Indian Lamb Biryani is a casserole of tender lamb curry and fragrant saffron rice, two outstanding dishes combined into one - perfect for a family gathering or a dinner party. Serve with cooling cucumber raita to complement biryani's warm curry flavors.

Biryani is a crown jewel of Indian cuisine - a heavenly one-pot rice dish with layers of meat, fish, chicken or vegetables, amazing spices and irresistible curry flavors.
When my husband and I lived in London for two years, we had a great local Indian restaurant to satisfy our Biryani cravings but ultimately I wanted (needed!) to learn how to master this masterpiece of a dish at home.
Developing this Indian Lamb Biryani recipe was a labor of love. It took a lot of research and experimentation to get it just right and it's one of my proudest achievements as a recipe developer. I can't wait for you to try it!
Journey To The Perfect Homemade Biryani:
It all started when I was invited by a friend to take a cooking class and I got to choose the dish we cooked. I picked biryani. We learned to make a quick biryani with boneless chicken and precooked rice. It was fun to prepare, very tasty, and left me hungry for more.
I came home and pulled every international cookbook and Indian cookbook off my shelves... I scoured the internet....and the cooking began. My (poor? lucky?) family had biryani for dinner three nights in a row.
This dish is definitely not in the "quick and easy" genre of recipes, but it's SO worth the effort.

While there are several steps to achieving an excellent biryani, this recipe is carefully crafted with easy to follow, step by step instructions so that any level of cook can create restaurant-style Biryani at home. Plus we have a new video in the recipe card below, so you can also watch how to make it.
Here's what I love about this Lamb Biryani Recipe:
- Magnificent Spices - it's a joy to prepare this dish, building the layers of flavor using both ground and whole spices. From ground paprika, turmeric and garam masala to whole cinnamon sticks, saffron threads and cardamom pods, when you cook with all of these beautiful spices, it's easy to see why this dish is so incredibly flavorful.
- Heavenly aromas - Throughout the cooking process, the house fills up with the most incredible aromas, a teaser for the deliciousness to come.
- Foolproof perfection: This lamb biryani recipe uses the "Pakki" or "cooked" method, which offers exceptional control over the final dish. You will pre-cook the fragrant saffron rice and flavorful lamb curry separately, ensuring each element reaches perfect texture and doneness before you layer the two together for baking. This method is ideal for both novice and experienced cooks, as it minimizes the risk of undercooked rice or overcooked meat.
- Great for dinner parties - An exquisite, elegant meal in one pot that you can prepare ahead of time.
How to make Indian Lamb Biryani
Follow these 5 simple steps for the perfect lamb biryani, with fall-apart tender lamb in rich flavorful tomato curry with fluffy saffron rice.
Step 1 - Marinate the Lamb: roughly chop fresh ginger and garlic and then puree it in a food processor. Toss the cubes of lamb with ginger-garlic paste and marinate in the fridge for at least a half hour and up to twenty-four hours.


Step 2 - (While the lamb is marinating) Rinse and Soak the Rice. Put rice into a fine mesh colander and immerse the colander in a bowl of water. Swish the rice around to release excess starch and then lift the colander and pour off the cloudy water. Repeat this process several times and then cover the rice with water and leave it to soak for an hour, to soften.
Rinsing and soaking the rice are both important steps for perfect biryani. Rinsing removes excess starch, preventing the rice from becoming sticky and clumping together. Soaking softens the grains, ensuring they cook evenly, and avoids any unwanted hard bits in your final dish.

Step 3 - (While the rice is soaking) Make the Lamb Curry: Sauté onions until tender and caramelized. Add them to a large heavy pot or Dutch oven. Next sauté the marinated lamb until it's browned on all sides and then add it to the pot with the onions.


Heat tomato sauce and spices in the same pan you used to brown the lamb, stirring to release any stuck browned bits of meat into the sauce. Pour the sauce into the pot with the lamb and onions, and simmer until tender, about 35 minutes.


Step 4 - While the lamb curry is simmering, Prepare the Saffron Rice. Measure out the saffron and gather the whole spices together in a small bowl.


In a saucepan, toast the whole spices in ghee or butter - cumin seeds, cardamom pods, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks - until fragrant.
Add the saffron threads, rice and water. Simmer the rice, uncovered, for just a few minutes, to par-cook it.


