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Instant Pot Beef Rice Pilaf (Plov)

Instant Pot Beef Rice Pilaf or Plov is a hearty one-pot meal that’s easy to make and super delicious. The rice is well infused with the flavor of beef and spices and makes the best rice you will ever have!

Like a combination of beef and rice? Check out this Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls Casserole, so goood!

Spoonful of Beef and Rice Pilaf (Plov)

What is Plov?

Plov is originally an Uzbek type of pilaf made with rice, fried onions, carrots, meat and spices. Even though pilaf is Uzbek by origin, every Ukrainian or Russian household has their own variation of this type of Beef Rice. Below you’ll learn about the secrets to my family’s favorite version. I hope you enjoy it!

Easy One-Pot Meal Plov

This Instant Pot Beef Rice or as we call it Plov is my go-to meal when I am busy doing stuff around the house, but need dinner on the table.

You basically load the Instant Pot (which is a pressure cooker that speeds up cooking time) and let it do its thing. Then, add the rice and let it do its thing one more time before you open the lid and the whole house fills with the aroma of perfectly tender beef and rice.

It doesn’t hurt that this Beef Recipe is a One-Pot recipe, which means virtually no dishes. My kind of stuff, for sure!

Closeup of beef and rice pilaf with chunks of carrots and a sprinkle of parsley.

Can this Plov Recipe be doubled?

Make sure to double the recipe if you want some leftovers for next day lunch. The Plov reheats very well and some might say tastes even better the next day.

If doubling this plov recipe, double all ingredients except for water. Instead, decrease the amount of water/broth by 1/2 a cup per the double recipe.

Can I make the Beef Rice Pilaf (Plov) on a stove top?

  • Yes, this recipe works just as well on a stove top. The only difference would be in the time it would take to cook. Increase the time for cooking beef on medium-low heat to about 1.5 hours or until the beef chunks are tender.
  • Then, once the short grain white rice is added cook it for 20 minutes with the lid on, followed by turning off the heat and leaving it for 15 minutes before opening the lid and fluffing it with a fork.

Beef rice pilaf (plov) with a wooden spoon in an instant pot.

Substitute for White Rice 

  • Brown rice is a good replacement for white rice in this recipe. Use short-grain brown rice and add it at the beginning with the beef (cooking it for 45 min). In this case, you will add the halved garlic at the same time as well. Using brown rice is not only healthier but cuts the overall cooking time by almost 20 minutes since the rice cooks at the same time as the beef.
  • Buckwheat is the second alternative. Add it in place of white rice and follow the recipe as is written, except for replacing the white rice with buckwheat.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Plov

For my plov, I use round or pearl rice as it gives the best bite and flavor. You can use any other type of rice, but round is best.

To make the best rice pilaf you need to have a fatty type of meat like beef chuck. You can also use tri-tip or stew meat, but those tend to not be as tender and soft when cooked.

How to make Instant Pot Rice Pilaf

  • Saute the onion with oil until lightly golden, then add the carrots and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add cubed beef, spices, tomato sauce, and beef stock, stir and cook on “Manual” (High pressure) for 45 minutes.

Step by step photos from sautéing the onion to adding the stock over the meat.

  • When the alarm goes off, set the steam valve to “venting”; once the pot is depressurized open the lid and remove the bay leaf. Sprinkle the rinsed and drained rice over the top (do not stir) spreading it into an even layer.Then, push the garlic halves into the rice cut side down. Close the lid and set the valve to “sealing” and cook on “Manual” setting, “High” heat for 15 minutes. Next, leave it for another 15-20 minutes. This allows the rice to absorb the remaining moisture in.

Step by step photos from adding the rice to sticking the garlic head into the water.

  • Turn the steam valve to “venting” and once the pressure is down, open the lid, remove and squeeze the garlic back into the rice, sprinkle with parsley and gently fluff everything with a fork to evenly distribute the ingredients.

Finishing step by steps for making beef plov.

  • Serve the prepared Beef Rice Plov while hot.

Close up of a spoonful with Beef Rice Plov (rice, beef, carrots).

