Vegetable Korma is a mild and creamy vegetable curry that gets its rich flavor from cashews and cream. It is vegetarian and gluten-free, and can easily be made vegan. In this easy recipe, I put together this Indian delicacy in just 30 minutes using an Instant Pot or stove!
Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Easy to Make Vegan
Growing up, this was one of my favorite vegetarian curries to order in an Indian restaurant. Given how awesome it tasted, I just assumed that it would be impossible to recreate this dish at home. I wish I had known back then, how simple and easy this korma recipe is 🙂
All you need is a few easily available ingredients, including cashews, ginger, garlic, tomato, ground cardamom, Indian spices, heavy cream and assorted vegetables. They’re all naturally vegetarian and gluten-free.
And it is super easy to make this recipe 100% vegan. Just by switching ghee and heavy whipping cream with oil and coconut cream, you can enjoy a delicious Vegan Korma in 20 minutes. (Refer to ‘notes’ for details instructions).
You Might Also Like These Top 10 Instant Pot Indian Vegetarian Recipes
How to Make Instant Pot Vegetable Korma
Checkout step by step instructions on how to make this easy dish even easier using the Instant Pot. This recipe will also work with any comparable electric pressure cooker, like Mealthy Multipot. Let’s start with the recipe:
Step 1: Prep (Picture 1)
- In a small bowl add cashews and water, and microwave it for about 1 minute. Traditionally, cashews are soaked in water for 30 minutes till they plump up. But, by taking this microwave short-cut, I achieved the same results in 1 minute or so.
Step 2: Blend Sauce (Picture 2)
- In a blender jar, add the cashews (with water), tomatoes, ginger, garlic, salt, turmeric, kashmiri red chili, garam masala, ground coriander and cumin. Blend everything till the sauce becomes smooth. Keep aside.
- Turn on Instant Pot on Saute mode. Add 1 tbsp ghee (or oil for vegan), and saute the cashews set aside for garnishing, for 30 seconds. Keep stirring to prevent them for burning. Remove as they begin to turn a light golden color and keep aside.
Step 3: Pressure cook (Picture 3)
- While saute mode is on, add the remaining tbsp of ghee (or oil) and add the sauce. Saute the sauce for 2 minutes. This cooks off the raw taste of ginger and garlic.
- Add the assorted vegetables, stir and close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook or Manual and adjust the pressure setting to LOW. Cook for 1 minute.
Step 4: Release pressure, add cream and cardamom (Picture 4)
- When the cooking time is done, release pressure manually. Depending on the cooker model you are using, carefully pressure down on the pressure valve (ultra), or turn the knob to venting position (duo). Open the lid after the pin drops.
- Add heavy cream. Substitute coconut cream to make this vegan. See notes on instructions for using coconut cream.
- Add ground cardamom (fresh or store-bought) and stir in the curry. Serve warm with cumin rice, naan or paratha.
Stovetop Recipe for Vegetable Korma
- Heat a heavy bottom pot on medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp ghee (or oil for vegan), and saute the cashews set aside for garnishing, for 30 seconds. Keep stirring to prevent them for burning. Remove as they begin to turn a light golden color and keep aside.
- Add the remaining tbsp of ghee (or oil) and add the blended sauce. Saute the sauce for 2 minutes. This cooks off the raw taste of ginger and garlic.
- Add the assorted vegetables, stir and close the lid. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 10-12 minutes, or till veggies are fork tender.
- Open the lid, stir and check for seasoning. Increase the heat to medium-high, and add heavy cream. Substitute coconut cream to make this vegan. See notes on instructions for using coconut cream. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Add ground cardamom (fresh or store-bought) and stir. Serve the curry warm with cumin rice, naan or paratha.
Make a Meal: What to Serve with Vegetable Korma
Korma is such a luxurious dish full of veggies that you don’t really need any other sides with it. What you need is a grain to soak up, or scoop the creamy curry.
Vegetable Korma goes great with rice, naan or a homemade Indian flatbread called paratha. These days, I find many speciality food stores carry frozen paratha in their Asian food aisles. Here are four choices of Indian rice dishes that my family loves to pair with this creamy Korma:
How to Avoid the Dreaded ‘Burn’ Message
In this recipe, the blended sauce should not be too thick or else it can stick to the bottom and burn. To avoid that, if your blended korma sauce looks thick, add a 1/2 cup water to it. Once it starts cooking, the veggies will also release liquid.
Here’s another trick if your pressure cooker is notorious for ‘burn’ messages. Start by greasing the pot with a cooking spray, then add 1/4 cup water to the pot and pour the sauce over that. Add the veggies over that, don’t mix and just pressure cook.
More Popular Indian Curries from my Kitchen
- Paneer Tikka Masala
- Creamy Lamb Korma
- Paneer Makhani/ Paneer Butter Masala
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Palak Paneer
- Saag Chicken
How to Entertain with This Recipe
Whenever I am making Vegetable Korma for a big get-together, I break it down in two steps, which simplifies my work and allows me to prepare in advance.
