Instant Pot Aloo Gobi
Nov 27, 2018, Updated Apr 20, 2019
Classic Indian dish, Aloo Gobi made in the Instant Pot! This spiced potatoes and cauliflower dish is vegan, gluten-free and makes a comforting meal.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Instant Pot Aloo Gobi – a simple yet classic Indian dish in which potatoes and cauliflower are cooked together with spices.
Everyone has their own way of making aloo gobi, but this one is my personal favorite- with lots of ginger, garlic and tomatoes.
This Instant Pot Aloo Gobi Recipe is from my cookbook Vegetarian Indian Cooking With Your Instant Pot.
If you love all the Instant Pot vegetarian/vegan recipes that I share on the blog, please join me on this Facebook Group – Instant Pot Vegetarian Recipes. The group shares/features vegetarian instant pot recipes and ideas from all around the web!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. For more information on my Affiliate and Advertising Policy, please click here.
How was your Thanksgiving guys? I can’t believe the long weekend that I was so looking forward to is already over. I did a lot of shopping on black friday this year – bags, shoes, jackets you name it!
We didn’t really plan on shopping anything but it just happened and honestly we had fun. Rest of the weekend, we spent cleaning the house and just donating a bunch of stuff.
Now back to the grind and simple, healthy recipes. This Instant Pot Aloo Gobi is one of my favorite recipes from my cookbook.
It takes little time to put together and is such a comforting dish. Honestly, this recipe was the one that took me most number of trails to get it correct for my book.
Now, you may wonder why because my stove-top aloo gobi is one of the most popular recipes on the blog and I make it all the time so the Instant Pot version should be just as easy for me. Right?
But it wasn’t! Every time I made it, the cauliflower turned into a mush. Sometimes there was too much water, other times I just pressure cooked it for a very long time.
So after lot of trials, I finally landed up with this recipe which in my opinion makes the perfect aloo gobi in the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Aloo Gobi Recipe
The process is pretty basic- you start with sauteing onion and tomatoes and then add the potatoes, cauliflower along with some basic Indian spices and pressure cook it.
But what may seem easy might not be that easy in practice!
Like, I mentioned above, every time I made aloo gobi in the IP, it just turned mush. So how did I come up with the right recipe for my cookbook?
How To Make Perfect Aloo Gobi In The Instant Pot
Without the cauliflower turning into a mush? Well, by following these things –
✓ Cut cauliflower florets into large pieces
✓ Dice potatoes into 1 to 1.5 inch pieces (no less!)
✓ Do not add a ton of water. The more water you add, the more time the pot takes to come to pressure > the more pressure cooked the veggies get> turn mush
✓ Cook the potatoes first on saute mode for few minutes, before adding the cauliflower
✓ Place the cauliflower in the pot at the end and on top of everything and do not stir after that
✓ Cook on low pressure for 3 minutes followed by a quick pressure release
And voila, you have made the perfect Aloo Gobi, all done in your Instant Pot!
For me, the texture of aloo gobi is very important. Yes, we are pressure cooking the sabzi but that doesn’t mean that I should be eating totally mushed up veggies in the name of food.
If you feel same as me, then you would love this instant pot aloo gobi. Because though it gets pressure cooked, the veggies retain their texture!
What If The Pot Doesn’t Come To Pressure?
The most important thing to keep in mind is to deglaze the pot. After the potatoes are cooked for few minutes on saute mode, you add water before adding the cauliflower florets on top.
So, before you add the cauliflower, make sure to deglaze the pot as you add the water. There should be no burnt bits at the bottom of the pot. If there are, it won’t come to pressure since we are not adding ton of water here.
Remember that it takes around 8 to 10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure in this recipe. So don’t try to open the pot to check what’s going on if it doesn’t come to pressure. Wait for 8 to 10 minutes for the pot to come to pressure.
If it doesn’t come to pressure even after that time or shows Burn message, open the pot, add couple of tablespoons more water and try again. You don’t need a lot of water here so don’t be tempted to add more than what is needed.
Some people have had problems while making this dish in 8qt and the newer IP models. These models are prone to giving BURN messages.
So if you have a 8 qt, add extra 1/4 cup water. It has a bigger surface area and thus might need more water.
I have not tested this recipe in a 8qt so I really can’t comment how much more water it would need. But I would say go with extra 1/4 cup.
This Instant Pot Aloo Gobi Recipe makes a simple and delicious meal, just like how it was made in my home in India. I love to eat it with warm rotis!
Just like almost every aloo gobi recipe is, this instant pot aloo gobi is also vegan and gluten-free.
Method
1- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add oil to the pot and then add the cumin seeds. Let the seeds sizzle for few seconds.
2- Then add the chopped onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for another minute.