Step 5 - Layer and bake. Start by spreading half the lamb curry in the bottom of a casserole pan. Add a half of the par-cooked rice on top. Repeat the two layers. Then cover the casserole with heavy foil and bake.


Saffron in Biryani
Biryani has a long list of wonderful spices but one ingredient truly elevates it to new heights is saffron.
Saffron is an aromatic spice that consists of the delicate stigmas of a saffron crocus flower. It's a very popular spice in Indian cuisine and a key component of Indian lamb biryani.
In this dish, saffron gives the rice its beautiful yellow-orange color and infuses it with that unique and exotic flavor that words can't describe. Some say it tastes like a combination of honey and straw, but I don't think that description does it justice.
Saffron is one of the world's most expensive spices but luckily it only takes a little bit to flavor a whole lamb biryani.

This lamb biryani recipe is packed with deep and exciting flavors and a good amount of heat. It's definitely dinner-party worthy!
What to serve with biryani
Raita is the traditional accompaniment for biryani. Cooling, creamy, cucumber-mint raita is the perfect complement the richness and heat of this dish. Your palate will thank you!

If you enjoy cooking Indian food at home, here are a few other great recipes to try:
- Chicken Ruby
- Indian Chicken Biryani
- Saag Aloo: Indian Spinach and Potatoes
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- White Chicken Korma
If you try this Indian lamb biryani recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!
PrintRecipe

