Ghee Rice

Classic ghee rice is a flavorful side dish that features clarified butter (ghee), onions, and lots of rich spices. Follow my easy instructions with step-by-step photos and video to make this one pot ghee rice recipe, and serve alongside all of your favorite Indian dishes! I also share making the recipe in an Instant Pot and stove-top pressure cooker.

ghee rice topped with fried cashews, raisins, coriander leaves in a white bowl on a dark blue board with a bowl of yellow dal on top

Table of Contents

  1. What is Ghee Rice
  2. How to make Ghee Rice (Stepwise Photos)
  3. Instant Pot Ghee Rice
  4. Stove-top Pressure Cooker Method
  5. Difference between Ghee rice and Nei Choru
  6. Helpful Tips
  7. FAQs
  8. Recipe Card

Watch Ghee Rice Video

Ghee Rice
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What is Ghee Rice

Ghee rice is a popular South Indian pilaf like dish made without any vegetables. It is commonly paired with lentils, veggie curries, and korma.

It includes aromatic spices often used in Indian cuisine, caramelized onions, plus cashews and raisins for extra flavor and great textures.

Whenever I make dal recipes at home, I almost always prepare a batch of this ghee rice as well.

The rice is perfect for soaking up the rich gravy of a main dish – but is also tasty enough to enjoy plain on its own!

Start to finish this ghee rice recipe is ready in under fifty minutes (including the soaking time for rice). It is perfect for serving as part of a hearty dinner any night of the week, and leftovers are delicious to enjoy for several days.

Step-by-Step Guide

How to make Ghee Rice

Soaking Rice

1. First, rinse 1 cup of basmati rice under cool running water, until the water runs clear. Then place the rice in a bowl and cover with water. Soak the rice grains for 20 to 30 minutes.

TIP: Rinse the rice grains really well so that on cooking the rice grains become fluffy and separate. If the extra starch does not get rinsed from the rice, the dish may end up becoming sticky or lumpy.

soaked basmati rice in water

2. After 20 to 30 minutes, drain the water and set the soaked rice aside.

drained rice in steel bowl

Preparation

3. For the easiest recipe, I recommend that you gather all of your ingredients before making the dish. In the photo below are the whole spices that we will be adding to ghee rice.

whole spices on a white plate with their names listed next to each

4. Next, slice 1 medium sized onion and set aside. Gather 15 to 18 raw cashews and 1 tablespoon of raisins, and set aside as well.

cashews, raisins, sliced onions on a white chopping board

Frying Cashews, Raisins

5. Heat 3 tablespoons of ghee in a thick bottomed pot or a thick bottomed pan. Keep the flame to a low so that you do not burn the clarified butter.

ghee melting in a steel pan


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