Aloo Gobi is a delicious Indian vegetarian stir fry that's easy to make, healthy, and absolutely delicious. In this easy 30-minute Instant Pot recipe, potato (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi) are cooked with onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, and fragrant Indian spices.
Enjoy this vegan and gluten-free Punjabi delicacy along with dal tadka and homemade roti.

Aloo Gobi is a popular north-Indian side dish. Its popularity can be judged by the fact that most Indian restaurants featuring North-Indian cuisine have it on their menu.
Aloo Gobi is on weekly rotation in my home. It's a versatile dish that makes for a simple, comforting meal, and is elegant enough to entertain with.
In this simple recipe, I saute cauliflower florets and cubed potato with aromatics, and lightly seasoned it with mild Indian spices like coriander and cumin.
Making this in the Instant Pot results in a semi-wet Aloo Gobi since the water released by the vegetables has no way to evaporate. But you can dry that with a quick saute after pressure cooking.
Let's check out how to make this flavorful Aloo Gobi in less than 30 minutes!
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Ingredients - Notes & Substitutions
All you need is a handful of easily available ingredients and commonly used Indian spices to make this delicious aloo gobi recipe. Here's what you need:
Cauliflower: Use 1 large head of cauliflower that yields roughly 4 cups of florets. Follow these easy steps on how to cut cauliflower.
Potatoes: Gold or red potatoes, both work in this recipe. Cube them into evenly sized chunks. If you're using baby potatoes, you can just cut them in half.
Onion: I use one medium-sized onion cut into slices. Red, white or yellow- all work well here.
Serrano Chilies or Jalapeños: either will work for this recipe to add a bit of heat. Remove the seeds and ribs for a mild flavor.
Oil: Use any clear oil like avocado or olive oil. You can also use ghee, just know that it won't be vegan anymore.
Garlic and Ginger: you can use store-bought pastes or make your own garlic paste and ginger paste, or a combined ginger garlic paste (recommended for better, fresher flavor.)
Roma Tomato: you'll need 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped.
Spices: We're using a blend of salt, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder (or a combination of paprika and cayenne), coriander powder, and roasted cumin powder (or regular cumin powder), and garam masala.
Spices Substitution: If you'd like to use curry powder, add 1-1½ tablespoon instead of all these spices.
Cilantro: A garnish of freshly chopped cilantro adds the perfect splash of color and balance to this dish.
Scroll to the recipe card for a detailed list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Aloo Gobi in Instant Pot
Here are the easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions with photos for the Aloo Gobi recipe in Instant Pot, or any electric pressure cooker.
Step 1: Saute Aromatics
Select Saute and heat the Instant Pot till it displays 'Hot'. Add cumin seeds and wait for them to sizzle. Add onions, green chilies, and potatoes. Saute for 1 minute.
Add chopped ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add chopped tomato, salt, and all spices. Saute for 2 minutes.
Deglazing Tip: If the spices or aromatics start sticking at the bottom, add ¼ cup of water and scrape everything well. This prevents the burn error.
Step 2: Pressure Cook
Add cauliflower florets and gently stir. If the cauliflower and tomatoes haven't released liquid yet, add ½ cup of water. Cancel SAUTE and seal the lid.
Pressure Cook on Manual or Pressure Cook for 0 minutes.
What Does '0' Minute Cook Time Mean? What this zero minutes of cook time do is essentially steam-cook the food in the time it takes to build pressure. To learn more about it, check out my Instant Pot Terminology and FAQ blog post.
After cooking time is done, manually release the pressure and open the lid. Turn on Saute to dry any excess gravy. Do not stir the cauliflower during this time as it will break.
Cancel SAUTE. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm!
Want to make this in an air fryer? Try this: Air Fryer Aloo Gobi Recipe
Alternate Method: Stovetop Aloo Gobi
- Heat a heavy bottom stir-fry pan, or a deep skillet on medium-high heat for about 30-40 seconds.
- Add oil and cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds begin to splutter, add onions, green chilies, and potato cubes, and saute for 3-4 minutes.
- Add chopped ginger and garlic and saute for another minute. Add chopped tomato, salt, and all the spices. Saute for 2 minutes, until the tomatoes get soft and break down.
- Then add cauliflower and toss till all florets get coated with the masala.
- Reduce the heat to medium, cover with a tight lid and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring once in between. Open the lid and check if the potatoes are cooked by inserting a knife. If it goes in without resistance, the potatoes are cooked. If not, cover and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Open the lid and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, till all the liquid has evaporated. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy.
What to Serve with Aloo Gobi
Since Aloo Gobi doesn't have any significant protein, I love to pair it with any protein-based Indian entree, and grain, like rice, roti, or naan. Here are some of my favorite combinations:
How to Store
Store Aloo Gobi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I don't recommend freezing it since it loses flavor and texture on thawing.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Cauliflower: Cut the cauliflower florets about the same size so they cook evenly.
- Potato: Cut the potatoes into about ½-inch cubes or slices so they cook through in the short pressure cooking time.
- Water: This recipe doesn't call for extra water since the cauliflower and tomatoes release water while cooking. But if you are using an 8 qt, you can add ¼-1/2 cup water to this recipe. After pressure cooking, dry the excess liquid on saute mode.
- Low Carb Variation: For a low-carb or keto version of this recipe, skip the potatoes and add another cup of cauliflower to the recipe.
- Deglazing Tip: If the spices or aromatics start sticking at the bottom, add ¼ cup of water and scrape everything well. This prevents the burn error.
- Spices Substitution: If you'd like to use curry powder, add 1-1½ tablespoon instead of all the spices. Add salt after checking the ingredient list of your curry powder.
