Instant Pot Aloo Gobi

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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Jump to:

• Ingredients - Notes & Substitutions
• How to Make Aloo Gobi in Instant Pot
• Alternate Method: Stovetop Aloo Gobi
• What to Serve with Aloo Gobi
• How to Store
• Recipe Tips & Notes
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Popular Instant Pot Indian Recipes
• 📖 Recipe

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

Popular Instant Pot Indian Recipes

These recipes are part of the Instant Pot Indian Recipes Series:

📖 Recipe

This recipe was updated recently with new photos, detailed information, tips, and step-by-step photos.