The Best Instant Pot Beef Plov Recipe (Rice Pilaf)

This instant pot beef plov recipe is not only easy to make, but also super flavorful and juicy. This takes half the time to make (thank you to the Instant Pot) and is a great meal to have for leftovers.

What is Plov?

Traditional plov is made with rice, meat, onions, carrots, garlic, and spices.

Plov is a popular dish in Uzbekistan with different variations stemming from Asia, Russia, Ukraine, and other parts of the Soviet Union. Of course, each country, and to be more specific, region, and grandma will have their version, claiming it to be the best version yet.

Plov is traditionally made in a cast iron pot with the meat on the bottom, vegetables on the meat and the rice as the top layer. The cast iron gives that texture and characteristic to the plov.

In this recipe, we will use the Instant Pot and still achieve that delicious flavor and texture, like the traditional version.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Easy To Make. If you are looking for a one-pot meal, this is your recipe! Beef plov is simple to make and mess-free. And even better, making it in the Instant Pot will speed up the process.

Family favorite. This beef rice pilaf will satisfy the entire crowd, from youngest to oldest. They even fight over the leftovers to pack for lunch the next day. Thankfully, I make a huge batch, so there will be enough for two meals.

Flavorful. With just a few key spices and the right ingredients, this beef plov bursts with flavor. You probably have the spices on hand already, so this will be a go-to recipe for sure.

Ingredients for Instant Pot Rice Beef Plov

There are a few key plov ingredients that will make it fluffy and not mushy, tender and not tough.

Rice. My preferred rice is Basmati or Jasmine. These two have the best flavor and texture to make this plov dish. Rice can be overcooked and you can prevent that by adding less water than you would when cooking plain white rice. I have the exact measurements on the recipe card.

Beef. My all-time favorite pilaf with meat is beef, in particular beef chuck roast. I love the flavor it gives the dish. I have made it with chicken thighs and pork shoulder meat as well. It is also super flavorful, but with a chicken or pork taste.

Spices and Veggies. Carrots, onions, fresh garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and extra virgin olive oil. These ingredients enhance and complement the flavor of the rice and meat. All measurements are below on the recipe card.

How to Make Instant Pot Beef Plov

The best way I can show you how to make beef plov using pictures.

I used a potato peeler to peel the carrots. I love how easy it makes to cleaning the carrots.

I also used this dicer to cut the carrots. It has multiple inserts and I used the larger one to make thicker strands of carrots.

I will forever sing praises about this Terra Delyssa extra virgin olive oil. It's great for higher heat and the flavor is phenomenal.

My favorite beef cut is the beef chuck roast for beef rice plov. It turns out tender every time. I have used this same recipe with pork shoulder and the tenderness of the meat turns out the same.

I like to peel my garlic before I put it in the Instant Pot.

Once the beef plov is ready, use a fork to fluff up the rice or transfer to another bowl. It is super soft and tender and you don't want to create a mush out of the rice by jabbing it with a spoon while it is hot.

How to Store Beef Plov

Beef rice plov can be stored in a container with a lid in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. I like to eat plov within 5 days.

I tried freezing this rice dish, but the texture wasn't the best after thawing, so I don't recommend it.

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