Frequently Asked Questions
I prefer the crisp texture of gobi so cook it for 0 minutes on high pressure. If you like yours softer, increase the cooking time to 1 or 2 minutes.
Yes, you can. Increase the pressure cooking time to 2 minutes if making this on low pressure.
This method makes a semi-wet aloo gobi. If you prefer a Punjabi-style dry aloo gobi, you can make it on the stovetop or in the air fryer.
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📖 Recipe
Aloo Gobi in Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ghee or olive oil for vegan
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ cup onion sliced (half of 1 medium onion)
- 2 green chilies or 2 jalapeños, de-seeded for milder flavor
- 2 cups gold potatoes sliced or cubed (red potatoes work too)
- 4 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 large head)
- 1 teaspoon garlic finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ginger finely chopped
- 1 cup tomato chopped, about 2 small tomatoes
- ¼-½ cup water use as needed
Spices
- ¾ teaspoon salt (or 1 tsp, adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder (or substitute 1 teaspoon paprika + ¼-½ teaspoon cayenne)
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder (can use regular ground cumin)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
Garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Select Saute and heat the Instant Pot till it displays 'Hot'. Add cumin seeds and wait for them to sizzle. Add onions, green chilies, and potatoes. Saute for 1 minute.
- Add chopped ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add chopped tomato, salt, and all spices. Saute for 2 minutes. If the spices or aromatics start sticking at the bottom, add ¼ cup of water and scrape everything well. This prevents the burn error.
- Add cauliflower florets and gently stir. Cancel SAUTE. Close the lid and set the pressure valve to the sealing position.
- Cook on Manual or Pressure Cook for 0 minutes. After cooking time is done, manually release pressure.
- Open the lid after the pressure pin drops. If there is any liquid at the bottom, you can turn on SAUTE for a couple of minutes to dry that up. Do not stir the cauliflower during this time as it will break.
- Turn SAUTE off. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm with rice, roti or naan!
Stove top recipe
- Heat a heavy bottom stir-fry pan, or a deep skillet on medium-high heat for about 30-40 seconds. Add oil and cumin seeds.
- When the cumin seeds begin to splutter, add onions, green chilies, and potato cubes, saute for 3-4 minutes.
- Add chopped ginger and garlic and saute for another minute. Add chopped tomato, salt and all the spices. Saute for 2 minutes, until the tomatoes get soft and break down.
- Then add cauliflower and toss till all florets get coated with the masala. Reduce the heat to medium, cover with a tight lid and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring once in between.
- Open the lid and check if the potatoes are cooked by inserting a knife. If it goes in without resistance, the potatoes are cooked. If not, cover and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Open the lid and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, till all the liquid has evaporated. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Cauliflower: Cut the cauliflower florets about the same size so they cook evenly.
- Potato: Cut the potatoes into about ½-inch cubes or slices so they cook through in the short pressure cooking time.
- Water: This recipe doesn't call for extra water since the cauliflower and tomatoes release water while cooking. But if you are using an 8 qt, you can add ¼-½ cup water to this recipe. After pressure cooking, dry the excess liquid on saute mode.
- Low Carb Variation: For a low-carb or keto version of this recipe, skip the potatoes and add another cup of cauliflower to the recipe.
- Deglazing Tip: If the spices or aromatics start sticking at the bottom, add ¼ cup of water and scrape everything well. This prevents the burn error.
- Spices Substitution: If you'd like to use curry powder, add 1-1½ tablespoon instead of all the spices. Add salt after checking the ingredient list of your curry powder.
Nutrition
This recipe was updated recently with new photos, detailed information, tips, and step-by-step photos.
orit says
Hello
Not sure I understand 0 minutes in instant pot. Is it 10 minutes - total time shows as 20. I will wait to hear from you 🙂 Thank you
Aneesha says
Hi Orit, it is 0 minutes. The dish cooks in the time it takes for the cooker to reach pressure. So when you set 0 minutes, it turns off (or switches to keep warm) immediately after it reaches pressure. Hope that clarifies. Feel free to reach out for any more questions.
Ana says
It was so good! Totally restaurant quality! I boiled the potatoes for about 8 min though before adding them in...
Aneesha says
Hi Ana, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope you try other restaurant favorites on the blog!
Natalia Armoza says
How many minutes do you put the instant pot for? Thanks!
Aneesha says
Hi Natalia, set it for 0 minutes by using the +/- button. It will cook in the time the cooker comes to pressure.
Judy says
Delicious! Was looking for a new way to cook cauliflower- my family loves roasted cauliflower but it was getting a little old. This was tasty, flavorful, and relatively quick! I made it on the stove, directions were clear and easy to follow. Thank you Aneesha!
Aneesha says
Hey Judy, I am so glad you and your family enjoyed it. Aloo Gobi is on rotation in my home 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to rate the recipe!
Sridhar says
Recipe turned out very well, even though I found the write-up a bit confusing. First, I made it on the the stove-top. Second, the stove-top recipe completely omits the ginger and garlic, even though they figure in the list of ingredients and in the IP recipe. So I simply implemented the IP recipe on the stove-top and it was great! Thanks.
Aneesha says
Hi Sridhar, thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed it. And thanks for point it out, I'll edit the stovetop recipe and include ginger and garlic. If you get a chance, do click on the stars and rate the recipe. Thanks again!
Teresa Cajigas says
Another successful meat free dish. Used as a side with fried breaded cod, but could easily pair with anything. Vegetables need never be boring.
Aneesha says
Yay! so glad you enjoyed this. I'll be sharing more Indian veggie sides in the coming few weeks, look out for those too! And thanks again for sharing your sweet feedback!