Palak Rice Recipe (Indian Spinach Rice / Palak Pulao)

🌿What is Palak Rice?

Palak rice, also known as spinach rice or palak pulao, is a popular Indian one-pot rice dish where basmati rice is cooked with spinach puree and aromatic whole spices. "Palak" means spinach in Hindi, making this a nutritious green rice that's especially popular in North Indian cuisine. Unlike plain basmati rice, palak rice gets its vibrant green color from pureed spinach, ginger, garlic, and green chili, then cooked with the rice for a flavorful, nutrient-packed meal.

👓Recipe Overview

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Cuisine: North Indian
• Course: Main dish, side dish
• Diet: Vegetarian, vegan-friendly (with oil), gluten-free
• Skill Level: Beginner-friendly
• Method: Pressure cooker (Instant pot and stovetop instructions provided)

✨Why You'll love this spinach rice recipe

• 🌿Hidden Vegetables for Picky Eaters – We all have someone in our lives who hates veggies - this recipe is perfect for them! The spinach is pureed into the rice, so they won't see green pieces.
• 🍲One-Pot Convenience – Everything cooks together in one pressure cooker, making cleanup easy and weeknight cooking stress-free.
• 🍚Naturally Gluten-Free – Made with basmati rice and naturally gluten-free ingredients, perfect for those avoiding gluten.
• 🕰️Quick Weeknight Meal – Ready in 30 minutes from start to finish, making it perfect for busy weeknights when you need something nutritious fast. The cooking portion of this recipe is ridiculously simple.
• 🍛Versatile Pairing – Though we love eating these by themselves but it works great as a main dish with some raita or yogurt or as a side with any Indian curry like this matar paneer, or dals.
• 💲Budget-Friendly – Uses affordable, easily available ingredients. Spinach is inexpensive, especially when in season.

📋Recipe ingredients

• Basmati Rice - use good quality basmati rice if you want the iconic flavor, texture, and aroma of Jeera rice. I love using Royal Basmati rice.
• Spinach - use fresh spinach leaves in this recipe. That's where the magic lies.
• Whole Spices - I added whole spices like green cardamom, bay leaf, cumin seeds, and clove to the rice. These spices add a great flavor and warmth to a dish without making it hot.
• Aromatics - onion, ginger, garlic, and green chili (optional) form the aromatic base along with the whole spices for this palak pulao.
• Ghee - I use ghee to toast the cumin seeds and other whole spices to release the flavors and then coat and toast the basmati rice. You can use my 1-ingredient ghee recipe to make ghee at home.
• Moreover, addition of khade masale (or whole spices), make any simple dish stand out. The second genius step was to make this rice in the pressure cooker. I was very skeptical about it, since I have not had much success with cooking rice in a pressure cooker. But I wanted to give it another try. Having not enough time on my side could have been another factor! By all means this rice dish can be made in an open pot.

Don't forget to check out the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients along with the quantities.

 📖Substitutions, Additions and Variations

• Vegan - instead of ghee, you can use olive oil or avocado oil to make this recipe vegan.
• Other rice varieties - you can use other "long-grained" rice or jasmine rice in this recipe but you would not get the same texture and aroma as basmati rice. Brown rice can also be used but the ratio of water to rice will differ.
• Protein-Packed Spinach Rice: Add cooked chickpeas, paneer cubes, or tofu after Step 6 (see step-by-step instructions below) for extra protein.
• Spicy Palak Pulao: Increase green chilies to 2-3 or add ½ teaspoon red chili powder with the spinach puree.

👩‍🍳Steps to make this recipe

Prepare the Rice and Spinach

Step 1: Soak the basmati rice and make spinach puree
Rinse 1 cup basmati rice under cold water 2-3 times until water runs clear. Soak in fresh water for 15 minutes while you prepare other ingredients. Soaking helps the rice cook evenly and prevents sticking.
In a blender, combine roughly chopped fresh spinach, ginger, garlic cloves, green chili (if using), and 2-3 tablespoons water. Blend until completely smooth with no chunks. You should have approximately 1 cup of bright green spinach puree. Set aside.

