This Easy Beef Biryani is quick, easy and is all made in one pan. A much cheaper – and healthier – alternative to reaching for that takeaway menu! (Plus it’s only 603 calories and it contains 35 grams of protein!)
Want a quick takeaway alternative?
Not really in the mood to cook and tempted to reach for that takeaway menu?
Try this easy peasy Beef Mince Biryani instead!
It’s super simple to make, it only takes 30 minutes to make and it much cheaper – and healthier than a takeaway!
How to make Beef Mince Biryani
This Easy Beef Biryani is so easy to make!
All you need to do is fry onions, peppers and beef mince, then add garlic, chilli and spices, and fry for 1 more minute.
Next add basmati rice, coconut milk, water, salt and pepper and simmer. Then add frozen peas and continue simmering until everything is cooked.
Finally stir in 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) and serve – easy peasy!
(Full recipe given in the recipe card below.)
What to serve with Beef Mince Biryani
This beef biryani is a complete meal in its own right – so if you are after a quick and easy midweek meal then there’s no need to add sides.
But of you want to make it a bigger meal then I recommend serving it with naan bread, Bombay Potatoes, mango chutney and lime pickle.
Alternatively, you could serve this easy peasy biryani as part of an Indian-themed spread, including other curries and rice dishes such as:
- Easy Chicken Balti
- Easy Beef Mince Curry (Keema Curry)
- Easy Peasy Pork Curry
- Easy Chicken Dhansak
- Multicoloured Pilau Rice
- Fruity Pilau Rice
(You can check out all my Curry and Indian-inspired recipes here.)
Easy Bombay Potatoes (Bombay Aloo)
What to drink with Beef Mince Biryani
This beef biryani needs a bold, juicy, fruity red. Good options include Australian Shiraz or Chilean Merlot. South African Pinotage also works well. As do younger styles of Rioja and Côtes du Rhône.
Love biryani?
Here are 5 more variations to try:
- Easy Chicken Biryani
- Chicken Tikka Biryani
- Easy Vegetable Biryani (Vegan)
- Leftover Roast Chicken Biryani
- Lamb Keema Biryani
Easy Chicken Biryani
Can you reheat beef biryani?
Beef biryani really is at its best when it is freshly made… However, if you do end up with some left over, simply store it in a plastic lidded container in the fridge, where it will keep for 24 hours.
To reheat, place the biryani in a pan and add a big splash of water and stir to combine. Heat the biryani for about 5 minutes over a low-medium heat until the biryani is piping hot all the way through, stirring occasionally.
When reheating rice, always make sure you adhere to food safety guidelines for rice.
Can you freeze beef biryani?
Yes, you can freeze beef biryani. Again, it won’t be quite as good as freshly made biryani, but it will still taste delicious. Make sure you cool the rice quickly and get it into the freezer, in a plastic lidded box, within 1 hour of when you finished cooking it. It will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Defrost the biryani overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
Again, make sure you always adhere to food safety guidelines for rice.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
- Easy Homemade Peshwari Naan
- Easy Keema Rice (Only 4 Ingredients!)
- Easy Lamb Dhansak
- Easy Peasy Beef Curry
- Easy Prawn Tikka Masala
Easy Prawn Tikka Masala
Easy Beef Biryani
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 red (bell) pepper diced
- 500 g beef mince
- 3 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes (or to taste)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 300 g basmati rice washed (see Note 1)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 400 ml coconut milk (light or regular - your choice)
- 200 ml water (or beef stock, if you prefer)
- 100 g frozen peas (no need to defrost first)
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander (AKA cilantro) plus extra for garnish (optional)
- Pickles/chutneys/naan bread/chapattis – or whatever you like to serve with a biryani!
Instructions
- Put the oil in the pan, and then add the diced onion and red pepper. Fry gently over a low heat with the lid on for 3 minutes or until softened but not browned, stirring occasionally.
- Turn the heat up high and add the beef mince. Fry for 3 minutes or until browned, breaking the mince up as you fry.
- Turn the heat right down again and add the garlic, chilli and spices, and fry for 1 more minute.
- Add the rice to the pan (See Note 1), together salt and pepper. Stir to coat the beef mince and rice in the spices, then add the coconut milk and water and bring to the boil.
- Put a lid on the frying pan and turn the heat right down, simmer for 8 minutes then add the frozen peas, stir once and replace the lid.
- Cook for a further 5 minutes or until the rice is done to your liking. If it starts sticking before the rice is cooked, add an extra splash of water.
- Finally stir in the 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh coriander (cilantro).
- Sprinkle extra coriander on top and serve with all your favourite extras, such as naan breads, pickles and chutneys.
Notes
- Rice brands vary enormously in their cooking time, so do check the packet and adjust cooking times accordingly. I use Tesco basmati rice or Tilda basmati rice. Both state a cooking time of 10-12 minutes, and are cooked perfectly when the above instructions are followed to the letter. However, if your brand needs a longer cook time, then I recommend you start cooking the rice in the coconut milk / water mixture first, then add in the peas when the rice has 5 minutes to go. In this way you will avoid over cooking the peas.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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