Indian Lamb Biryani Recipe
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Adapted from many sources but mostly from 600 Curries by Raghavan Lyer
A sumptuous casserole of tender lamb curry with saffron spiced rice with cucumber-mint raita on the side. (See the video below)
Ingredients
- 1 batch Cucumber Raita (can be made 3 hours ahead and chilled)
LAMB MARINADE:
- 5 tablespoons roughly chopped ginger root (5-inch by 2-inch piece or so)
- 3 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic (6-7 large garlic cloves)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- A few grinds of fresh ground black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, fat trimmed off, cut into 1-inch cubes
RICE:
- 2 cups basmati rice (Indian is best)
LAMB CURRY:
- 2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
- ¼ to ¾ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you like it)
- 1 tablespoon paprika (sweet, not hot)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium red or yellow onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
SAFFRON RICE:
- 2 tablespoons ghee or butter
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon (heaping) saffron threads (about 1 gram or .04 ounces)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Make 1 batch Cucumber Raita per this recipe
MARINATE LAMB:
- Pulse ginger and garlic in a food processor a couple of times. Scrape down the sides. Add 3-4 tablespoons water and pulse until you get a paste, scraping down sides as needed. (If you do this in your blender, add the water right away - expect lots of scraping down the sides).
- Marinate lamb - toss lamb, garlic-ginger paste, salt and pepper in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour or so (more is fine).
RINSE AND SOAK RICE:
- Put rice in a fine mesh colander and put the colander into a large bowl. Cover rice with cold water. Swish rice around for a few seconds, lift the colander and pour off the cloudy water. Repeat 3 or 4 times, until the water is fairly clear.
- Cover rice with cold water by 2 inches and leave for an hour, to soften, then drain.
MAKE THE LAMB CURRY:
- While the lamb is marinating and the rice is soaking, combine tomato sauce, cayenne, paprika, salt, turmeric and garam masala in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat in a large heavy Dutch oven or other oven-ready pot with a cover. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoons oil to the pot and turn the heat to medium-high. Add half the lamb with its garlic-ginger coating and cook for 5 minutes or so, tossing occasionally, until the pieces are browned on all sides. Transfer browned lamb to the plate with the onions. Brown the rest of the lamb, adding more oil, if necessary. Return the reserved lamb and the onions to the pot. Pour in the sauce mixture and stir, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release the stuck browned bits of lamb into the sauce. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the lamb is tender. Remove from heat.
MAKE THE SAFFRON RICE:
- Make the saffron rice while lamb curry is simmering - Heat 2 tablespoons ghee or butter in a medium sized saucepan. Add spices: cumin seeds, cardamom pods, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks. Cook until they sizzle and you can smell the cumin toasting, about 30 seconds. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, 3-4 minutes, until starting to brown. Add saffron by rubbing it between your fingers and letting the bits fall into the pot. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds, until the saffron releases its color and aroma.
- Add drained rice and toss to coat. Pour in 2 cups cold water and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook 5-6 minutes, uncovered, until all the water has evaporated. Remove from heat. Rice will be partially cooked.
ASSEMBLE BIRYANI AND BAKE:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Spread half the lamb curry in the bottom of a medium-sized casserole dish. Cover with half the rice. Repeat the layers. Cover with the lid or with a double layer of foil. Bake for 35-40 minutes until heated through.
- Serve Biryani with cucumber raita and note that the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods are not meant to be eaten. Remove them or tell people to be on the lookout for them.
Notes
- Using a separate pot for sautéing: This recipe calls for cooking the lamb curry in the same pot used to sauté the lamb and onions while the video below demonstrates using a separate cast iron skillet for the sautéing step. I've used both methods with great success. The one pot method minimizes cleanup. The skillet, with its shallower sides, offers slightly better browning of the meat, since less steam is trapped. Choose the method that best suits your preference.
- If you want to prepare this biryani ahead of time, you can assemble the casserole up to a day in advance. Keep it in the fridge, tightly covered, and either bring it to room temperature before baking or add 5-10 minutes onto the baking time.
- Covering the casserole with pastry: Traditional Indian lamb biryani uses a sheet of pastry to cover the casserole pan. If you would like to use this method, you'll need to thaw a sheet of frozen puff pastry and roll it out on a floured surface until it's two inches wider and longer than your casserole. Drape it over the casserole and press it securely around the outside edges, making sure it's well-sealed. Bake, as per the directions above. When you serve the biryani you can add a bit of the pastry to each plate.
- Nutrition Disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator however our nutrition information should only be used as an approximation.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main Course - Dinner
- Method: stove top, oven
- Cuisine: Indian
This recipe was first published on Panning The Globe on October 3, 2014. The recipe and post have been refreshed and updated with more pertinent information and new photos. The recipe has been improved with clearer directions and a recipe video has been added so you can watch how to make this.
Jyoti Punjabi
Over the weekend, I spent about half an hour on the internet looking for a quick and easy lamb biryani recipe and I stumbled upon yours! What a hit it was with the entire family! The rice was so fragrant and the lamb was so tender and flavourful! And by the way, I am Indian - I've spent my life eating biryani and this one is second to none! 🙂
Lisa
You've made my day with your note. I'm thrilled to know that you and your family enjoyed the biryani. It's a favorite in my family too. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment.
Ana
The best Indian dish! We made lamb and chicken versions. Both amazing!
Thank you
Lisa
