toasting the spices before adding liquid, and sealing the pot so the steam does the work.

Basmati rice, a long-grain aromatic rice native to the Indian subcontinent. Also known as Indian long grain rice, it’s the only rice you should use for authentic biryani. If you skip soaking it for 30 minutes, your grains will turn mushy instead of fluffy. And biryani spices, a blend of whole spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaves, often ground fresh. Also known as biryani masala, they’re not just for flavor—they build the soul of the dish. You don’t need 20 different powders. Start with cumin, coriander, turmeric, and a pinch of asafoetida. Toast them in oil until they smell like a street stall in Lucknow.

Layering matters more than you think. Start with rice, then meat, then fried onions, then more rice, then saffron milk. Seal the pot with dough or a tight lid and let it cook low and slow. That’s called dum—the slow steam that makes the flavors marry. Skip it, and you’re just eating spiced rice with chicken.

You’ll find posts here that break down exactly how long to soak the rice, why some people use yogurt in the marinade, and how to fix a dry biryani without adding water. Others show you how to make it vegetarian, how to use leftover meat, or how to make the perfect fried onions without burning them. No fluff. No theory. Just what works in real kitchens, from Delhi to Dubai.

Some think biryani is too complicated for weeknights. It’s not. Once you know the rhythm, you can make it in under two hours. And once you taste it—the way the rice holds its shape, the way the spices cling to every grain, the way the meat falls apart—you’ll never go back to store-bought mixes.