3- Add the chopped tomatoes, stir and cook for 2 minutes until soft.
4- Then add in all the spices – coriander powder, turmeric powder, amchur (dried mango powder), red chili powder, garam masala and salt and mix. Cook the spices for 30 seconds.
5- Stir in the diced potatoes along with 2 tablespoons water. Cover the pot with a glass lid and let the potatoes cook for around 3 minutes. You may stir them once in between.
6- Remove the glass lid and add around 3 to 4 tablespoons water to the pot and deglaze it. There shouldn’t be any burnt bits at the bottom of the pot. Place the cauliflower florets on top and then sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Do not stir.
7- Close the pot with its lid and press the manual or pressure cook button. Use the adjust or pressure level button to set pressure to “low”. Cook on low pressure for 3 minutes, with the pressure valve in the sealing position.
The pot takes around 8 to 10 minutes to come to pressure so be patient. Do not try to open the pot in between and check if it has come to pressure or not – it will!
8- Do a quick pressure release. Open the pot and with a spoon gently mix the cauliflower with rest of the masala and the potatoes.
You may press the saute button to dry off any excess water. Serve aloo gobi with roti or paratha.
Reprinted with permission from Vegetarian Indian Cooking by Manali Singh, Page Street Publishing Co. 2018.
If you’ve tried this Instant Pot Aloo Gobi Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!
Instant Pot Aloo Gobi
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil 15 ml, I used avocado oil, use oil of choice
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 large red onion 125 grams, finely chopped
- 1.5 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
- 2 medium tomatoes 265 grams, chopped
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1/2 teaspoon amchur also known as dried mango powder
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 medium potatoes 350 grams, diced into 1 inch pieces
- 6-7 tablespoons water divided
- 1 medium head cauliflower 500 grams, cut into large florets
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Chop everything before you start. Remember to chop the potatoes and cauliflower in large pieces, as mentioned.
- Press the saute button on the Instant Pot. Once it displays hot, add oil to the pot and then add the cumin seeds. Let the seeds sizzle for few seconds.
- Then add the chopped onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until onions are soft and translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for another minute.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, stir and cook for 2 minutes until soft.
- Then add in all the spices - coriander powder, turmeric powder, amchur (dried mango powder), red chili powder, garam masala and salt and mix. Cook the spices for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the diced potatoes along with 2 tablespoons water. Cover the pot with a glass lid and let the potatoes cook for around 3 minutes. You may stir them once in between.
- Remove the glass lid and add around 3 to 4 tablespoons water to the pot and deglaze it. There shouldn't be any burnt bits at the bottom of the pot. Place the cauliflower florets on top and then sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Do not stir.
- Close the pot with its lid and press the manual or pressure cook button. Use the adjust or pressure level button to set pressure to "low". Cook on low pressure for 3 minutes, with the pressure valve in the sealing position.The pot takes around 8 to 10 minutes to come to pressure so be patient. Do not try to open the pot in between and check if it has come to pressure or not - it will! See notes above.
- Do a quick pressure release. Open the pot and with a spoon gently mix the cauliflower with rest of the masala and the potatoes.
- You may press the saute button to dry off any excess water. Serve aloo gobi with roti or paratha.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
this dish is absolutely amazing .. love the way it cooks in the pressure cooker.
glad to know that Angela
I changed the recipe a bit, tried it once and the cauliflower disintegrated, did all the beginning steps with potatoes, tomatoes and spices, cooked on med pressure with 1/4 cup of water for 5 mins, did quick decompress and added cauliflower, closed it back up and cooked on low pressure for 2 mins, cauliflower came out much better, potatoes were nice and soft, the spices were delicious though
I’m going to try this today. My instant pot is the basic version and doesn’t have a low/high pressure option. Everything cooks on high. thought I would try zero minutes. Any ideas?
I would probably do 1 or 2 minutes on high pressure.
Made this last night and it was easy and amazing. Thank you.
you are welcome! glad you enjoyed it!
I have raw garlic and ginger, but no access to the paste or means to prepare it, what quantity of each minced would you substitute in place?
add 1/2 teaspoon each of minced ginger and garlic.
I found it was difficult to incorporate the spices with the cauliflower after the pot completed its cook cycle. Any suggestions?
Add little water, cover the pot with glass lid and press saute. Let simmer 2 minutes. Although I find the spices mix with cauliflower easily.
This was the very first dish I made in my new Instant Pot Viva. It turned out perfectly, and is the best Aloo Gobi I’ve ever made!
I’ve been trying to duplicate an Aloo Gobi that I used to have at a friends restaurant years ago. Tried dozens of recipes, and this is the only one that comes close. Thank you!
welcome! glad you liked it!
Great thanks
welcome!
