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    Recipes » Recipes » Lunch & Dinner

    Vegan Chickpea Pumpkin Biryani (GF)

    Last updated - July 14, 2021; Published - October 23, 2018 By Rhian Williams 14 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Vegan Chickpea Pumpkin Biryani is easy to make, super nutritious and full of flavour. It's healthy, and colourful enough to brighten up even the dreariest of days!

    Photo of yellow biryani rice with chopped pumpkin, chickpeas and pumpkin seeds in a silver saucepan

    Why you'll love this Chickpea Pumpkin Biryani:

    • it's filling and satisfying
    • it's spicy and fragrant
    • it's slightly fruity
    • it's full of nutty chickpeas
    • it's packed with veggies
    • it's easy to make
    • it comes together easily in one pot 
    • it's ready in 40 minutes
    • it's healthy and nutritious
    • it looks impressive
    • it's easy to make in big batches!

    How to make this Vegan Chickpea Pumpkin Biryani

    Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

    • Fry the onion, garlic and ginger.

    Photo of diced onion being fried in a silver pan

    • Add the spices and fry for a minute until fragrant.

    Photo of diced onion and spices being cooked in a silver frying pan

    • Add the rice and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.

    Photo of raw rice and spices being cooked in a silver frying pan

    • Add the pumpkin, chickpeas, cranberries, coriander (cilantro), stock cube (dissolved in a splash of hot water) and salt + pepper, along with the water.

    Tip: Make sure to use a measuring jug to measure the amount of water exactly - too much and the rice will be uncooked and hard, too much and it will be watery and soupy.

    Tip: If using a stock cube, make sure you've dissolved it completely in boiling hot water before adding it to the rice otherwise you'll end up with clumps of stock in your rice and the flavour won't be distributed evenly. You can alternatively use liquid stock.

    Photo of chickpeas, diced pumpkin and coriander in water in a silver frying pan

    • Bring to the boil and keeping a lid over it, turn down the heat and cook for 15 minutes.

    • Once cooked, turn off the heat and keep the lid on for another 5 minutes.

    Photo of yellow biryani rice with chopped pumpkin, chickpeas and pumpkin seeds in a silver saucepan

    Substitutions you can make to this recipe:

    • you can use any type of oil: coconut oil, vegetable oil, rapeseed oil, olive oil
    • you can substitute the dried cranberries with raisins, dried sour cherries or chopped dates
    • you can substitute the pumpkin with butternut squash or sweet potato
    • you can substitute the chickpeas with white beans or black beans
    • you can add any vegetables you like: French (green) beans, green peas, spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower etc.

    How long does this Vegan Biryani keep for?

    This Biryani keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days. You can reheat it until piping hot in a dry frying pan with a lid, or in the microwave.

    How to serve this Vegan Biryani

    This Biryani is delicious by itself, but would also be delicious served with any of the following dishes:

    • Mango Daikon Radish Mint Salad
    • Papaya Mint Lime Salad
    • Tandoori Tofu
    • Potato Pea Curry

    More vegan rice recipes:

    • Portuguese Tomato Rice
    • Miso Brown Rice Soup
    • Pumpkin Chestnut Edamame Risotto
    • Yellow Turmeric Rice
    • Thai Green Curry Rice
    • Mushroom Risotto

    If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

    Photo of yellow biryani rice with chopped pumpkin, chickpeas and pumpkin seeds in a silver saucepan

    Vegan Chickpea Pumpkin Biryani (GF)

    This Vegan Chickpea Pumpkin Biryani is easy to make, super nutritious and full of flavour.
    4.42 from 12 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: chickpea biryani, pumpkin biryani, vegan biryani
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 553kcal
    Author: Rhian Williams