What to serve Plov with? How about these?

 

Instant Pot Beef Rice Pilaf (Beef Plov)

4.77 from 69 votes

A hearty meal of rice and beef all cooked in one pot at a fraction of the time. The rice is well infused with the flavor of beef and spices and makes the best rice you will ever have!

Author: Marina | Let the Baking Begin
Course: Entree, Side Dish
Cuisine: Russian
Keyword: beef rice, instant pot beef, instant pot rice
Calories: 530 kcal
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Ingredients for Instant Pot Beef Rice

Instant Pot Plov Seasoning Ingredients

Instructions

How to make Instant Pot Plov (One-Pot)

  1. Turn the Instant Pot to "Saute" function (30 min). When the display says "Hot" add 2 tbsp of oil and the 1 large diced onion and saute until lightly golden in color, about 5 minutes. Then add 2 cut up carrots, 1.5 lb of cubed beef and stir. 

  2. Next, add 1 tsp of ground pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp beef seasoning (if using), 2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, and 1 bay leaf and the 1.5 cups of beef stock. Stir. 

  3. Cover the Instant Pot with a lid, turn the steam valve to "sealing". Turn the pressure cooker to "Manual" and "High" heat for 45 minutes. Then once the time expires, cover the steam valve with a kitchen towel and turn it to "venting" to release pressure. Open the lid when the pressure is down.

  4. Remove the bay leaf.
    Sprinkle 1.5 cups of rice over the top (do not stir) and spread it evenly with a spoon (so all rice is covered with liquid). 

    Press halved garlic head, cut side into the rice. Cover with lid, turn the steam valve to "sealing". Turn the Instant pot to "Manual" on "High" heat and set the timer to 15 minutes.

  5. After the time expires turn the Instant Pot off and allow to depressurize naturally for 15-20 minutes (this step is important). 

    Next, turn the steam valve to "venting" and allow the rest of the steam to escape. Now open the lid, remove the garlic and squeeze it back into the rice (optional), add the parsley and gently fluff the rice with a fork for the ingredients to be evenly distributed. 

Recipe Notes

Substitute for short grain rice 

  • Use Jasmine or Basmati rice in place of short grain. This will typically give you fluffier rice. 
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Beef Rice Pilaf (Beef Plov)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 530 Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Cholesterol 80mg27%
Sodium 1273mg55%
Potassium 577mg16%
Carbohydrates 43g14%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 3575IU72%
Vitamin C 4.5mg5%
Calcium 57mg6%
Iron 3.2mg18%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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A hearty meal of rice and beef all cooked in one pot at a fraction of the time. The rice is well infused with the flavor of beef and spices and makes the best rice you will ever have!

Marina | Let the Baking Begin

Welcome to Let the Baking Begin! I'm Marina and my love and passion for eating only the most delicious foods drive me to share that love here on Let the Baking Begin (since 2009). With over 20 years of experience in the kitchen, you know the recipes are tested and retested until perfect. I'm so happy to have you here. Enjoy! Read more...

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  • Brianna

    How do I do this on the stovetop??

    · Reply
    • Cook the beef until tender on a low simmer, covered. Then, add the rice and other things that are added at the same time and cook for another 20-30 minutes until the rice is cooked and the water is evaporated. Add water (a little bit at a time) as needed to allow the rice and meat to cook.

      · Reply
  • Mandy

    If you wanted more veggies are there any you would recommend adding in also?

    · Reply
    • You can add peas, or broccoli if you’d like, but I’d blanch them and stir them in at the end. Adding them together would make them mushy.

      · Reply
  • Debbie Godwin

    Do you have instructions for a slow cooker instead of instant pot?

    · Reply
  • Hanna

    So what is the best kind of rice to use in this recipe ?

    · Reply
  • Hanna

    So what is the best kind of rice to use in this recipe?

    · Reply
  • Nicole

    Just to make sure… If I double the recipe I should use only 2 cups of broth instead of 3, correct?

    · Reply
  • Nicole

    Just to makwe sure… If I double the recipe I should use only 2 cups of broth instead of 3, correct?