I skip the veggies and pressure cook the sauce two days before the party. A few hours before serving it, I pour the sauce in the Instant pot and turn on saute. I steam the vegetables in the microwave, while the sauce heats up and then add them to the pot.
Then, I add heavy cream and cardamom and let everything simmer for 2-3 minutes. Done! This last step of assembling the korma can be done on the stove-top or even in the oven.
Pro-Tips for a Mind-Blowing Vegetable Korma
- Vegetables are the star of this recipe. I like using a combination of cauliflower, carrots and peas, but you can use any assorted vegetables. Other popular choices are green beans, potato and sweet corn.
- If you don’t like cashews or are allergic, you can use blanched almonds instead.
- To make this recipe vegan, substitute ghee with any clear cooking oil. And instead of heavy whipping cream, add coconut cream. For this, use any high-fat coconut milk brand like Chakoah. Open the can without shaking it, then skim off the cream at the top of the can. Use that cream to thicken the korma.
- Variation: Sometimes I like to add paneer to this recipe. To do that, I chop paneer in about 1/2 inch cubes and add it along with the vegetables.
- If your blended korma sauce looks thick, add a 1/2 cup water to it to avoid a burn message.
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Vegetable Korma in Instant Pot | Stove
Ingredients
Vegetables (around 4 cups assorted vegetables)
- 2 cups cauliflower florerts about 1/2 a large head
- 1 cup carrots peeled and sliced thin
- 3/4 cups peas can use frozen (no need to thaw)
Korma Sauce (blend together)
- 1/3 cup cashews about 30 cashews soaked in 1/2 cup water, microwaved
- 2 roma tomatoes or 1 cup crushed/diced tomatoes
- 1 inch ginger peeled, or 3 tsp crushed ginger
- 3-4 cloves garlic or 3 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
After Cooking
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or coconut cream (check notes)
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom (seeds from 6 pods). If using store-bought, add 1/4 tsp and check
- 1 tbsp cashews, halved and roasted
- 1 tsp agave or honey (optional, skip for low-carb or keto)
Instructions
Prep
- In a small bowl add cashews and water, and microwave it for about 1 minute. Traditionally, cashews are soaked in water for 30 minutes till they plump up. But, by taking this microwave short-cut, I achieved the same results in 1 minute or so.
Blend Sauce
- In a blender jar, add the cashews (with water), tomatoes, ginger, garlic, salt, turmeric, kashmiri red chili, garam masala, ground coriander and cumin. Blend everything till the sauce becomes smooth. Keep aside.
Instant Pot Method
- Turn on Instant Pot on Saute mode. Add 1 tbsp ghee (or oil for vegan), and saute the cashews set aside for garnishing, for 30 seconds. Keep stirring to prevent them for burning. Remove as they begin to turn a light golden color and keep aside.
- While saute mode is on, add the remaining tbsp of ghee (or oil) and add the blended sauce. Saute the sauce for 2 minutes. This cooks off the raw taste of ginger and garlic.
- Add the assorted vegetables, stir and close the lid. Select Pressure Cook or Manual and adjust the pressure setting to LOW. Cook for 1 minute.
- When the cooking time is done, release pressure manually. Depending on the cooker model you are using, carefully pressure down on the pressure valve (ultra), or turn the knob to venting position (duo). Open the lid after the pin drops.
- Add heavy cream. Substitute coconut cream to make this vegan. See notes on instructions for using coconut cream. Add ground cardamom (fresh or store-bought) and stir in the curry. Serve warm with cumin rice, naan or paratha.
Stove-Top Method
- Heat a heavy bottom pot on medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp ghee (or oil for vegan), and saute the cashews set aside for garnishing, for 30 seconds. Keep stirring to prevent them for burning. Remove as they begin to turn a light golden color and keep aside.
- Add the remaining tbsp of ghee (or oil) and add the blended sauce. Saute the sauce for 2 minutes. This cooks off the raw taste of ginger and garlic.
- Add the assorted vegetables, stir and close the lid. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 10-12 minutes, or till veggies are fork tender.
- Open the lid, stir and check for seasoning. Increase the heat to medium-high and add heavy cream. Substitute coconut cream to make this vegan. See notes on instructions for using coconut cream. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Add ground cardamom (fresh or store-bought) and stir. Serve the curry warm with cumin rice, naan or paratha.
Video
Notes
Pro-Tips for a Mind-Blowing Vegetable Korma
- Vegetables are the star of this recipe. I like using a combination of cauliflower, carrots and peas, but you can use any assorted vegetables. Other popular choices are green beans, potato and sweet corn.
- If you don’t like cashews or are allergic, you can use blanched almonds instead.
- To make this recipe vegan, substitute ghee with any clear cooking oil. And instead of heavy whipping cream, add coconut cream. For this, use any high-fat coconut milk brand like Chakoah. Open the can without shaking it, then skim off the cream at the top of the can. Use that cream to thicken the korma.
- Variation: Sometimes I like to add paneer to this recipe. To do that, I chop paneer in about 1/2 inch cubes and add it along with the vegetables.
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