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or sub vegetable or rapeseed oil)
    • 1 onion , diced
    • 2 cloves of garlic , minced
    • 1 cm (½ inch) ginger , peeled and minced
    • 1 heaped teaspoon curry powder
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala
    • 300 g (1 ⅓ cup) uncooked Basmati rice (or any other long-grain white rice)
    • 400 g (14 oz) pumpkin , peeled, deseeded and cut into small cubes (or sub butternut squash or sweet potato)
    • 400 g (14 oz) tin of chickpeas , drained and rinsed
    • 3 tablespoons (3 tablespoons) dried cranberries (or sub dried sour cherries)
    • Handful (Handful) fresh coriander (cilantro) , roughly chopped
    • 1 vegetable stock cube (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
    • Salt + pepper to taste

    To serve:

    • Flaked almonds
    • Pumpkin seeds

    Instructions

    • Heat up the oil in a large pan
    • Fry the onion, garlic and ginger for around 10 minutes until softened
    • Add the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, paprika and garam masala and fry for a minute until fragrant
    • Add the rice and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently
    • Add the pumpkin, chickpeas, cranberries, coriander, stock cube (dissolved in a splash of hot water) and salt + pepper, along with 550ml (2 ⅓ cup) water
    • Bring to the boil and keeping a lid over it, turn down the heat and cook for about 15 minutes (until all the water has been dissolved by the rice and the pumpkin is soft)
    • Once cooked, turn off the heat and keep the lid on for another 5 minutes
    • Scatter over flaked almonds and pumpkin seeds, if desired

    Notes

    Make sure to use a measuring jug to measure the amount of water exactly - too much and the rice will be uncooked and hard, too much and it will be watery and soupy.
    If using a stock cube, make sure you've dissolved it completely in boiling hot water before adding it to the rice otherwise you'll end up with clumps of stock in your rice and the flavour won't be distributed evenly. You can alternatively use liquid stock.
    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Chickpea Pumpkin Biryani (GF)
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 553 Calories from Fat 63
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 7g11%
    Saturated Fat 3g15%
    Sodium 184mg8%
    Potassium 790mg23%
    Carbohydrates 107g36%
    Fiber 10g40%
    Sugar 16g18%
    Protein 15g30%
    Vitamin A 8785IU176%
    Vitamin C 12.8mg16%
    Calcium 105mg11%
    Iron 5.1mg28%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

    Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

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    Comments

    1. Christina

      November 07, 2017 at 1:54 pm

      5 stars
      Hi, I made this dish the other day and loved it so much. The only thing was that mine turned out a bit watery. Do you add the rice cooked or uncooked? Which exact rice do you use? Thank you so much!!

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 07, 2017 at 7:16 pm

        Hi Christina - thank you so much for your feedback, I'm so glad you liked it! I added the rice uncooked and I used white Basmati rice - what type did you use?

    2. Christina

      November 13, 2017 at 2:27 am

      5 stars
      I used brown basmati rice, but cooked already - that was the mistake. I will use uncooked white basmati rice next time.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 13, 2017 at 6:19 pm

        Ah okay, yes that would be better! 🙂 Hope it goes well!

    3. Lauren Lore

      February 15, 2018 at 10:43 pm

      Can you use quinoa instead of rice? And can you roast the vegetables to get more flavor from them?

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        February 16, 2018 at 8:36 pm

        Yes all those would work!

    4. Anna

      October 26, 2018 at 12:54 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        October 26, 2018 at 1:47 pm

        Thank you!

    5. DeLM

      November 04, 2018 at 11:41 am

      5 stars
      This was a huge winner in my household tonight! One pot, minimal chopping (just the pumpkin, onion and garlic), minimal measuring and made in record time. I served it with natural coconut yogurt, roasted cashews and pappadums. It is going to be a regular on our meal rotations! Thank you so much.

      Reply
      • Rhian Williams

        November 04, 2018 at 12:20 pm

        Aw thank you so much, so happy to hear that! The way you served it sounds amazing!

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    Photo of Rhian Williams from Rhian's Recipes

    Hi, I'm Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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