    · Reply
  • Angelina

    Had to recook the rice twice. Wasn’t cooked.

    · Reply
  • Yvett

    Hello! I only have jasmine rice. Will that work?

    · Reply
  • Natasha

    Marina do I need to wash the short grain rice? This rice is also used for sushi therefore it’s extremely starchy. I’m not sure if this is necessary. I did wash it however it took me 8 washes to get the water to clear. I also noticed the rice started to fall apart on the bottom after the wash. I’m in the middle of cooking the meat at this point and everything tastes lovely (I’m cooking on stovetop) but I would hate for the rice to spoil the dish due to the extra washing.

    · Reply
    • Yes, the rice needs to be rinsed until the water runs clear. I also sometimes even soak it for 30 minutes before cooking, so I don’t think it’s the rinsing that made it break down.
      I’m not sure why your rice broke down after rinsing 🙁

      · Reply
  • Carley

    Hi there! I would like to try this recipe but only have long grain white rice. How would this effect the cook time? Thank you!

    · Reply
  • Madeleine

    So excited to make this! Around how long do you think this would last in a sealed container in the fridge?

    · Reply
  • daryl flederbach

    I will never make beef stew again after having this receipt. This is a keeper and was the best beef tips I ever made.

    · Reply
  • Paul Grant

    Edible,maybe. Mushy on the rice. Very flavorless. If this meal rates as a 4+ you have never had a good meal in your life. Google cooking for beginners if you enjoyed this.

    · Reply
    • Eileen

      If you think this meal is flavorless, you legitimately should take a COVID test…or perhaps you left the seasonings out.

      · Reply
  • Juliya Jazo

    I am using half of everything, including meat and using buckwheat….do I half the cooking time as well or keep it the same as listed?

    · Reply
  • Lena

    Marina,
    This recipe deserves a ten star review!!!
    Comes perfect every single time. My family always looks forward to when I make it!
    Thank you!!!

    · Reply
  • Tania

    Oh my goodness! This was such an amazing recipe! My husband said best plov ever,and it looked like and tasted like the authentic Uzbek plov that our parents make! Thank you so much for this quick and easy recipe!!

    · Reply
  • Jennilee

    This was excellent! I had 2 NY steaks I needed to use up, and this was the perfect recipe for them. I made a couple of minor changes: I didn’t have tomato sauce, so I added a half can of diced tomatoes; I used long grain Jasmine brown rice (took 10 minutes longer); and added a bell pepper during last 10 minutes. I was so pleasantly surprised at how wonderful this was! Make it – you won’t be disappointed .

    · Reply
  • Clementina

    I made this for the first time yesterday. I followed the directions exactly – using white Basamati rice. The only difference is that I used Penzey’s beef roast seasoning in place of Montreal Steak Seasoning. This came out absolutely perfect! So flavorful and the meat was tender. This will be a regular meal for us!

    · Reply
  • Jeff

    We made this with white rice and absolutely loved it. It had so much flavor I was curious if wild rice might work as a slightly healthier substitute? We’ve never cooked wild rice in the InstaPot so not sure how it would turn out and thought I would ask before experimenting. Either way, a definite keeper.

    · Reply
    • Hi Jeff,
      I haven’t tried it with wild rice, so can’t give you much advice. I know it works with brown rice, but it’s best to let it sit for about 1 hour after cooking it to prevent the rice from getting mushy (cook, let the pot de-pressurise, gently mix, then cover back with the lid and let sit for 1 hour).

      · Reply
  • Sadie

    This became a staple after the first time I made it. Now we have it about 1 time a month, and leftovers hold up so well in the fridge in a covered container. I like to add bell peppers, sometimes rotel. Its also really good with some guacamole or sour cream, or cheese mixed into a serving. It’s so fun to change up the recipe and this recipe by itself is so yummy!! After washing my rice I let it soak for 30 mins before putting it in as well. Thank you for this wonderful recipe and Montreal steak seasoning is my favorite seasoning too. We love to coat veggies in olive oil and Montreal seasoning and roast them in the oven.