I’m going to try this for dinner tonight. it looks so yummy. Thank you.
This is excellent??? made this today, thank you so much❤️❤️❤️ Perfect quantities and instructions… I guess the burning sign comes up when the cauli is too big and the tomato is less?
Thanks again!
The Nova instapot went into burn status. Had to add water and mix up the potatoes and cauliflower. Low pressure so it was all undercooked. Not great.
like it’s mentioned in the notes – this recipe was tested several times in 6 qt DUO. The newer models and 8qt size have the problem of burn issue. I Try adding more water and 3 minutes at low pressure for cauliflower is perfect,
Thank you so much for the receipe. It came out yummy and was super quick to make. I have never been able to make good aloo gobi on traditional stove, but by following this receipe on Instapot came out perfect. My wife and son both ate their hearts out, cheers
glad to know!
Hi Manali,
Can you make this with frozen cauliflower? If so, do you know if it will change the quantity of water?
hmm I have never tried with frozen cauliflower..I would follow the exact recipe and see how it goes..
Hi there, I tried this recipe and followed everything exactly, but the Gobi came out mushy. Don’t know where it went wrong. My Gobi pieces were big so I thought it would work. I used a 6qt. Any thoughts?
Really? I am surprised it happened. Did you change the pressure to “low”, also not stir the cauliflower after adding to the pot? Did a quick pressure release? Hmm not sure what happened..i always cook cauliflower (big pieces) for 3 mins on low pressure and it comes out fine…try 2 mins next time that’s all i can say
Ok will try 2 minutes next time. I did make sure to keep on low pressure. I’ll keep you updated. Thanks.
Dear Manali,
Thank you for the recipe. I never thought of making aloo gobi in this way! It came out great and my husband was very pleased. I cannot wait to try more recipes. 😉
So glad to hear that Brinay 🙂
Hello Manali,
Thanks for your recipe. The most crucial thing in my opinion that will make your recipe even greater, is the quantity of water required.
Thanks,
Regards
Hello John, this recipe works fine with the amount of water mentioned. Every recipe in the Instant Pot doesn’t need 1 cup water. A lot of veggies like tomatoes, spinach, radish, cabbage etc. release a lot of wayer when pressure cooked so you have to keep that in mind. We are using tomatoes here, so the water that we add and the water released from tomatoes is enough to bring pot to pressure. If you still want to add 1 cup water so ahead add it but you will end up with a very watery aloo gobi which I don’t like personally.
John, the recipe is perfect as it is. I glazed the pot as she suggested but still got burn message. At that point,vi did NOT add water – just ignored the message and let it cook. The results were Amazing.
glad to hear that 🙂
The amount of water required is not right in the recipe. It caused burn notice! I added the recommended amount of water in the recipe, and even a little more to make sure. After the burn notice, opened the instant pot up and added even more water. Went to pressure cook mode again, only to be greeted with a second burn notice! Please do not use the recipe unless you want burned aloo gobi!
Sorry it didn’t work out for you but please don’t ask others to not make it or say this recipe is wrong! This recipe is from my cookbook and I tested it at least 10 times before putting it in my book. I was looking for a dried texture of aloo gobi that’s why I did not want to add a lot lot of water. After a lot of attempts I succeeded in making it perfect for IP! So please don’t call this a wrong recipe. I hope you scraped the bottom as I have mentioned in the recipe, you can see the video as well that i have done for this recipe. Even if you de glaze the pot and still got burn notice then it might be a problem with your IP! A lot of newer models especially 8qt have this burn isssue! A lot of people have successfully made this recipe from my book and I make it all the time too, so I know this works with just the amount of water mentioned in the recipe! The tomatoes also release water when pressure cooked so this recipe doesn’t need a ton of water.
Hi Manali,
I have an 8qt instant pot, and the water amount you provided definitely caused burn notice twice. So, I believe it is important to warn people about it. The spice combination is pretty good though.
I will make a note. Thanks
I followed her instructions EXACTLY (glazed the pot) and I ignored the burn message and the dish came out Amazing.
What are the possibilities of you posting some paneer recipes and how to make the paneer, also? Thank you. Linden
Hi Linden, I have several paneer recipes and also how to make paneer recipe in my cookbook https://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Indian-Cooking-Your-Instant/dp/1624146457/ref=zg_bs_4268_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TS60NSETCXZC7A5VS8S9 I will sure to share more on the blog. Meanwhile, here’s a recipe to make paneer at home on stove-top > https://www.cookwithmanali.com/how-to-make-paneer/
aloo and gobi best recipe idea thanks…………………
Welcome!
I’ve never had a dish like this before. It looks really good! Plus I love potatoes! I’ll have to give this a recipe a try soon, thank you!
Thank you!