One‑pot vegan pilaf
Fragrant, easy one‑pot pilaf with basmati, peas and mushrooms — ready in under an hour and perfect for weeknights.
This one‑pot vegan pilaf is all about big flavour with minimal fuss — fragrant spices, sweet peas and meaty mushrooms mingle with light, separate basmati grains. It’s brilliant for weeknights, makes excellent leftovers and scales up without drama.
Make it as a main with a green salad or alongside roasted veg for a dinner that looks like you tried harder than you did. The key is rinse, simmer, rest — do those three and you’ll have picture‑perfect pilaf every time.
Ingredients
- 300 g basmati rice — rinsed until water runs clear
- 900 ml vegetable stock
- 1 brown onion — finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves — finely sliced
- 2 carrot — peeled and diced (about 140 g)
- 200 g chestnut mushrooms — halved or quartered
- 150 g frozen peas — no need to thaw
- 30 ml olive oil
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml ground coriander
- 5 ml ground turmeric
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lemon — zest and 1 tbsp juice (about 15 ml)
- 15 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped
- 5 ml salt
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
Equipment
- large heavy‑based saucepan with lid
- fine sieve
Instructions
Put the basmati rice in a fine sieve and rinse under cold running water, gently rubbing the grains until the water runs clear (about 2 minutes). Drain well.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy‑based saucepan over a medium hob. Add the brown onion and carrot and fry, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, 6–8 minutes.
Add the garlic, chestnut mushrooms, ground cumin, ground coriander and ground turmeric. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant and the mushrooms begin to release their juices.
Stir in the rinsed basmati rice, cinnamon stick and bay leaf so every grain is coated in the spiced oil. Pour in the vegetable stock, add the salt and black pepper, then bring to a rolling simmer over high heat.
As soon as it reaches a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight‑fitting lid and cook gently without lifting the lid for 15 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is tender.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave, still covered, to rest for 10 minutes.
Lift the lid, discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaf, then gently fold in the frozen peas, lemon zest and juice, and most of the chopped parsley. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve sprinkled with the remaining parsley.
Tips
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear — this prevents gummy, gluey grains.
- Use a heavy‑based pan with a tight lid to keep steam trapped; if your lid isn’t tight, place a folded kitchen towel between lid and pan (remove before serving).
- If you prefer a nuttier note, toast the dry rice in the pan for 1–2 minutes before adding stock.
- Make‑ahead: cook fully, cool quickly, refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat gently with a splash of stock or water to loosen.
- Leftovers freeze well — cool completely, portion and freeze up to 3 months; defrost and reheat in a pan.
Substitutions
basmati rice → long‑grain white rice, same weight
Stays closefrozen peas → young spinach, 150 g, stirred in at the same stage
Noticeably differentolive oil → light olive oil or a neutral vegetable oil, same quantity
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 392
- Calories
- 9 g
- Protein
- 71 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 850 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I use brown rice?
Brown rice needs much longer cooking and more liquid. If using brown rice, use 375–400 ml stock per 150 g rice and simmer for 30–35 minutes, then rest for 10 minutes.
Why is my pilaf sticky?
Most likely the rice wasn’t rinsed or it was stirred too much while cooking. Rinse well, avoid stirring after adding stock and don’t lift the lid during the simmer.
Can I add protein (tofu, chicken)?
Yes. For tofu, pan‑fry cubes separately and fold in at the end. For chicken, brown bite‑size pieces first, remove, then follow the recipe and return them on top before the 10‑minute rest so they finish cooking through.
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