    · Reply
  • Lindsay

    I half the recipe and it works fine in my 6qt if anyone is wondering! Perfect amount for two 🙂

    · Reply
  • Lisa JOHNSON

    Delicious 🙂 Modified to use already cooked beef and it came out delicious 🙂

    · Reply
  • Marina

    Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!!!

    · Reply
  • Cariann

    Can this be made in a Dutch Oven?

    · Reply
    • Yes, it can but it will require quiet an adjustment in the timing, which I haven’t tested so I can not advise you on that 🙁

      · Reply
  • Maya

    This is my favorite recipe! Absolutely delicious!

    · Reply
  • Maryam

    My favorite recipe, I make it once a week and always look forward to it. Thank you so much for sharing

    · Reply
  • Lisa

    I have made this for my family twice, and we all are crazy about it. My only challenge is that the rice doesn’t seem to be done, and I follow the directions exactly. Both times I’ve cooked for another 10 minutes, and it was fine.

    Any suggestions?

    · Reply
    • Hi Lisa, thank you so much for your feedback!
      Here are my thoughts – I haven’t had this problem with the different brands of rice that I’ve tried. But, if I had the problem of under cooked rice and the fix that you tried worked, I would add the rice 10 minutes earlier into the pot to avoid having to wait extra 10 minutes.
      If you do try this, I’d love to hear how it goes 🙂

      · Reply
  • Angie

    Hi, I followed the recipe and added the said amount of liquid but when I added the rice and set it to cook for the 15 said minutes, after a couple of minutes my insta pot said BURN and when I opened it up the bottom paste part of it was burned. I wonder where I could have gone wrong. I didn’t mix it before or after adding the rice. Thanks.

    · Reply
    • Hi Angie,
      Did you by any chance stir the meat with the rice? Sometimes when it’s stirred it can give you the burn notice. Also, some instant pots (the more expensive ones) seem to be more sensitive to less liquids and also will give burn notice when in fact it is not burning.

      Just make sure to sprinkle the rice over the meat when you add it and even it out, but don’t stir. Also, make sure that you’re adding the right kind of meat with the right amount of liquid.

      · Reply
  • Mo

    Fab recipe, thank you for sharing. When I cook this dish on stove top do I have to double the amount of stock or water?

    · Reply
    • Hi Mo,
      No, do not change the amount of water if cooking on a stovetop. Leave the ingredient quantities the same, just make sure not to open the lid too many times during the meat cooking time so that extra moisture doesn’t evaporate. Once you add the rice, you shouldn’t really open the lid either. Just add the rice, cover with lid and time it for 20 minutes before you open the lid again.

      · Reply
  • Danielle

    Fantastic recipe I am going to make it again. I wondered if not using tomato sauce and using water instead, can tomato puree be added? If so, how much? Thanks for this recipe

    · Reply
    • Danielle

      Forgot to mention. I used minced beef instead 🙂

      · Reply
    • Thank you so much Danielle for your feedback and the star rating!
      Sure, you can replace the tomato sauce with about 1-2 tablespoons of the tomato paste.

      · Reply
  • harper

    polao is one of the Afghanistan dish. it is very tasty. but your this recipe of the combination of beef in the polao will be much tasty. thanks marina for sharing this fabulous recipe.

    · Reply
  • SV

    Great recipe. I used it twice— once with beef and another time with cubed chicken breast meat. It was delicious both ways. The only change I made when cooking with chicken is reducing cooking time from 45 minutes to 20 minutes. I also salted the chicken for 15 minutes or so before adding it into the pot with carrots and onions

    · Reply
  • Anna Ossipova

    I ordered an instant pot JUST for this recipe and I am sooo I love with this version of plov! My mouth is drooling. Thank you so much for this recipe . How would lamb work?