Cook the Palak Pulao

Step 2: Temper whole spices
Set the pressure cooker on medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons ghee. When ghee is hot and shimmering, add whole spices: green cardamom pod, clove, bay leaf, and cumin seeds. Let them sizzle for 10-15 seconds until fragrant.

Step 3: Sauté onions
Add sliced onions to the tempered spices. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions turn light golden brown and soften. Don't let them burn—adjust heat if needed.

Step 4: Cook spinach puree
Pour the spinach puree into the pot with sautéed onions. Stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. This cooking step removes raw spinach taste and concentrates the flavor. The puree will darken slightly.

Step 5: Add rice
Drain the soaked basmati rice completely. Add drained rice to the pot with spinach mixture. Gently stir until every grain is coated with green spinach puree, about 1-2 minutes.

Step 6: Add water and seasonings
Pour in water, squeeze in lime juice, and add salt to taste. Stir once gently to combine. The liquid should just cover the rice.

Pressure Cook, Instant Pot or Stovetop Method

Step 7a: Pressure cooker method
Close the pressure cooker lid and lock it. Turn heat to high until you hear the first whistle (full pressure reached). Immediately reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5-6 minutes. Turn off heat and let pressure release naturally (should take around 7-8 minutes). Do not force-release.

Step 7b: Stovetop method (if not using pressure cooker)
Use a heavy bottomed sauce pan. After adding water in Step 6, bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to lowest setting, cover pot with a tight-fitting lid, and cook undisturbed for 15-18 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes.

Step 7c: Instant Pot method

Set the Instant Pot on Saute mode. Proceed with steps 1-6. Cancel Saute and switch to Pressure cook, set the manual cook time to 6 minutes and lock the lid in position in "sealing" position. After the 6 minutes are over, let the pressure release naturally before opening the lid.

Step 8: Fluff and serve
Open the lid carefully. The spinach rice should be tender with distinct grains and a vibrant green color. Gently fluff with a fork, breaking up any clumps. Serve warm.

Pro tip: Don't stir the rice while it's cooking—this releases starch and makes rice mushy.

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

Traditional Indian Pairings: This spinach rice pairs perfectly with our mixed dal or moong dal. Other Indian pairings could be

• Plain yogurt or raita (cucumber yogurt)
• Mutter Paneer or shahi paneer
• Coriander Chicken curry or butter chicken
• Papad (crispy lentil wafers)
• Indian pickles (achar)
• Chili onion crisp (pictured)

Complete Meal Ideas:

• Palak rice + dal + raita + papad (traditional thali)
• Spinach rice bowl with grilled paneer and vegetables
• Lunchbox: Palak pulao + yogurt + pickle

🧰Troubleshooting the recipe

• If your rice is mushy: it means you used too much water or overcooked. Use exactly 1¼ cups water for 1 cup rice. Don't stir while cooking.
• If your rice is undercooked/hard: it means that there was not enough water or cooking time. Add 2-3 tablespoons water, cover, and cook 3-4 more minutes on low heat.
• If your rice grains are sticky: this can happen if rice wasn't rinsed well or was stirred during cooking. Always use good quality basmati rice (I recommend Royal Basmati Rice), rinse rice 2-3 times and resist stirring while cooking.

🕒 Make Ahead & Storage Tips

• Refrigerator: Store leftover palak rice in an airtight container for 2-3 days. The rice stays fresh and the green color remains vibrant for up to 3 days.
• Reheating: Microwave with 1-2 ice cubes for 1-2 minutes.
• Freezing: Palak pulao can be frozen for up to 1 month. Cool completely, portion into freezer bags, and freeze flat. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before reheating.
• Meal Prep: Make a big batch on Sunday and portion into meal prep containers with dal or curry for easy weekday lunches.
• Lunchbox Tip: Pack palak rice in insulated tiffin boxes with yogurt on the side. It tastes great at room temperature.

❓FAQs

👉Similar Recipes

Looking for more recipes like this? Try our:

• Palak Paneer
• Saag Paneer
• Jeera Rice
• Indian Fried Rice
• Lentils with Spinach
• Palak Parantha (Spinach flatbread)

If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today!

XOXO - Vaishali