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Instant Pot Aloo Gobi – Curried Potato Cauliflower. 1 Pot Aloo Gobhi. Gobi Aloo Masala. Vegan Gluten-free Soy-free Nut-free Recipe. Instant Pot Pressure Cooker or Skillet.
Aloo Gobi or Gobi Aloo – Spiced Potato and Cauliflower is a favorite side with Indian meals. A simple Spiced Vegetable stir fry that is often served with Dals or curries. My mom’s version is cooked in a skillet over low medium heat until the cauliflower is just about cooked, often with just toasty whole cumin seeds to add the flavor and bit of ginger and garlic.
This version has a tomato onion sauce and is made in the Instant Pot. It takes roughly the same amount of time as on stove top as the IP takes about 8 to 10 minutes to come to pressure. IP works as you can schedule the cooking for later. Cauliflower tends to cook quickly and over cook under pressure, so be careful with the times. I usually cook the potatoes for a few minutes on saute before adding the cauliflower and bringing it to pressure. The extra time allows for the sauce to thicken slightly as well as for the potatoes to start cooking before the cauliflower. If you add them at the same time, the potatoes can tend to be a bit too al dente. 1-2 minutes under pressure for large cauliflower florets is time enough. For a restaurant style aloo gobi, toast some cumin seeds in olive oil or vegan butter and garnish, a good sprinkle of garam masala as well.
Also see skillet instructions in the Recipe notes. My Mom’s Gobi Aloo Matar here which is a dryer side with just spices. Lets make this Spiced Potato Cauliflower Curry.
This is the basic recipe for aloo gobi. I usually prefer to toast cumin seeds at step 1 before adding the blended mixture. Any whole spice toasted adds a deeper flavor profile. Try some coriander seeds, panch phoron blend, nigella seeds or mustard seeds for variation. Berbere instead of garam masala (its so good with berbere!) or some dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) also work wonders for the flavor!
There are many memories associated with aloo gobi. It is a staple side served at most events, at weddings, at festival potlucks. For the special occasions, it is cooked in a heavy bottom vessel, with copious amounts of oil used so that veggies dont stick and burn.
This version can be made without any oil as there is enough liquid in the recipe. There are recipes that benefit from stove top cooking for small serve amounts and Aloo Gobi is one of them. I personally make this in IP for a larger quantity for entertaining and the skillet version for everyday meal (which is usually half the recipe).
I usually add cayenne and garam masala as garnish. The flavors can tend to dilute a bit while pressure cooking.
Whats you favorite spice combination for aloo gobi? This a versatile recipe with various spices or veggies to use. If you make it, let me know in the comments how it turned out!
Video:
Instant Pot Aloo Gobi - Curried Potato Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1/2 small onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 6 to 7 cloves of garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 1/2 hot green chile
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 to 1 tsp garam masala
- 3/4 to 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 medium potatoes, cubed small
- 1 small cauliflower, chopped into large florets
- cayenne/pepper flakes, garam masala, cilantro and lemon for garnish
Instructions
- Blend the onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, green chile until smooth.
- Put the Instant Pot on saute mode. When hot, add oil. (* At this point you can add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and cook until they darken slightly.) Add the onion tomato puree to the pot. Rinse the blender using 1-2 tbsp of water and add to the pot.
- Add the spices and potato and mix well. Cover with a glass lid that fits the pot and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower and mix in well. Close the Pot lid to sealing. Select Manual 2 minutes for low pressure(preferred) Or 0 minutes on high pressure. (0 mins or half whistle with Stove top pressure cooker).
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Instant Pot recipes from the blog
Lentil Veggie Dhansak – Lentil Veggie Stew in IP. GF
Chana Saag – Chickpea Spinach Curry. GF
Kohlapuri Veggies – Veggies in sesame coconut sauce GF
Aloo Palak Dal- Potato Spinach Lentils in IP. GF
Still haven’t made it yet… please add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds to initial ingredients… mentioned in recipe for serving 4 (in addition to cumin powder???) Thanks … Love your recipes
Thanks will do
Love this recipe. Already made it a few times. Really quick and easy to put together.
yay!