    · Reply
  • Marina S

    Hi Marina,
    I think I have tried all the Instant Pot plov recipes out there and none of them were quite to my liking. I would like to thank you for posting your version – I have finally found the perfect recipe:)
    I do have one question though, I’m hoping you might be able to help me out. Other than the fact that I replaced short grain rice with jasmine, I followed your instructions to a tee, including allowing the plov to stand for 20 minutes after the timer went off. I like my plov to be completely cooked through while this time it had a bit of a crunch. My question is: what could I do to make the rice more tender? Would I add a little more water? Increase the cooking time? Both? I may have to experiment but thought I would ask you first:)
    This recipe gets ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ from me. I would give it a higher rating if I could – it’s that good!
    I hope to hear from you soon. Meanwhile you will find me in my kitchen, making your Choux Pastry Buttermilk Crepes!

    · Reply
  • Sherry Kocjancic

    Hello. I am Just making it now but if it’s wonderful would love to freeze some of it. Have you ever tried to freeze it.

    · Reply
    • Hi Sherry, freezing this beef rice works wonderfully. Just keep it in a tightly sealed container for up to a month for best results, then thaw in the fridge.

      · Reply
  • Elena

    I mean we all love some good plov!! Right ? While making this specific one , I read that you can sub with buckwheat or brown rice! While being on a strict diet, it totally made sense to try the buckwheat . Never had buckwheat in a “plov” style ! Guess what ? Kids loved it. We loved it ! Just printed the recipe for the books! So good and simple to make . I made it in a manual insta pot . (On the stove )
    Thank you Marina .

    · Reply
  • Dee

    Would it be the same if I mixed it cooked rice, once the stew is done?

    · Reply
    • It would probably come out mushier. Since the liquid that the meat produces when it cooks doesn’t get absorbed by the rice when cooking, so when you combine beef stew, essentially, and cooked rice it would probably come out closer to a beef and rice stew than pilaf. Does that make sense?

      · Reply
  • Adair

    Excited to try it! I have a 6 qt pressure cooker. Can I double the recipe? Do cook things need to be altered? Also, wondering if quinoa could be used? TIA

    · Reply
    • Hi Adair,
      I think doubling the batch would not fit properly in this size pressure cooker.

      I haven’t used quinoa, but totally think it would work.

      · Reply
  • Excellent!!! Didn’t have tomato sauce so used tomato paste and 1 can of beef broth. Used brown rice. Cooked it a little longer for the brown rice. Great recipe very flavorful will definitely cook again….thank you!!

    · Reply
  • Ky

    This recipe is awesome because it’s so simple! I am fairly new to instant pot cooking so the easier, the better for me (made the mistake of trying to make chili for my first recipe, yikes!). I like that I can throw in the brown rice in the beginning and cook everyone at once. I like that I don’t have to saute the meat because that’s just one extra step that adds a lot time. I like how few ingredients there are in this and it still has tons of flavor! The first time I made this, I followed the recipe, and it was great! Then recently, I used this recipe to improvise another rice and meat dish, using about 3lbs of pork. I was a little nervous about whether I was using the right amount of liquids (I added 2.5cups of broth) and magically, it turned out really good! Big fan of brown rice because it has more texture and it can be cooked longer without turning into mush. Anyways, great starter recipe and it’s been fun to modify things depending on whatever we have in our fridge or freezer!

    · Reply
    • Hi Ky! Thank you for sharing your feedback! I can hear the excitement in your voice through your comment and I love that! Hope you find other favorites from my blog!

      · Reply
  • KED

    This looks amazing, but I was wondering what you meant by “beef seasoning.” Are you referring to a specific blend, or …?

    · Reply
    • Hi KED,
      beef seasoning is any seasoning that you typically use for your beef recipes. I use Montreal Steak Seasoning, but it could totally be omitted and still taste good!

      · Reply
  • Emily

    I love this recipe and have made it twice. The ingredient list doesn’t include the bay leaf, garlic, or parsley.

    · Reply
  • Sarah

    This recipe looks wonderful. If I double it, would you recommend doubling all of the ingredients, or would some stay the same or be somewhere in the middle? And would you change the cooking time at all? Thanks very much

    · Reply
    • Hi Sarah,
      Thank you! I would double all ingredients except for the water. You can add 1/2 cup less water overall when you’re doubling the recipe. I wouldn’t change the cooking time. Let me know how it all goes!