Wow that you made both! I'm very happy to hear that and especially that you enjoyed them both. Thanks for your note Ana.
Suz
This recipe looks absolutely amazing! I’m considering to make this for a dinner party, but I do have a question. Do you think I’ll be able to make the lamb and curry sauce a day before? And then on the day of the party just make the rice and put the lamb curry and rice together and pop it in the oven?
Lisa
Yes, you can absolutely make the lamb and curry sauce the day before! That's a great idea. You'll have most of the hard work behind you and on the day of your party you can just make the rice and layer everything into a casserole and pop it in the oven. Enjoy!!
Max
Dear Lisa,
I hope you can help me out. I want to make your dish but I don't have an oven. Is it possible to bake everything in a pan for 30 minutes instead of an oven? Is that a good solution? Please help me out!
Greetings
Lisa
Hi Max. I'm sure there is a way. I would suggest that you layer the biryani into a heavy pot with a lid, preferably enameled cast iron like a Dutch oven. You want something that's can heat up and keep a lot of heat in so the entire contents cook evenly and the bottom doesn't burn. Cover the pot tightly and cook it on low heat for 40 minutes or so. Let me know how it turns out!
Joel S
Loved making this and the outcome was perfect - everyone loved it (even had a guest who spent time in India who raved)
Yes - not simple, but directions were spot on and very easy to follow - I liked how multiple things were done in parallel, but were not rushed.
I used less saffron (my poor measuring) - so my rendition lost some of the gorgeous yellow that your photo has - but the flavor was ideal.
100% making this again! (i think I say that about almost everything I make from PTG)
Happy New Year!
Lisa
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the cooking part as well as the final dish Joel. I feel the same way about this recipe. It's one of my family's favorites and though it takes time to cook, I love the process too. 🙂 Thanks for this note - I appreciate it so much. Happy New Year!
Max
Dear Lisa!
I have on problem, I can't cook it in the oven.... Do you have a solution? Can I, instead of baking it in the oven, for exmaple bake it in a nice big pan? For 30 minutes? That's my only possibility, I don't have an oven....
Julio Treviño
I'm going to try this recipe. I just made Chicken Biryani but with a different technique (cooking the rise on a pot) and I want to try to do Lamb Biryani (my favorite Indian dish) since lamb it's more expensive on my country I want to try it with chicken first (Do you have you chicken biryani recipe?). When I do it I'm going to post another message here with my review hehehe.
Lisa
I don't have a chicken biryani recipe on Panning The Globe yet. Maybe some time soon. I hope you enjoy the lamb biryani. I look forward to hearing back from you!
Shel
It's in the oven right now and I can hardly wait. My house smells amazing. I really appreciate your step by step directions. Made this very fun to put together. I'll let you know what it tastes like soon. Thanks for the recipe!!
Lisa
I'm so glad you enjoyed the cooking process. 🙂 I hope you love the biriyani as much as I do. Let me know!
Matt
Recipe look great. Going to try this tonight. Just one question. The two cans of 'tomato sauce'...I'm assuming this to mean cans of chopped tomatoes in sauce? Thanks 🙂
Lisa
Tomato sauce is smooth sauce in a can. It doesn't have any chopped tomatoes in it. It's usually easy to find at grocery stores. I hope you enjoy the Biryani!
Linda Aiken
This was fabulous. It took a while to prepare but the resulting dish was showstopping! Thank you!
Lisa
Yay! I'm thrilled to hear it 🙂
Lorraine Donaldson
I made this tonight for our dinner and it was gorgeous!!! It took me about 2 hours to prepare (incl the washing up) but was a really enjoyable recipe to make. I didn't put it straight into the oven as I'd prepared it early but covered it in the foil and then just put it in the oven when we were ready. This worked a treat so could easily be made for a party ahead of time. We all agreed it was fab. We don't like our curries too hot so I only put 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper in and it was perfect - enough kick that it tasted like curry. Thanks, I'll definitely be making it again.
Andrew
Hi, is it is possible to make this with leftover roast leg of lamb? Or does the lamb need to be cooked raw after marinating? Thanks!!
Lisa
Hi Andrew, I looked back over the recipe to see if I could figure out how to suggest adapting it with cooked lamb. If your leg of lamb is really rare, you could still marinate it per the recipe, and brown it briefly and then proceed with the recipe as is. I think that would work well. If the lamb is cooked medium or well, don't bother marinating it. Make the spice paste for the marinade and then where it says "BROWN THE LAMB," - instead, brown the spice paste a bit, just to bring out some good flavor. Add your cut up leg of lamb, and the sauce and follow the directions from there. I hope that works! I think it will. Let me know.
Zainab harb
You didn't specify adding water to the sauce which the lamb simmers in and eventually is layered with the rice. How much water should we add to the sauce which will eventually soften the rice? I am cooking it now and the fragrances are amazing. Lovely recipe. Thanx
Lisa
Look at the part of the recipe that says "precook the rice." You add 2 cups of water and cook the rice partially. Then you layer the partially cooked rice with the lamb curry and tightly cover the casserole and bake it. The moisture of the curry sauce and the heat of the oven will cook the rice the rest of the way. I hope your biryani turned out well for you! Lisa
Ak
I tried this recipe I loved the flavours. It tasted just like briyani i remember from back home Durban, South Africa. I over cooked the rice thou ????. Overall my friends & I loved it will be making it again.
Evu
Just made this today. Its so delicious! I made it with lamb shank, cooking it with pressure cooker in the curry sauce for about 1 hour (until the meat fall apart). Pulled the meat out, mix in sauce before putting in oven with the rest of the ingredients. Perfect recipe! Thank you, I really enjoy it.
E
Just made this today. Its so delicious! I made it with lamb shank, cooking it with pressure cooker in the curry sauce for about 1 hour (until the meat fall apart). Pulled the meat out, mix in sauce before putting in oven with the rest of the ingredients. Perfect recipe! Thank you, I really enjoy it.
Melat
I made this dish for a dinner party and it came out absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it! It had a balance of flavors and the lamb was tender. Definitely keeping this on my recipe list.