Forgot to mention that I think cumin seed was not in the ingredients list.
thanks June
I made this tonight in the Instant Pot and I think it’s one of the most amazing dishes I’ve ever had. The spices were perfect, and I did use a little sesame oil in the beginning, and I did have to add some water to it. It was so easy in the Instant Pot. We are three people and we devoured it. Next time I’d double it for three. I think I might also add a couple more tomatoes. I made the lemon juice/cilantro/spice mix on top, and that is fantastic. Everyone loved it. Thank you.
yummy!! that’s great
I made this tonight and it came out ok, but definitely seemed to be missing something. Even did toasted the cumin seeds in the sauce and lemon at the end. I second the person that mentioned sauce being a bit bitter. I almost think the garlic/onion didn’t cook enough in 5 min to mellow. As far as what was missing, I checked a few other recipes around the web including your non IP aloo gobi and they all seemed to have ground coriander which isn’t in the spice list here. Is that a typo? I did add some ground coriander to the remainder and that seems to help a bit.
Aloo ghobi almost always seems more yellow (turmeric and/or curry?) and less tomato based when I have it at a restaurant, Maybe this is a different version?
I doubled this recipe. I was surprised that there was a strong bitter taste in the sauce. Where does the bitter come from? Did I add too much ginger (~2″)? Too much garlic (~12 cloves)? Is it coming from my garam masala spice blend (2 tsp.)?
I have had this bitter problem with Indian dishes in the past and I think maybe it’s the amount of fresh ginger that I use. What do you think? I had to add some honey to this dish to make it a bit more palatable. And, let me just say that I’ve been eating and making Indian food for 25 years, so I’m not new to the taste of exotic spices.
Thanks!!
It’s probably the garam masala. Ginger might add some too depending on the type. Fresh juicy ginger is usually more astringent flavor, older ginger Flavor can be interpretted as bitter in large amounts. What garam masala do you use?
I use Simply Organic garam masala. I used a fairly old somewhat dried out piece of ginger (had been in my fridge for a couple of weeks). I also thought that maybe it was the turmeric? Maybe 1 heaping tsp. of ground turmeric (Simply Organic brand) was too much for a doubled recipe?
Thanks!!
It’s prob all of the above. I haven’t tried the simply organic garam masala, but if it has a lot more cardamom and cinnamon compared to coriander and cumin, Which is what non-Indian brands usually do, that along with turmeric which also has a bitter after profile, will add that flavor to the dish.
I suspect these two, if you’ve had the flavor in other dishes as you mention. Use a lesser amount. You can also make your own gram masala I have a quick garam masala recipe on the blog which is much more balanced flavor wise for indian food
Home run! Left the oil out, cooked the potatoes a bit longer, love it love it love it. Added a bit more water and spices because I prefer a little bit more sauciness. Thank you for sharing your Genius!
Hi Richa,
I have always liked this dish , in the past I have made this dish more Bengali style with just the gobi & aloo. Tried your recipe in the instant pot and had some questions for you:
1. The paste / sauce of onion, tomatoes, green chilli and ginger garlic, in spite of sauteing with the potatoes and spices I could still feel the raw onion taste. Is there something that I am missing ?
2. The “0” mins on high pressure is not working for me, am trying to do 2 mins and NPR. I guess it is more to do with the type of potatoes , cauliflower. Is that a fair assumption ?
Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Regards,
Kartik
Hi Kartik thanks. I suggest sauteing the paste before adding the potatoes for a couple of minutes. NPR ? did the potatoes and cauliflower turn out undercooked or are you having an issue with the pressure settings?
I will try the approach again.
The potatoes and cauliflower turned out under cooked, when I cooked them again at “0” high pressure, they turned out mushy. The long and short of it was that I had to plan an alternative on that day. Will try the dish again, and hope it turns out better. Thank you for responding. Kartik
Ahhhhh-mazing!!! I never thought that I could top restaurant aloo gobi, but since it is one of my absolute favorites it was worth a try… you nailed it! Thank you!! I’ve been using my IP, but since reading the comments I think I will try the skillet version next time (I’ve made 3 or 4 times in the IP).
I double the recipe and I’m super lazy, so I use a can of tomatoes (drained). I also use the cumin seed at the beginning and fresh turmeric (I blend with the other blendables). My family loves it! I alternate between serving with rice and garlic naan (based on time), but it stands on its own.
Truly, thanks for a great recipe!!
Was the first recipe I tried in my new Insta Pot. Turned out great. Usually I like meat dishes, but have been looking for vegetarian options. Thanks for the recipe!
yay