      · Reply
  • Tracy

    Ok, honestly just got through add the rice stage but I can only imagine it’ll be wonderful based on the heavenly scent wafting through the house. I made your recipe for Korean carrots as well and I’m having a hard time keeping my fork out of it. I did double the Plov recipe. I’m so excited for dinner!!! Looking forward to seeing what else you have to offer.

    · Reply
  • Kiki

    Would another cut of meat be okay? I try to buy what’s on sale. Forgive me, I’m not all that experienced with cooking beef.

    · Reply
  • Christie

    This could be a good recipie. I followed the instructions exactly and it came out so peppery that we could not enjoy the dish. Next time o will cut the pepper in half.

    · Reply
    • Hi Christie,
      This dish should come out barely spicy or peppery, as I’m not one to handle spicy foods at all. If it was really peppery, I wonder if you confused tablespoons with teaspoons?

      · Reply
  • Sue Turner

    There appears to be ingredients missing. Garlic and parsley are on the list. How much parsley???

    · Reply
  • Julie

    What kind of rice did u use for this recipe?

    · Reply
  • Lisa Stevens

    Made this tonight. My husband and I loved it! Absolutely delicious! Definitely a repeat for us!

    · Reply
  • Helen Bennett

    This was my first Instant Pot dinner. It was amazing. My whole family loved it. The only problem I had was some ingredients that were not on the list but showed up in the directions. There was also a discrepancy in the amount of broth to use. Being my first time made that a huge problem. I will absolutely make this again!

    · Reply
    • Hi Helen,
      thank you for your feedback and the star rating! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
      And thank you for the heads up on the discrepancies, I have corrected those.

      Happy Holidays!

      · Reply
      • KIm

        I don’t see garlic listed on ingredients list but yet you talk about ‘pushing it in’ in description????

        · Reply
  • Sabrina

    Why do you cook this for so long? I cooked the onion and meat as stated in your recipe, added all the liquids and spices, added the rice, then cooked on manual for 10 minutes, let it depressurize naturally for 10 and then opened the valve. It was perfect and a lot shorter cook time.

    · Reply
    • Hi Sabrina,
      This timing is what works for the kind of rice I buy. When I cook the rice for less, there’s still too much moisture left in the rice so it tends to be mushy. But, if 10 minutes works better for you, than there’s definitely nothing wrong with that :D.

      Merry Christmas!

      · Reply
  • Jane Rafferty

    We all love it! I am always searching for a new recipe that my little dog will eat. She has end-stage heart disease and, as a result, has become very picky. Trying to get nutrition into her is heartbreaking and frustrating. I spotted this dish when I was looking for ways to use my new InstaPot and thought it might work. The only modification was to use Mrs Dash Onion & Herb seasoning in place of real onions (which are bad for dogs) brown rice for more nutrition and I didn’t use paprika as I didn’t have any. The resulting meal is so delicious that Widget had to share some with us. Honestly, I lifted the lid and the scent was so amazing that everyone wanted some Right Now! She was so crazy for it (and so were we) that it’s going to be my go-to recipe when she is refusing to eat.

    · Reply
    • Hi Jane! Thank you so much for your comment and the star rating!
      Sorry to hear about Widget 🙁 Sounds like she’s having a really hard time. Hope she feels better soon though!

      · Reply
  • Julia Frey

    I haven’t had plov in decades, not since my mom made it for me. I just got Instant Pot in the Black Friday sale, so I am so excited to try your recipe. Pinning! The photos look mouthwatering!

    · Reply
  • Elena Kolyesnykova

    Can I make this in slow cooker?

    · Reply
    • I haven’t tried this in the slow cooker, but if I had to guess on the timing, I would cook the beef on high for about 3-4 hours, then sprinkle the rice on top and cook for another hour? or until all the water is evaporated and the rice is nice and soft. I haven’t tried this though, so can’t tell you for sure.

      · Reply
  • Val

    This looks so delicious, I want to make it today but can I use jasmine rice instead?

    · Reply
  • Luba

    I can (Almost) smell it thru the screen 🙂 Will give it a try today!

    · Reply

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