Beef Keema Rice (Ground Beef Biriyani)

My version of beef keema rice (also known as ground beef biriyani) whips up quickly and packs in the flavor. This spiced beef and rice dish is total comfort food. Serve it with cucumber salad for a complete dinner your whole family will love!

Growing up in an Indian-American home, nothing was more comforting than a lamb biriyani. My mom would spend hours braising the lamb, layering oily rice and fried onions, and slow cooking everything together. It took a lot of effort and was full of oil and butter and ghee. Definitely a celebration meal, but one that I wished we could have more often. My modern take uses ground beef instead of lamb chunks, and a LOT less oil. You’ll love this beef keema rice for the delicious flavor and fluffy rice, and it’s simple enough to add in to a weeknight rotation.

Why You’ll Love This Ground Beef Biriyani

Cooks quickly. A traditional biriyani takes hours to prepare. We use ground beef instead of chunks of beef that take a long time to braise.

Perfect for meal prep. Beef keema rice portions out easily and comforts your soul. We love these containers for meal prep.

Lower calorie dish. By swapping a lean ground beef for fattier cuts and par-cooking the rice instead of sautéing it in full fat, we save loads of calories. But trust me, the flavor is ALL there.

Beef Keema Rice Ingredients

Basmati Rice: You’ll want to make sure you’re using basmati rice or other long grain rice for this recipe, as this cooks differently than other types of rice.

Spices: We’ll be seasoning our Keema rice with salt, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, coriander powder, and Kashmiri red chili powder. This is a mild bright red chili powder that can be found in International markets or online. This is NOT the same as chili powder or cayenne chili. If you don’t have Kashmiri red chili powder, you can substitute 1/4 tsp of cayenne instead as it is MUCH spicier.

Vegetables/Aromatics: We’ll be using ginger, garlic, onion, green chili (jalapeño or serrano), cilantro, peas and tomato paste.

Lean Ground Beef: You’ll want to use lean ground beef for this recipe so there isn’t any grease to drain.

How to Make Ground Beef Biriyani

Start by rinsing your basmati rice until the water runs clear. Add rice to a small pot and cover with water. Boil and cook until rice is al dente, about 8 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when you can bite through a grain of rice, but it’s still a bit chewy.

While the rice is cooking, place a heavy skillet over a medium heat and in oil, sliced onions, salt and turmeric. Fry until the onions golden brown. You’ll want to stir it occasionally so the onions don’t stick, but not too often so they get a chance to caramelize. Once done, you’ll want to remove HALF of the onions from the pan so use as a garnish later for the beef keema rice.

To the remaining onion in the pot, add in garlic, ginger and jalapeños. Cook for two minutes until fragrant. Next, add in the tomato paste and mix well.

Then, we’ll add in the lean ground beef. You’ll want to ensure it’s lean so there isn’t any fat to drain off. Sprinkle the spices over the raw beef and cook while crumbling with a wooden spoon until beef is browned. Add in 1 cup of water and the frozen peas. Use your wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits.

Add in your cooked rice and chopped cilantro and stir well to combine. I recommend tasting and adjusting salt if needed.

Sprinkle the reserved fried onions and additional cilantro over the rice, cover with lid and turn heat down to LOW. Cook for 5 minutes. Rice will be soft and fluffy!

If you loved this beef keema rice and want another simple recipe, check out my chicken Manchurian meatballs!