Healthy and delicious spinach/palak pulao with little millet made in Instant Pot!

Are you looking for ways to incorporate millets into your everyday meals? Then start with this mild and delicious little millet palak corn pulao.

overhead shot of spinach rice served in a kadai stacked on plates with raita on the side

When I made my foxtail millet biryani in the open-pot method, I got a few requests for Instant Pot millet recipes. Every time I ask for a recipe request, half my requests are for Instant Pot recipes.

I try to balance, but sometimes it takes time to test millet recipes in Instant Pot. I have a few Instant Pot millet recipes like foxtail millet Pongal and kodo millet rice, but this is my first pulao recipe. And I tried with my go-to millet – saamai or the little millet.

Little Millet | Saamai:

Millets are small or tiny grains that belong to the grass family. In Tamil, we call them “siru dhaniyam,” meaning small or tiny grains. Like rice, millets are also gluten-free.

Even though millets are rich in carbs, they are packed with vitamins, fiber, protein, and other nutrients, making them quite popular.

There are different millets like foxtail millet, kodo millet, proso millet, barnyard millet, finger millet, little millet, and pearl millet. For this recipe, I went with little millet or saami, as we say in Tamil.

You can use other millets instead of little millet. I am sure rice preset should work for barnyard, proso, and kodo millet varieties. As always, start with a lower cooking time and adjust the timings depending upon the millet’s doneness.

I tested this recipe with little millet in my 6-quart DUO Instant Pot.

Instant Pot millet pulav cook time:

Rice preset worked well for little millet as well. You can also try cooking for 3 to 4 minutes at high-pressure mode and release the pressure after 10 minutes.

instant pot millet palak pulao served in kadai bowl stacked on trays with raita on the side

Like rice, each and every variety and brand of millet is different. This timing and water worked for me, and we loved this texture.

The way millets are polished plays a significant role. So check the brand and go with a lower time setting and adjust accordingly. I used 1.25 cups of liquid for 1 cup of millet. For the stove-top and open-pot method, I go for 1.5 cups of liquid for 1 cup of water. But for IP, I reduced it further. If you like mushy texture, increase the water and the timing.

Serving Suggestions

You can relish millet pulao with a simple raita or mushroom gravy or soy chunks salna or paneer gravies like a matar paneer or paneer butter masala.

I served the pulao with onion raita.

How to make millet palak pulao in Instant Pot

Now without any further ado, let me share how to make this millet pulav/pulao in Instant Pot.

Blanch and puree the spinach:

Clean the spinach and place it in a bowl along with green chilies. Add 2 to 3 cups of hot water to the spinach and cover the bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes. Make sure you add sufficient hot water so that the spinach leaves are completely immersed in the water.

After 10 minutes, drain the water and puree the spinach and green chilies without adding any water. Set it aside.

Wash and soak the millet:

Wash the little millet until the water becomes clear, and you can see the millet through the water. Soak the millet in water for 30 minutes and drain the water.

Prepare the millet palak pulao in Instant Pot:

Set the Instant Pot in saute mode, and when it is hot, add the oil. Meanwhile, crush the cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom roughly. Now add the fennel seeds, bay leaf, crushed cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves and saute for 30 seconds.

Next, add the onions and saute the onion for 5 minutes.

Now add the spinach-green chili puree, red chili powder, and salt. Mix well.

adding the spinach puree and red chili powder

Add the millet, frozen corn, and coconut milk.

Mix gently. Press the cancel button, close the Instant Pot lid and make sure the vent is in the sealing position.

Press the “Rice” preset button and when the cooking is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally.

Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and allow the pulav to cool for 5 minutes. Then fluff it up with a fork or spatula.

Serve it hot with your favorite curry or raita.

Recipe Notes & Other Variations:

For this pulao, you can use up to 100grams of spinach. If you add more spinach, the pulao will have a vibrant green color and bold spinach flavor. My version has subtle flavors, so adjust accordingly.
Like rice, every variety and brand of millet is different. This timing and water worked for me, and we loved this texture. Adjust the timing accordingly. You can try cooking for 3 to 4 minutes in high-pressure mode and release the pressure after 10 minutes.
You can also make this in the open pot method. Please refer to my foxtail millet biryani post. If you are using the open-pot method, use 1.5 cups of liquid for 1 cup of millet. The same measure goes for the pressure cooker also. In the case of a stove-top pressure cooker, cook for two whistles.
You can add a little cilantro for different flavors along with spinach, but I did not add any.
The red chili powder is optional and as always, adjust the spices and salt as per your preference.
I used the round cinnamon stick for this recipe. You can use up to 3-inch cinnamon bark.
If you looking for pulao recipe with rice, check out my Instant Pot vegetable pulao.

Other delicious millet recipes from the blog

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Little Millet Palak Corn Pulao | Instant Pot Spinach Pulao with Millet

Little Millet | Saamai: